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Story: Kotha is a crime-infested badland, ruled by Kannan Bhai (Shabeer Kallarakkal) and his K-team. But when things go out of hand, it’s time for the OG King of Kotha to return and set things in order. Review: Raju (Dulquer Salmaan) and Kannan are childhood buddies, who can kill for each other. They’re young, reckless and undisputed rulers of the Kotha of the 1980s. However, unlike other gangsters, these boys and their gang won’t do drugs or deal in it. But like all good things must come to an end, their brotherly bond comes undone, after a sudden betrayal by one of them. It also has a little something to do with the entry of Raju’s lady love Tara (Aishwarya Lekshmi). Things turn quite messy and bloody, as the two friends turn against each other and Kotha is no longer the same. It’s a textbook gangster saga with oodles of swag, bloodshed and brutal action ruling the screenplay. Director Abhilash Joshiy and Abhilash N. Chandran ensure their narrative is packed with twists, turns and relentless fights. All the action plays out in the fictional town of Kotha in a decidedly retro setting (by art director Manoj Arakkal) and is brought to life by Nimish Ravi’s visually stunning cinematography. Add to that, a thumping background score by Jakes Bejoy is like icing on the cake. Clearly, it’s more about optics and the immersive experience than anything else. The story itself is predictable in parts but the fabric of friendship, love and betrayal is seamlessly interconnected. The biggest flaw of the film is its lethargic pace. It starts slow and takes a while to find its rhythm until Dulquer Salmaan’s dramatic entry. A tighter edit would have gone a long way in making this elaborate gangster thriller more enjoyable. Dulquer Salmaan packs a punch in a completely distinct avatar from his previous outings. The young actor displays the required intensity and depth in his character, who is literally a force of nature. Shabeer Kallarakkal is equally impressive as a formidable villain. The chemistry between the two actors powers the narrative. Aishwarya Lekshmi, Gokul Suresh as the dependable Tony, Prasanna as the scheming IPS officer Shahul Hassan, and Nyla Usha as the venomous Manju, provide able support. Overall, ‘King of Kotha’ suffers from the same old problem of not knowing how much is too much. Short of becoming a cult gangster classic, it does have the mass appeal and the ability to hold its audience captive for a long time. It just doesn’t know when to stop.
Story: Viplav (Vijay Deverakonda) and Aradhya (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) fall in love, only to realise that them and their families are poles apart. Happy in love, will these two manage to make their relationship work? Review: In his debut film Ninnu Kori, director Shiva Nirvana explored the dynamic between a married woman and her ex-lover. In Majili, he told the tale of a heartbroken man who’s so stuck in the past, he cannot see the happiness that lies in front of him. And Kushi explores the tale of a couple who get what they want, only to realise, they might not be equipped for it. Viplav (Vijay Deverakonda) is a BSNL employee who requests a posting to Kashmir because he has a Mani Ratnam fantasy to live out. He wants the snow-capped mountains, the beautiful locales, the AR Rahman music, heady romance, et al. Unfortunately, he gets a massive dose of reality once he gets there. Aradhya (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) happens to cross paths with him one fine day, and our man here falls heads-over-heels for the pretty girl. What follows is something you’ve seen a million times before. He doesn’t care who she is and where she’s from, he hopes his love (and stalking) will wear her down. And it does. And here’s where the real issue begins. Viplav happens to be the son of renowned atheist Lenin Sathyam (Sachin Khedekar) while Aradhya is the daughter of conservative Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murli Sharma), who happens to be Lenin’s arch nemesis. The couple believes their love can overcome their starkly different brought-ups, warring families and even something heartbreaking. But is just love enough to make a relationship work? Left on their own, do Viplav and Aradhya know how to get over their misunderstandings with nobody’s help? To give credit where credit is due, Kushi is a breezy, feel-good film for the most part, ably aided by Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music. It’s not the most out-of-the-box love story when stripped down to its bones and is predictable to the boot. However, Vijay and Samantha do a good job of ensuring you care about what happens to them and their flailing marriage. Their chemistry feels effortless, even in the scenes where they can’t stand the sight of one another. Vijay seems to enjoy playing Viplav, a man-child with some growing up to do, while Samantha breezes her role as Aradhya, a woman who just wants to be happy. Vijay, in particular, seems in his element, pulling off the fight scenes and light-hearted ones with equal ease. However, in this need to keep things breezy, Shiva doesn’t delve deep enough into something heartbreaking Viplav and Aradhya go through. The former doesn’t think it’s that serious while we’re never shown how the latter feels about the loss. When the cracks begin to form, it doesn’t even come up that maybe these two didn’t know each other well enough. The penultimate solution he finds for their issues, courtesy of Rohini and Jayaram’s characters, also feels on-the-nose and a little bit silly. Crisper editing and a little bit of magic instead of oddly written humour might have aided the film more. However, the climax brings it all together well. At the end of it all, Kushi remains the kind of film that’ll entertain you, despite the draggy bits. Love triumphs above all else is a message all of us could use.
Dream Girl 2 story: Karamveer wants to marry his girlfriend, Pari. But he must first fulfil her father’s condition and make Rs 25 lakhs in six months. An easy way out for him is pretending to be a girl and dancing at a bar. Things take a bizarre turn when four people pursue Pooja/Karam for marriage. Dream Girl 2 review: Director Raaj Shaandilyaa serves this comedy four years after the original Dream Girl, which was delightful for its quirky set-up and premise. The second outing has a similar premise. Karamveer (Ayushmann Khurrana) needs to raise an enormous amount of money quickly if he wants to marry his girlfriend, Pari Shrivastav (Ananya Panday). So, he pretends to be a woman, Pooja, and works as a dancer at Sona Bhai’s (Vijay Raaz) bar. Thereon, the movie has little new to offer throughout its 133 minutes. Writers Raaj and Naresh Kathooria have tried to crank up the comedy, but the narrative goes haywire and ends up as just a mishmash of situations and characters pursuing each other. Besides Sona Bhai, Pooja attracts unwanted attention from Shoukiya (Rajpal Yadav) as she pretends to be a psychiatrist treating his brother Shahrukh (Abhishek Banerjee), who is depressed after a breakup. The much-widely spoken issue of mental health could have been treated far more sensitively in the plot, instead, it's left to being called a 'rich person’s disease.' Shahrukh’s father, Abu Saleem (Paresh Rawal), believes marrying Pooja is the cure, and the family vows to reward her with Rs 50 lakhs for the unison. Amid this, there’s Shahrukh and Shoukiya’s sister Jumani (Seema Pahwa), who falls for Karam while his father Jagjit Singh (Annu Kapoor) is in love with her. As the viewer tries to keep up with the characters’ shenanigans, some tracks are long-drawn, such as when Karam switches between being himself and Pooja. Many comedy scenes come across as too forced, and simply add ot the film. In comedy films, dialogues and their comic timing play a pivotal role in bringing out the laughs, but here, the one-liners here are kitschy and don't always land. When trying to convince Karam to become a dance girl, his friend Smiley (Manjot Singh), pointing to an aged customer on the dance floor, says, ‘Shakti nahi bachi par Shakti Kapoor poora bacha hai.’ While songs pop up one after the other, the music by Meet Bros and Tanishk Bagchi is not memorable, except for Dil Ka Telephone 2.0, a redux of the hit from the movie’s first instalment. Ayushmann Khurrana skillfully switches between playing Karam and Pooja’s characters in the film. He particularly shines in the dance sequences and gets the latkas and jhatkas perfectly. His knack at pulling off situational comedy shows and he owns some of the best parts of the film. Ananya Panday has little scope to perform, and struggles with consistency in her Braj Bhasha dialogue delivery. Annu Kapoor stands out, while other actors like Paresh Rawal, Seema Pahwa, Vijay Raaz, Manjot Singh, and Abhishek Banerjee offer commendable support. Dream Girl 2 relies on familiar territory, often straying into unnecessary comedic tangents. Despite some good performances and moments, the film falls short of recreating the quirky charm of its predecessor.
Story: Sukhpreet Kalra aka Sukhee (Shilpa Shetty Kundra), a devoted middle class Punjabi housewife in her 40’s faces existential crisis. A school reunion invitation wakes her from her boredom. Review: Sukhee reminisces about her glorious past, carefree life in Delhi as a teenager when she was loved for who she was as a woman as opposed to being needed solely to serve others and fulfill her duties as a mother and wife. Finally, there’s a desi film on female friendship and desire that isn’t about sex. Director Sonal Joshi deserves applause just for this. Her story hits home as it mirrors the inner turmoil of almost every middle-class housewife, who marries early and forfeits her dreams for love. Years of putting everyone else’s needs before your own doesn’t earn you respect. You are required, yes, but are you valued? Traditionally, women are taught to be happy within this realm of self-sacrifice as that makes for an ideal bahu, bhabhi or beti. Sukhee makes you look inwards as she decides to break free from the shackles of her domestic life and revisit her past, much against the wishes of her daughter and husband, who are quick to label her as selfish. There’s a lot to like in this dramedy that observes a woman reclaiming her self-worth. Some moments are heart-warming, especially the ones between Sukhee and her bed-ridden father-in-law (also Sukhee), who urges her to ‘live her life’. Sukhee's aching regret about being left behind when compared to her working women besties who she considers to be achievers, is relatable. It stems from society's perception of housewives. Saara din ghar pay karti kya hai? Unaccounted work and wasted potential, the director touches upon these issues well. A slight resemblance to ‘English Vinglish’ is also evident. The school reunion scene is hilarious where the girl gang of class 97’ dolls up only to see their unattractive ageing classmates and ghazals being played for the party considering the target audience. Sukhee feels promising until things get slapstick and off track. Expect pointless toilet humour and jokes that lack punch. The narrative shifts gear and loses your attention once the action moves to Delhi. Scenes and dialogues run in circles, and everyone keeps repeating things they have already said. “Sukhee naam wale kabhi dukhi nahi hotay” sounds good when you hear it once. Overkill is tiring. The girl gang track would’ve worked if other characters weren’t just Sukhee cheerleaders but individuals in their own right. None of the other girls (Kusha Kapila, Dilnaz Irani, Pavleen Gujral) have much to do, though all have a decent screen presence. Despite roping in a good actor, Amit Sadh love track is the film’s weakest portion. It does not work at all and only drags the film endlessly. The film could’ve easily been 20 minutes shorter to work better. Shilpa Shetty Kundra is perfect for this part and reminds you why she deserved roles like Life in a Metro, Phir Milenge more. Despite her sultry screen avatar, she slips into the psyche of a middle-class housewife effortlessly. She even gets a Baazigar ‘bangs’ makeover to show her younger self. The 90’s outfits pay an ode to Govinda well but the de-ageing feels a bit excessive. Chaitannya Choudhry as the husband and Maahi Jain as the daughter are effective in portraying their flawed characters. Sukhee has a heartfelt premise but it lacks pace, struggles to be engaging and gets too preachy to be perfect towards the end.
Carolina Public Press’ multipart series focusing on the Mountain Mist Mine continues. In parts four and five, the finale, residents of Hicks Chapel, a rural community in McDowell County, have their day in North Carolina administrative court.
An aerial shot that includes Mountain Mist Mine and Hicks Chapel. The larger of two open pit quarries is on the site of the Mountain Mist Mine. An open pit mine, dimension stone is extracted for building and landscape projects. Drone photo courtesy of Hicks Chapel resident who requested to be unnamed. Carolina Public Press’ multipart series focusing on the Mountain Mist Mine continues. In parts four and five, residents of Hicks Chapel, a rural community in McDowell County, have their day in North Carolina administrative court. To read earlier parts of the story go to Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it – Carolina Public Press. Part four Residents of Hicks Chapel, a rural community in McDowell County, had their day in North Carolina administrative court in April to make a case against the expansion of the Mountain Mist Mine, a quarry that operates on a tract of land next to their homes. The Mountain Mist Mine is one of a handful of open pit mines clustered along U.S. 221 several miles north of Marion, the McDowell County seat. Commonly called quarries, an open pit mine extracts rocks and minerals from the ground’s surface. Following concerns raised by neighbors, in May 2021, the state’s mining agency cited Mountain Mist for operating two mines without a permit. In August 2021, the operators of the mine applied for a permit. Despite the violations and mounting opposition from neighbors, Mountain Mist was granted a permit in June 2022 to expand the mine. In July 2022, Hicks Chapel residents filed a petition against the state of North Carolina, raising concerns about the threat to the community’s natural water source. The petition led the regulators to modify the permit in December 2022. The modification, however, did not satisfy all of the petitioners. The neighbors’ central concern was that blasting and drilling to extract rock from the quarry could impact the community’s natural water source. In a courtroom within the Haywood County Justice Center, McDowell County resident Tim Burnette presented his case before an administrative law judge in April. Clad in blue jeans and a matching coat, Burnette and other residents of the Hicks Chapel community, filed a petition with the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings, or OAH, asserting that the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, or NCDEQ, infringed on their rights by granting approval in December 2022 for the expansion of the Mountain Mist Mine, an open pit quarry near their homes. The OAH is an independent, quasi-judicial agency intended to provide impartial judgment when citizens have a complaint with a state agency. Next to Burnette sat his sister, Katrina Burnette Smith, two state attorneys, and NCDEQ assistant state mining engineer Adam Parr. Several members of their community occupied the dark-stained wood benches in the gallery, including Kenneth Waycaster, the mine operator. The Burnettes, who didn’t have a lawyer, had to show that the agency made a mistake as they spoke for the people who filed the request. They argued that the Mountain Mist Mine poses risks to a natural spring that supplies water to several households in their rural community. The Burnettes relied on their understanding of the area’s geology to build their case without bringing any witnesses or offering expert testimony to support their argument. Their primary argument was that blasting or drilling could impact the sandstone rock and thereby degrade the quality and availability of their underground water source. “Our concern is with the porous sandstone,” Burnette testified. He said that water moves through sandstone, and “drilling or blasting is a concern for us.” Burnette and the petitioners did not persuade Administrative Law Judge John Evans. In a ruling on June 19, Evans aligned with the state’s position and upheld the scope of the mining permit. The judge’s verdict not only confirmed the legality of the permit but also underscored the state’s adherence to established environmental regulations and permitting procedures. It also validated the DEQ’s assessment that the proposed mining activities would not pose detrimental effects on the community’s natural water source. “The Mining Program believes that the issues raised by the petitioner have been resolved,” wrote DEQ public information officer Josh Kastrinsky in an email to CPP on July 11, 2023. Kastrinky did not provide additional comments on Judge Evans’ ruling. The permit for mining operations is issued for the “life-of-site” of the operation, according to the state’s mining act. When the mining operation ceases, the operator of the mine is required to restore the site to standards included in the permit’s reclamation plan. Background on Mountain Mist Mine and mining without a permit The Mountain Mist Mine, a dimension stone quarry that extracts rock from an open pit, has operated sporadically over the last two or three decades. It is one of hundreds of small mining operations throughout the state. Along the edges of U.S. Highway 221 in McDowell County are several open pit quarries and rock sellers who pack rock in 1-ton wire baskets. Among the many varieties of stones, according to the once-active website of Carolina Graystone Quarries, which operates nearby, is Mountain Mist, a grayish-blue rock with rusty streaks. The area where mining is happening is surrounded by Pisgah National Forest and has a few small rural neighborhoods, like Hicks Chapel. Dimension stone is used for landscaping and construction. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since June 2020, the price of dimension stone has increased 28%, reflecting strong demand from the building industry. Rising prices are the result of strong demand from the construction industry and suggest a strong future market for the Mountain Mist Mine’s harvest. Chuck Abernathy, executive director of the McDowell Economic Development Association, said mining operations are an important source of income and jobs in McDowell County. In North Carolina, quarries, or mines such as the Mountain Mist, are regulated and inspected by the state DEQ’s Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources, or DEMLR. The N.C. Mining Act of 1971 set out regulations, such as mines greater than 1 acre requiring a permit. Open pit mines potentially impact the environment and nearby communities by generating noise, runoff, and dust. The state notifies mine neighbors when a permit is requested, and if there’s enough concern, a public hearing will be held, based on the DEQ’s discretion as per the mining act. An inquiry by CPP in 2021 triggered an inspection that determined the Mountain Mist exceeded one acre. In May 2021, the state’s mining agency cited Mountain Mist for operating two mines without a permit, halting their operation. For the Mountain Mist Mine, the corrective action was either to apply for a permit or reclaim the mine. “Reclamation” refers to the reasonable rehabilitation of affected land for useful purposes and protecting surrounding natural resources, but the cost can be high and varies based on several factors. Although the Mountain Mist operated without a permit, there wasn’t a legal reason to deny a permit in the absence of an ongoing violation of the law. In June 2022, a permit was issued to the Mountain Mist Mine. Based on concerns raised by members of the Hicks Chapel neighborhood regarding their water supply, a modified permit was issued in December 2022 that removed 2.9 acres near the spring. Despite the modifications to the proposed mine, Burnette argued that blasting to extract rock would damage the source of the spring, which is underground. He argued that the sandstone rock below the surface is vulnerable to blasting and drilling. The administrative law hearing The hearing ended a two-year effort by Hicks Chapel residents to navigate mining laws. It was a rare opportunity for North Carolina citizens to express their concerns about mining impacts in a public forum. In the courtroom, Judge Evans, perched on an elevated bench, presided over the hearing. In front of him, Burnette and his sister presented their arguments. Across an aisle were two state attorneys, representing the respondent to the petition, in this case, the DEQ. Burnette said that he felt the hearing “was a formality and the conclusion foregone.” Burnette told CPP that he believed it would be difficult to persuade the judge that the state did not thoroughly examine the potential environmental consequences of the mine on the community’s water source. But he doesn’t regret his involvement in filing the petition. “The hearing gave us an opportunity for our voices to be heard,” he said. The state responded to the petitioner’s argument by stating that the permit’s approval included thorough inspection processes to address potential environmental impacts. In its response to the petition, the state countered by asserting that the permit’s approval involved thorough inspection processes to account for the potential environmental harm. They stressed the importance of including sufficient mitigation measures as part of the permit’s conditions. The state argued that it followed each step of the permitting process that is outlined in the mining act. They also considered comments submitted by members of the community who shared their concern. The state also monitors the operation of a permitted mine to ensure it follows mining regulations. Kastrinsky said the DEQ typically inspects each permitted site annually for a compliance inspection and responds to complaints about mining activities outside the bounds of permit conditions to investigate if further action is warranted. In his argument to the judge, Burnette conceded that the modified permit issued in December 2022 would protect the spring from surface water runoff, but he criticized the state, stating that it did not fully consider the area’s geology and failed to address groundwater issues adequately. During the hearing, Brunette directly addressed mine operator Kenneth Waycaster and stated that Burnette was not against mining. “My concern today is not with the mine per se, but with the permit process,” he said. “Regardless of our attempts to communicate with the department, we have been stonewalled. We have been refused information unless we knew exactly what to request,” Burnette stated. “This is a state agency [DEQ] that works for the people of the state, not just for the businesses of the state.” The judge’s verdict State inspectors from the Groundwater Management Branch and the Division of Water Resources responded that the mine wouldn’t harm groundwater or surface water. State mining engineer Adam Parr testified that the modified permit would protect the natural spring. “The department has determined that there would be no adverse impact to the spring caused by mining activity,” he said. “Otherwise, a permit would not have been issued.” Evans agreed with Parr. Evans upheld the permit, stating that the petitioners didn’t provide enough evidence of significant harm to the natural spring. CPP could not reach Kenneth Waycaster for comment. However, his cousin Jeff Waycaster, who also works in the stone industry in McDowell County, said they aim to be good neighbors. CPP also reached out to Thomas Freeman of Freeman Environmental Consulting, who prepared the mining permit application on behalf of Waycaster, but he refused to comment on the case’s resolution. Burnette told CPP that he doesn’t intend to appeal the decision. “It feels like the state is doing whatever it can to issue permits,” he said.
 
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