Badla~ The Invisible Guest

Director- Sujoy Ghosh

Cast- Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Manav Kaul, Amrita Singh

Best Dialogues-
1. Sabka sach alag alag hota hai

2. Woh moorkh hota hai joh sirf sach ko hi jaanta hai aur sach aur jhooth ke fark ko nahi jaanta hai

Badla is the official remake of Spanish hit film, The Invisible Guest. It’s a scene by scene remake so if you have seen the original film on Netflix, this one can be skipped.

The film is about Naina Sethi, who has recently been facilitated with the Businesswoman of the year award and Badal Gupta, an advocate who hasn't lost a single case in his 40-year legal career.

Naina Sethi is accused of murder and her lawyer thinks that only Badal Gupta can save her. Badal agrees to take the case on the condition that Naina should tell him the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

As the film progresses, through the table discussions of the two protagonists we come to know about the other characters and the plot slowly unravels.
Amitabh Bachchan as Badal Gupta is superb. It's his screen presence and dialogue delivery which keeps us hooked to the film.

Taapsee Pannu has the same bored expression throughout  the film. 

Amrita Singh shines in a small role.

The film is made on a  small budget, there are no grand sets or songs, and most of it is shot in a room.
The story has several plot twists, though the climax could have been better.
The film has managed to earn 30 Crores in 5 days and has turned out to be a profitable venture for the producers.

In a line, if you are a Bachchan fan, the film can be seen for his energy otherwise watch the original on Netflix.

One time watch. Can be seen when is aired on TV.

Review of 2 States

Release date –18'th April  2014

One Word which describes the film – Melodrama

Best Dialogue - ' Baat communities  ki nahi hai..baat ye hai ki kis tarah ke insaan ke sath hum apni jindagi bitana chahte hain'

Genre – Romance / Comedy

Music – Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 

Producer- Karan Johar , Sajid Nadiadwala

Story - Chetan Bhagat

Direction Abhishek Varman

Cast - Arjun Kapoor , Alia Bhatt , Ronit Roy , Amrita Singh , Revathy , Shiv Kumar Subramaniam

Budget- 35 Crores

2 States is the love story of Punjabi guy Krish and Tamil Brahmin girl Ananya .

Abhishek Varman who has been an assistant director in films like  'Jodha Akbar' , 'My Name Is Khan' and 'Student of the Year ' has made his directorial debut with this film .
The first half where the two meet and gradually fall in love is interesting and colorful but after interval the film becomes repetitive ,  slow and dull. 

In the first half , the boy tells the girl that he wants to be a writer because he believes that 'Story mein hero na ho, story hero honi chahiye .'
Contrary to this line , there is a hero in this film who manages to save it and it is Alia Bhatt . She manages to outshine not only the other supporting actors but also the main protagonist . She looks beautiful , confident , and radiates the tension she is going through in trying to create a balance between her lover and her parents . 

Arjun Kapoor , on the other  hand manages to portray the same expressions through out the film. He tells his girlfriend that his mother has always been there for him but still when the scene demands he is neither able to express his love for her or his anger for not understanding what he wants. 

Amrita Singh , Revathy, Ronit Roy and Shiv Kumar have given decent performances but not much importance is given in building their characters so we are kept wondering why the boy's father sulks all the time or why his mother couldn't decide whether she wants to please her son or her husband or the society.

Whereas Alia Bhatt's last critically acclaimed film , 'Highway'  struggled to cover it's production cost , 2 States has managed to earn a cool 40 Crores plus at the Box Office in just 4 days which shows that audience prefer popcorn entertainment over serious soul searching films.  

In a line, the film is a scene by scene representation of the novel so if you have read the book there is nothing new there , except the pretty Alia Bhatt.
Timepass . Can be seen in theaters .