Operation Safed Sagar
Drama (Hindi)
A squadron of Indian Air Force pilots push beyond their limits to attempt a daring and dangerous mission. (more…)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure (English)
Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might (more…)
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…)
Guild Reviews by Film
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
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.
Thudakkam
Action, Drama (Malayalam)
When danger strikes, a young woman fights to survive through courage and determination.
Cast:
Vismaya Mohanlal, Mohanlal, Aashish Joe Antony, Gibin Gopinath, Bobby Kurian, Kottayam Ramesh, Jaya Kurup, Jaffer Idukki, Gilu Joseph, Sivadas Kannur
Director:
Jude Anthany Joseph
Writer:
Jude Anthany Joseph, Linish Nellikkal
Sat, August 8 2026
The film constantly breaks the fourth wall to make obvious statements, giving signs of being rewritten to make the film appear softer for the family audience
In the interviews leading up to the release of Vismaya Mohanlal’s Thudakkam, it’s writer-director Jude Anthany Joseph spoke about how the basic concept of the film had been in discussion, as far back as 2020. There’s been a whole host of similar films that have released since, but there’s no denying the film’s obvious lack of sheen because it has hit screens after all of those films have released. In terms of its messaging alone, Darshana Rajendran’s Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaye Hey comes to mind, with recent releases such as Blast in Tamil and Maa Inti Bangaaram adding to an unignorable feeling of déjà vu. In first viewing, Thudakkam also feels like the most dated of these films, relying on a gratingly obvious amount of self-seriousness, as though it’s the first ever film to say what it’s trying to.
Korean Kanakaraju
Horror, Action, Comedy (Telugu)
Follows a Rayalaseema youth named Kanakaraju whose life upends when a vessel from Korea brings a spirit that possesses him, transforming him into Korean Kanakaraju.
Cast:
Varun Tej, Ritika Nayak, Sunil Varma, Satya, VTV Ganesh, Mahesh Achanta, Daksha Nagarkar, Bheemala Revanth Pavan Sai Subhash
Director:
Merlapaka Gandhi
Writer:
Merlapaka Gandhi, Sheik Dawood G.
Sat, August 8 2026
Director Merlapaka Gandhi’s ‘Korean Kanakaraju’ offers a few laughs, but the Telugu horror-comedy struggles with an uneven screenplay
Telugu cinema has repeatedly turned to the horror-comedy genre to deliver crowd-pleasers. Often, a handful of genuinely funny stretches have been enough to carry narratives that are otherwise uneven. As long as the laughs land, audiences have been willing to overlook the rest. Director Merlapaka Gandhi returns to this familiar template, this time throwing K-dramas and K-pop into the mix in the hope of lending the genre a fresh twist. The premise of Korean Kanakaraju is intriguing. The ashes of a Korean man somehow end up in an unassuming bar in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. Through a bizarre turn of events, Kanakaraju (Varun Tej) accidentally mixes alcohol with the ashes, drinks it and becomes possessed.
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
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.
Sat, August 8 2026
Fri, August 7 2026
Watch the film if you love dogs and especially if you don't.
Why do we dog out the dogs that roam our streets and neighbourhoods? That is the question that writer-director Amit Rai poses in Ohh My Dog, his third film. Don’t these four-legged creatures, he asks, have the right to exist in peace? By way of an answer, Rai crafts an entertaining film that centres on two adventures - yes, two separate adventures - that play out parallelly over a single day in two different cities, one in Assam, the other in Bihar. The unrelated stories involve a sharp-witted Dibrugarh schoolboy whose pet goes missing and a street-smart mutt in Patna whose human companion, a young construction worker, is kidnapped. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there and courage and quick thinking are of the essence. The child summons up all his resolve and intelligence and the canine its innate animal instinct to push back against those that have caused them distress.
Operation Safed Sagar
Drama (Hindi)
A squadron of Indian Air Force pilots push beyond their limits to attempt a daring and dangerous mission.
Cast:
Dia Mirza, Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Abhay Verma, Mihir Ahuja, Taaruk Raina, Arnav Bhasin, Prajakta Koli, Adil Hussain, Vinay Pathak
Director:
Oni Sen
Sat, August 8 2026
‘Operation Safed Sagar’ occasionally drags and doesn't shun its propaganda duties. But it's a rare war narrative that keeps a cool head and focuses on strategy, processes and individual skill
Two months into the Kargil War, Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif determines to see with his eyes what his heart already suspects: that they’re losing the battle. At Skardu base, he’s received by Maj Gen Javed Hassan, who invites him to the officer’s mess for a briefing. Sharif fixes with a stare and says, “The truth of democracy is revealed at the polling booth, and the reality of war in the hospital.” The condition of the wounded and general despondency in the hospital tent tells him all he needs to know, prompting a rare act of rebellion and a covert trip to Washington.
Sat, August 8 2026
War dramas can be tricky. They can either become overly jingoistic or simply tell the story with honesty. Operation Safed Sagar belongs firmly in the second category. The six-part Netflix series takes us back to the late 1990s, when India and Pakistan had just held peace talks, but tensions between the two nuclear neighbours were simmering beneath the surface. The makers cleverly use archival footage to establish the political atmosphere of the time and remind us how quickly hope turned into conflict. The series is slick and stylish, yet never loses its rawness or authenticity. It stays focused on one story, the crucial role played by the Indian Air Force’s Golden Arrows Squadron during the Kargil War. Thankfully, it doesn’t get distracted by unnecessary subplots or melodrama.
Fri, August 7 2026
Inspired by the Indian Air Force’s operation in Kargil during the 1999 war with Pakistan, the series has been directed by Oni Sen and boasts of a star cast that includes Jimmy Sheirgill, Siddharth, Dia Mirza and Prajakta Koli, among others.
Like so many visual effects-heavy productions from India, Netflix’s Operation Safed Sagar — inspired by the Indian Air Force’s operation in Kargil during the 1999 India-Pakistan war — sacrifices human drama in favour of flashy computer-generated sequences. These action scenes are obviously challenging for under-pressure VFX artists working on tight deadlines, but they’re also extremely difficult to perform for actors whose faces are concealed behind masks. As visual effects have advanced in recent years, there has been an increase in the production of aerial warfare movies in India. But instead of using these newly available tools to enhance the storytelling, these movies appear to have relied on embellishments to conceal the shortcomings in scripts.
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
Sat, August 8 2026
Sat, August 8 2026
Filmmaker Arun Matheswaran takes three central epic characters from the novel of 'Devdas' and places them into a world full of gangsters, guns and moral ambiguity.
Where does one begin while setting out to describe the control Arun Matheswaran’s exercises over his source material, in what is easily his most complete film? In a series of staging masterclasses, Arun finds crackling new ways to lift what’s on paper to deliver a moment that feels satisfying in so many ways that you forget that you’ve perhaps scene this exact situation plays out in a hundred gangster dramas before. You can point to the half dozen action blocks to make the case for Arun’s superior cinematic eye but it’s in the “smaller”, more tender moments that you see a new side to this filmmaker.
Sat, August 8 2026
Das and the members of a rebel gang attack a moving police vehicle to seize weapons, triggering a nationwide crisis. They also kill an officer responsible for a farmer’s custodial death. The events push the police force, led by a cop, Bhojraj, to initiate a hunt for the gang and the weapons. While on the run, Das meets two women, Parvathi and Chandra, who change the course of his life. Lokesh Kanagaraj makes an assured acting debut in a role with minimal dialogue, compensated by the abundant rage in the action sequences. He stays true to the nature of Das without trying to oversell his presence. Sanjana Krishnamoorthy is elegant in a brief yet impactful appearance. The soul of the film, though, comes through Wamiqa Gabbi’s portrayal of Chandra, who refuses to be boxed into yet another traumatised prostitute. She brings resilience, vulnerability and dignity to a woman who wants to be seen beyond her flesh. The ensemble cast, comprising Krish Dayal, Sharath Ravi, Avinash Raghudevan, Jawahar Sakthi and Balaji Devi Prasad, all make their mark in well-etched roles.
The Last House
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller (English)
A family suddenly sealed inside their home must work together to survive against dwindling resources and the ominous threat keeping them trapped.
Cast:
Greta Lee, Wagner Moura, Riley Chung, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, Emma Ho, Gabriel Barbosa, Arden Cho, Audrey Anderson, Sid Edwards, Eveline Reynolds-Boison
Director:
Louis Leterrier
Writer:
Matthew Robinson
Fri, August 7 2026
Contrary to its stated purpose of instilling hope, the film, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura in lead roles, reveals itself as quite a distressing harbinger of the future.
What if the Covid-19 lockdown never ended? What if the world’s entire population was forever imprisoned in their homes, with family members as their cellmates? What would happen after three weeks, three months, or three years? Netflix’s new original movie, The Last House, doesn’t take this admittedly intriguing premise to its potential. What if the Covid-19 lockdown never ended? What if the world’s entire population was forever imprisoned in their homes, with family members as their cellmates? What would happen after three weeks, three months, or three years? Netflix’s new original movie, The Last House, doesn’t take this admittedly intriguing premise to its potential.
Vadhandhi S02
Mystery, Crime, Drama (Tamil)
Vivek, a diligent cop, takes charge of the investigation of the murder of a beautiful young girl, Velonie. The rumours about her that spring up post her death threatens to irrevocably damage Velonie's image, Vivek must wade through a web of half-truths and confusing leads to solve the case.
Cast:
M. Sasikumar, Anagha, Aparna Das, Vivek Prasanna, Revathy Sharma, Arjun Nandhakumar
Director:
Andrew Louis
Writer:
Andrew Louis
Fri, August 7 2026
Director Andrew Louis' Vadhandhi Season 2, starring Sasikumar, Yashwanth, Vivek Prasanna, Anagha, Aparna Das and Revathi Sharma, begins as an engrossing investigative thriller but loses momentum in the middle before redeeming itself with a satisfying climax.
What starts as the foundation work for an eight-lane highway soon turns into a politically sensitive investigation when a human skeleton is unearthed at the construction site. A punishment posting brings police sub-inspector Moosa Raaza (Sasikumar) to Madurai, where he is entrusted with solving the high-profile case. As Raaza begins piecing together the mystery, the investigation leads him to Mani (Yashwanth), whose past gradually reveals the truth behind the decades-old crime. Although Vadhandhi Season 2 carries forward the franchise name, it tells a completely independent story. Unlike the first season starring SJ Suryah, this one does not require any prior knowledge, making it an easy watch for everyone.
Ted Lasso S04
Drama, Comedy (English)
Ted Lasso, an American football coach, moves to England when he's hired to manage a soccer team—despite having no experience. With cynical players and a doubtful town, will he get them to see the Ted Lasso Way?
Cast:
Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Juno Temple, Tanya Reynolds
Wed, August 5 2026
The Emmy Award-winning comedy already said farewell in 2023; now it reverses the previous season as coach Lasso returns to England for a new team.
Apple TV’s biggest comedy, Ted Lasso, was supposed to end its run on a high after a pesky third season in 2023. Originally developed from a sketch comedy starring Jason Sudeikis about an American with no clue about football, the character Ted Lasso became a beloved TV icon. The first season of Ted Lasso was perfect in almost every way, and the latter seasons expanded on the show by trying to add depth to its characters. In doing so, it undid much of what made the show great in the first place. Now, three years after Ted goes back to Kansas City, his former boss Rebecca Walton (Hannah Waddingham) brings him back to AFC Richmond, but for another team.
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
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.
Unmadham
Thriller (Malayalam)
A police constable reopens a long-forgotten case and experiences an unsettling world.
Cast:
Kunchacko Boban, Lijomol Jose, Raina Radhakrishnan, Gokulan, Vigneshwar Suresh, Siddique, Kottayam Nazeer, Arun, Unni Lalu, Sudheesh
Director:
Kiran Das
Writer:
Shahi Kabir
Mon, August 3 2026
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure (English)
Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see.
Cast:
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas, Marvin Jones III
Director:
Destin Daniel Cretton
Writer:
Erik Sommers, Chris McKenna
Mon, August 3 2026
Sat, August 1 2026
It may be a brand-new day in Spider-Man’s life, but he is still doing more or less what he has always done—swinging off buildings, fighting crime, nursing a broken heart and grappling with an identity crisis. The last two may be relatively new, but the core remains unchanged. Marvel Studios entrusted Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of the remarkable indie Short Term 12 (2013), with bringing a more human touch to the web-slinger, and that is perhaps the film’s only real novelty.
Sat, August 1 2026
Destin Daniel Cretton's film has a sadder, more troubled superhero at its centre, but offers little by way of innovation or edge
This past week, I’ve had a dull, throbbing ache in my head. It gets distractingly painful at times, and I was worried about the aftereffects of waking up early on Friday, heading out to the local cinema, putting on 3D glasses and watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Surprisingly, I felt about the same leaving the cinema as I did entering it. The only plausible explanation is that my body doesn’t differentiate between a MCU Spider-Man film and a dull, throbbing ache. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is having headaches too. Some are literal. His new mutations, which give him enhanced powers but also make him snap into a less wholesome version of himself, are a physical strain. Some, though, are emotional, the fallout of Dr Strange’s spell at the end of No Way Home (2021), which protects the multiverse by erasing Peter from everyone’s memory. He now lives on his own, sadly keeping tabs on MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) at MIT, throwing himself into crimefighting to such an extent that detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) is more worried than grateful for his help.