‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’: A Delightful Grandeur of Womanhood
By Archika Khurana Story: A celebration of womanhood, weaving a tapestry of stories that capture the essence of women across different age groups. Review: Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s directorial debut, ‘Sharmaajee Ki Beti,’ stands out for its authentic portrayal of female experiences, resonating deeply with audiences of all ages. Tackling heavier subjects with a light touch, […]
‘Kalki 2898 – AD’ : Big B’s powerful punches and stunning visuals shine above the film’s flaws
By Ronak Kotecha Story: In the year 2898 AD, the tenth and final avatar of Lord Vishnu, Kalki, is poised to be born, heralding a new era amidst a dystopian world fraught with malevolent forces. Review: ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ begins with a gripping depiction of the aftermath of the Mahabharata war, when Lord Krishna cursed Ashwatthama (Amitabh […]
‘Ishq Vishk Rebound’: A Lighthearted and Delightful Tale with Some Narrative Fumbles
By Dhaval Roy Story: The line between friendship and love blurs for three best friends as they become entangled in a web of a breakup, a rebound relationship, and self-discovery. Review: In the era of situationships and breadcrumbing, when most love stories are too complicated for their own good, director Nipun Dharmadhikari’s romantic comedy comes as […]
‘Chandu Champion’ : Kartik Aaryan Gives Best performance in this Sports Biopic
By Renuka Vyavahare Story: Based on a true story, the film celebrates the fascinating and surrealistic life of Murlikant Petkar, an army man and athlete, who won India its first Paralympic gold in 1972. His achievements and remarkable tryst with destiny lurked in anonymity, until he decided to claim the honour and respect he deserved. Review: We […]
‘Malhar’ : An Enriching Story that Will Warm Your Heart
By Dhaval Roy Review: Director Vishal Kumbhar skilfully blends three stories—heartwarming tales of friendship, poignant struggles, and even touches of tragedy, ensuring each emotion resonates in perfect harmony, withoutone overpowering the other. The film starts strong, venturing into a scene at a burial ground before effortlessly shifting to a delightful adventure of two young boys, […]
16th Indian Film Festival of Houston: Unique, World Class Cinema
WHO : 16th Indian Film Festival of Houston WHAT : Film Screenings, Live Q&A with filmmakers, Entertainment – Moodafaruka, Music without Borders Reception and Food – Verandah, A Taste of India WHEN: Friday, February 23, 2024: 4 – 9:30 pm, and, Saturday, February 24, 2024: 4 – 9:30 pm WHERE: Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 […]
‘Fighter’: Top-notch Aerial Action Elevates a Cliched Narrative
By Daval Roy Story: As India faces a militant attack in Kashmir, the country’s best combat aviators join forces to form Air Dragons. The story chronicles their bravery while protecting India, camaraderie, team spirit, and a top fighter pilot’s redemption after an incident in the past. Review: Riding high on India’s Republic Day fervour, Siddharth Anand’s outing […]
‘OMG 2’: Funny & Thought-provoking, OMG 2 Outshines the Original
By Renuka Vyavahare OMG 2 Story: A diehard bhakt of Lord Shiva, Kanti Sharan Mudgal (Pankaj Tripathi) is forced to question his own thoughts and societal norms on morality, religion and sex after his son gets expelled from school on grounds of obscenity. OMG 2 Review: A video by an anonymous person captures Kanti’s troubled teen […]
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani: Karan Johar Packs a Few Surprises in Melodramatic Film
By Shubhra Gupta Having finished watching ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, I have to confess I am conflicted: do I turn my back on this brand new film from Karan Johar because it’s loud and melodramatic in the way mainstream Hindi family dramas used to be and still determinedly are, refusing to budge from broad-brush-stroke-y […]
Mughal–E-Azam Creates History in Houston!
HOUSTON: Harry Shah of Bollywood Entertainment took Houstonians back nearly 500 years to relive the splendor of the Mughal Era for three days – JULY 14-15-16 during Mughal-E-Azam, the Broadway Musical at the Wortham Center, presented nationally by Cinema on Stage. The recently remodeled Wortham Center with its spectacular high ceilings, lush maroon carpet and […]
‘Bawaal’: Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Promises a Lot, but Keeps Faltering
The story of an uncouth braggart undergoing a change of heart in the company of a good woman is an old one. Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Bawaal’ promises us more, by trying to make that arc bigger and deeper, but keeps faltering, never quite knowing what to make of a wholly harebrained flourish in the plot. And […]
‘Tarla’: A Savory Tale of Heartwarming Moments
By Ronak Kotecha Story: Based on the life of the late Tarla Dalal, the film chronicles her journey from being a modest housewife to one of the most celebrated chefs of India, who spread her magic of vegetarian recipes all over the globe. Review: Tarla Dalal (played by Huma Qureshi) became a household name for her […]
‘Neeyat’: Vidya Balan’s Murder Mystery is Unoriginal, Familiar
By Shubhra Gupta A colourful billionaire is hosting a bunch of his good friends on an island. It’s all fun and games till someone gets bumped off, and a clever coot shows up to solve the mystery. Now, what does the central premise remind you of? Why, ‘Knives Out 2’, right? Make that rich guy […]
Houston’s Indian-American Debuts His First Sci-fi Film “Mandala: The UFO Incident” on May 19
HOUSTON: Ajay Sarpeshkar’s directorial debut, Mandala: The UFO Incident, marks an exciting new chapter in his artistic journey. With a graduate degree in engineering and over a decade experience in technology, Ajay’s creative itch led him to explore photography and filmmaking as a hobby, which eventually paved the way for his first feature-length film. Over […]
‘Bheed’: Grim Reminder of Recent Tragedy
By Shubhra Gupta One of the most shattering sights of the Covid-19 pandemic was the flood of people suddenly rendered rudderless by the announcement of one of the most stringent lockdowns in the world — chief amongst those were daily wagers, and blue collar workers who would starve if they couldn’t go out to their […]
Indian Film Festival of Houston Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary
HOUSTON: The Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH), begun by its Founder and Executive Director Sutapa Ghosh in 2009, keeps getting better and better. This quality event screens features, shorts, and documentary film with Q & A sessions with filmmakers. There are bonuses as well. No wonder IFFH was voted as the “Best Film […]
‘Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh’: Naive, Insidious
By Shubhra Gupta Looking back at historical figures with the benefit of hindsight can be an interesting exercise. Rajkumar Santoshi posits a question in his ‘Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh’: what if Godse’s lethal attack on the Mahatma had failed? What if the two were given untrammeled time to converse with each other? Would there have […]
‘Pathaan’: Shah Rukh Khan is Back with Patriotic Spy Thriller
By Shubhra Gupta Hindi movies have been constructing the ‘desi’ equivalents of the Bond-Bourne franchise for a while now. Tiger has been ‘zinda’ in a pacy double-bill, Agent Vinod has done his bit, BellBottom has flexed and flared, but it is ‘Pathaan’ which has got the spy movie-laced-with-heavy-doses-of-patriotism bouncing off the screen, with Shah Rukh […]
Zee5 Global Unveils a Grand Telugu Slate of 11 Original Series
ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest platform for South Asian content, reaffirmed its commitment towards its viewers and content partners from South India by unveiling a compelling slate of 11 Telugu originals in a star-studded event today in Hyderabad, India. With its strong consumer proposition, ZEE5 Global has been winning the hearts of audiences across the […]
More than 200 of a Mixed Audience Appreciate Screening of ‘The Kashmir Files’ in Katy
By Sunita Ticku Bhan KATY: On a nice sunny Sunday afternoon of April the 3rd, more than 200 people came out to watch “ The Kashmir Files “ on an invite only event. The movie is based on 700 testimonials of the affected genocide victims. It is a true depiction of the events that lead […]
