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 : 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 : 9 Minutes
The 10 Best Male Actors of 2018 Who Were Phenomenal in Lead Roles!
It was quite a happening year for men in Hindi cinema. The industry saw the emergence of Vicky Kaushal to the mainstream with multiple memorable performances. Varun Dhawan shed his usual superstar trappings and emerged victorious in two nuanced films. Shah Rukh Khan was the life of Zero whereas Ranbir Kapoor […]
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‘Manto’ review – recording the life and times of a liberal icon
Saadat Hasan Manto. The illustrious Indo-Pakistani writer who lived in the first half of the 20th century has to be one of the most fascinating subjects for a biographical film. Given his eventful life, a curator ought to know which phase he/she needs to lay to focus on. Filmmaker Nandita […]
Read Time : 9 Minutes
‘Mom’ review – Sridevi shines in a pointless revenge saga
Rape incidents infuriate, perhaps more than any other crimes. We hear widespread opinions on how capital punishment for tormentors if proven guilty, has to be mandated. An idea that is conflicted by many, we can easily picture how the masses and their emotions work. They tend to draw connections between […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
“Raees”… High on Shah Rukh…
The age-old allegation remains – Bollywood glorifies criminals. However, Rahul Dholakia’s protagonist in retro gangster drama Raees operates strictly within a thin framework of conditional righteousness. Playing the titular part, Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees convinces us of his mother’s theory – “Har dhandha bada hota hai. Dhande se bada koi […]
Read Time : 6 Minutes
“Haraamkhor”… Windmills, barren heartland and an illicit affair!
A cluster of running windmills form backdrop to Shlok Sharma’s unlikely drama Haraamkhor set in what seems like contemporary Madhya Pradesh. Drawing its mood heavily from the windy, atmospheric terrain, the film is all about 15 year old Sandhya (Shweta Tripathi) who develops a forbidden relationship with her teacher Shyam (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). […]
Read Time : 4 Minutes
Raman Raghav 2.0 – Less Anurag, more RGV!
No, this isn’t Anurag Kashyap. Echoed my mind, few minutes into Raman Raghav 2.0. Stylized, gory and equally pointless in parts – the film takes us back to some of those ordinary to terrible Ram Gopal Varma products. Not A Love Story, anyone? Raman Raghav 2.0, for starters, is about […]
Read Time : 4 Minutes
Te3n – Strange concoction of good drama and bland suspense!
Ribhu Dasgupta’s Te3n – One instance where the genre turns out to be a film’s liability. At times, an endearingly honest story of an old man dealing with a loss that he was responsible for, the film’s dramatic scenes do strike a chord. Right when the writers (Suresh Nair, Bijesh […]