‘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 […]
‘Kalank’: A Resplendent Period Drama
The teaser of Karan Johar’s dream project Kalank is out. Set in 1945, the period drama boasts of an ensemble cast including Alia Bhatt (Noor), Varun Dhawan (Zafar), Madhuri Dixit (Bahaar Begum), Sanjay Dutt (Balraj Chaudhry), Aditya Roy Kapur (Dev Chaudhry) and Sonakshi Sinha (Satya Chaudhry). The opulent sets, resplendent costumes, stunning dance sequences, unique […]
‘Badla’: Solid Thrills and Genuine Twists in True Revenge Story
Story: Naina (Taapsee Pannu) is accused for the murder of Arjun (Tony Luke). Her lawyer Jimmy (Manav Kaul) hires the senior advocate Badal Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) to help crack the case and defend Naina, but her confessions to Badal add twists and turns to the murder mystery. Review: Since revenge stories are literally done-to-death in […]
‘To Let’ Movie Review: Authentic Bittersweet Family Drama of Mundane Survival
Cast: Santhosh Sreeram, Sheela Rajkumar, Dharun Bala Director: Chezhiyan Rating: 4 stars Mildly-lit rooms. Crayon scribbles on the walls. A nightie-clad woman tuning into a radio station. A lungi-clad man trying to unclog the toilet. We get a glimpse into the lives of an aspiring filmmaker Ilango (Santhosh Sreeram), his wife Amudha (Sheela) and their […]
Ranveer Singh: Born to Play Gully Boy
Story: Murad (Ranveer Singh) must fight off his poverty and social disadvantage to realise his dream of being a rapper. His friends and family rally together to help an ordinary boy in becoming an extraordinary rapper. Review: There’s a line in the film where the character MC Sher (Siddhant Chaturvedi) says, “Agar duniya mein sab […]
Manikarnika: Kangana Ranaut Owns the Period Drama
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Jisshu Sengupta, Atul Kulkarni, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Ankita Lokhande, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Danny Denzongpa, Richard Keep Directors: Kangana Ranaut, Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi Rating: Two and a half stars Kangana Ranaut in and as Manikarnika, the Queen of Jhansi, delivers exactly what was promised: a high-decibel, high-on-rhetoric hagiography of a queen who fought for […]
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Trailer Released
MUMBAI — The second trailer of Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor starrer Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is out, and it has not left much to the imagination of the audience. While the first trailer of the romantic drama had only hinted at the possibility of a same-sex romance involving the female lead […]
Photos: Newlyweds Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone are back from their honeymoon
Post ‘ Simmba ‘ release, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone headed for their honeymoon. The couple went to Sri Lanka last weekend and enjoyed a romantic time together. Ranveer Singh even celebrated Deepika’s 32nd birthday. They didn’t share any picture from their honeymoon and soon as the photos of them from the airport surfaced on the social media, they went viral […]
After The Accidental Prime Minister, The Tashkent Files set to create political storm
After the much controversial trailer release of The Accidental Prime Minister, another film is all set to raise a storm in political circles ahead of Lok Sabha polls this year. The film is about the mysterious circumstances under which the second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died in Russia. Titled The Tashkent Files, the film […]
