Thaai Kizhavi
Comedy, Drama (Tamil)
Pavunuthaayi is a fiercely independent, intimidating elderly woman in a rural village, known for being tough, ruthless, and blunt-especially as a moneylender whose strict enforcement of dues makes her feared by locals. (more…)
Dhurandhar: The Revenge
Action, Crime, Thriller (Hindi)
As rival gangs, corrupt officials and a ruthless Major Iqbal close in, Hamza's mission for his country spirals into a bloody personal war where the line between patriot and monster disappears in the streets of Lyari. (more…)
Sankalp
Drama (Hindi)
SANKALP is a premium Indian socio-political drama that explores how power is manufactured not through elections, but through mentorship and institutional control. Inspired by the ancient Chanakya–Chandragupta chronicles, the series reimagines political strategy for modern India, where classrooms replace battlefields (more…)
Made in Korea
Romance, Drama (Tamil)
A woman from a small town in Tamil Nadu moves to South Korea — a place she always dreamed of — but struggles to find her footing in a foreign land. (more…)
Guild Reviews
Dhurandhar: The Revenge
Action, Crime, Thriller (Hindi)
As rival gangs, corrupt officials and a ruthless Major Iqbal close in, Hamza's mission for his country spirals into a bloody personal war where the line between patriot and monster disappears in the streets of Lyari.
Cast:
Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Danish Pandor, Gaurav Gera, Manav Gohil, Ankit Sagar
Director:
Aditya Dhar
Thu, March 19 2026
Great filmmakers tend to tell the same story in different ways and weak ones find different ways to say little. Aditya Dhar, who is neither, presents a unique reality of telling all stories in the same way. This can sound alarmist given that he has directed only three features and two are parts of the same film. But the sameness exists, running deeper than aesthetics and assuming more stealth than superficial plot twists. Dhurandhar: The Revenge reinforces it with fuller might, revealing in the process the merit and limitations of his work.
Thu, March 19 2026
It isn’t as if the people responsible for the action set-pieces haven’t gone all out in this one, with bombs and guns blasting away, jeeps careering around vast stretches of sand, men — as ever, scant place for women in this all-male ensemble – swarming everywhere, stabbing, shooting, killing. But except for a couple of sequences, where the adrenaline gets pumping, the rest is pretty ho-hum: imagine a character actually saying ‘we don’t have problems with Pakistan as such, only those Pakistanis who are terrorists’ or words to that effect. Haww, whatever happened to all that Islamophobia? The poor ISI chap is the only one left spouting anti-India sentiments, the rest are content to blow each other up. And that vaunted inclusion of ‘Bada Sahab’, standing in for the dreaded Dawood Ibrahim, is a bit of a bore: sometimes, the more hype, the more the expectation, the more of a let-down it is.
Thu, March 19 2026
Three months after writer-director Aditya Dhar set the box office ablaze with Dhurandhar, he brings another, longer round of his violent saga. This time, there’s a sharp political manifesto attached. Yes, Pakistan is India’s favourite worst enemy, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a key character here, even if it means showing him through videos of his speeches playing in the background. Referred to as “chaiwala” by the villains, his decisions cause as much headache in Pakistan as Hamza’s actions do.
Jazz City
(Bengali)
Set in 1971 Calcutta, a jazz club becomes the backdrop for a revolutionary awakening as music intertwines with language, identity and the birth of a nation during a pivotal historical moment.
Cast:
Arifin Shuvo, Shataf Figar, Arpita Chatterjee, Shreya Bhattacharya, Sauraseni Maitra, Sayandeep Sengupta
Director:
Soumik Sen
Writer:
Soumik Sen
Thu, March 19 2026
We’re back to 1971. Again. Contemporary Indian cinema will have you believe that South Asian history — nay, human civilisation itself — begins and ends with 1971. Dinosaurs probably went extinct just before that. Jokes aside, so much of historical storytelling is concentrated into that one decade that the fatigue is real. Ironically, mainstream Bollywood at the time reacted to all the national turmoil with Angry Young Men and disillusioned anti-establishment heroes. But today’s stories are more focused on painting that very country as a vessel of patriotism, political courage and cultural superiority. Naturally, this happens at the expense of two familiar neighbours. To its credit, Jazz City finds a new and expensive way to flaunt India’s role in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Aadu 3
Comedy, Fantasy (Malayalam)
Shaji Pappan and Co. opens a Pandora's box of reincarnations and multiple timelines leading to comic chaos of epic proportions.
Cast:
Jayasurya, Vinayakan, Sunny Wayne, Saiju Kurup, Vijay Babu, Vineeth Mohan, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Harikrishnan, Bhagath Manuel, Indrans
Director:
Midhun Manuel Thomas
Writer:
Midhun Manuel Thomas
Thu, March 19 2026
One suspects that the experience of reading the script of Aadu 3: One Last Ride: Part 1 must have been a thousand times more rewarding than the experience of watching the film. This is not because one’s imagination isn’t limited by budgets or by performances, nor does it have much to do with this film getting lost in execution. Of all the films of this franchise, this is the only film that relies almost entirely on literal humour. Instead of trusting these characters to deliver the goods with the film’s organically silly situations, Midhun Manuel’s writing goes overboard with wordplay and puns. Now, these are fun at the beginning and you also understand the cleverness of some of the usages, but you can’t help but imagine how much funnier it may have been to read these lines on paper, rather than make a huge ensemble present them, each with their own eccentricities and styles. Instead of figuring a specific brand of humour for each character (like in the previous films), Midhun chooses to repeat the same style of dialogues for all, lending a homogeneous dullness to a film that could have gone anywhere.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh
Action, Comedy, Drama (Telugu)
A tribal boy is shaped by the values of his teacher, who gives him the name 'Bhagat Singh'. He grows up deeply rooted in strong morals, which guide his actions throughout his life.He stands firm against injustice and takes on powerful evil forces, even when facing overwhelming odds.
Cast:
Pawan Kalyan, Sreeleela, Raashii Khanna, R. Parthiban, Nawab Shah, Avinash, Gautami Tadimalla, Narra Srinu, Naga Mahesh, Temper Vamsi
Director:
Harish Shankar
Writer:
Harish Shankar
Thu, March 19 2026
In 2012, when director Harish Shankar teamed up with Pawan Kalyan for Gabbar Singh, an adaptation of Dabangg, it resulted in a massy outing that capitalised on the star’s nonchalant attitude. The film entertained, even if it did not break new ground in storytelling. A lot has changed since then and the star is now the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. In Ustaad Bhagat Singh, the director rehashes the outdated template of Gabbar Singh, and infuses it with a heavy dose of ideology that powers the actor-politician today. The result is a narrative that appears to be randomly stitched together to tick a few boxes on a checklist.
Made in Korea
Romance, Drama (Tamil)
A woman from a small town in Tamil Nadu moves to South Korea — a place she always dreamed of — but struggles to find her footing in a foreign land.
Cast:
Priyanka Arul Mohan, Park Hye-jin, Rishikanth, Thirunavukkarasu
Director:
Ra. Karthik
Writer:
Ra. Karthik
Sat, March 14 2026
Netflix’s new Indian original movie, Made in Korea, is a lazy excuse of a film made by an inept group of people with no idea what they’re doing. The very existence of such slop is a slap in the face of talented filmmakers who struggle for decades trying to do honest work. This is an insult not only to them, but also to audiences who pay hard-earned money to Netflix every month. Here is proof that the unemployment crisis isn’t restricted to men. We discuss the film’s clueless protagonist, her pointless motivations, and the aimless narrative that she is confined to. We also raise questions about the plausibility of such a premise, and the movie’s cartoonish attempts to “honour” Korean culture.
Fri, March 13 2026
Made In Korea is quite the clever title for the film it turned out to be. The most obvious reading is that the film was made in Korea, but it indicates the coming-of-age story of a lady named Shenba (Priyanka Mohan), giving us the sense that the real Shenba was made in Korea after she migrates there. And then there is the pun. After Shenba makes her way to Seoul, she finds work in a mansion as a ‘maid’, looking after the old lady who lives there. But there ends anything one can remotely term clever about this film.
Thu, March 12 2026
The Tamil film Made in Korea reveals that there is a tangible connection between Tamil Nadu and South Korea. In 48 AD, Princess Sembavalam, aka Queen Heo Hwang-ok, from Tamil Nadu, went to start her new life in South Korea after marrying King Suro of the Gaya Kingdom. The protagonist of the South film, Shenba, becomes fascinated with the country after dressing up as the young queen at school one day. The feature, written and directed by Ra. Karthik follows a different kind of adventure as Shenba struggles to survive in the land of her dreams. Priyanka Mohan plays the young woman in the mediocre coming-of-age story.
Tighee
Drama (Marathi)
Swati has built a respectable life in Mumbai, but everything is unravelling. Her predatory boss exploits her financial condition while her husband drowns in debt. When Swati comes to know her ailing mother Hemalata is not long for this world, Swati returns to a house that once was home. Her childhood home in Pune with her scorned younger sister Sarika, who has cared for their difficult mother alone for the last three years. The sisters' reunion is brutal, filled with accusations of abandonment. Fighting guilt, rage, and helplessness, the three find peace, until a fateful night when Swati discovers her old wedding video. The film explores how families survive through silence, sacrifice, and secrets that both save and destroy them.
Cast:
Bharati Achrekar, Neha Pendse, Sonalee Kulkarni, Jaimini Pathak, Pushkaraj Chirputkar, Nipun Dharmadhikari, Shrirang Deshmukh, Sanjay Mone, Mrinmayee Godbole, Siddharth Menon
Director:
Jeejivisha Kale
Sat, March 14 2026
Fri, March 13 2026
Marathi chamber drama Tighee (Three Of Us, or Us Three) features veteran Bharati Achrekar, familiar to Hindi film audiences through her impactful supporting roles, helming a story about simmering familial tensions, traumatic pasts, and the promise of a better future. She plays the terminally ill Hemlata — mother to two fractious daughters, Swati (Neha Pendse) and Sarika (Sonalee Kulkarni) — back home one last time.
Tue, March 10 2026
Dramas about dysfunctional families or families with grudges have been a regular feature in various languages in Indian cinema. Tighee is also a family drama that tackles issues between three family members. However, it stands apart as it’s a modern saga that takes a contemporary route. While the yesteryear family dramas mostly revolved around conflicts between sons, this one features two daughters. Even the issues between them are new age as they are independent in their own journeys. Apart from the characters and the storyline, what makes Tighee a product of 2026 is its making. Debutant director Jeejivisha Kale has presented the drama in a new-age manner. Even the high points in the narrative are devoid of any melodrama. She has displayed maturity in her first feature film itself. She is ably supported by the nuanced and mature writing.
Sankalp
Drama (Hindi)
SANKALP is a premium Indian socio-political drama that explores how power is manufactured not through elections, but through mentorship and institutional control. Inspired by the ancient Chanakya–Chandragupta chronicles, the series reimagines political strategy for modern India, where classrooms replace battlefields and bureaucrats replace soldiers.
Cast:
Nana Patekar, Sanjay Kapoor, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Neeraj Kabi, Kubbra Sait, Meghna Malik, Kranti Prakash Jha, Saurabh Goyal, Tushar Pandey, Danish Iqbal
Director:
Prakash Jha
Writer:
Reshu Nath
Sat, March 14 2026
Revenge is the name of the game… well, in most crime thrillers. ‘Sankalp’ by Prakash Jha opens with a couple of bodies arriving at the gurukul run by Maat Saab (Nana Patekar). Before we learn who died and at whose hands, we are taken back to the unfolding of events six months earlier. Bit by bit, we grasp who Maat Saab is and how he derives his power. Bureaucracy in India is the bulwark through which the veins of power run and control the system. What better way than to infiltrate this very nerve centre with an army of loyalists? He picks up boys and girls from underprivileged backgrounds, educates them and trains them to crack the UPSC examination. Voila, a team of exceptional men and women in positions of extreme privilege within the civil services (from IAS to IPS to IRS) are ready to do his bidding.
Fri, March 13 2026
A rare filmmaker who understands the pulse of heartland politics, Prakash Jha returns this week to his Raajneeti universe along the Ganga with a flawed yet engaging take on benevolence. The series Sankalp stands out for its intellectual ambitions and strong performances. It succeeds as a reflective political drama rooted in moral ambiguity, but its bloated narrative structure and lack of visual innovation prevent it from becoming addictive. In an era of flashy spectacles, Jha sticks to a traditional, issue-driven style, prioritising realism and complexity, though some methods of portraying power corridors and the dynamics between kingmakers and rebellious disciples now feel clichéd in the series format.
Fri, March 13 2026
Some shows are so long and expansive that they become like senior family members — you don’t know if you like or dislike them because you’re inherently attached to them. Especially if nearly 500 minutes are consumed in one day, for professional reasons. Sankalp is (finally) over, but I have to be honest: I find myself missing how talkative and busy and overbearing and old-fashioned it was. I’m not sure what to do with my time anymore. There’s a certain sort of antiquity to a Prakash Jha directorial in this age: a narrative that’s about politics without being political, a potboiler about grassroots power and wise teachers and manipulative king-makers and faithful students, a traditional assortment of characters with shifting allegiances, mythology-fuelled dialogue, a chessboard that’s supposed to convey mind-games and twisty moves and metaphorical pawns. Even when I wasn’t paying attention to one of its 15 subplots, I grew to respect the scale. It’s not peak storytelling, but it’s the kind of committed mid-tier entertainment that reclaims the genre from the algorithmic clutches of modern streaming. In short, Sankalp is watchable because it doesn’t pretend to pander.
Aspirants S03
Drama (Hindi)
Aspirants is a story of 3 friends - Abhilash, SK, and Guri. The story takes place in the past and the present where the past captures the struggle and the drama behind the making of UPSC CSE aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar of Delhi, while the present talks about the aftermath. It is the story of three UPSC aspirants journey.
Cast:
Naveen Kasturia, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Abhilash Thapliyal, Sunny Hinduja, Namita Dubey, Tengam Celine, Jatin Goswami
Fri, March 13 2026
One must embrace certain rules to engage with a TVF setting. (Read this in the Fight Club voice). First, you only have the right to criticise the country if you are willing to serve it: an extension of the “don’t criticise movies until you’ve made one yourself” or “you can’t commentate on cricket without playing it” line of argument. It’s a bit more hostile than “be the change you want to see”. Second, Civil Services is the be-all-and-end-all of all careers; there is no greater honour than clearing the UPSC exams and working for the government. Third, India is a perfectly functioning democracy in which inquiries on officers happen without any ulterior motives and political prejudice; corruption is an exception, not the norm. Fourth, every department cares solely for the development of the nation; pro-establishment vibes are good vibes. Fifth, women exist in service of their male counterparts; they’re partners or lovers. And last, caste and religion don’t exist at the grassroots level; only class and opportunities do. Within these rules, and within the truth that nearly every TVF show can be called Aspirants, this series is more adept at exploring the aspirational genre called Walking the Talk.
Fri, March 13 2026
Abhilash (Naveen Kasturia), SK ( Abhilash Thapliyal) and Guri (Shivankit Singh Parihar) – is back for a third time, the three friends picking up where they’d left off in the previous season.The deep personal ties, forged through intense studying to crack the UPSC — the hierarchy graven in stone within the civil services, with the IAS on top — the squabbles and the warmth of the years spent propping each other up in Old Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar rented holes-in-the-wall, have given way to a complicated professional life, which is not as rosy as it was cracked up to be.
Boong
Drama (Manipuri)
In the valley of Manipur, Boong (*a little boy) plans to surprise his mother with a gift. In his innocence, he believes that bringing his father back home would be the most special gift. His search for his father culminates into an unexpected gift – a new beginning….
Cast:
Gugun Kipgen, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Hamom Sadananda, Jenny Khurai, Nemetia Ngangbam
Director:
Lakshmipriya Devi
Writer:
Lakshmipriya Devi
Thu, March 12 2026
More than once while watching Lakshmipriya Devi’s Boong, I was reminded of Aijaz Khan’s Hamid (2018) – another Indian film that used the ruse of a “children’s film” to examine a region riddled with conflict. In Khan’s film, a serendipitous phone call between a seven-year-old local (Talha Arshad Reshi) searching for his‘disappeared’ father and a CRPF jawan (Vikas Kumar) became an unintentional humanitarian bridge in the midst of Kashmir’s paranoia. In Devi’s film, the unrest in Manipur remains an undercurrent, filling even the ‘cute’ scenes with an unease.
Sun, March 8 2026
At a moment when Indian theatres are increasingly crowded with spectacle — pan-Indian actioners, franchise filmmaking and historical epics — Boong arrives as something radical: a children’s film that trusts the intelligence and emotional acuity of its young protagonist. That it is returning to theatres after becoming the first Indian film to win the BAFTA award for Best Children’s & Family Film (defeating Disney’s Zootopia) is both a milestone and a small indictment. A milestone because a Manipuri-language film has found global recognition; an indictment because the film needed that recognition to be rediscovered by Indian audiences.
Sat, March 7 2026
Marked by a keen eye for detail, a gentle rhythm and controlled buoyancy, Boong, Manipuri writer-director Lakshmipriya Devi’s remarkably accomplished debut feature, probes a climate of discord and disquiet in the garb of a story of a boy, his mother and her absent husband. The deceptively simple but marvellously evocative and wonderfully well-crafted film views life in a strife-torn region through the prism of a fractured family that hopes against hope of becoming whole again. Boong, produced by Excel Entertainment, is a tale of love, loss, longing, and a tenacious spirit rooted in a child’s innocence and innate ebullience in the face of adversity. The film just won a BAFTA Award in the “children’s and family film” category. But it breaks the confines of the genre with intent.
Adamya
Drama, Thriller (Bengali)
After a political assassination fails, 23-year-old Palash becomes a fugitive, hunted by the very system he once believed in. As he flees through the conflict-ridden Sundarbans, his understanding of ideology, resistance, and identity begins to shift. Caught between labels of extremist and revolutionary, anti-national and patriot, his journey becomes a gripping character study of belief, survival, and an unbroken spirit that refuses to die.
Cast:
Aryuun Ghosh, Senjuti Roy Mukherjee, Sourya Madrajee, Subham Dutta, Arjo Giri, Relish Khan
Director:
Ranjan Ghosh
Thu, March 12 2026
Set in the Sunderbans and shot entirely in natural light, or in its absence, Adamya is about a young rebel who will neither be tamed nor be reined in. Akin to a matchstick that aspires to burn like the sun, he is up against the firepower. It may be a losing battle, but he will fight the good fight no matter what.Depending on what one’s political stance is, the ‘unbreakable’ protagonist, Palash, a twenty-something boy on the run after a failed attempt to assassinate a minister, is a dangerous malcontent who must be weeded out at all cost or an inspired renegade worthy of our attention and support. Adamya, which is now in its fourth week in cinema halls in Kolkata, is a hyper-indie film shot by a skeletal crew. It made it to the multiplexes against all odds. That it is holding firm a month on is no mean feat.
One Piece S02
Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (English)
With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure.
Cast:
Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Gibson, Jeff Ward, Taz Skylar
Wed, March 11 2026
After a two-and-a-half year wait, the next chapter of the live-action One Piece is ready to set sail on the Going Merry. Based on the beloved manga by Eiichiro Oda, Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) returns to lead his Straw Hats crew on the quest to find the One Piece treasure hidden on the Grand Line by pirate Gold Roger. Navigator Nami (Emily Rudd), first mate Zoro (Mackenyu), marksman Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson), and chef Sanji (Taz Skylar) join him as they face all sorts of adversaries and friends. Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 is that rare show that has gotten better in its return.
Thaai Kizhavi
Comedy, Drama (Tamil)
Pavunuthaayi is a fiercely independent, intimidating elderly woman in a rural village, known for being tough, ruthless, and blunt-especially as a moneylender whose strict enforcement of dues makes her feared by locals.
Cast:
Radikaa Sarathkumar, Singampuli, Aruldoss, Balasaravanan, Munishkanth, Muthukumar, Raichal Rabecca Philip, Ilavarasu, George Mariyan
Director:
Sivakumar Murugesan
Writer:
Sivakumar Murugesan
Wed, March 11 2026
In Tamil Nadu, there’s something called the kadamba maalai (mixed garland). It might look like a splotch of colours, but there’s synchrony in terms of colour and math involved in the frequency of a flower being used. Watching Thaai Kezhavi, that’s what I thought of the writing. Writer-director Sivakumar Murugesan handles multiple strands, but knows what to do with each, many minutes after the first reference. The floral reference? Watch the movie, and you’ll know why. Everyone has been raving about Radhika Sarathkumar’s performance and rightly so. The rest of the team hits it out of the park too, conveying a mix of yearning, small-mindedness, jealousy, mindless anger, and the like. But the root for all of that is the layered writing that has something for everyone, and which transports you to rural Tamil Nadu, where life moves at a different pace and where even a house where someone has died or is going to, can become a venue for entertainment.
Sun, March 1 2026
Sat, February 28 2026
From Disney’s Snow White to our own Vidaathu Karuppu, the evil grandma stereotype shines, making an old woman the face of terror and crudeness. Indian TV and its serials have furthered this trope of this evil old matriarch harassing the hapless daughter-in-law. On the other hand, there’s another popular archetype of a benevolent old woman, who “melts like a candle” to produce light for those around them. Manormama has been the quintessential choice of Tamil filmmakers for this cardboard cutout. The scene from Shankar’s Gentleman, of her telling her son (Arjun Sarja), “Naan irukaen pa” (“I’m there for you”). She is the all-giving mother, and men are supposed to find her godly love and care in their potential mates.