The most fascinating characters in Alankrita Shrivastava’s Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare are two children. They are Dolly’s (Konkona Sensharma) sons – Bharat (Hearty Singh) and Pappu (Kalp Shah). A regular school boy, Bharat loves sports and is someone who might grow up into what they call an ‘alpha […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
‘Sadak 2’ review – Mahesh Bhatt’s comeback film is an embarrassing road trip to the ’90s
Mahesh Bhatt is back on the director’s chair. Back in 1999, when he announced to hang his boots, I never thought this day would come. Such was his conviction. As he minted remakes after remakes, the fatigue was evident in his later years’ work. 21 years later, he reunites with […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Class of ’83’ review – Bobby Deol is first-rate in a concise cop drama
For those who began watching Bollywood films around 1995 would know the sensation that Bobby Deol (the lead of Class of ’83) was. Blessed with bouncy curls, a lean physique, slick dance moves and a winsome smile, he was unlike any reigning hero from that period. In fact, he differed so starkly […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
‘Gunjan Saxena’ review – a pleasant underdog story saddled by cardboard characters
The most interesting scene in Sharan Sharma’s Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl comes somewhere in the second act. A perplexed Gunjan (Janhvi Kapoor) confesses to her father (Pankaj Tripathi), “The Air Force needs pilots who are patriots. I just want to fly planes,” Her dad replies, “They want cadets with […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
‘Raat Akeli Hai’ review – Untangles family secrets in a chilling murder mystery
An aged aristocrat dies mysteriously in the night of a life event. Under the lens of suspicion are his prospective heirs and a woman who is not a part of the family. These aren’t the lines for Knives Out in the ‘describe the synopsis of your favourite film badly’ challenge. […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
“Lootcase” celebrates the hysteria of Mumbai with wacky characters and deadly humour!
A lower-middle-class man named Nandan (Kunal Kemmu) finds a large trolley-bag outside a urinal somewhere in Mumbai. It is way past midnight and a shot from inside the bag gives a glimpse of his popping eyes. This cash-stacked bag is the film’s pivot – it is the loot case. The […]
Read Time : 9 Minutes
‘Shakuntala Devi’ review – a math wizard’s story designed as a glitzy melodrama
Director Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi is one film that seriously made me ponder. At what point does a filmmaker decide a non-linear screenplay structure to his/her film? Maybe because I am revisiting several pre-2000s films in days of quarantine – some good, some bad and some which shouldn’t have existed. […]
Read Time : 9 Minutes
“Dil Bechara”… Sushant Singh Rajput headlines a film about death and closure!
The moment you hit the play button, you know where Dil Bechara is headed. It would still be an emotional ride to a routine Indian viewer even if it were to be a Fast & Furious-styled actioner. Mukesh Chhabra’s film makes it further difficult for us. Its much loved leading […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
“Bulbbul”… A feminist period piece which blooms like a fascinating fable!
A scene in Anvita Dutt’s magnificent debut Bulbbul has its leading lady crying next to the fireplace. One that drove in the memory of Elio sobbing his heart out in Call Me By Your Name, she is crying over losing the love of her life. Both Bulbbul and Elio have […]
Read Time : 13 Minutes
‘Paheli’: A Picturesque Folk Tale With A Message On Women Empowerment
Amol Palekar directed Paheli. The actor who came to limelight in the ’70s and ’80s as the young middle-class man in bustling Indian metropolises, one would identify him as the poster boy of everydayness. He was seen in stories devoid of extra colours, those with dishevelled relationships and in lyrical […]