The Girlfriend
Romance, Drama (Telugu)
A young woman explores love, compatibility and self-discovery during college, experiencing relationship complexities and personal growth. (more…)
Perfect Family
Family, Drama (Hindi)
Meet the Perfect Family - the lovable Karkarias. Perfect on the outside, but simmering with resentments, insecurities, and old wounds on the inside. When life hits hard, they’re pushed into family therapy, where issues of trust, loyalty, and communication finally (more…)
Dhurandhar
Action, Thriller (Hindi)
After the hijacking of IC-814 in 1999 and the Parliament attack in 2001, India’s Intelligence Bureau Chief, Ajay Sanyal devised an indomitable mission to intrude and rupture the terrorist network in Pakistan, by infiltrating the underworld mafia of Karachi. A (more…)
Gustaakh Ishq
Romance, Drama (Hindi)
Gustaakh Ishq is a heartwarming, quirky tale that explores the complex dynamics of love, art and self-discovery, set against the vibrant backdrop of Old Delhi and the quiet streets of Malerkotla, a city in Punjab. The story follows Pappan, a (more…)
Guild Reviews
Dhurandhar
Action, Thriller (Hindi)
After the hijacking of IC-814 in 1999 and the Parliament attack in 2001, India’s Intelligence Bureau Chief, Ajay Sanyal devised an indomitable mission to intrude and rupture the terrorist network in Pakistan, by infiltrating the underworld mafia of Karachi. A 20-year-old boy from Punjab, held captive for a revenge crime, is identified by Sanyal to execute his elaborate plan.
Cast:
Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Naveen Kaushik, Manav Gohil, Danish Pandor
Director:
Aditya Dhar
Ranveer Singh’s subdued yet scorching screen presence fuels this power-packed Karachi mafia thriller
Mon, December 8 2025
A fictional narrative inspired by true incidents, Aditya Dhar’s action drama follows Hamza (Ranveer Singh), a mysterious Indian agent who embeds himself deep within Karachi’s mafia network (Lyari gangwar) to dismantle terror operations from the inside. Structured across multiple chapters, the world-building is deliberate and immersive, pulling you into a gritty, violent universe that unfolds over nearly 3.5 hours. Yet, the runtime rarely feels overbearing thanks to Dhar’s stylish, tight storytelling.
The SPYVERSE just got some homework
Mon, December 8 2025
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
Well-crafted spy drama trapped in the wrong medium
Sun, December 7 2025
Since more than a decade, mainstream Hindi cinema has seen a number of films about spies on secret missions for the sake of the country. The aforementioned story of Dhurandhar might also sound similar to some past Hindi movies. But the film stands apart when it comes to the treatment. Instead of including high-octane and larger-than-life action stunts, glamour and dialogue baazi, it relies on a narrative more on the realistic side. Of course, there are creative liberties being taken but they are believable. What sets Dhurandhar apart is also the main content. One won’t find spy activities between both countries as the center point. The film is more about the politics and mafia of Pakistan with the issue of terrorism kept in the background for a majority of the duration, especially in the first half. Dhar should be commended for the research on this topic and choosing to explore it, which hasn’t happened before. This also makes it advisable to do some research on the underworld of Lyari and its connection to Pakistan’s politics before watching the film.
Kalamkaval
Crime, Drama (Malayalam)
Early 2010s. A routine Kerala Police inquiry in the quiet village of Kottayikonam takes an unexpected turn when a trail of seemingly minor clues unravels into a string of disturbing cases. The investigation soon crosses into Tamil Nadu, revealing unsolved mysteries that have lingered for years.
Cast:
Vinayakan, Mammootty, Gibin Gopinath, Gayatri Arun, Rajisha Vijayan, Azees Nedumangad, Malavika Menon, Babu Ramachandran, Aravind Deepu, Bibin Perumbily
Director:
Jithin K Jose
Writer:
Jithin K Jose, Jishnu Sreekumar
Mon, December 8 2025
Mammootty transforms into monster, Vinayakan anchors thriller
Sat, December 6 2025
That Mammootty is playing his darkest role yet is something that’s known to everyone who has watched Kalamkaval’s promos. With his amazing track record of pulling off diverse roles with different levels of complexity, what does Mammootty have up his sleeve this time to blow our minds? Sharing the screen with him is another beast of an actor, Vinayakan. Has Jithin K Jose’s Kalamkaval lived up to expectations and imagination? Let’s find out!
Angammal
Drama (Tamil)
In a remote, rustic mid-90s village in Tamil Nadu, a city educated young man feels awkward because his mother is blouseless. This is how she has always dressed. But as he tries to find a solution before his prospective in-laws arrive, a simple problem spirals out of control.
Cast:
Geetha Kailasam, Saran Shakthi, Bharani, Ashand Raju, Thendral Raghunathan, Mullai Arasi, sudahar das
Director:
Vipin Radhakrishnan
A poetic masala tale of chaos, choice, and conformity
Mon, December 8 2025
Freedom. It is quite an interesting beast because everyone wants it, but somehow they are tuned to keep it caged and away from others who might not have it. This dichotomy is very telling of the human mind and its vagaries. There is always someone who has more freedom than you, and someone who doesn’t have as much. It is supposed to be an absolute unit, but there are enough caveats in freedom to allow oppression of some kind to be perpetuated through avenues like patriarchy, misogyny, and simple conditioning. Director Vipin Radhakrishnan’s Angammal is one such film that shows how exercising freedom always comes at a cost in a society that values conformity.
(Writing for OTT Play)
Geetha Kailasam Shines In A Lived-In Tale Of Tradition & Change
Fri, December 5 2025
In Vipin Radhakrishnan’s Angammal, Geetha Kailasam anchors the tension between the old and the new. Based on Perumal Murugan’s short story Kodithuni, the Tamil film is due for theatrical release this week after premiering at prestigious film festivals last year. It is the beginning of the 1990s, and this very intriguing period is bookmarked by Singaravelan, Roja, Sami Potta Mudichu and more. Pavalam (Saran Sakthi) aka Pavala Muthu and Jasmine (Mullaiyarasi) have their dates in the movie theatre amidst modest snacks and seats as they watch the film less and indulge more either in each other (a bout of make out set to Tamizha Tamizha chorus is hilarious) or in familial matters like the impending visit of Jasmine’s parents to Pavalam’s house to discuss their marriage. Pavalam is the rare and, probably, first graduate from his village — and a doctor at that — and his experiences of the outside world cloud his foundation as he comes to see his mother’s style as an embarrassment.
Geetha Kailasam's powerhouse performance in a tale of autonomy
Thu, December 4 2025
When the spunky Angammal (a brilliant Geetha Kailasam) rides her moped and delivers milk, there’s a spark in her eyes. The spark tells you that she’s leading life by her own rules. But when she’s forced to make certain lifestyle changes after her second son Pavalam (Saran) pushes her to, you see the vitality fading. It shows you how little things that made Angammal the fierce matriarch that she is are not acceptable to the generation that comes after hers. It shows how Angammal, the independent woman, is denied the choice. The choice that made her a flawed, foul-mouthed woman with her own ideals.
Stephen
Thriller (Tamil)
A psychiatrist evaluating a self-confessed serial killer unravels a twisted web of trauma, deceit, and psychological manipulation—only to question if the killer is truly guilty or just another victim in a larger, darker game.
Cast:
Gomathi Shankar, Smruthi Venkat, Michael Thangadurai, Vijayashree
Director:
Mithun
Gomathi Shankar shines in chilling, uneven thriller
Sun, December 7 2025
What do you do when a guy walks into a cop station confessing he has killed nine women? Nothing about the sentence is a spoiler because there’s nothing Stephen (Gomathi Shankar) hides when it comes to the horribly casual ways in which he says he has killed them: this is how I stabbed, this is where I stabbed, he tells the flabbergasted policemen, who can’t understand how this man, who looks like your average person off the street, can be a cold-blooded murderer.
Tamil Serial Killer Thriller's Intriguing Premise Wilts With Predictable Twist
Sun, December 7 2025
The psychological thriller Stephen opens with a chase to find a serial killer responsible for murdering nine women. Filmmaker Mithun’s feature twists the tale by revealing the killer early on. The Tamil film is more about Stephen’s past and motives that led him to become a cold-blooded killer. As investigators and psychologists probe into his mind, the movie paints a sympathetic picture until that shocking ending. It’s a switch and bait that almost works.
A psychological thriller that spins out of control
Sat, December 6 2025
The initial frames of Stephen feature a young boy looking up at a giant wheel in awe. Soon, he begins hearing voices of his mother and father asking him to join them on the ride. And when he gets on the giant wheel, it spins. Watching director Mithun Balaji’s two-hour-long Stephen, you understand that the wheel never stops once it begins spinning. Stephen Jebaraj (Gomathi Shankar) confesses to the serial killing of nine women in six months. He surrenders to the police matter-of-factly. Michael (Michael Thangadurai) is entrusted with the job of finding the motive behind the murders. Helping him in evaluating Stephen is psychiatrist Seema (Smruthi Venkat), who, through her conversations with him, uncovers the truth behind the murders.
The Girlfriend
Romance, Drama (Telugu)
A young woman explores love, compatibility and self-discovery during college, experiencing relationship complexities and personal growth.
Cast:
Rashmika Mandanna, Dheekshith Shetty, Rao Ramesh, Rohini, Rahul Ravindran, Anu Emmanuel
Director:
Rahul Ravindran
Writer:
Rahul Ravindran
A Spotify Review
Fri, December 5 2025
The Girlfriend seems like a direct response to the widespread misogyny of Indian cinema, but it feels disingenuous because it stars someone who has defended that very misogyny. We discuss the unintelligent character that Rashmika Mandanna has been saddled with, and wonder if the only path towards feminism that Indian filmmakers know involves taking a detour via humiliation. We also talk about the film’s on-the-nose storytelling, which undermines its noble intentions, touch upon the patriarchal irony of the film’s pivotal moment, and provide an unrealistic pathway for Mandanna’s redemption.
A Spotify Review
Fri, December 5 2025
The Girlfriend seems like a direct response to the widespread misogyny of Indian cinema, but it feels disingenuous because it stars someone who has defended that very misogyny. We discuss the unintelligent character that Rashmika Mandanna has been saddled with, and wonder if the only path towards feminism that Indian filmmakers know involves taking a detour via humiliation. We also talk about the film’s on-the-nose storytelling, which undermines its noble intentions, touch upon the patriarchal irony of the film’s pivotal moment, and provide an unrealistic pathway for Mandanna’s redemption.
With a scene-stealing Rashmika Mandanna, The Girlfriend is an emotionally resonant takedown of patriarchy
Sat, November 15 2025
Bhooma is pursuing her Masters in literature at a college and staying in the hostel. A simple girl with solid values, Bhooma is lured — partly by circumstances, partly by other factors which are beyond her control (or not) — into a relationship with college jock Vikram. As the days go by, Bhooma — though doted on by Vikram on the surface (‘on the surface’ being the operative words here) — finds herself trapped in an increasingly toxic relationship that she sees no escape from. Till one day, driven against the wall (or, rather, door) she decides that enough is enough.
Train Dreams
Drama (English)
A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.
Cast:
Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Will Patton, Alfred Hsing
Director:
Clint Bentley
(Writing for OTT Play)
The Ruins Of Remaining
Fri, December 5 2025
In Train Dreams, life is but an accruement of endings. Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella, Clint Bentley’s tender fever-dream of a film is rooted in the anonymity of time: an anti-Forrest Gump of sorts. It’s about the kind of man that history is wired to forget: a humble woodlogger and railroad construction worker, a normal husband and father, a survivor and soliloquy, a grafter and griever. A voice-over introduces Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) as an orphan in his childhood; it closes with him at 80, having lived and loved and lost and lived in the shadow of loss. He is a reluctant protagonist masquerading as just another person. It’s almost as if the story keeps leaving him behind in the hope that he will catch up.
Confronts Ecological Conservation, 20th-Century Capitalism Through a Faceless American Figure
Mon, December 1 2025
It takes a special kind of film to be aware of its surroundings. It is one thing to fetishise nature and invite comparison to the sweeping scale of a Terrence Mallick film but Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams does something interesting with the vessel of a meandering Mallick film. It cuts and splices the essential bits of a man’s journey fuelled by cosmic wonder: the meaning of it all. And it does that using a specific means: a voiceover (by Will Patton).
Eko
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama (Malayalam)
In the misty hills of Kaattukunnu, an aging woman and her servant boy struggle to survive the ghosts of the past, as the hunt for Kuriyachan — a legendary dog breeder and outlaw — blurs the line between myth, memory, and vengeance, revealing that even in absence, he still rules the hills.
Cast:
Sandeep Pradeep, Vineeth Radhakrishnan, Binu Pappu, Narain, Ashokan, Biana Momin, Sim Zhi Fei, Saheer Mohammed
Director:
Dinjith Ayyathan
Writer:
Bahul Ramesh
Savage Malayalam thriller barks loud and bites hard
Thu, December 4 2025
In a world where human beings thrived like any other mammals, sans languages and every other paraphernalia, would they still qualify as apex predators? When danger appears, our first instinct is to think. A lone man, suddenly confronted by a tiger, would probably scramble up the nearest tall tree. His brain would tick over time for a way to escape. A rock, a branch, or anything that might distract the big cat would become part of his strategy.
A solid mystery thriller in which animals play as big a part as humans
Fri, November 21 2025
Pared down to its bare bones, Dinjith Ayyathan’sEko is a story of the search for a missing man, a colourful character about whom infinite chronicles and conflicting accounts are in circulation. To bite into these bare bones is not really the point. It is to savour the whole act of reaching it and revelling in that pleasure. Just like through a dense, deceptive forest with uncharted territory at every turn, the viewer is slowly drawn into this world where not a single character can be fully trusted.
Alaav
Drama (Hindi)
Alaav, is the story of Bhaveen Gossain, a 63-year-old son, taking care of Savitri, his ailing 95-year-old mother in their home nestled in a quiet suburb of New Delhi, India. Bhaveen rarely steps out of his house as he is completely devoted to looking after his mother. From waking up in the morning until going to sleep, Bhaveen is the sole caregiver for his mother, Savitri.
Cast:
Bhaveen Gossain, Savitri Gossain, Anita Kanwar, Jiji Bhattacharji, Pakhi Jain
Director:
Prabhash Chandra
Writer:
Prabhash Chandra
(Writing for The Daily Eye)
AGE, STILLNESS, CINEMA
Thu, December 4 2025
Life stands still and yet flows inexorably in Alaav – Hearth and Home, written and directed by Prabhash Chandra. The uncompromisingly austere film approximates the restrained tempo of existence when old age takes its toll on both the giver and recipient of geriatric care. With its meticulously composed frames and strikingly unhurried rhythm, Alaav delineates the weight of ageing and its repercussions on a 95-year-old woman and her sexagenarian son sheltered in a well-appointed Delhi home.
Perfect Family
Family, Drama (Hindi)
Meet the Perfect Family - the lovable Karkarias. Perfect on the outside, but simmering with resentments, insecurities, and old wounds on the inside. When life hits hard, they’re pushed into family therapy, where issues of trust, loyalty, and communication finally explode. With their quirks, chaos, and constant derailing of every session, progress is a miracle. Join them on this hilarious, heartfelt Therapy ka Safar—where life finally meets itself.
Cast:
Neha Dhupia, Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Gulshan Devaiah, Girija Oak, Kaveri Seth, Hirva Samir Trivedi
A Therapeutic, Well-Acted Portrait of Dysfunctional Familyhood
Wed, December 3 2025
If you’ve watched enough modern Hindi socials over the years, chances are you’re well-acquainted with its red flags. Especially if the themes sound like hashtags: #DysfunctionalFamily, #Therapy, #MentalHealth, #NobodyIsPerfect, #SeekHelp. The preachiness aside, the stories are often designed to offer solutions to everything short of death (or sometimes even that). If not solutions, then righteous advice at the very least. It’s why I both loved and hated Dil Dhadakne Do (and a show like Made In Heaven); the staging of dysfunctionality and cultural quirks are the fun parts, but there’s always a sense that nothing is beyond repair. Every ‘condition’ is curable. The great thing about Perfect Family is that, over 8 fairly long episodes, it puts itself in a position to humanise the hashtags more than feature-length movies do. Its imperfections have character, and even if the intent is tethered to a message of change and higher wisdom, the show feels like more of a journey than a destination. Which is precisely the anatomy of being “fixed” these days; it’s a process with no beginning and ending.
Sun, November 30 2025
A beautifully relatable series
Sun, November 30 2025
The Karkarias of Delhi are a family who, like all of us, are desperate to project that everything is perfect. Somanth Karkaria (Manoj Pahwa) owns a mithaai-ki-dukaan which is struggling to stay afloat in a time when people are cutting on sugar, and veering towards videshi sweets. A paterfamilias in the old mould, he carries a comfortable paunch, and a sneering attitude of daddy-knows-best whether it comes to his own wife Kamla (Seema Pahwa), son Vishnu (Gulshan Devaiah), daughter Pooja (Kaveri Seth), daughter-in-law Neeti (Girija Oak Godbole) and their two grandchildren, Daani and Daksh.
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari
Romance, Comedy (Hindi)
Two former lovers in Delhi try to rekindle old flames, leading to amusing mix-ups and deceptions. As chaos unfolds, a new unexpected romance blooms. Who will find their happy ending amid the confusion?
Cast:
Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Maniesh Paul, Akshay Oberoi, Nishigandha Wad, Neeraj Sood, Abhinav Sharma, Manini Chadha
Director:
Shashank Khaitan
Writer:
Shashank Khaitan
A Spotify Review
Mon, December 1 2025
The Girlfriend seems like a direct response to the widespread misogyny of Indian cinema, but it feels disingenuous because it stars someone who has defended that very misogyny. We discuss the unintelligent character that Rashmika Mandanna has been saddled with, and wonder if the only path towards feminism that Indian filmmakers know involves taking a detour via humiliation. We also talk about the film’s on-the-nose storytelling, which undermines its noble intentions, touch upon the patriarchal irony of the film’s pivotal moment, and provide an unrealistic pathway for Mandanna’s redemption.
A Spotify Review
Mon, December 1 2025
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is more like a sitcom written by a Dharma committee than a proper movie. We discuss Varun Dhawan’s seemingly stagnant evolution as an actor, Janhvi Kapoor moving in the opposite direction, and Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf happily accepting the paycheque. We also talk about the film’s incoherent narrative, unimaginative plot, and strange lack of confidence.
No Fun only Confusion
Tue, October 7 2025
Revolver Rita
Comedy, Action, Crime (Tamil)
A woman must use her intelligence and grit to protect her family after they are unexpectedly caught in the crossfire of gang violence.
Cast:
Keerthy Suresh, Redin Kingsley, Radikaa Sarathkumar, Sunil Varma, Ajay Ghosh, Super Subbarayan, John Vijay, Kalyan Kumar, Suresh Chakravarthy, Sentrayan
Director:
K. Chandru
Writer:
K. Chandru
A Lazy Comedy That Comes 15 Years Too Late
Mon, December 1 2025
There was a time in Tamil cinema when films like Revolver Rita may have been considered “cool”. This must have been around the early 2010s, when the first generation of Tamil filmmakers graduated from the Broadband Downloads School of Modern Cinema. Of course, they all cultivated their tastes with modern classics, but somewhere down the line, films of Tarantino and Guy Ritchie became the most important names in their taste-making. Revolver Rita, in all fairness, appears to be a film that was found in one of the old Seagate hard disks of that era.
Keerthy Suresh's black comedy misses the mark by miles
Sun, November 30 2025
Comedy is tricky business, and to pull it off successfully requires an actor to tick off a huge checklist. One needs to have impeccable comic timing, sense of action and reaction, and spontaneity. Only a handful of female actors have been able to pull off a dark comedy, a niche genre in itself. Has Keerthy Suresh managed to score with Revolver Rita? Let’s find out!
Gustaakh Ishq
Romance, Drama (Hindi)
Gustaakh Ishq is a heartwarming, quirky tale that explores the complex dynamics of love, art and self-discovery, set against the vibrant backdrop of Old Delhi and the quiet streets of Malerkotla, a city in Punjab. The story follows Pappan, a man with a history of failures, who dreams of reviving his father’s legacy.
Cast:
Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sharib Hashmi, Natasha Rastogi, Rohan Verma, Lilliput (M. M. Faruqui), Shashi Bhushan, Jaya Bhattacharya, Samiksha Tripathi
Director:
Vibhu Puri
Writer:
Vibhu Puri
A Modest Muslim Social Reclaiming Decency in the Age of Vitriol
Mon, December 1 2025
Despite its shortcomings, one thing that is impressive about Vibhu Puri’s Gustaakh Ishq is that it’s not tentative about what it wants to be. No pretence or excessive self-awareness – often a crutch for films afraid to go the distance, hedging against becoming a laughing stock. In an age when Hindi cinema has been pilloried as ‘Urduwood’ by right-wing trolls, it’s heartwarming to see Puri’s film reclaim and revive the Muslim social film.
Screenplay flatlines early with unexplained loose ends
Sat, November 29 2025
Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah are up against forced melodrama, flat storytelling
Sat, November 29 2025
The pleasure of listening to Naseeruddin Shah say ‘ool julool’, a phrase nearly impossible to translate, the closest being ‘aisa-waisa’, silly, stupid, but not quite. The pleasure of watching Vijay Varma as a lover of Urdu shairi, using his head and heart to woo an old poet and his lovely daughter. And to have all of this wrapped in a film which privileges a love of language, flowery shairi and broken-hearted shayars, mouldering old Delhi printing presses and broke publishers, should have resulted in a film which makes you ache and sigh in the best way possible.