Collateral Beauty
Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton,Kate Winslett, Helen Mirren,Kyra Knightley, Michael Pena
Directed by: David Frankel
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Collateral Beauty has been dealt with by critics the worldover with undeserved savagery. It has its deep flaws, yes.And the core premise of a satirical personification of Time, Death and Love is hard to swallow.
But there is so much that is achingly beautiful in the film.New York instance shot by Maryse Alberti in the night light when the city seems most vibrant and during that time of the day when loneliness is most pronounced.
At its heart this is a film that tells you to embrace death. It is a deeply melancholic meditation on bereavement and morality. There are characters who are either mourning the loss of a dead one or preparing themselves for invitible death in their lives.
At one point in the storytelling, a dying middleaged man tells an unlikely confidante that he never wanted to become an old shriveled-up prune. Now when he won’t live to be that he wants nothing more.Our hurting hero Howard, on the the other hand, wants nothing more than death.
Will Smith’s portrayal of a man who has shut all systems down after bereavement is so scarily throbbing with rage and resentment that we tend to mistake his exterior quietude for something far less acrimonious than it actually is. This is a man who doesn’t give a damn anymore about his dreams, friends, social conduct, food or sex. Or, anything that normal people consider to be nourishing and nurturing.
Will Smith hardly speaks. His Howard is a ticking time-bomb. When he finally explodes I heard sobs somewhere close to me. Turned out it was me .
Collateral Beauty is an impossibly ambitious look back in suppressed anger at the injustices of life that are shoveled on to the most undeserving victims of karmic brutality. It could be Howard whose loss is irreparable. Or his colleague Simon Scott(Michael Pena) who is hiding his impending death from his family.Or the feisty actress Bridgette who plays Death even as death plays her.
Every character in this gentle elegiac ode to mortality is unhappy, even the little girl (played with sobering brilliance by Kylie Rogers) who hates her father (Ed Norton) for divorcing her mother. And yet fir its disgruntled characters, Collateral Beauty is not an unhappy film. It leaves us with a lingering affection for life’s gifts big and small, and thankful for the presence of your loved ones .
The film is shot with a dose of slackened adrenaline. It makes the pulses race and hearts soar but it doesn’t exhilarate the senses in the way Great Cinema is meant to be. This is Frank Capra’s cinema where some of the wonderful life is lost in translation. And yet what remains is so precious and powerful that the losses in the narrative construction become bearable.
Finally what fuels the false feeling of failed film is the exceedingly streamlined structuring of the characterization. Every character is complemented by a counter-point character making the goings-on look much too planned and precise to convey the full heft of the intended emotional impact.
When three struggling actors are introduced in the plot as personifications of ‘Love,’ ‘Time’ and ‘Death’ each one befriends three principal characters close to the core of the drama. This is where the problems arise. Critics have laughed at what they see as a bogus premise for a spiritual sparring session on death and guilt. They are repulsed , some to the point of nausea by the film’s arching homage to the spirit of mortal combat between happiness and yearning.
But the film saves up one final twist for the last, a twist that I never saw coming.And when it came I was so thankful for it , and so grateful that life in the movies can still be swerved into a state of sublime redemption that I forgave all the all-too-obvious discrepancies in the plot. The performances range from the terrifyingly tactile(Will Smith, Micahel Pena), to the deliciously theatrical (Helen Mirrem, Keira Knightley). Kate Winslet, poor woman, has the most sketchily written part. She wolves on her meager part with the hunger of a dying soul grabbing on to the last shred of life.
That, my friend, is what Collateral Beauty means. See the film with a loved one. You will come out of the theatre clutching his or her hand for your dear life.

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Nutella India signs Bollywood Superstar Ranveer Singh to promote the brand across India

Nutella, the original and popular hazelnut cocoa spread brand of Ferrero, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sweet-packaged products, has signed Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh as its brand endorser for India market.
By coming on board as a brand representative for India, the superstar will promote the Nutella brand across digital and offline marketing channels as well as be an active part of their various campaigns.
Nutella® India made the announcement in collaboration with the pan-India star Ranveer Singh’s social pages through an entertaining video, where the actor is seen engaging in a rapid-fire round on ‘what comes to my mind when….’ and proclaims his love for the brand.
Ranveer Singh comments, “I am excited to announce my association with Nutella®. Nutella® has always held a special place in my heart. I’ve been a fan ever since I was a child and my love for it has only grown over the years. I am stoked to be part of the Nutella journey in India and help bring alive their vision of making tasty breakfast and desserts.”
The Bollywood star, whose love for Nutella is no secret, will be launching the World Nutella® Day celebrations this year with fans.
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Rakesh Roshan: “Everything I Know About Acting & Direction, I Learnt From K Vishwanathji”

The mighty moviemaker K Vishwanath who was to Telugu cinema what Satyajit Ray was to Bengali cinema, passed away on February 2,leaving behind a luminous legacy.
Acto-director Rakesh Roshan who had the rare honour of working in four projects with Vishwanath recalls him with tremendous respect. “Everything I know about acting and direction I learnt from him. He was a stalwart , an institution, and so passionate about his work. I had the privilege of being directed by him in two films Aurat Aurat Aurat and Shubh Kamna. He would show his actors exactly what he wanted, down to the minutest gesture.His understanding of the medium was extraordinary.”
Rakesh Roshan remembers how he invited Vishwanath to make films for him. “I produced two films that Vishwanathji directed. One was Kaamchor, the other was Jaag Utha Insaan.While the first was a runaway success, the second didn’t do well.”
Speaking on how Kaamchor happened Rakesh recalls, “Vishwanathji and I used to meet socially in Hyderabad.We wanted to work together. But we had no script.One evening when we met he looked very depressed. When I asked him what was wrong, he said his new release Shubodayam (in Telugu) had flopped. That night I went to see Shobodayam in a theatre in Hyderabad. The next morning I told Vishwanathji, ‘We’ve found our script’. I told him where the storytelling in Shubhodayam had gone wrong.We corrected the script and that’s how Kaamchor happened. Although the entire story revolved around me, it was Jaya Prada who benefited from Kaamchor.”
About the beautiful Jaag Utha Insaan , Rakesh Roshan admits bluntly, “It flopped because of miscasting. During those days Sridevi was known in Hindi cinema as a glamorous heroine. We cast her as classical dancer. Mithun Chakraborty had the image of Gun Master G-9 and Disco Dancer.We cast him as a downtrodden underdog. I was known for Kaamchor and other citybred characters,I was cast as a Brahmin pandit.With other actors Jaag Utha Insaan would have been a superhit”
Rakesh met K Vishwanath six years ago. “We were shooting for Krissh in Hyderabad. He came on the set several times. We had so much to say to each other. After that we lost contact. He was very very busy with many projects. K Vishwanathji lived for his cinema.”
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As His Latest Work Faraaz Releases Today, Hansal Mehta Speaks To Subhash K Jha On The Exciting Times Ahead

Hansal, Faraaz is your fifteenth directorial venture. How does it feel to have come so far with so many milestones behind you?
I don’t count my films. Genuinely. Every film is a new beginning. Every film has its share of uncertainty and nerves. Perhaps it is also because of the choices I make. There is no scope for either complacency or me carrying a false sense of security. I’m not complaining,though. Living life on the edge keeps me going.
I consider Faraaz to be a part of your great trilogy on the dynamics of terrorism, after Shahid and Omerta…where do you see Faraaz positioned in your creative ambit?
Thank you , Subhash.Faraaz is a film I’m very, very proud of. It was a challenge to pull off, a tough journey but creatively a very satisfying one. As Rajkummar Rao told me after watching the film , the Trilogy is complete now. Time to explore new stories and new characters. And finish post-production for all the exciting things that we shot for over the past eighteen months.
Out of curiosity which of your films have given you the most creative satisfaction?
Almost every film Shahid onwards has been immensely satisfying , both in terms of process and the outcome. Save a couple that I need not name. But even those I own for all their flaws, failures, deficiencies and redeeming qualities. But Faraaz has been a great process. I’ve made so many new friends in this journey and found some of the most exciting colleagues that I’m proud to introduce through the film. Writers Raghav Kakkar and Kashyap Kapoor (who co-wrote the film with Ritesh Shah), Cinematographer Pratham Mehta, Sound Designer Mandar Kulkarni, Editor Amitesh Mukherjee, co-producers Sahil, Maz and Sakshi – all of whom have given their blood and sweat to make this film happen. And of course Anubhav Sinha one of my oldest friends in the industry who backed me in telling this story just the way I wanted it. So yes, Faraaz has been satisfying and also filled me with a deep sense of gratitude. I must have done something right, no?
Of course. Faraaz has a lot of young new actors in it. Tell me about the process of casting in this film? It couldn’t have been easy since there are dozens of faces?
That was the challenge and the joy of making this film. I worked on the story during Chhalaang and I always knew that it would be a return to my indie roots for Faraaz. The film had to be made. And it needed fresh faces, bereft of image or trappings of stardom. A huge credit to Mukesh Chhabra who has a huge role to play in my filmography since Shahid. We constantly challenge each other and never ever give up. Casting is a process I really enjoy and finding the right talent to bring characters alive is something I thrive upon. Faraaz has an amazing ensemble. Right from Aditya Rawal , Zahan Kapoor, Juhi Babbar to every small character in the film including the officers, parents and the hostages this one is a triumph of honest casting , casting without an eye on profits, simply in service of the film, of the character.
Faraaz is about a terror attack in Bangladesh?how do you respond to those who want to know, why Bangladesh?
In our research of this dastardly attack we realised that here was a story that had a larger message and something very universal to share. Misguided youth taking up violence in the name of religion or a parent’s love for her child or the unexpected bravery from an unlikely hero are themes that cannot be limited by borders, nationality or language. These stories must be told. They must transcend the limitations of perceived local relevance – particularly when our polarised times need such stories to be told to a larger audience.
In 2020, your OTT series Scam 1992 proved to b e game changer. Do you see Scam as a turning point in your career?
I see Scam 1992 as an enabler. We did not expect its humongous success and to say it did not change things would be fake humility. It gave me back a lot of things I had lost in the years before it released. Including some money. And the courage to tell the stories I desperately wanted to. Also exceptional friends and collaborators like Sameer Nair and his Studio Applause.
Your films and your attitude to cinema has always been fearless. How do you cope with the threat of growing intolerance in our society vis a vis your convictions as a filmmaker?
It is not new to me. Remember Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar in 2000? The only difference now is that then I was deeply affected by the intolerance to a point of self destruction. Now I channelise my despair and anger into telling relevant stories and through them taking on those who have made it a business to be intolerant.
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To Attend Siddharth-Kiara’s Destination Wedding, Karan Johar Preponed His Twins’s Birthday Bash

For those who are wondering why Karan Johar hosted the grand birthday party for his twins Roohi and Yash who will turn 6 on 7 February, six days in advance on 1 February here is why: on the day of his twins’ birthday, Karan will be in Rajasthan attending the wedding celebrations of his dear friends Siddharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani who are getting married on February 6.
Reveals a friend close to Karan, “Karan was in a dilemma. To him there is nothing more important than his children’s happiness. How could he break their hearts by skipping the most important day of their lives? At the same time, how could he not attend Siddharth and Kiara’s wedding ? They are very close to him.”
Karan did the best thing possible to resolve the situation: he put the dilemma before his children Yash and Juhi who happily agreed to have their party a few days in advance so their ‘Dada’ could attend his friends’ wedding.
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