‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’: A Visual Treat
By Shubhra Gupta MUMBAI: The only way you can enjoy Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi is to embrace its extravagantly-constructed universe — the elaborate sets that make up the red-light area of Kamathipura that becomes the location of most of the film’s run-time, the frames which look like art deco paintings, and, most crucially, the very […]
ZEE5 Global Brings New Content with Mithya, Tonic, Vilangu and Bangarraju
~This weekend, binge five titles in five different languages, only on ZEE5 Global~ With one of the best regional content libraries in the country, ZEE5 Global, the largest streaming platform for South Asian content, is bringing to you five new shows and movies in five different languages this weekend. On February 18, the platform released […]
Lies, Love, Chaos and More: Zee5 Global’s Latest Series ‘Mithya’ is Unmissable
Soon after releasing its successful original – Kaun Banegi Shikharwati, the largest streaming platform for South Asian content, ZEE5 Global will release another original web series – Mithya. Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Rose Audio Visual Production, the show is a psychological drama that navigates through the conflicted relationship between a Hindi literature professor Juhi, and her student Rhea. What sparks […]
‘Rocket Boys’: Tribute to Scientific Luminaries
By Archika Khurana STORY: This period drama chronicles the journey of two extraordinary Indian physicists—Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha (Jim Sarbh) and Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (Ishwak Singh)—who created history while building India’s future. REVIEW: ‘Rocket Boys’ tells the story of two legendary physicists, Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha—colloquially known as “Father of the Indian Nuclear Program”— who was […]
‘Tadap’: Ahan Shetty’s Romance with Tired 80s Cliches
By Shubhra Gupta Local Mussoorie lad Ishana (Ahan Shetty) falls hard for London-returned fair maiden Ramisa (Tara Sutaria). But the path of true love is strewn with tiresome 80s cliches, bombastic dialogues and stereotyped characters, so what we get is same old same old. Many questions arise. Given that star-son launches riding on ‘ghisa-pita prem […]
Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘Bob Biswas’ Releases Exclusively on Zee 5
This December, ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest streaming platform for South Asian content, brings to its viewers Bob Biswas, a crime-drama set against the backdrop of a love story, showcasing the dual life led by contract killer, Bob Biswas. Starring Abhishek Bachchan in the titular role and Chitrangda Singh as Mary, the ZEE5 Original film […]
‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’: Saif Ali Khan-Rani Mukerji Kindle the Old Spark
By Shubhra Gupta Bunty and Babli worked for several reasons. Apart from the great music, one of the primary ones was that it tapped into the frustrated aspirations of small-town India. That year was 2005. More than 15 years later, the sequel is bogged down by the closing distance between the two Indias, the desperate […]
“Tere Siva Jag Mein” Video Released
Tadap is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language romanticaction drama film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment banner, with Fox Star Studios serving as distributor and co-producer. A remake of the Telugu film RX 100 (2018), the film stars debutant Ahan Shetty and Tara Sutaria. The film is scheduled […]
‘India Sweets and Spices’: Gossip, Secrets and Biting Laughs
By Lisa Kennedy In Geeta Malik’s comedy-drama “India Sweets and Spices” the aunties maim. At least emotionally. The wives and mothers who live in an upscale New Jersey enclave of Indian Americans like their gossip spicy and don’t seem to care who feels the burn. (The scotch-drinking, suit-clad uncles aren’t laggards in that department either.) […]
‘Tandav’: India’s Answer to ‘House of Cards’
Tandav has been billed as “India’s answer to House of Cards” by the Amazon Prime Video. Tandav will premiere on Friday, January 15 on Amazon Prime worldwide. All nine episodes will drop at once, which means fans can watch the series in one go. Sacred Games star Saif Ali Khan stars as Samar. Speaking about […]
‘Kaagaz’: Pankaj Tripathi Shines in Movie of a Bygone Era
By Pallabi Dey Purkayastha Story: In order to keep his band-baja business afloat, Bharat Lal (Pankaj Tripathi) approaches a local bank in Uttar Pradesh for a loan. Soon after, he realises that his uncle and his sons have declared him legally dead and snatched his share of the piece of land that the family had […]
“Torbaaz” Movie Review: Sloppy Execution Mars Sanjay Dutt Film
By Shubhra Gupta Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Rahul Dev, Nargis Fakhri Director: Girish Malik Rating: One and a half stars A refugee camp is the unlikely site for the formation of a rag-tag cricket team. To use the healthy competition sports engenders, in order to vanquish hatred, is a great idea. But consistently sloppy execution mars […]
“Sir”: Soul-stirring Tale of Emotional Intimacy, Dreams, and Belonging
By Renuka Vyavahare Story: Soulmates are found in the most unexpected places. Two people divided by societal norms and united by their quiet love, understanding and mutual respect, empower each other as they exchange meaningful glances, speak through silences and wonder what lies ahead for them. Review: The male protagonist of the film — U.S […]
“Kabir Singh” Movie Review: In the Mood for Misogyny
BY SHUBHRA GUPTA Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Soham Majumdar, Arjan Bajwa, Kamini Kaushal, Suresh Oberoi Director: Sandeep Vanga Reddy Rating: One and a half stars To watch a character like Kabir Singh do this thing for nearly three hours plonks the viewer squarely in a place of conflict. Here’s a fellow who thinks that […]
‘Kalank’: Visually Stunning, Great Performances
BY RACHIT GUPTA Story: A complex love story set during India’s Partition era, where the young Roop (Alia Bhatt) is torn between respect for husband Dev (Aditya Roy Kapur) and her newfound love for Zafar (Varun Dhawan). While their back stories and heart-breaking love saga unfolds, the history of India takes an epic turn, from […]
Arijit’s Show Wows with Unparalleled Sets, Record Crowd
BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRA SUGAR LAND: Ever since his first US tour in 2015 when he performed with a full symphony in four cities including Houston, Arijit Singh has been on a roll with entertaining crowds in America. He skipped a year and did a 6-city tour in 2017, then focused on Toronto and Vancouver in […]
Romeo Akbar Walter: John Abraham Starrer is a Drab Affair
Cast: John Abraham, Jackie Shroff, Anil George, Sikander Kher, Rajesh Shrigarpure, Raghubir Yadav, Alka Amin, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy Director: Robbie Grewal Rating: 2 stars The title smartly abbreviates to RAW, which is short for Research and Analysis Wing, a sort of ‘desi’ MI-5 which nurtures and sends brave spies into the cold, to get back vital […]
Super Deluxe: Gutsy, Strikingly Different and Devoid of Cliches
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Samantha, Ramya Krishnan, Mysskin Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja Rating: 4 stars I can’t say enough about how glad I am to have caught Super Deluxe because I missed Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s award-winning film when it was in cinemas. Aaranya Kaandam was a cult classic. But why was it not celebrated then? It’s […]
‘Hotel Mumbai’ Re-creates Terrorist Attack with Echoes of Today
The most chilling thing about the events depicted in “Hotel Mumbai” is not that they actually happened, not even that they could happen again, but that they are happening even as we speak. A somber, unsettling drama about the 2008 attack on India’s largest city by jihadi terrorists from Pakistan cuts so close to the […]
Kesari: Inspiring Story of Human Valor Shown with Technical Brilliance
Story: A retelling of the Battle of Saragarhi where 21 Sikh soldiers fought against an Afghan army of 10000 men in the year 1897. Review: The Battle of Saragarhi is considered to be one of the most inspiring stories of human valour and bravery, not just in India, but the world over. Director Anurag Singh’s […]
