Ohh My Dog
Drama, Family (Hindi)
In Assam, 14-year-old Apu embarks on a desperate quest to rescue his beloved dog, Momo, after he is kidnapped. Meanwhile, in Bihar, a devoted dog named Oscar sets out on a perilous journey of his own to find his kidnapped (more…)
Batwara 1947
Action, Drama, War (Hindi)
The story of an elderly Hindu woman who refuses to leave her ancestral home in Lahore, only to have a Muslim refugee family from Lucknow allotted to her house following the events of the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan. (more…)
Awarapan 2
Action, Drama, Romance (Hindi)
19 years later, Shivam is back. A man haunted by grief and loss, searching for a purpose for his life. (more…)
Guild Reviews by Film
Batwara 1947
Action, Drama, War (Hindi)
The story of an elderly Hindu woman who refuses to leave her ancestral home in Lahore, only to have a Muslim refugee family from Lucknow allotted to her house following the events of the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan.
Cast:
Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Ali Fazal, Karan Deol, Abhimanyu Singh, Kanikka Kapur, Khushi Hajare, Mithun Chakraborty, Mona Singh
Director:
Rajkumar Santoshi
Sat, August 15 2026
Bollywood doesn’t do solo Muslim male leads. In fact, it is both an ironic reality and an unspoken convention when the industry forces its pioneering Khan triumvirate to play upper-caste Hindus. Unless, of course, you have them as gangsters (Raees), terrorists (Fanaa), terrorism victims (My Name Is Khan), or a rare Mughal emperor (Jodhaa Akbar). Therefore, getting a superstar of Sunny Deol’s stature to play a compassionate Muslim hero in Batwara 1947 is a mini-revolution like Coolie and Sultan. Rajkumar Santoshi’s film is surprisingly well-timed in a society that still thrives on religious hatred, the seeds of which were sown decades ago, damaging India’s vibrant social fabric to a state of no repair.
Sat, August 15 2026
Rajkumar Santoshi’s Partition-era drama stages a daring premise as a Sunny Deol-sized plea for humanity
I don’t get to describe a premise like this too often, so let me enjoy writing this first paragraph. A prosperous Muslim family from Meerut — led by patriarch Sikandar Mirza (Sunny Deol) — is forced to flee for Lahore on a blood-soaked Partition night. Just like that, they have nothing. After months, they are allotted a house. But they move in to discover that it will never be their ‘home’; the displacement is permanent. An old Hindu lady (Shabana Azmi), the original owner, still lives upstairs. She waits for her own family to return, refusing to leave. Mirza, his wife (Preity Zinta) and his daughter overcome their biases and start to treat her like their mother; they celebrate her festivals and cook her food. This secularism draws the ire of the community; they’re a people still learning how to discriminate by faith and divide by appearances. The local troublemakers include an extremist goon (Abhimanyu Singh) and gang — they prey on the trauma of Mirza’s son, Javed (Karan Deol), and poison him. Tensions rise, and Mirza is threatened for harbouring the ‘enemy’. As a Deol, he resists.
Sat, August 15 2026
Based on Asghar Wajahat’s play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai, like most films on Partition, Batwara 1947, has its heart in the right place. But, much like Main Vaapas Aaunga a couple of months ago, when it comes to cinematic storytelling, the film gets a bit muddled. The obligatory songs and romance unnecessarily dilute its essence, leaving you desperately wanting the story to move on. At its core, though, there is a strong message about values and respecting humanity. And Sunny Deol proves yet again that there is much more to him as an actor than being the man who can uproot a hand pump. This is one of his finest performances, one that goes beyond the dhai kilo ka haath and bashing up half a dozen people in an action sequence.
Awarapan 2
Action, Drama, Romance (Hindi)
19 years later, Shivam is back. A man haunted by grief and loss, searching for a purpose for his life.
Cast:
Emraan Hashmi, Shabana Azmi, Disha Patani, Suvinder Vicky, Vijayant Kohli, Atul Kumar, Aniruddh Rawal, Shriya Saran, Puran Gabbi
Director:
Nitin Kakkar
Writer:
Balal Siddiqi
Sat, August 15 2026
‘Awarapan 2’ reconstructs the idea of Emraan Hashmi as Shivam—brooding hero, gangster, wounded lover, redemption-seeker—without constructing either emotional or procedural coherence around him
Some films return because they have a story left to tell. Others return because they want to revisit a memory. Awarapan 2 sits somewhere in between—revisiting a 2007 film that underperformed theatrically but slowly acquired a second life on television, streaming platforms and through Emraan Hashmi’s enduring image as Shivam Pandit. Nearly two decades later, the sequel continues that story while also serving as a re-entry into its mood.
Fri, August 14 2026
Before debating on the yays and nays of Awarapan 2, an undeniable fact has to be acknowledged: Awarapan is a case study. A box-office bomb on release a year short of two decades ago, the film ended up last in a three-way clash at the box office in end-June 2007, lagging behind even Himesh Reshammiya’s Aap Kaa Surroor. At a time when Emraan Hashmi was bolstered/ burdened by the ‘Serial Kisser’ tag, thanks to his lip-scapades on screen, the Mohit Suri film gave us a brooding, silent leading man, a gangster lamenting the loss of his love and seeking redemption by rescuing a damsel in distress. My review, written on release day, had even mentioned how a non-kissing Emraan Hashmi was no fun, words that I have learnt to regret in retrospect. The film, despite its moments and its music, didn’t work.
Fri, August 14 2026
There is something about watching Emraan Hashmi on the big screen. Whether he has short hair or long hair, the camera seems to love him, and he has that rare intensity that makes you want to keep watching. Awarapan 2 works largely because of him. The film begins with Shivam (Emraan Hashmi) finding an abandoned little girl in a graveyard. This leads him to fight a child trafficking racket in Bangkok. It’s a fairly straightforward action drama, and strangely, it feels like a film from the era when Awarapan originally released in 2007. But somehow, it works.
The End of Oak Street
Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller (English)
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
Cast:
Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Christian Convery, Maisy Stella, Jordan Alexa Davis, P.J. Byrne, Bethany Anne Lind, Emily Kuroda, Denitra Isler, Hudson Meek
Director:
David Robert Mitchell
Writer:
David Robert Mitchell
Sat, August 15 2026
Produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by David Robert Mitchell (of It Follows, one of the better horror films of the century), The End of Oak Street is an old-fashioned survival thriller with a clear tribute to Steven Spielberg and his groundbreaking dinosaurs. Producer Abrams himself did a Spielberg pastiche with Super 8 (2011), a cross between E.T. (1982) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
Fri, August 14 2026
Perhaps the most fun you’ll have watching dinosaurs go on a rampage since Jurassic Park (1993), the film is a silly, scary and surprisingly tender survival drama.
David Robert Mitchell’s Amblin-esque sci-fi survival thriller is a heartwarming, terrifying and thoroughly entertaining ode to Steven Spielberg and the magic of the ’80s. A frightening, unnatural event disrupts the slow, idyllic life of the Platt family. Without warning, their quiet suburban neighbourhood transforms into a dense forest inhabited by an army of deadly dinosaurs. Has time shifted their reality? And can they survive this bizarre catastrophe? Kids riding bikes, childhood spent outdoors with friends and neighbours instead of glued to gadgets, lazy afternoons on rooftops with books, families dining together and children believing they are safe as long as their parents are around — The End of Oak Street is a resounding ode to simpler times and the unconditional love of family. Its world is idyllic, dreamy and deliberately nostalgic.
Magudam
Action, Thriller (Tamil)
Peaceful medical representative and shipping harbor worker Linga's life changes because of betrayal and conflict in a coastal community.
Cast:
Vishal Krishna, Anjali, Dushara Vijayan, John Vijay, Jayaprakash, Ajay, Vamsi Krishna, Abu Salim, Arjai, Vj Jhansi
Director:
Vishal Krishna
Sat, August 15 2026
Starring Vishal, Anjali and Dushara Vijayan, Magudam marks Vishal's directorial debut. This revenge saga has a story that feels borrowed from the 1940s. But director Vishal dusts off the dated premise and brings it into 2026 with a lousy screenplay and hideous visual effects.
Actor Vishal’s directorial debut has hardly been a bed of roses. His journey behind the camera began in 2020, when he took over Thupparivaalan 2 after a fallout with director Mysskin, who had helmed the first film. Despite Vishal taking charge, the project never saw the light of day. Cut to 2026, and Vishal finally makes his directorial debut with Magudam. Ironically, the film has a backstory not entirely different from Thupparivaalan 2. Following creative differences, Vishal took over the film from director Ravi Arasu. Unlike Thupparivaalan 2, however, Magudam did make it to theatres.
Vishwanath & Sons
Drama, Romance (Tamil)
Sanjay Vishwanath is an acclaimed professional handgunner in his 40s with a major stake in fame and wealth. When he comes across a woman named Maddy in her 20s, their dynamic poses many issues that they must come to terms with.
Cast:
Suriya, Mamitha Baiju, Radhika Sarathkumar, Raveena Tandon, Rajiv Menon, Sunil, Nassar, Bhavani Sre, Harsha Chemudu, Cell Murugan
Director:
Venky Atluri
Writer:
Venky Atluri
Sat, August 15 2026
Director Venky Atluri's Vishwanath and Sons, starring Suriya and Mamitha Baiju, is a feel-good family drama that talks about childhood trauma, healing and what companionship mean.
Imagine having everything in abundance, yet your traumas remain unhealed. You’ve grown up shoving them away, comfortable enough now to just react to the triggers. And then someone walks in and heals your trauma without even trying. Sounds like a fantasy, doesn’t it? But not for director Venky Atluri – this is the core of Suriya-starrer Vishwanath and Sons. Sanjay Vishwanath (Suriya) is a successful businessman and Olympic medal winner in pistol shooting. His mother, Nirmala Devi (Radhikaa Sarathkumar), lives the way every 60-or 70-year-old does – always nagging her 40-year-old son to get married. She fails every time; Sanjay is clear that he doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage and feels complete by himself.
Rehmat
Drama (Punjabi)
Three interconnected stories in present-day Punjab. A woman secretly shelters a wounded stranger within her home, while his family endures the weight of grief and impossible choices. Meanwhile, a mysterious elderly man arrives in a village, calling himself God.
Cast:
Naseeruddin Shah, Mita Vashisht, Suvinder Vicky, Diya Kamboj, Harwinder Singh Aujla, Jaswant Zafar, Navjot Randhawa, Anita Meet, Inder Bajwa, Sahej Aziz
Director:
Gurvinder Singh
Writer:
Gurvinder Singh
Fri, August 14 2026
Gurvinder Singh’s tranquil picture of India’s most storied region had its world premiere in the main competition of the 79th Locarno Film Festival
It’s present-day Punjab but it could be Punjab 1995; it could be India 1984. The village of Gujjarwal bristles with unsaid questions and silent answers. Big Bollywood movies (like Dangal) have been shot in the region, but the place is haunted by its own fictions. Everyone’s story is interconnected, like desperate organs of a wounded body. A young man named Keshav is absent from one household; a young father named Balwinder is missing from another. The police go around camouflaging bloody encounters as separatist violence and communal unrest. They assure Keshav’s family that his Sikh killers will be brought to justice; they visit Balwinder’s family to keep an eye on their voices.
Fri, August 14 2026
Rehmat is Gurvinder Singh’s idea of how he wants to see India: warm, thoughtful and neighbourly.
In Gurvinder Singh’s Rehmat, no guest is turned away. Whether it’s an alleged militant, or an out-of-state traveller, everyone is offered the respectful hospitality one associates with Punjab. Singh’s film opens with a prologue text noting the chapters of violence Punjab has witnessed during its many socio-political upheavals, and has left its scars. Especially the partition of 1947, and the insurgency of the 1980s. It might have contributed to the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) for an entire generation, and yet it’s this dichotomy that seems to be at the heart of Singh’s film: a state full of traumatised civilians don’t let bitterness get in the way to greet an unannounced guest. It’s probably not a coincidence that the title of Singh’s film translates to ‘grace’.
Ohh My Dog
Drama, Family (Hindi)
In Assam, 14-year-old Apu embarks on a desperate quest to rescue his beloved dog, Momo, after he is kidnapped. Meanwhile, in Bihar, a devoted dog named Oscar sets out on a perilous journey of his own to find his kidnapped owner, a 15-year old.
Cast:
Shreedhar Dubey, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajesh Kumar, Pavan Malhotra, Geeta Agrawal Sharma, Jitendra Joshi, Bullu Kumar, Sulakshana Baruah
Director:
Amit Rai
Writer:
Amit Rai
Thu, August 13 2026
Despite a clunky storyline and some half-baked treatment, the film proves that when it comes to unconditional love and loyalty, nobody can beat dogs
It’s not every day that comes a Hindi film where one sees dogs; it’s even rarer to see them upstage humans so effortlessly. What makes Amit Rai’s feature Ohh My Dog all the more special is that he has opted to shine a light on the local ‘indies’ rather than pedigreed breeds. This lends the film a certain rootedness, a sense of relatability and authenticity. One of the dogs happens to be Rai’s own pet Oscar, but the scene-stealer here is the professional Bruno, a year-and-a-half old who runs, barks and always has a look of purpose and determination. This isn’t a four-legged creature whose sole objective here is to make audiences go ‘Aww’ (that he naturally does), but more ‘Whoa’ at his physical prowess and olfactory powers.
Mon, August 10 2026
A heartfelt canine mystery that blends childhood, loyalty, crime and courage, while finding warmth in its performances but unevenness in its lengthy, darker overall narrative approach.
There is something intrinsically disarming about dogs in cinema. Whether they are steadfast companions on perilous journeys, mischievous family pets, or silent witnesses to human joys and sorrows, dogs possess an emotional currency that few cinematic characters can match. Their loyalty is uncomplicated, their affection unconditional, and their ability to connect with children almost magical. Ohh My Dog, directed by Amit Rai, attempts to tap into precisely this potent emotional space—evoking the warm, uncomplicated pleasures of a time when Indian cinema could tell children stories that were entertaining, humane and morally resonant without talking down to them.
Sat, August 8 2026
Driven by Bruno’s soulful gaze and Maahi Rai’s charming resilience, this timely family thriller breathes new life into the human-animal genre without sinking into tear-jerking tropes.
At a time when man’s best friend is caught between systemic neglect and empty sentimentality, writer-director Amit Rai eschews melodrama to craft an absorbing thriller with a moral spine. Somewhere in Assam, young Apu’s attention-seeking dog, Momo (Oscar) goes missing. The local policeman, who looks well-meaning, tells him and his mother that their pet would have become a delicacy by now. Around the same time, deep in Bihar, Prince, a young construction worker, goes missing. There too, the ‘helpful’ custodian of law shows little interest in following the missing boy’s footprints. But the tech-savvy Apu doesn’t give up hope, nor does Oscar (Bruno), Prince’s street friend. In different timelines, as they launch their search-and-rescue missions, we get an engrossing tale with a message ensconced deep within.
Mourinho
Documentary (English)
This trophy-packed, insider-fuelled documentary charts José Mourinho's iconic rise as one of the world's top footballing managers of the most elite clubs.
Cast:
José Mourinho, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Petr Čech, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba, Iker Casillas, Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti, Marco Materazzi
Director:
Joe Perlman
Wed, August 12 2026
The documentary series doesn't offer much fresh insight on the enigma that is José Mourinho, popularly known as 'The Special One'. For over two decades, the football manager and former player has remained one of the game’s most controversial figures and yet, there is something that draws you to him.
A colourful portrait of one of football’s most complicated characters, Netflix’s Mourinho finds “The Special One” in characteristically charismatic form. It portrays football manager and former player José Mourinho as somehow both psychologically opaque and emotionally transparent; he claims that he has never felt pressure, but he seems to thrive in it; he is capable of forming lifelong bonds with everyone except his own flesh and blood; Mourinho is an enigma, one that would take more than a Netflix series to crack.
Reacher S04
Action & Adventure, Drama, Crime (English)
Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator, has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served.
Cast:
Alan Ritchson, Agnez Mo, Sydelle Noel, Anggun, Christopher Rodriguez Marquette, Kevin Corrigan
Wed, August 12 2026
The most watched series on Prime returns with a humdinger of a season and its invincible hero who is always the last man standing.
Reacher fans, rejoice. I’m delighted to report that Season 4 of the one and only Jack No Middle Name Reacher, which has him up against a formidable pair of enemies, is a humdinger. Based on ‘Gone Tomorrow’, Lee Child’s 13th novel featuring Reacher, it begins in a Philadelphia subway in which a woman kills herself. It catapults our hero, busy minding his business till someone makes it their business, into a breakneck adventure involving an assortment of characters, including bent cops, incompetent CIA agents, evasive US presidential candidates, and sundry others, all looking desperately for a missing pen-drive. What’s so important on that drive that it needs to be found at all costs? How is it connected to congressman John Samson (Marc Blucas) and his fiercely protective wife (Kathleen Robertson)? What is it that two women from Indonesia, the attractive Lila Hoth (Agnez Mo) and her mother, Amisha (Anggun) are searching for? Why are people being killed in the most ghastly manner, with dismembered corpses strewn all over the place?
Maaran
Drama, Thriller (Gujarati)
In a patriarchal society, two strangers - Birwa, a trafficking survivor, and Tara, who faces the same fate - are drawn into the path of a ruthless predator. Maaran exposes the devastating impact of gender-based violence and oppression.
Cast:
Yash Soni, Deeksha Joshi, Shruhad Goswami, Tarjani Bhadla, Abhinay Banker, Parmeshwar Sirsikar, Vaishakh Rathodd, Kukul Tarmaster, Prachi Thaker, Dhairya Thakkar
Director:
Abhishek Jain
Writer:
Divya Thakore
Wed, August 12 2026
Maaran, which is a Gujarati film, is based on the illegal business of flesh trade. The story takes place in a fictitious village called Vaadi. Supplying girls is the main business for Ratan (Yash Soni) but he keeps it in the shadows. For the world, he works as a security guard in a posh tower in the city outside the village. Ratan lives with Birwa (Deeksha Joshi), who he had abducted five years ago. The girl’s younger sister Purva (Tarjani Bhadla) has been searching relentlessly for her. Ratan and Birwa’s life goes through some change when the former’s friend and acquaintance Babu (Shruhad Goswami) abducts Urmi (Prachi Thaker), who turns out to be a tough girl. Meanwhile, Ratan eyes Tara (Druma Mehta), who stays in the tower he works at, as his next target.
Mon, August 3 2026
Abhishek Jain’s National-award winning Gujarati thriller is a potent and well-performed examination of patriarchy and its psychological scars
One would imagine gender-based violence is the ‘safest’ way to be critical these days. It’s the most acceptable method to scrutinise a country without offending the world and its father(s). But some of the most potent takes on Indian patriarchy come from the voices shaping contemporary Gujarati cinema. It’s not as simple as “the region is full of repressed masculinity and casual sexism”. Given how tricky it is to be politically expressive in the state, there’s an overt sense that the patriarchy in these stories is not isolated from the society that breeds it. The genre itself is political. The characters and craft work harder to catch our eye because they stem from a culture where misogyny and moral policing are normalised as rhetoric by leaders and campaigns.
DC
Romance, Action, Drama (Tamil)
Rebel Devadas joins forces with Chandra in a dangerous world where passion and peril collide. Their turbulent alliance demands bloodshed and tests loyalties as survival becomes the ultimate stake in their fight.
Cast:
Lokesh Kanagaraj, Wamiqa Gabbi, Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, Sharath Ravi, Kobisan Chandrakumar, Avinash Raghudevan, Kasthoori Raja, Jawahar Sakthi
Director:
Arun Matheswaran
Mon, August 10 2026
Sun, August 9 2026
‘DC’, starring Lokesh Kanagaraj and Wamiqa Gabbi, is part gangster melodrama, part pulpy grindhouse noir
Tamil cinema’s current epidemic is directors auditioning themselves as leads, and Lokesh Kanagaraj is its latest carrier. In Arun Matheswaran’s DC, Kanagaraj is Devadas, a wronged hero discarded by society. He beats, shoots, maims and kills, but doesn’t like to be called a rowdy or a gangster. There are no backstories in DC; Das and his gang are a strange mix of delinquents with revolutionary blood running inside them. They have a leader, Arasu (Thalaivasal Vijay), whose aims and ideologies are equally nebulous, but in the first few scenes in the film the gang accosts a police vehicle to steal a weapons consignment. An inadvertent act by a cop leads to the gang exacting revenge by savagely murdering him, which in turn launches a more stringent manhunt. The police officer giving orders to the team entrusted with this task signs off with two words: be brutal.
Sat, August 8 2026
G. D. N.
Drama (Tamil)
Based on the life of G.D. Naidu, the 'Edison of India', dramatising his groundbreaking innovations, his industrial contributions, and conflicts with authorities—including struggles where his work and international dealings faced severe scrutiny and opposition.
Cast:
R. Madhavan, Priyamani, Sathyaraj, Jayaram, Dushara Vijayan, Abdool Lee, Thambi Ramaiah, Vinay Rai, Ramesh Thilak, Karunakaran
Director:
Krishnakumar Ramakumar
Writer:
Krishnakumar Ramakumar, R. Madhavan
Sat, August 8 2026
By turning a colourful life lived on the ire of multiple governments into a flat, tiresome portrait, this biopic thrusts Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu into a second oblivion.
When storytellers say they have made a film to inspire people — red flag! Abort! For the kind of people who make movies to inspire others are, perhaps, those least capable of evoking inspiration — or worse, they feel like they are catering to a baseline stupidity. People aren’t inspired by formulas, or at least people with half a mind aren’t. At best, it can make them simper in theater halls, whacked over their heads with a background score that can even turn a dead man into a pound of goose flesh. But when you return to the thick materiality of your life, you forget that goosefleshing. To truly inspire people, you have to recognise that nothing moves mountains like honesty, like humanity. The best biopics — a genre we are facing a glut in, including Madhavan’s limp Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022) — know that ideas can never do the heavy lifting of a life well lived. At best, it can serve as a placeholder.
Sat, August 8 2026
Madhavan delivers a compelling performance as inventor GD Naidu in an ambitious biopic that does not fully realise its emotional potential
Men and machines. It’s a love story that defies logic. The soulful 2024 Tamil film Meiyazhagan explored the relationship between the protagonist and his cycle, and what the vehicle really meant to him. “In a way, this cycle coming into our lives changed it completely,” a teary-eyed Karthi tells Arvind Swamy in the film. G.D.N kickstarts proceedings with this fascinating emotion. A young Gopalaswamy Doraiswamy Naidu (GDN) follows an Englishman around for two years — not because he wanted to be friends, but because he was besotted with the motorcycle that he was riding. A few minutes into the film, a star-stuck Dorai asks the Englishman (who he ironically also calls ‘Dorai’ which means ‘master’) if he can sell him the motorcycle.
Fri, August 7 2026
Director Krishnakumar Ramakumar's G.D.N., starring Madhavan, Vinay Rai and Dushara Vijayan, is a biopic on Coimbatore's GD Naidu, one of the best innovators India has ever seen. The biopic is a glossy collection of his achievements sans emotional connect.
Did you know that India’s best innovator, Gopalaswamy Duraiswamy Naidu aka GD Naidu, hailing from Coimbatore was branded a lunatic, terrorist and tax dodger? G.D.N. opens with a group of teachers belonging to a textbook committee debating whether he deserves a chapter in the school syllabus. Director Krishnakumar Ramakumar’s G.D.N. then takes us on a journey to the early 1910s when GD Naidu discovered his passion for everything mechanical. It’s his love for motors that led him to manufacture the first electric motor in India, among his other discoveries in various sectors. But, innovators like him always face adversaries at every step. GD Naidu was no exception.