It is not surprising how Rajinder Singh Bedi’s Dastak was based on a radio play. Sound is such a big part of this horrifying domestic drama. Sound – more or less – is the villain in the premise. Be it the knocks on their door, or the melodious numbers, every […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
“Saaho” converts its jaded plot into an impossibly confusing mayhem!
They say sensibilities are different for Hindi film viewers and for each of India’s filmmaking industries. As much as I would want to buy this argument, the lines have drastically blurred over the years, especially when it comes to the mass genre. The Baahubali franchise, which originated in Telugu filmdom, […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Yomeddine’- Egyptian road film caresses social outcasts with limitless empathy
Sometimes, all it takes is a promise unfulfilled. Or else a wish unanswered. It isn’t unusual to feel an urge to give it all up and set out to tick that life-altering checkbox. Director A.B. Shawky’s Yomeddine makes us meet the middle-aged leper Beshay (Rady Gamal), living somewhere in Egypt. […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
‘Batla House’ review – Entertains despite presenting only one side of the story
Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani’s Batla House confirms a strong belief of mine. Films are best viewed if we approach them with a clean slate – consume no promotional content, view or read no material bombarded by television and online portals. Or else, I never believed that a film like Batla House, […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
‘Ambili’ review – Soubin Shahir shines in a sweet-natured travel film
Lovable, do-gooder characters in cinema forever find takers. It does not matter that if the film they inhabit fails to nurture an exact sense of belonging. Our audiences are often ready to keep liberties at bay because there’s always a sweet taste when a weakling emerges a winner. Director Johnpaul […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Mission Mangal’ review – a simplistic science film that is also obsessively religious
“101 se shuru karna chahiye tha…”, rues a Hindu priest present during the launch of ISRO’s ambitious rocket GSLV Mk-III: Fat Boy. Not to anyone’s surprise, the launch fails and the team receives massive wrath from the authorities for all the budget that went waste. No, this is not the […]
Read Time : 9 Minutes
‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ review – a leisurely ride to the Tinseltown of yore
2019 is perhaps the perfect time to spin a film-in-film spectacle staged in Hollywood’s swinging ‘60s. One where the borders blur between the reel and real, it is Quentin Tarantino who designs a parallel narrative around a series of murders executed by the notorious Manson Family back in the day. […]