Remember those eccentric comedies about identical or separated conjoined twins with lives and emotions inexplicably connected? Vishal Bhardwaj’s Pataakha stems from a similar foundation but wait, there is no love or affection in the picture here. Badki/Champa (Radhika Madan) and Champa/Chutki (Sanya Malhotra) are biological sisters and the only sentiment […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
‘Sui Dhaaga’ review – Sharat Katariya’s film is bound to tug at the heartstrings
Dreams and the Indian middle-class share a bittersweet relationship. Before even the most basic of them could soar, their ambitions are sealed with everyman plights. Sometimes it is an ailing parent or there is an impending family wedding to be taken care of. They call the propensity to dream risky as […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’ review – a stylized medley of gangster drama clichés sans vital texture
“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”, goes the popular saying. In a badass antithesis, the powerful gangster family headed by Periyavar (Prakash Raj) lives in a glass bungalow and are also veterans of violence. Mani Ratnam’s latest film Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (Crimson Red Sky) is one that […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
Varathan review – a moody film that eventually drowns in a simplistic finale
Varathan took me back to Elizabeth Kenny’s famous words, “It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life,” The statement has sheepish cinematic sound to it and no wonder, we have creators including Neerad making films till date around various iterations of the philosophy. Coming to […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
“Manto”… Recording the life and times of a liberal icon!
Saadat Hasan Manto. The illustrious Indo-Pakistani writer who lived in the first half of 20th century has to be one of the most fascinating subjects for a biographical film. Given his eventful life, a curator ought to know which phase he/she needs lay to focus on. Filmmaker Nandita Das opts […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
“Batti Gul Meter Chalu”… High on decibels, low on impact!
Director Shree Narayan Singh seems to have a thing for high volumes. If we take into account his previous venture Toilet – Ek Prem Katha and the newly released Batti Gul Meter Chalu, Singh is easily amongst the rare few would not mind the blaring noise during festive occasions and at […]
Read Time : 5 Minutes
“Love Sonia”… An evocative film that uncovers flesh trade and limitless human spirit!
It is a difficult deal for films that attempt to picture the loss of innocence – especially where there are children and teenagers robbed off their basic right to be themselves. These stories agitate and sadden us while imparting what might simply be an uncomfortable social reality. Filmmaker Tabrez Noorani’s […]
Read Time : 3 Minutes
“The Predator” is uninventive and just plain exasperating!
The Predator franchise is one, for some bizarre reason, swifts back-and-forth from singular to plural titles while also not deviating much from their respective subject matters. The first edition that came in 1987 is one that will remain quite a guilty pleasure for many a film lover for just being […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
“Manmarziyaan”… A formulaic romance film driven by raw, autonomous leads!
There are only so many routes that a classic love triangle can take in cinema, theatre and literature. There are characters, the buildup and the trials followed by certain compromises, heartbreaks and a culmination which could, at times, be questionable – from moral and logical standpoints. Then comes the area […]
Read Time : 5 Minutes
“Stree”… When women call the shots!
“Oh stree, kal aana”. Translated as, “Oh woman, come tomorrow”, this is the line written on the walls of every house in the sleepy town of Chanderi during the holy Puja season. Written using an ink made out of bat’s blood, the line is believed to keep away the evil […]