Reviews
Talking heads: TV9’s chief takes the host’s chair with style — but could do with a laugh
Barun Das has swapped the boardroom for the studio and is pulling off a polished interview show — mostly
MUMBAI: There is something quietly audacious about a media chief who decides that running a television empire is not quite enough and plants himself in front of the camera for a good chinwag with the great and the good. Barun Das, chief executive of TV9 Network, has done precisely that, and for the most part, he carries it off with considerable aplomb.
Duologue with Barun Das, now in its fourth season on JioHotstar, is exactly what it says on the tin: two people, two chairs, no frills. In the earlier seasons, Das has sat across from a rather stellar roster, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Aparna Sen, Viswanathan Anand, Kiran Rao, among many other renowned names. And in the fourth instalment he has had guests of the likes of Aamir Khan, Sourav Ganguly, Bianca Balti (Italian super model and cancer survivor), Lothar Matthäus (German football World Cup-winning captain). Throughout, he has coaxed from them nuggets that their publicists would probably rather keep under wraps. Cricket, relationships, spirituality, acting, health, behind-the-scenes machinations that plague politics, intellect, nepotism, nothing is entirely off the table.
Das’s greatest asset is his manner. Unhurried, well-dressed and disarmingly calm, he has the rare gift of making his guests feel so thoroughly at ease that they occasionally forget they are being filmed for television. The questions arrive softly, like a spinner tossing up a googly rather than a fast bowler hurling bouncers, and more often than not, they draw out a telling answer. He has no cue cards or teleprompter to help him along, which is probably a rarity for a host. Some credit must go to the research team operating quietly in the wings, who evidently do their homework so that Das does not have to fumble for his.
Where Duologue stumbles, however, is in its almost determined refusal to lighten up. Each 45-minute episode carries the solemn weight of a budget speech. A dash of wit, a moment of mischief, the odd belly laugh, none of it makes an appearance. Serious conversation has its place, but even the most earnest of interviewers, think David Frost at his best, knew when to let the air out of the room.
Das has built something worth watching. He simply needs to remind himself, and his guests, that a smile never hurt anyone.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
Available on JioHotstar.
Hindi
Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary review: Get ready for one of the craziest experiences in theaters as dinosaurs takeover the city
MUMBAI: Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary is not just a movie but also a portal to another world and it does its best to make you forget about the real world. For all the Shin-chan lovers, this movie has the same ol’ Shin-chan magic with a twist of dinosaurs that are out to create havoc in Japan. The movie is soon to release on 9th May.
A fabulous job done by director Shinobu Sasaki and writer Moral and Yoshito Usui, who have kept quite a perfect balance between emotional scenes, insane comedy and some really good action scenes. The movie is sure to get us all captivated into its world.
With “Dino’s Island” taking over the city as dinosaurs come alive, Shinnosuke and his friends grow close to Nana, a super-cute and affectionate dinosaur. Their unique bond is soon put to the test when the mysterious Bubble Odoroki targets Nana for a secret purpose, sparking a wild pursuit across Kasukabe and Tokyo.
With a slightly less effective first half, the movie covers up well in the second half with great visuals and unpredictable storyline. The movie is somehow best experienced in theaters as it unites all the Shin-chan fans together. This actually makes up for a great experience as many moments in the movie become more exciting to watch with the audience’s reaction.
The time when Nana used Shiro as a ball to fight back, the scene when shin-chan and the gang get surprised by dancing dinosaurs, the reaction of the audience when Nana changes his avatar and many more moments get hyped, making us more excited and connecting us more deeply with the movie.
Yes, the movie has great humour and there are times when the bar of comedy will be raised really high and the surprising part is that even after all that, the emotional quotient won’t be lost. The dinosaur rampage will be terrifying to watch and at the same time, some scenes will grip you with its emotions.
In conclusion, with a few slippery moments in the first half, this movie is sure to be one crazy roller coaster ride experience for everyone in the audience, making it one of the most memorable movies of the time.
