Dullness all over this limp satire
The Morning Standard|October 23, 2021
IN the silent era, filmmakers used mythological stories to evoke national unity. Today, that effect is drastically opposite. A misstep could lead to legal complaints, and— since Padmaavat (2018)—title changes.
SHILAJIT MITRA
Dullness all over this limp satire

All of which befell Bhavai, Hardik Gajjar’s film that was attacked a month before release. Sadly, this negative press is all I’d remember of it. The film is so listless, I’d only recommend it to insomniacs.

Bhavai does offer an enjoyable early scene: a Ramleela procession passing through a crowded lane. The actors are decked up but unmoved. Sita is tired, Laxman is irate, and Ram is faking a smile. “They haven’t even offered us water,” the actors mutter under their breath. “They don’t think us human.”

This story is from the October 23, 2021 edition of The Morning Standard.

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This story is from the October 23, 2021 edition of The Morning Standard.

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