Director Mahesh Narayanan’s C U Soon was conceived entirely in the COVID19 lockdown period. However, it is not a pandemic story. Set in mid-2019, it is a love story which soon transforms into a bona fide thriller with a strong element of suspense. Unfolding through constant chat messages and video […]
Read Time : 12 Minutes
‘Maniyarayile Ashokan’ review – Simplicity powers this breezy village comedy with endearing characters
The most fascinating side of 2020 Onam release Maniyarayile Ashokan is the ecosystem it is centred in. Imagine a picture of Kerala countryside that you would see in tourism booklets. One such village exists in the film which is Shamsu Zayba’s directorial debut. Named Valayalathadi, the film opens with an […]
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 : 24 Minutes
50 Reasons To Fall In Love With Manisha Koirala
August 16, 2020 – It’s the date when Manisha Koirala celebrates a milestone birthday. Well, if the actor turns 50 today, my virtual love affair with her turns 25, this year. As duly mentioned in the About Me section, it is Manisha Koirala’s Bombay which turned me into a cinephile. […]
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 : 11 Minutes
‘The Blue Umbrella’: A Vibrant, Magical Tale With a Hint Of Suspense
I clearly remember watching Vishal Bhardwaj’s The Blue Umbrella back in 2007. If Tinder were to exist then for teenagers, ‘voracious reader’ would have been the first two words in my bio. Ruskin Bond, to me, was the story-telling grandpa I never had. So much so that I even remember […]
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. […]