‘Thank You For Coming’ : This Sex Comedy is Funny Yet Impactful
By Dhaval Roy Story: In this coming-of-age story, a 32-year-old die-hard romantic settles for an arranged marriage after a spate of failed relationships. She invites her ex-lovers to her engagement ceremony and, by the end of the boozy night, experiences her first orgasm. The night turns out to be a journey of introspection and exploration of […]
‘Fukrey 3’ : Intermittently Funny, Lacks Original Instalment’s Charm
By Dhaval Roy Story: Choocha inadvertently challenges Bholi Punjaban in an election for the legislative assembly. But when he and Hunny end up with a gift to create petrol, it lands them in trouble with the water mafia. Will they get out of the pickle? Review: The viewer is set to crash land into the world […]
‘Jaane Jaan’: Intricate Plot and Characterization Makes This an Intriguing Watch
By Dhaval Roy Story: The crime drama follows the story of a single mother and her daughter, who find themselves entangled in a murder. They find an unexpected ally in their neighbor, a simple but genius teacher while navigating the ongoing police investigation. Review: A single mother, Maya D’Souza (Kareena Kapoor), finds herself amid a murder […]
‘Gold Fish’: Superb Story Brought to Life
By Archika Khurana Goldfish story: Anamika, a half-Indian half-English woman returns to her home in UK, to confront the challenges of her mother’s dementia and to get closure on the emotional wounds that stem from her upbringing. The film explores the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship while touching on various other sensitive themes. Goldfish review: ‘Goldfish’ […]
‘Jawan’: SRK is the Hero of Bharat that is India
By Renuka Vyavahare Synopsis: A masked vigilante (Shah Rukh Khan), sets out to accelerate some right societal changes, in his own ways. He along with his army of superheroic women, works towards enabling justice by taking on a dangerous arms dealer Kali (Vijay Sethupathi). Review: No one seems to be having more fun than Shah […]
‘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 […]
‘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 […]
‘Satyaprem ki Katha’: An Overcooked Plot
By Shubhra Gupta The latest family drama starring Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani is an attempt to be radical while keeping it under wraps, hoping viewers will swallow the ‘brave’ stuff if it’s wrapped tightly enough in an ultra-bright red-and-yellow palette, Gujju bhais and bens doing dandiya, referencing endless iterations of ‘kem chos’ and ‘maaja […]
‘Bloody Daddy’: Predicatable Plot, ‘Been There’ Thrills
By Shubhra Gupta More than anything else, an actioner unfolding over 24 hours needs to gallop along at break-neck speed. Bloody Daddy, a remake of the French language Nuit Blanche, which in turn was adapted in Tamil as ‘Thoonga Vanam’ starring Kamal Hasan, has all the ingredients of a pacey thriller. But, despite the occasional […]
‘Zara Hatke Zara Bach Ke’: Fails on its Comic Potential
By Shubhra Gupta How far will you go for a house of your own? And at what point will you draw the line? Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’s central conflict is one that makes it instantly relatable to millions of middle-class Indians. When it comes right down to it, young Indore-based couple Kapil (Vicky Kaushal) and […]
‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hain’: Gripping Court Drama
Story: Inspired by real-life incidents, this is the story a Sessions Court lawyer in Jodhpur, who fights a five-year-long battle to bring justice to a minor girl sexually assaulted by a powerful godman. Review: When a revered self-styled godman is in the witness box for the sexual assault of a minor girl, you know the […]
‘Love Again’: Priyanka, Celine Shine in Rom-Com
By Shalini Langer With Celine Dion playing Cupid, counsellor, serenader-in-chief and producer in this film, does love have an option but to burst forth in song and opera, and tick off everything from cheeseburgers to cheesy lines? But if this rom-and-only-some-com has anything going in the department of rom-coms, it is that it is clearly […]
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 […]
‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’: A tired, unimaginative amalgamation of every Salman Khan movie
By Shubhra Gupta The fact that there’s no other name in the credit line of Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is not accidental. Every one else in the cast is incidental to the non-existent plot, which exists only to serve the legend of Salman Khan, in and as Bhai and Jaan, aka Bhaijaan. So […]
‘Gaslight’: Little Impact from Sara Ali Khan
By Shubhra Gupta A young woman who returns after a long gap to a Rajasthan ‘haveli’ where she spent her childhood, is beset by dark dreams. Her father isn’t there to welcome her. Days go by and there’s no sign of him. Ghostly figures flit behind curtains, a gaslight lantern left winking on the floor […]
‘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 […]
‘Mrs. Chaterjee vs. Norway’: Less Could’ve Been More
By Alaka Sahani This high-voltage drama, powered by Rani Mukerji as the film’s titular protagonist Debika Chatterjee, is about a mother’s undying love for her children. Inspired by the real-life case of Sagarika Chakraborty being separated from her two children by the Norwegian Child Welfare Service in 2011, the film closely follows Debika’s fight against the […]
