Sanjh aur Savera

Emotional family drama “Sanjh aur Savera” (1964) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starring Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari, Mehmood, Shubha Khote among others.

Its a complex family story with lots of twists and turns typical of Indian movies of that era of arranged marriages. Dr. Shankar Chaudhary (Guru Dutt in his last film before his unfortunate demise in that year) is engaged to marry Maya (Zeb Rehman). But she loves somebody else and on the night after the marriage is solemnised she runs away from home.

To escape the major shame that will ensue post that coming to light, Gauri (Meena Kumari) is entrusted as Maya in that household. She is accepted as the wife of Shankar and they do a purification ceremony to make the marriage valid.

But there has to be a twist. Maya survives a car crash but she does not remember anything including her name. Dr. Shankar is treating her. When that comes to light, all hell breaks loose and emotional upheaval takes place with accusations flying freely across.

All confusion is sorted out towards the end, when all the parties come together to explain what actually happened and why they had to do all this drama. Mehmood has done a good role as a comedian. Others are okay. This is an average picture of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, his trademark style missing. IMDB 4/10

Prisoners

American crime thriller film “Prisoners” (2013) directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard among others.

The story is of two young girls being abducted from outside their family homes. There is a RV van near where the young girls were playing on the street. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is assigned the task to investigate their disappearance.

One of the girl’s father Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is distraught at the police for not being able to find the girls. The driver of the RV Alex Jones (Paul Dano) is caught and interrogated. It turns out that he is emotionally under developed. He is staying with his aunt Holly Jones (Melissa Leo).

Loki finds another suspicious looking character Bob Taylor (David Dastmalchian) and manage to sneak into his house where they find the girls’ clothing. He is arrested by the cops but kills himself in the police lock up.

One girl escapes the custody of the kidnapper and she reveals something to Dover which makes him come after Holly Jones. Deadly climax to the taut crime thriller. Suspense till the end and a cruel twist in the end. IMDB 5/10

Aavesham

Malayalam action comedy film “Aavesham” (2024) written and directed by Jithu Madhavan and starring Fahadh Faasil, Mithun Jai Shankar, Hipzster, Roshan Shahnavaz among others.

SPOILER ALERT

This is probably the worst ever Malayalam language film i have ever seen. There is no story worth the name, no content, some inane dialogues, crazy plot, unending violence, and non stop madness.

Such movies are best seen by keeping one’s brain in the freezer. There are three college kids who come from their hometown in Kerala to study in Bangalore. There they experience ragging of the worst kind.

Seeking revenge, they come across a local don Ranga (Fahadh Faasil) dressed in all white and screaming constantly. Ranga inducts the three kids into their gang and takes them on a couple of hits. On one boy’s perseverance, Ranga and his gang rain body blows on the seniors that had ragged the three kids.

Fearing loss of their term and with exams looming, the kids try to squirm out of the gang clutches only to meet with severe reprimand from Ranga. Another gang leader Reddy then uses the kids to try and eliminate Ranga. Ranga erupts in violence and more bodies start falling down.

Ranga makes funny faces befitting a don. Otherwise there is nothing in the movie. Even if we see it as a parody, the non stop violence takes the fun away. IMDB 1/10

Kerala Crime Files — Shiju, Parayil Veedu, Neendakara

Gripping six part web series “Kerala Crime Files — Shiju, Parayil Veedu, Neendakara” directed by Ahammed Khabeer and written by Ashiq Aimar and starring Aju Varghese, Lal, Zhinz Shan, Navas Vallikkunnu among others.

This is an unbelievably superb series of a crime taking place in a lodge when a sex worker is discovered in a bathroom of a room by the receptionist. There is no clue whatsoever except for a fake address.

The team led by SI Manoj (Aju Varghese) and ably supported by Pradeep (Zhinz Shan), Sunil (Navas Vallikunnu), Vinu (Sanju Sanichen) and with the CI Kurian (Lal) as giving them the leadership. They have a faint description of the killer who is a squint eyed tall person.

Brilliantly picturised and captured the team goes on a spree throwing everything into the investigation with multiple leads and not missing any clues and relentlessly pursuing even tiny doubts they had. The team blends together very well and every member of the team has a side story that goes with story.

The screenplay is magnificient and the kind of detailing that has gone into the making of this web series is spectacular. The camera work and cinematagrophy is very good as are the roles played by all the characters in the series. IMDB 6/10

The Caves of Steel

Isaac Asimov’s famous Robot series in “The Caves of Steel”.

It is set in a future where galaxy has already been conquered and Earthmen live a regimented life with no sun, wind, air filtering through. They live in caves of steel.

A murder takes place of a robot in Spacetown for which detective Elijah Baley is given task to investigate. He is given as an assistant a humanoid robot R Daneel Olivaw. Daneel looks and talks like a human but he is basically a robot.

Baley has a wife Jessica who is not so enamoured of robots and she is part of an undergound movement by Medievalists who do not want robots to take over the earth. Spacetown wants earthmen to migrate to other planets in the galaxy since earth is being overburdened.

Baley goes about his task assidously and his fingers point at his Commissioner Julius Enderby who was there at the spot when the robot was murdered. He has his reasons for doing so. Daneel has a positronic brain and he cannot eat anything and even if he eats for the sake of it, he has to remove the contents from his stomach.

Asimov paints a picture of a world far into the future. This novel was written in the early 1950s and his brilliance comes out beautifully in the way he describes a world of the future. My first book by Isaac Asimov and i am staggered at the magnificence of his writing. Goodreads 5/5

British Virgin Islands

Breathtaking documentary on British Virgin Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the north Caribbean. It has British dominance, that is why it is called as British Virgin Islands.

The documentary takes three to four stories and talks about them through and through. There is a rum distiller in the island as it is famous for rum due to ample sugar cane available.

There are crab races held every Tuesday with colourfully painted hermit crabs. There is an entrepreneur who collects salts available in plenty in one of the islands to make exotic heavenly soaps which are then sold to the outside world. Even the rum is sold in that fashion.

There is also a farmer who grows fruits and vegetables and sells them to the rich tourists who come to these islands in their own cruise boats. These are millionaire boat owners who ample money to spare.

British Virgin Islands is also a haven for offshore banking as several banks are having their presence in the islands. Its a beautiful documentary with lots of videos, and interviews along with the stories. You can watch the documentary here

Aashiq

Dense emotional love cum family drama movie “Aashiq” (1962) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starring Raj Kapoor, Nanda, Padmini, Abhi Bhattacharya among others.

It is the second time that Hrishikesh is working with Raj Kapoor, first one being Anari. Here Gopal (Raj Kapoor) is a not so serious guy out to have fun and not take any interest in the family business. His elder brother Pratap (Abhi Bhattacharya) is planning to marry Renu (Nanda) but she is in love with Gopal.

Hearing this, Pratap sacrifices himself for Gopal. But he falls in love with Priti (Padmini) who is a dancer and recognises his talent in music. She encourages him which leads to family tension. Meanwhile Renu tries to commit suicide but is rescued by villagers.

Gopal not knowing that Renu is alive, becomes a recluse and starts drinking until Priti once again brings him alive with his lyrics and music. He is now Udai Kumar, a much famous singer. Meanwhile his family is going through poverty and on the verge of losing their family home.

Hrishikesh can’t stay away from poverty in his movies and that comes home towards the end. A much different genre than his usual socialist bent movies, this love triangle is quite dense and emotional. Raj Kapoor has given a bravura performance while others are ok. Mukesh singing is awesome as usual and Shankar Jaikishen excel with their music. IMDB 4/10

The Scent of Green Papaya

Emotionally beautiful award winning Vietnamese movie “The Scent of Green Papaya” (1993) written and directed by Tranh Ang Hung and starring Tran Nu Yen-Khe, Thi Loc Truang among others.

The story is of young Mui who comes to live as a servant in the house of a family. There young Mui learns the ropes of cooking and house keeping. The father of that household goes away for the fourth time chasing women and he steals all the money that his wife had kept by her earnings.

The father comes back but he is dying. They have three kids of which the youngest one is uncouth, the middle one harms insects and the eldest one is the serious one.

Cut to 10 years later, Mui is still working in that same household, but now they have reduced to penury and cannot afford to keep her. So they send her to the eldest son’s friend who is a concert pianist. The pianist is already married but he has time only for practising the piano.

While the pianist’s wife is tempestuous, Mui brings calmness to his playing the piano. Slowly he realises the true love and ignores his wife completely and she leaves him. The pianist starts teaching her the language and Mui is shown as pregnant in the last scene.

Beautiful camera work of a very brilliant Vietnamese movie which won some awards. The background music and sound design are absolutely breathtaking. Tran Nu Yen-Khe has done a good role as the older Mui — the one who loves little things and small animals and takes care of them. IMDB 5/10

Forensic

Malayalam psycho thriller “Forensic” (2020) directed and written by Akhil Paul and Anas Khan and starring Tovino Thomas, Mamta Mohandas, Reba Monica John, Giju John among others.

The story starts off very well, with a series of child murders in Trivandrum and Samuel (Tovino Thomas) as the forensic expert. The investigating officer is Rithika Xavier (Mamta Mohandas) who is the estranged sister in law of Samuel. Rithika hires Shikha (Reba Monica John) to watch over Samuel.

The case progresses on the premise that the serial killer is a child. While on that lead, they discover more deadly details like the missing twin daughter of Rithika and another mastermind behind the killings. There is another person Ubaid the school bus driver who was originally implicated in the murder but later let off.

Too much of twists and turns in the plot to be almost impossible to follow. The officials consult one psychologist Dr. Alphonse Kurian (Giju John) who also had some background. Its not a linear story and the unexpected and unnecessary, in my view, surprises takes away the charm of this movie. The last 30 minutes of the movie is complex.

Tovino as usual delivers a strong performance and so do Mamta Mohandas and others. Had the story been kept straight, it would have been a rocking film. IMDB 3/10

Manjummel Boys

Breathtaking Malayalam survival thriller movie “Manjummel Boys” (2024) directed by Chidambaram and starring Shoubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, and others.

It is based on true story of what happened when one of the boys who went on vacation to Guna caves in Kodaikanal got trapped in a pit and had to be rescued. A group of friends from Manjummel a town near Kochi in Kerala go on a vacation to Kodaikanal.

While having fun, they decided to explore a cave called as Guna caves which is a highly restricted area. Being boys they jump onto the other side and start exploring when one boy Subhash (Sreenath Bhasi) falls into a pit deep inside the cave.

That cave is a dangerous spot is known to all locals of the area and when the police, forest guard and fire brigade are called in, they all express their inabilty to do anything about it. Until one among the boys Siju David (Shoubin Shabir) decides to go down via rope to the bottom of the pit.

Deadly action movie inside the pit and the cave with superb special effects and visual photography with sound mix, background music, cinematography. The production values are breathtaking to say the least. I doubt whether Bolllywood can bring off such a brilliant. Kudos to Malayalam cinema for this effort. IMDB 7/10

Memdidi

Emotionally roller coaster Hindi movie “Memdidi” (1961) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, written by Sachin Bhowmick and starring David, Jayant, Lalita Pawar, Tanuja among others.

David and Jayant (who incidentally is Amjad Khan’s father) are goons in a village in Bombay. Lalita Pawar comes in to stay in one house. She is a feisty old lady with lots of guts and gumption.

She tames both these brave men and they start calling her Memdidi. Lalita Pawar has a young daughter Tanuja studying in Shimla. Tanuja was originally a rich kid but her parents died, her properties was usurped so now she is totally dependent on the monthly fees which Pawar sends to her boarding school.

Pawar makes her ends meet by stitching clothes and making papads and pickles. Tanuja loves a rich young boy but her father is dead against the marriage. David and Jayant hitch a plot to convince her father that they are from a rich background.

Lots of emotional ups and downs follow with some mad cap comedy thrown in between. Both David and Jayant have done excellent roles and Pawar is still histrionic despite her doing a good role for a change. Tanuja is passable.

Again Hrishikesh Mukherjee harks back to his favorite topic of rich vs poor in the socialist era of the 1960s. IMDB 3/10

fair practices code for lenders

RBI advisory on the said subject, it is self explanatory

Fair Practices Code for Lenders – Charging of Interest

The guidelines on Fair Practices Code issued to various Regulated Entities (REs) since 2003, inter-alia, advocate fairness and transparency in charging of interest by the lenders, while providing adequate freedom to REs as regards their loan pricing policy.

2. During the course of the onsite examination of REs for the period ended March 31, 2023, the Reserve Bank came across instances of lenders resorting to certain unfair practices in charging of interest. Some of the unfair practices observed are briefly explained below:

1. Charging of interest from the date of sanction of loan or date of execution of loan agreement and not from the date of actual disbursement of the funds to the customer. Similarly, in the case of loans being disbursed by cheque, instances were observed where interest was charged from the date of the cheque whereas the cheque was handed over to the customer several days later.
2. In the case of disbursal or repayment of loans during the course of the month, some REs were charging interest for the entire month, rather than charging interest only for the period for which the loan was outstanding.
3. In some cases, it was observed that REs were collecting one or more instalments in advance but reckoning the full loan amount for charging interest.

3. These and other such non-standard practices of charging interest are not in consonance with the spirit of fairness and transparency while dealing with customers. These are matters of serious concern to the Reserve Bank. Wherever such practices have come to light, RBI through its supervisory teams has advised REs to refund such excess interest and other charges to customers. REs are also being encouraged to use online account transfers in lieu of cheques being issued in a few cases for loan disbursal.

4. Therefore, in the interest of fairness and transparency, all REs are directed to review their practices regarding mode of disbursal of loans, application of interest and other charges and take corrective action, including system level changes, as may be necessary, to address the issues highlighted above.

5. This circular takes immediate effect.

https://rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12678&Mode=0

penalty for non disclosure of interest

As per section 184 of the Companies Act, 2013, every director shall at the first meeting of the Board in which he participates as a director and thereafter at the first meeting of the Board in every financial year or whenever there is a change in the disclosures already made, then in the first Board meeting after the said change, disclose his concern or interest in any company or companies or bodies corporate, firms or other association of individuals which shall include the shareholding in such manner as may be prescribed.

This disclosure needs to be made in form MBP-1 by all the Directors to be placed before the Board in the first Board meeting of every financial year. In a particular case, a company Pearce Services Global Private Limited found itself in the cross hairs of the ROC, Chandigarh adjudication order, when its directors failed to make such disclosures in the first Board meeting of the financial year 2022-23. They placed such disclosures in the Board meeting held on 21st September, 2022, which is in clear violation of section 184(1) of the Companies Act, 2013.

The penalty for contravention of this section is Rs.100,000/- (Rupees one hundred thousand only) per Director. The ROC Chandigarh levied a penalty on Rs.100,000/- each on the 3 Directors of the company. There is no penalty levied on the company, because it is obviously not a company level violation, only from the Directors side.

Copy of this order can be found at

https://www.mca.gov.in/content/mca/global/en/data-and-reports/rd-roc-info/roc-adjudication-orders.html

8 millimeter

American crime thriller film “8mm” (1999) directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Nicholas Cage, Juaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, Myra Carter, Catherine Keener among others.

Tom Welles (Nicholas Cage) is a surveillance expert and is commissioned by Mrs. Christian (Myra Carter) to find details about a violent sex tape found in the locker of her late husband.

That sex tape is of a young girl being sexually assaulted and later hacked to death by a masked man. Tom finds about the girl’s home in North Carolina and locates a diary hidden in the toilet. She is Mary Ann Mathews a young girl who ran away from home with hopes of making it big in Hollywood.

The chase leads Tom to Dino Velvet (Peter Stormare) a violent sex film producer and to Eddie Poole (James Gandolfini) who is the agent who had recruited Mary to the show. Confrontation ensues with deadly consequences. The masked man is revealed to be one George who is actually a genial spectacled middle aged bald man, but who likes doing these things.

Tom takes care of the unfinished business on behalf of Mary’s mother who loves her child like nothing. Mrs. Christian settles his fees and reimburses Mary’s mother as well before taking her own life. Overall a violent crime film with lots of action. Nicholas Cage is okay in parts. IMDB 4/10

Chhaya

Beautifully emotional Hindi movie “Chhaya” (1961) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starring Sunil Dutt, Asha Parekh, Nirupa Roy, Nazir Hussain, Lalita Pawar among others.

Like all the movies that i have seen so far of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, this one is also rooted in the poverty of the 1960s, the typical rich vs poor argument, love between two economic classes, inevitable clash of the egos of the rich and a tumultous climax.

Nirupa Roy is abjectly poor with an infant when she loses her husband. Having no means to support she comes to Lucknow and feeling completely beaten to provide for the kid, she leaves it at the doorstep of a rich business person.

That rich owner Nazir Hussain picks up the kid and brings her up to be Sarita (Asha Parekh). Meanwhile in another world, Sunil Dutt is a poet going by the name of Rahi but he is also barely surviving life with two sisters to take care of. He picks up a job to teach Sarita at her household.

The inevitable love follows with some beautiful songs sung by Talat Mahmood and Lata Mangeshkar. That number “Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyar Badha” is beautifully sung by both of them. Music by Salil Chaudhary is as usual breathtaking.

Nirupa Roy bends her back to deliver a masterful performance as the mother who loses her child and has to take care of her as an ayah in the household. Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh are passable. Nazir Hussain and Lalita Pawar with their usual histrionics. In the end it becomes too emotional. IMDB 6/10