The Couch Review

Toofaan(2021)- Review Toofaan is a 2021 Hindi sports drama. The film takes us through the ride of Aziz “Toofaan” Ali aka Ajju Bhai (Farhan Akhtar), a local goon. Aziz is an orphan and was taken under the wing of a local gangster Jaffar Bhai (Vijay Raaz) at a tender age, since then he has served Jaffar in assisting in his illegal activities. Aziz is very good at fighting however only having done it at ‘street fights’ trying to terrorize the general public. On a fine day, Aziz finds himself at a local boxing ring and puts his unsavory fighting skills acquired doing illicit activities. Instantly he falls in love with the sport and realizes he could be very good if plays his cards right. But for getting to the next level of boxing on a bigger stage he requires a talented coach. He is told that the coach that can propel his fighting career is Coach Narayan “Nana” Prabhu (Paresh Rawal). With initial reluctance, Nana ultimately takes Aziz under his wing, with both aiming for the highest ho

Sardar Ka Grandson(2021)- Review Sardar Ka Grandson is a Hindi comedy-drama film entailing the quest of Amreek Singh (Arjun Kapoor), as indicated in the title the grandson of Sardar Kaur (Neena Gupta), to fulfill his ailing grandmother’s only wish. Sardar in her early life had built a home along with her husband and envisioned enriching a family in the home and live with her husband until they grow old. However, life had different plans for young Sardar (Aditi Rao Hydari) and her husband (John Abraham). In the wake of the Indian independence and the following partition, Sardar had to escape the new dominion of Pakistan with her husband having to sacrifice his life in the process. Now, decades later Sardar still hasn’t forgotten her beloved home that still lay on the soil of Lahore. With insinuating circumstances Sardar cannot return to Lahore to fulfill her last wish; so Amreek decides if her grandmother cannot go to her house, he’ll get the house to her. The whole debacle and effo

Mulan(2020)- Review Mulan is a 2020 fantasy action drama by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie is adapted from Walt Disney Animation Studios animation movie of the same name based Chinese folklore story, Ballad of Mulan. The movie centers around a young Chinese woman Mulan (Yifei Liu) living in Imperial China. With social stereotypes existing all girls are expected to be well-mannered and serve as a good wife. However, Mulan is nowhere near an ‘ideal girl’ let alone an ideal wife. She has always been the adventures type and is never shy in showing her physical prowess. Her father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma) is one of the great war veteran having served the Emperor when the Imperial Empire was last attacked. Having two daughters and being the only man in the house, Zhou chooses to once again pick up his sword when the Emperor orders every family in the kingdom to volunteer a warrior. Knowing that her father won’t survive if he were to enter the battlefield, Mulan decides to take his place. Dece

Madam Chief Minister(2021)- Review Madam Chief Minister is a Hindi language political drama taking us through the journey of Tara Roopram (Richa Chadda). Tara comes from a small village born to a family that comes on the lower side of the societal pyramid. Discriminated all her life and at the lowest point of her life, Tara comes to get acquainted with Master Surajbhan (Saurabh Shukla). The Master is a leader of a political party who has been campaigning all his life for the people who have always been neglected by the society. After coming under the wing of Surajbhan, Tara learns the tricks of the trade and how to survive in the political spectrum drenched in corruption, greed, and hegemony. In a short time, Tara proves her worth and ability to succeed as a political leader, be it still considered a novice by everyone. With time she earns the seat of becoming the Chief Minister; with the help of a few friends and not to mention more than a few enemies. The movie then continues wit

Another Round(2020)- Review Another Round is a 2020 Danish film circling around four teachers and close friends. All of them lack motivation and are continuing to live their dull lives. On the occasion of Nikolaj’s (Magnus Millang) 40th birthday dinner, the four start to discuss psychiatrist Finn Skårderud’s theories specifically his theory of maintaining a blood alcohol content of 0.05 which he reckons can make a person more creative and relaxed. Initially dismissing the theory and the idea of experimenting with it; Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) who finds himself extremely sad and depressed due to difficulties in his personal life, starts drinking at work. The other three inspired by Martin are invigorated to join in and make it an experiment of Skårderud’s theory. The movie continuous with the four experimenting with binge drinking albeit with rules and their self-defined restrictions. The story of the movie can be put under the category of unique and peculiar, rightly so. The screenp

The Man in the High Castle(2015–2019)- Review Have you ever wondered what might have been if something in history didn’t come to fruition; how the world would be different, how would people be, how different would you be. The Man in the High Castle is a series that does just that. It takes us through the ride through the world where the allies lost the second world war and the world is at the mercy of Nazi Germany and Japan. Based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick , the story rotates around Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos) a woman living in San Francisco, which is on the Japanese side of occupied America called Japanese Pacific States. Initially introduced to the possibility of a better world by her sister, Juliana gets involved in the mission to free this dystopian America; the mission run by someone that goes by the moniker of The Man In the High Castle. Throughout the series, we are acquainted with a dearth of characters on both sides of the divided America among who

Crazy About Her(2021)- Review Crazy About Her is a Spanish Netflix Romantic Comedy by director Dani de la Orden. The movie is about Adri (Álvaro Cervantes) a successful writer for an entertainment magazine; and a woman he has a one-night rendezvous with Carla (Susana Abaitua). They classically bump into each other and hit it off instantly. But rather than get things complicated and complex, they decide to have one crazy night out with no strings attached and never to see each other again. Come dawn the perfect arrangement ends and the two go their separate ways. But Adri can’t help thinking about her and decides to find her. Sounds like a perfect classic rom-com right; here things start getting interesting. Carla is a patient at a mental hospital. Extremely smitten by Carla, Adri hatches a plan to get into the hospital and get her number. Little did he know Carla has no further interest in him and he is to get stuck in a mental hospital. Netflix often at times does not focus too m

Mumbai Saga(2021)- Review  “Aaj se Mumbai tera ja Raaj kar” Mumbai Saga is a Hindi action crime film by director Sanjay Gupta. As the name suggests the movie takes us through the saga that unfolded in the ’80s and early ’90s in Mumbai or what it was called then Bombay. The movie primarily focuses on Amartya Rao (John Abraham). Amartya lives a simple life and earns his living as a fruit and vegetable vendor. Vendors like him are often extorted by the local mob, choosing not to engage with the miscreants Amartya usually turns a blind eye and obliges with their demands. However, he is forced to take action against them when his younger brother is victimized by their harmful acts. After fending off a high-powered gangster and his goons, Amartya finds himself in power with the support of a local leader Bhau (Mahesh Manjrekar) who in his own words tells Amratya “Aaj se Mumbai tera ja Raaj kar” (From today Mumbai is yours, go rule). With Bhau’s blessings he does go on to rule Mumbai for

I Care A Lot(2021)- Review   “Are you a lamb or a lion?” Most con movies are based on this simple principle of animals, eat or be eaten, showcasing the protagonist as a highly ambitious unempathetic person who will stop at no end to complete their con; to game the system, breaking rules and laws. While most of the general characteristics meet with the protagonist of I Care A Lot, Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike), but she does her grifts in line with the system and the laws. The scam is simple yet brilliant. Marla finds naïve elderly clients who have considerable assets and wealth. After spotting these potential clients, she convinces the court to grant her guardianship of these elderly people, on the grounds that they cannot function well by themselves. After being appointed their guardian she racks up money by utilizing their assets. The business is going well and Marla is enjoying life with her girlfriend and business partner Fran (Eiza Gonzalez). But the story gets less colorful wh

Moxie(2021)- Review “In some ways, a lot has changed and, in some ways, nothing has changed at all.” Amy Poehler recently used this line while promoting the Netflix movie she has directed and starred in. The above line fits quite perfectly with the premise of the film. There is a high school that acknowledges and is aware of the wider societal issues but nonetheless does not fully understand or execute them. The students are rampant in carrying out activities they deem unharming, with ignorance running wide among teachers and the principal alike. In this backdrop, Vivian (Hadley Robinson) finds herself enraged and wanting to do something about the toxic and dilapidating culture at her school. After getting inspired by her mother, Lisa (Amy Poehler), and her rebellious past, the shy & quiet Vivian takes matters into her own hands initially starting a zine and ultimately driving a school-wide revolution. Surrendering to the sign of the times, with Moxie Netflix hopes to be at the

Indoo Ki Jawani(2020)- Review Silly comedies with irrational storylines and frivolous scenes have come to the forefront of Bollywood comedies since the early 2000s. As illogical as they are not many would deny they end up being extremely funny too. With films like Bhagam Bhag , Garam Masala , Hera Pheri , Bheja Fry , Golmaal are some of these well-known comedies that will be cherished for years to come. But very few films in recent times have been able to replicate these films’ content or even their success. With Indoo Ki Jawani Netflix is attempting to do just this. Starring as the lead in Indoo Ki Jawani Kiara Advani takes the role of title character Indira Gupta, a young, shy & conservative girl, nonetheless very bold, who lives in Ghaziabad with her parents. Being as pretty as she is there is never a doubt of her turning heads, with more than a few admirers of her. While there are always eyes on her she is yet to be smitten by her knight in shining armor. For the past year,

Scorpion(2014–2018)- Review “Not Good”- Happy Quinn, Scorpion (2014–2018) “Not Good” as Jadyn Wong’s character Happy Quinn would say almost every episode, the series too can be simply put under that category. The premise of the series is very simple; a group of ‘geniuses’ use their intelligence time and again to solve complex problems, usually problems that can’t be solved by anyone else. These high-intellect individuals work for Scorpion, lead & founded by Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel) whose IQ is the fourth-highest ever recorded. Walter is aided by Sylvester Dodd (Ari Stidham) a ‘human calculator’, Tobias Curtis (Eddie Kaye Thomas) a world-renowned behaviorist, and Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong) ‘world’s best mechanic’. The team also houses a couple of ordinary people, Agent Cabe Gallo (Robert Patrick) a Homeland Agent working as the muscle of the team, and finally Paige Dineen (Katherine McPhee) who helps the geniuses interact with the world. Scorpion throughout the series takes on

The Lift Boy(2019)- Review The Lift Boy is a drama film taking us through a period of 24-year-old Raju Tawde’s (Moin Khan) life. Raju is a happy-go-lucky young adult without much worry and no plans for the future. With this carefree attitude, Raju has flunked his exams a few times and so is yet to graduate. On a normal day, he finds himself in an unsavory situation after his father suffers a heart attack. His father works as a lift operator in a building. With him not being in a state to fulfill his duties, Raju is told to be the proxy and fill-in for his ill father for the near future. Raju reluctantly goes to ‘work’ without much any worry or concern. While working as the Lift boy, he comes across many people living in the building and even befriends a few. Among the residents of the building resides Maureen D’Souza (Nyla Masood) who is also the owner of the building. In the coming few weeks the two form an uncommon friendship which further flourishes when Maureen assists Raju wit

303(2018)- Review 303 is a German road-trip movie entailing a budding friendship that evolves between Jule (Mala Emde) and Jan (Anton Spieker) during a trip they eventually come to share traveling from Berlin to a few cities in Europe. Jule is a biology student and is stricken by the fact of her failing her exam and to add to the turmoil finds out she is pregnant. In order to meet her boyfriend, Alex, she sets out in her Mercedes Hymer 303 motorhome to Portugal, where he is writing his doctoral thesis. En Route she finds Jan, a political student who wants a lift to Cologne. Jan too having issues of his own is traveling to Spain to see his biological father, whose existence Jan wasn’t aware of for a long time. Initially, reluctant Jule agrees to share her motorhome with Jan and on their journey, they go on to discuss & argue about everything that comes to their mind. With these insightful conversations, they get to know each other well delving deep into these discussions showcas

The Guilty(2018)- Review The Guilty is a Danish crime thriller featuring Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren), a Copenhagen police officer awaiting a hearing for shooting a man while on duty. Currently, he is assigned to answer emergency calls. The day prior to his hearing Asger receives a call from a woman who identifies herself as Iben Østergård (Jessica Dinnage). Not getting any cries for help or claiming an emergency, he doesn’t make too much of the call and is about to hang up. But as he continued with the conversation with Iben he realizes that she is under some kind of distress and discreetly reveals to him she has been abducted and is in a white van. The movie throughout continuous with build-ups in this storyline; Asger using his skills and doing all he can for rescuing the woman who is counting on him. Firstly, the creators need to be lauded to have the imagination and the creativity to deliver the way the movie did with the extremely bold script showcasing & limiting all the