There are films that examine ambitions and asks us to follow them with all our might. They confidently sell The Alchemist philosophy, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Clearly, fantasies do have a strong selling point. Those narratives talk about lives that […]
“Baaghi 3″… Tiger Shroff defying physics and logic for world peace is a recipe nobody asked for!
Let me put it in simple terms. All external artifices aside, Baaghi 3 is the most well-intentioned Hindi film of the year, so far. Clearly, if Panga had a heart of gold, this Tiger Shroff film has one handcrafted in platinum. Naysayers may allege the makers for their kindergarten level […]
“Thappad”… A cinematic marvel that tells us to re-evaluate the way we treat our women!
By now, we are all aware that Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad has its turning point in a despicable act of impulse. A young man slaps his wife. As it rightly turns out, the film is not singularly about a slap that provokes a woman to ask her way out of the […]
“Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan”… High on empathy, low on entertainment!
India is not yet ready for a Call Me By Your Name where queer folks would express love with gay abandon. But the country has also walked past the grotesque Dostana phase which shamelessly treated the LGBTQIA community as second-hand citizens. We are certainly over the insensitivity of Chanthupottu and […]
‘Trance’ review – Anwar Rasheed’s audacious film takes on the business of religion
Anwar Rasheed is back after a hiatus of seven years. His bold, immersive style of filmmaking is original to an extent that it completely justifies the hype around his latest release Trance. As I planted myself in a cinema to experience his newest labour of love, flashes of his celebrated […]
‘Varane Avashyamund’ review – when engrossing characters remain emotionally distant
Believe it or not, Malayali millennials are significantly lucky as far as cinema and culture are concerned. They have had the good fortune to grow up on some of the finest films from the ‘80s and ‘90s conceived by the likes of Priyadarshan, Sathyan Anthikkad, Padmarajan, Fazil, Sibi Malayil, Siddique-Lal, […]
“Love Aaj Kal”… Jab ‘oblivious writing’ met ‘atrocious acting’!
What happens when a filmmaker becomes vastly distant from the ways of the world? We witnessed this phenomenon hit Aditya Chopra hard when he attempted to showcase things that he perceived to be the actual issues of today’s youth in his 2016 caper Befikre. The stakes are even higher for […]
Who won big at the 92nd Academy Awards?
2020 proves to be a landmark year for world movies as South Korean multi-genre drama Parasite sweeps major trophies at the 92nd Oscars. Full list of winners below: Best Picture Ford v Ferrari Jojo Rabbit Little Women 1917 Marriage Story Once Upon A Time in Hollywood Parasite (WINNER) Joker Best […]
“Malang” is a dark, stylized revenge saga with no beating heart…
According to Mohit Suri’s Malang, this world is a bad, bad place to be in. The planet is grim, stylish and also filled with good-looking, mysterious people. The leads, as is the trend, are not shown to have family ties but are having the time of their lives in Goa’s […]
“Jawaani Jaaneman”… An ageing man-child and accidental parenthood!
Director Nitin Kakkar’s Jawaani Jaaneman offers a distinctive scenario as far as man-woman relationships in Hindi films are concerned. It reimagines numerous stereotypical romantic comedy junctures – the meet-cute, the misunderstandings, the commitment phobia, the guilt trips and even a hurried ride to the station before she leaves forever. It’s […]