www.WeeklyVoice.com BOLLYWOOD Friday, January 31, 2020 | B-9 Kangana & Cast Shine In Feel-Good ‘Panga’ “Panga”; Cast: Kangana ly somewhere within. The fact is seems so nice at all times. Jaya is Ranaut, Jassi Gill, Richa Chad- conveyed in a brilliantly-written nice, so are her husband, kid and ha, Neena Gupta, Yagna Bhasin; scene right at the start where, mom. Her best friend is nice and Direction: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari; deep in sleep, she literally throws so are the coaches, selectors, even Rating: * * * (three stars) her husband (Jassi Gill) off the rival players within the team. bed with a barrage of kicks. The lack of ample grey shades By Vinayak Chakravorty Twist in Jaya’s tale comes also deprives the script of desired when her little boy discovers she depth. As it is, ilms centred on “Panga” is the sort of ilm you had given up her dream to raise sports can be predictable in the easily fall in love with. It has a him. His insistence that she must way they unfold the struggle, stellar cast in ine form, is direct- try for a comeback in the sport rise and ultimate glory of the ed by a ilmmaker who knows her sounds crazy to Jaya at irst, butsportsperson protagonist. “Pan- business of storytelling only too it soon begins to take shape of a ga” is no exception. well, and it manages to deliver reality that can be realised. Such warts, however, are cov- a topical comment without get- Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari has suc- ered up easily by the ilm’s bril- ting too preachy about it. It is an cessfully served up an inspira- liant cast. Kangana Ranaut shines entertaining ilm that effortlessly tional package. Watching Jaya’s above all in an authorbacked reaches out to the wider audience, comeback take shape despite the role, balancing with aplomb the and at the same time doesn’t lose hurdles, you understand this ilm various streaks that deine Jaya connect with basic aesthetics. Scene from ‘Panga’ - Pic grab from trailer is trying to work the same way a -- from being an overprotective In short, “Panga” ticks all the motivational pep might be doing, mother and caring wife to the once again takes to a smalltown tablishes Jaya’s extraordinary boxes a good Bollywood main- to anyone chasing a dream that quietly resilient sportsperson out milieu to draw a plot and charac- past with a few quick scenes at stream ilm should. might seem impossible. chasing an impossible comeback. ters. Moving out from Agra and the very outset. She was a star Co-writer and director Ash- What comes across as a downer While Jassi Gill essays Jaya’s Bareilly, she has settled on Bho- kabaddi player who even cap- winy Iyer Tiwari’s third ilm of sorts is the ilm’s lack of genu - husband with an understated pal this time. We are introduced tained India once, before she underlines what we had realised ine ‘panga’ moments, despite the quality, child actor Yagna Bha- to Jaya Nigam (Kangana Ranaut), gave it all up for marriage and after “Nil Battey Sannata” and ‘ realism. “Panga could have done sin is simply outstanding as her who blissfully balances a doting motherhood. Bareilly Ki Bari” -- she is one with a few strong conlict points. son. Richa Chadha, as Jaya’s best husband and son with her job as a Jaya may believe she is happy of the most exciting ilmmaking Essentially, what you get is feel- friend and comeback mentor, and railway ticket clerk. with her life but her passion for brains in new-age Bollywood. good portrait of struggle. Every- Neena Gupta as her mother add Nitesh Tiwari’s screenplay es- kabaddi still lurks subconscious- Just as her past efforts, Tiwari thing and everybody in this ilm value to the narrative Dia Mirza, Mrunal Thakur Akshay Kumar’s Sharvari Thrilled with ‘Bell Bottom’ In Beach Clean-Up Drive Release Delayed ‘Forgotten Army’ response LOS ANGELES: Akshay Ku- MUMBAI: Debutante Sharvari mar’s “Bell Bottom”, which was Wagh is overwhelmed with the scheduled to release on January response she has received for her 22, 2021, will now release on performance in “The Forgotten April 2. The change in the release Army”. She calls it a moment of date of the ilm comes in the validation. wake of Akshay’s postponing an- “It is a very overwhelming mo- other upcoming ilm, “Bachchan ment of my life and I feel over the Pandey” , from December this moon that critics and audiences year to January 21 next year. are appreciating my performance. “Bachchan Pandey” clearly had All the preparation and hard work a domino effect, because moving that I have put in to bring Maya to the ilm to January 21 now meant life is in front of people now and MUMBAI: On the occasion of tions, it is imperative for all of us it would clash with Akshay’s own I’m delighted with the response,” the 71st Republic Day on Sun- to take a stand and work towards ilm, “Bell Bottom”! In turn, that Sharvari said. day, several celebrities including its betterment in every way.” prompted Akshay to shift “Bell She was nervous as well as ex- Dia Mirza, Mrunal Thakur, Karan “The clean up is something Bottom” to April. cited about the release of “The Wahi and Maniesh Paul came to- we’ll continue to do. I’m very “I know there are enough Forgotten Army”. gether to support ilm producer grateful to my friends for sup- memes out there about me clash- “I was excited yet nervous at Pragya Kapoor’s clean-up drive porting me unconditional,” she ing with myself one day but 22nd the same time when The Forgot- a young actor like me, this mo- at Mahim Beach in Mumbai. added. After returning from the January 2021 is not that day. ten Army premiered. It is my irst ment of validation is so impor- A lot of pictures are doing the clean-up drive, Mrunal took to #BellBottom will now release on project and it is for the irst time tant because it assures me that I rounds on the internet in which Instagram and expressed her hap- 2nd April, 2021,” Akshay said. that my credentials were being am in the right direction. I really the stars can be seen picking up piness to be part of this environ- “Bell Bottom” is a spy thriller di- put to test! I’m grateful to every- am short of words to describe this garbage from the beach. mental cause. rected by Ranjit M Tewari. one who have been showering all moment,” she said. Talking about the initiative, “Happy Republic Day mere Akshay announced that he, the love on me and the show and Sharvari will next be seen as a Pragya said: “For me the environ- pyare Bharat wasio....post beach along with also producer Sa- I thank them deeply,” Sharvari leading lady of “Bunty Aur Babli ment is of utmost priority. With clean-up,” she wrote alongside a jid Nadiadwala, had decided to said. 2” opposite Siddhant Chaturvedi, the ongoing climate crisis and video in which she is seen hoist- postpone “Bachchan Pandey” on Right now, she is taking all who made his mark as MC Sher change in environmental condi- ing the Indian lag. Aamir Khan’s request. the limelight in her stride. “For in last year’s “Gully Boy”. When Salman Forgot To Pay Rs 1.25 To A Cycle Mechanic! MUMBAI: Superstar Salman Khan has recently shared a funny anecdote from his childhood days when he had forgotten to pay Rs 1.25 to a cycle mechanic. On Umang: A Mumbai Police Welfare Fund’s Initiative event, Salman revealed to comedian Kapil Sharma about how he owes Rs 1.25 to mechanic. And Salman got to know about his loan when he paid a visit to the same mechanic to get his cy- cle’s tyre ixed recently. “ I was wearing shorts and had no money on me. So, I told Kaka to repair it and that I would pay The “Dabangg” star also men- him later. That’s when he told me tioned that later when he returned that “Tu bachpan mein bhi aisa him his money, the mechanic re- hi karta tha. Tune ek baar bahut fused to take it. pehle cycle theek karaya tha aur Salman even narrated a story aaj tak uske paise nahi diye. Tera when he used to drive a scooter aaj bhi Rs 1.25 udhaar hai’ I felt with half kerosene and half petrol so embarrassed,” Salman said. to save money. Ranbir Poses With Banana MUMBAI: Actor Ranbir Ka- poor on Sunday posed for shut- terbugs carrying a banana in his hand. A lot of videos are do- ings the rounds on the internet in which Ranbir is seen getting clicked by paparazzi before en- tering a soccer ground. Ranbir’s banana antic has left his fans in splits. Reacting to one of the videos, which has been shared by cel- ebrated lensman Viral Bhayani on Instagram, a user wrote: “Fit- On the ilm front, Ranbir will ness secrets.”Another one com- next be seen opposite girlfriend mented: “Lol.” Alia Bhatt in “Brahmastra”..