“Rani kidhar hai…” “Tumhari tadap mein… TADAP (loud)” “SHUT UP…… (loud)” Dialogue writer Prasoon Joshi’s rhyme game in Manikarnika is so on point in this ferocious exchange between a British commander and an Indian soldier that we – the audience – are left clueless. Should we be sporting a smug […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
‘Thackeray’ review – an exquisitely photographed biopic that plays safe
What do you make out of a biopic film that is designed simply to reassert the public image of its subject? Directed by Abhijit Panse, Thackeray is not even an image reconstruction exercise like, say, Sanju because there does not exist a need to be one. That way, the film […]
Read Time : 4 Minutes
‘Destroyer’ review – Nicole Kidman anchors a slow-burn thriller
There is an isolated scene towards the end of Destroyer where the protagonist Erin (Nicole Kidman) has a heart-to-heart chat with her belligerent daughter, Shelby. One might end up questioning the existence of the entire subplot which serves no justice to its secondary elements but one aspect strikes hard – […]
Read Time : 4 Minutes
‘Border’ review – Explores genetic deformities to churn out a chilling genre-bending drama
It is always intriguing to sit through a film that slips genres and eventually catches you unawares. Director Ali Abbasi’s Swedish language film Border (Gräns) kicks off as an investigative drama with its odd-looking protagonist as the principal object. Tina (Eva Melander), who works for the customs department at a Swedish […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
“Uri: The Surgical Strike”… The action packs a punch, the central plot not so much!
India is at a juncture where a filmmaker like JP Dutta finds no plot for a classic war film. There has been (thankfully) no bona fide war for decades now whilst the national emergencies (unfortunately) are of different kinds. One amongst them is the need to make a full-fledged film […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
“Viswasam” is all about pop colours and a male saviour we badly need to get rid of…
How to measure a filmmaker’s obsession for all the bright hues on the colour wheel? In Siva’s Viswasam, you see paddy fields in eye-popping lime green shade. The leading man and his wardrobe are forever at their gaudy bests. The leading lady’s favourite lip colour is a bizarre blend of […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
“Petta”… A smashing tribute to Rajinikanth that transports you to the ’90s!
Ever considered an outsider’s idea of a quintessential Rajinikanth film? Especially of the strata that generalize ‘South movies’ based on the ones they see dubbed on Hindi satellite channels. According to them, the superstar’s film contains flips (cigarettes, sunglasses and pretty much everything that he gets hold of), slow-motion action, […]
Read Time : 13 Minutes
The 10 Best Malayalam Feature Films of 2018
2018 was not particularly exciting for Malayalam cinema. As usual, there was a chunk of small films that won our hearts with ease whereas every single superstar vehicle tanked without a trace. While the superstars really need to examine the direction that their credibility is heading, the time is ripe […]
Read Time : 30 Minutes
30 Best World Cinema Titles from 2018 That You Shouldn’t Miss
A year that brought to us a series of balanced, progressive films focusing on several marginalized groups, the best world cinema titles from 2018 will be known for diversity more than anything else. If Black Panther was the year’s most loved superhero, Spider Man: Into The Spiderverse broke new grounds with leads […]