Sat, July 12 2025

Despite the familiarity of the plotline, director and writer Pulkit keeps us invested in Maalik urf Deepak’s tale of unbridled ambition

The year is 1990, the place is Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, and violence is the running theme of ‘Maalik’. Though Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee’s swag as a police officer is on ample display, the film belongs to Rajkummar Rao. As and in ‘Maalik’, he is menace personified, a gangster who kills without flinching, who rules through dread and fear. Rajkummar has donned a new avatar, far removed from his usual romcom films. The incredible actor that he is, he lives the character, channels the anger within, seethes, fumes and kills like never before. But when the hero is also the anti-hero, the makers could not resist the temptation to give him a romantic backstory, in this case his wife Shalini (Manushi Chillar).

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Sat, July 12 2025

Directed by Pulkit, ‘Maalik’ lacks both single-screen soul and multiplex gloss

Maalik opens with a shootout in 1990, Allahabad. A dacoit-like gangster named Deepak (Rajkummar Rao), a.k.a Maalik (“owner”), is wounded and bullet-riddled. The police have surrounded the hideout. The Bengali superintendent (Prosenjit Chatterjee) cracks a movie joke on the loudspeaker while telling him to surrender. Maalik shoots back through the window. The film then rewinds to a few years ago, starting in earnest to show how Maalik reaches this moment. It’s a narrative older than time. You’d think that if something evokes memories of Satya, Agneepath, Vaastav, Sarkar and every other popular mafia-origins movie, it must be a solid contender. But the opposite is true here: Maalik feels like a childhood film-making wish being fulfilled — an all-you-can-eat genre buffet assembled from scraps of classics — rather than an inventive or original shot in the dark.

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Sat, July 12 2025

1990 के समय का इलाहाबाद। दीपक के मज़दूर पिता को किसी ने खेत समेत रौंद डाला तो उसे मार कर वह पॉवर का भूखा बन बैठा और जल्दी ही इलाके का ‘मालिक’ हो गया। उसकी मर्ज़ी के बगैर अब शहर में कुछ नहीं होता। लेकिन कुछ समय बाद वही लोग उसके खिलाफ हो गए जो कल तक उसके सरपरस्त थे। अब एक तरफ ‘मालिक’ है और दूसरी ओर उसके दुश्मन। हर तरफ से गोलियां बरस रही हैं और पुलिस कभी इस पाले में तो कभी उस पाले में कूद रही है। अपराधी, नेता और पुलिस की जुगलबंदी का प्लॉट हमारी फिल्मों के लिए कोई नया नहीं है। सच तो यह है कि यह जुगलबंदी हमारे समाज का ही एक ऐसा कड़वा और स्वीकार्य सच है जिसे फिल्म वाले अलग-अलग नज़रिए और अलग-अलग शैली में दिखाते रहते हैं। पर्दे पर ऐसी जुगलबंदियां जब शानदार निकलती हैं तो ‘सत्या’, ‘वास्तव’ हो जाती हैं और अगर बेकार निकलें तो ‘मालिक’ बन जाती हैं। ऐसी तमाम फिल्मों की तरह यह फिल्म भी इस बात को रेखांकित करती है कि ताकत पाने के बाद हर अपराधी सत्ता की कुर्सी चाहता है कि ताकि आज उसके पीछे पड़ी पुलिस कल उसकी बॉडीगार्ड बन जाए।

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Sat, July 12 2025

The heart of the film is in the right place

Cute girl, nerdy boy — could be a romcom. A Sanskrit teacher meets one who teaches French. He is a virgin at 42, she is 32 and not squeamish about her sex life. Certainly not a cute meet, but unusual enough to pique our interest. On paper, the plot makes for some fireworks. After all, what can be more fascinating than Jean-Paul Sartre and Kalidas coming together! As the love story of Shrirenu Tripathi (R Madhavan) and Madhu Bose (Fatima Sana Sheikh) unfolds, the uncommon premise holds out, but not with magic in entirety. The heart of the film is in the right place. It opens with a tribute to KJo’s iconic ‘dosti pyaar hai’, a nudge to the fact that the film is produced by Dharma Productions’ digital arm Dharmatics Entertainment. Like many of its films in the recent past, it wears its progressive values on its sleeve. Patriarchy is on play in the Tripathi household where elder brother Bhanu (Manish Chaudhary) is every inch a male chauvinist, demanding complete subservience from his culinary-adept wife Kusum (Ayesha Raza) and daughter, whom he constantly beseeches to learn household chores. One scene with reference to ‘silbatte wali chatni’ is a direct nod to the much-acclaimed ‘Mrs’.

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Sat, July 12 2025

With Vivek Soni’s directorial feature Aap Jaisa Koi, both Dharma and Netflix (the streamer) operate on the lowest level of creativity. It unfolds as a masterclass in vacuity.

Success improves most things except Hindi cinema. Past proves that acceptance of a certain kind of film often spawns inferior versions of the same. Many are guilty, but perhaps none more than Dharma, the production company that has made a business model out of a single premise: youth sparring with age. In Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), filmmaker Karan Johar, also the co-owner of Dharma, played with traditional trappings as a young man resisted parental pressure without standing up against it. Success followed, and so did similar iterations; in 2023, he fortified the defiance of young love in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) and two years later, his banner has bankrolled Aap Jaisa Koi, a shell of a film that is all framing. The point of contention remains the same: tradition holds the sword to love. But Vivek Soni’s film is also generously influenced by Rocky Rani, and as a result, the discord comprises as much old order stacked against new as the new carrying the vestige of the old. And, yet again, women and the Bengali community (I will circle back to this) shoulder the responsibility for the moral rehabilitation of the men.

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Sat, July 12 2025

Sat, July 12 2025

Sat, July 12 2025

Inspired by a Ruskin Bond short story, the romantic drama starring Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor takes the ‘love is blind’ adage too far

It’s been years since I’ve laughed so much in a cinema hall. I needed it. Movies are truly the best medicine. There’s only one problem, though. Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is not a comedy. It’s not supposed to be funny. If anything, it’s the opposite of a comedy — a dead-serious romantic drama that takes an old proverb too far. In an age where most Bollywood films use self-awareness as a front for mediocrity, it’s kind of disarming to watch a bad film that doesn’t know it’s bad. I almost admire it. We often complain that nobody makes timeless Hindi love stories anymore. Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan is why. It’s a high-risk genre: the line between being lyrical and being incapable of touching grass is wafer-thin. One person’s Dreamy is another’s Delusional. But naming the movie after a song from a Sanjay Leela Bhansali classic can’t be a prayer.

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Sat, July 12 2025

Cough, cough. Saba Shergill (Shanaya Kapoor) has blindfolded herself on the train to Mussoorie to prep for an audition to play a visually challenged girl. For no apparent reason, Jahan (Vikrant Massey) gets a slap from her as an introduction. But, cough, cough, he’s a musician, he should understand another artiste. The cough disappears, inexplicably. She’s stranded in Mussoorie, inexplicably. She clings to the stranger on the train, inexplicably. Even moves into his hotel room. “Come, I’ll show you around my house,” he says, inexplicably. When did a hotel room turn into a house? Jahan has an assistant-cum-driver, a general factotum. Who talks of a chidiya (sparrow) that talks (everybody laugh, Saba and Jahan do) and tells them a ghost story (everybody shiver, Saba and Jahan do, she even moves into his bed).

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Sat, July 12 2025

Vishnu Vishal-backed ‘Oho Enthan Baby’ is about broken relationships and ways to find romance in our lives

Pray, what is love? Is it in the initial attraction that happens between two individuals? Is it in the sweet nothings that they share?

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Fri, July 11 2025

Directed by Krishnakumar Ramkumar, 'Oho Enthan Baby', starring Rudra and Mithila Palkar, is a feel-good romantic drama that loses grip in its second half. With a gripping first half and glorious meta references, it manages to entertain mostly, before falling prey to clichés.

Gone are the days when feel-good romantic entertainers filled theatres every week. And even when they do, most of them tend to feel flavourless, prompting us to revisit old classics from the ’90s and 2000s. When the trailer of ‘Oho Enthan Baby’ was released, it gave the vibe of a vibrant love story that speaks about the relationship troubles of today. Has ‘Oho Enthan Baby’ struck the right chord with the audience? Let’s find out! Ashwin (Rudra), a struggling assistant director, gets the opportunity to narrate his stories to actor Vishnu Vishal (as himself). He is accompanied by his manager, King (Redin Kingsley), who is a sounding board that tells only the truth. Vishnu rejects the first two ideas and asks him to narrate a love story as he hasn’t done one in his career. Ashwin hesitates at first, and then narrates a coming-of-age love story that has an abrupt ending.

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Sat, July 12 2025

It requires metahuman skills to keep rebooting and refreshing a comic book character that was created in the 1930s. Writer-director James Gunn does it with Krypto. When a gasping-for-life Clark Kent/Superman (David Corenswet) is dragged to his secret crystalline home to be revived, Krypto the dog saves not just the superhero from an alien planet but also Gunn’s film. Bow-wow, wag-wag, Krypto gets the applause each time he flies in for a timely rescue. He also gets the laughs with his overenthusiastic greetings, his jumps and his boundless energy. Truly, a doggie version of almost killing with love. Amidst a whole lot of confusing metahumans, some good, some bad, an assortment of black holes and universes that include a pocket universe, and powers that provide sci-fi and CGI experts with lucrative employment, Gunn brings in one more aww-inspiring moment – an alien infant that must be rescued from CGI fire by Superman, good metahuman Mr Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Krypto. With Krypto slobbering all over the infant, the cuteness quotient shoots up.

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Sat, July 12 2025

Superheroes have one job: they save people. This job profile is fairly uncomplicated. It does not discriminate between the people being saved, as long as they don’t deserve to die. As long as they’re innocent, in one way or the other. American superheroes have forever used this macro profile — of focusing on all of humanity, the universe, the past, the future — as a front for their micro aversions and distinctly apolitical identities. It’s easier to put the ‘petty disputes’ within a planet in perspective when all-time baddies like Thanos and co. threaten mass extinction. At best, our dark friend Batman mined the more systemic problems; politicians have been his adversaries more than once, but he has no time for politics itself. Creators and screenwriters have often shied away from contemporary cracks in favour of big pictures and bigger fish to fry.

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Fri, July 11 2025

A new start for Superman and DC—but James Gunn's film doesn't offer anything novel or bold

I really don’t want to bring up Zack Snyder. His films cause me physical pain. But even I have to admit there’s a grim conviction somewhere in all that humourless, quasi-mythological imagery. His films, which include Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League for DC, stand for something, even if I can’t stand them. James Gunn’s Superman stands for nothing except a desire to please. It’s the aesthetic and philosophical opposite of the Snyder Superman films. Underlit greys and browns give way to pleasing whites and blues. There’s a scruffy dog. David Corenswet’s Clark smiles more in his first scene with Lois than Henry Cavill did in three films. There’s a persistent goofiness that I’m sure will drive Snyder acolytes crazy. It’s more watchable, and yet, almost weightless, lacking a sense of definition and purpose.

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Fri, July 11 2025

The English-Hindi language series on Lionsgate Play stars Shahana Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh.

Four Years Later is a sympathetically crafted and emotionally dense Indo-Australian show that explores the fragility of love stretched across distance and time. Created by Mithila Gupta, who co-directs with Mohini Herse and Fadia Abboud, the Lionsgate Play series follows a long-distance marriage that quietly frays under the pressures of migration and cultural displacement. The English-Hindi language show centres on Sridevi (Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit Singh). Their story begins in Jaipur. A traditional arranged marriage introduction develops into mutual attraction. Almost immediately after the wedding, Yash departs for Sydney to pursue a medical traineeship, leaving Sri behind to live with his conservative family.

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Fri, July 11 2025

Director Sathyasiva's 'Freedom', based on a true incident about Sri Lankan refugees, features Sasikumar, Lijomol Jose and Sudev Nair. The film has a solid story at its core, but is bogged down by sloppy execution.

The early 90s were testing times for Sri Lankans. For those who grew up listening to the gut-wrenching stories of torture and killings amid a civil war. Any story that’s centred on Sri Lanka will always hold high emotional intensity. When a filmmaker crafts a story based on Sri Lanka, political correctness aside, the film should encapsulate the trials and tribulations that the people went through. ‘Freedom’ is one such film which is inspired by true events, which have ample scope to move you, shock you and enthral you. But, did the film manage to make the desired impact? Let’s find out! In 1991, many Sri Lankan refugees sought shelter in Tamil Nadu and were put in camps all across the state. However, when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, these refugees became suspects to the police. The police took some of the men and women into the camps for investigation and held them captive at the Vellore Fort. They chose Vellore Fort because of the high walls and trenches surrounding the old fort.

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Thu, July 10 2025

21 मई, 1991 की रात तमिलनाडु के श्रीपेरंबुदूर में एक महिला ने अपनी कमर में बंधे बम से अपने साथ-साथ वहां चुनाव प्रचार करने के लिए पहुंचे पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री राजीव गांधी को भी मार डाला था। पूरे विश्व को चौंका देने वाली इस घटना के तुरंत बाद भारत सरकार ने एक स्पेशल इन्वेस्टिगेशन टीम (एस.आई.टी.) बनाई थी जिसने कदम-दर-कदम आगे बढ़ते हुए और एक सिरे से दूसरा सिरा जोड़ते हुए 90 दिनों में इस हमले की साज़िश रचने वालों को अपनी गिरफ्त में ले लिया था। इस पर पत्रकार अनिरुद्ध मित्रा ने एक किताब ‘90 डेज़’ लिखी थी जिस पर निर्देशक नागेश कुकुनूर ने यह वेब-सीरिज़ ‘द हंट-द राजीव गांधी एसेसिनेशन केस’ बनाई है जो सोनी लिव पर रिलीज़ हुई है। एक ऐसी घटना जिसके पल-पल का ब्यौरा दस्तावेजों में, खबरों में मौजूद है, जिसके बारे में सब जानते हैं कि पड़ोसी देश श्रीलंका में अपने लिए अलग क्षेत्र ‘तमिल ईलम’ की मांग कर रहा हिंसावादी संगठन ‘लिबरेशन टाइगर्स ऑफ तमिल ईलम’ (लिट्टे) राजीव गांधी से इसलिए खफा था कि उन्होंने वहां भारत से शांति सेना भेज कर उन्हें काफी नुकसान पहुंचाया था। राजीव गांधी ने ऐलान किया था कि 1991 के चुनाव जीतने के बाद वह फिर श्रीलंका में सेना भेजेंगे। लिट्टे ने इसीलिए उन्हें मारने की योजना बनाई थी जिसमें वे सफल भी हुए। उस घटना के बाद इस साज़िश और तफ्तीश पर ढेरों किताबें लिखी गईं और कुछ एक फिल्में भी बनीं। लेकिन इस वेब-सीरिज़ ने जो दिखाया है वह जैसे इतिहास को जीने जैसा अनुभव देता है।

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Mon, July 7 2025

The new drama show recreates the investigation into the perpetrators of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991

The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case is exactly what the title describes. The new SonyLIV series, helmed by filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor, is focused on the ninety-day period in which a Special Investigation Team (SIT) pieces together who was behind Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. The investigative thriller is based on Anirudhya Mitra’s book Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassins and unfolds just like a book you can’t put down as the SIT members figure out which LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) operatives carried out the deadly plan. The show dives right into the main event with the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, played here by Rajiv Kumar, attending a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on May 21, 1991. He is killed by a suicide bomber, Dhanu (Shrutie Jayan), and The Hunt wastes no time with the investigation moving from Madras to Colombo to Delhi and more as the suspects grow and the conspiracy deepens. The series’ strength lies in the extensive groundwork the SIT undertakes to launch a manhunt to find the plot’s leader and his accomplices.

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Sat, July 5 2025

After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in Tamil Nadu, a Special Investigation Team, headed by Kaarthikeyan, discovers vital clues. Despite a leaked press photo compromising the case, key operatives are identified, and the team learns of a foiled second assassination bid. The high-stakes confrontation culminates with Sivarasan, who led the group of assassins, being traced to Bangalore. Amit Sial delivers a commanding performance as the face of the show, portraying Kaarthikeyan, the officer leading the SIT investigation. Despite the precise, firm nature of his character, he brings an innate appeal to his portrayal through his dialogue modulation and body language. Sahil Vaid and Bagavathi Perumal are also afforded ample scope to shine, and their on-screen camaraderie is particularly delightful. Vidyuth Gargi’s firm, stately screen presence works in his favour; the likes of Danish Iqbal, Girish Sharma, and Saurabh Dubey do the needful with their assured acts. The host of actors on the other end of the spectrum, essaying the LTTE operatives, namely Shafeeq Mustafa, Shruty Jayan, Gouri Padmakumar, Nishan Nanaiah, Anjana Balaji, and others, make their presence felt too.

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Mon, July 7 2025

Sat, July 5 2025

Sat, July 5 2025

As the health of the middle-aged Kaalidhar declines, his family attempts to abandon him permanently. After orchestrating a will in their favour, they leave him at a Kumbh Mela. Lost and with nowhere to go, Kaalidhar discovers an unlikely companion in Ballu, an orphaned child from a nearby village, who instils new hope in his life and later reunites with an old flame, Meera. Abhishek Bachchan is finding his groove admirably in his recent outings, more so in the OTT space, with roles that befit his age, physicality and strengths. Kaalidhar Lapata extracts a controlled, mature performance from the actor, who slips into the skin of his role with flair. He has more than solid company in the form of Daivik Baghela as Ballu, who delivers a fabulously spontaneous act. The formidable supporting cast – comprising Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Madhulika Jatoliya, Priyank Tiwari and Priya Yadav – and the sweet little cameo by Nimrat Kaur, contribute to its overall appeal.

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Mon, July 7 2025

Keerthy Suresh and Suhas anchor a partly-entertaining dramedy on life, death and everything in between

It is a scenario straight out of the wildest dreams, or nightmares. An entire village, dressed in festive finery, gathers around a specially constructed stage. There is anticipation in the air, a celebratory mood. But the master of ceremonies (Vishnu Oi), a man summoned from a neighbouring town, is left stunned when he learns the purpose of the event: a lucky draw to determine who will win slots in the village burial ground, now perilously close to running out of space. Director Ani IV Sasi, who previously helmed the offbeat Telugu romance Ninnila Ninnila, returns with Uppu Kapurambu — a madcap satire that takes on the politics of death, land, and legacy. Screenwriter Vasanth Maringanti weaves in layered subtexts touching upon gender, caste, money, and power, exposing the absurdity of fighting over land meant for one’s final rest.

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Sat, July 5 2025

Chitti Jaya Puram, a village, faces a shortage of burial plots in its graveyard. Apoorva, the newly appointed village head, is struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her father, Subbaraju. She teams up with Chinna, the graveyard caretaker, to resolve the crisis. However, as time progresses, the village descends into chaos, losing its way, fighting over the right to a dignified burial. Keerthy Suresh struggles to find her element in a part as half-baked as her performance. She should’ve been the powerhouse that salvaged the film from its weak spots, yet her portrayal makes you feel quite the opposite. There’s no doubt about Suhas’s abilities, but one can’t simply make a career by doing different versions of the same role – the marginalised, vulnerable man craving for identity.

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Sat, July 5 2025

Director Ani IV Sasi's 'Uppu Kappurambu', starring Keerthy Suresh and Suhas, is a quirky comedy set in a fictional village. A bizarre drama soon turns into a communal issue in this effective film.

Prime Video’s latest offering, ‘Uppu Kappurambu’, revolves around an interesting premise, albeit set in a fictional village. A quirky comedy, the Ani IV Sasi-directed film is a clever social commentary on dignity in death and how people are now easily divided over communal differences. Has ‘Uppu Kappurambu’ hit the right notes? Let’s find out! Chitti Jaya Puram, a fictional village, is full of zany characters who follow age-old practices that reek of ignorance, patriarchy and what not. Apoorva (Keerthy Suresh) becomes the village head following the death of her father, who died on duty. But, Apoorva’s father fully prepares her to take on duties and calls it the easiest job ever. One day, the village’s graveyard caretaker, Chinna, approaches Apoorva with a real problem. The graveyard is now short of space, and she is stuck figuring out a solution. Meanwhile, there are influential people in the village, Bheemayya (Babu Mohan) and Madhubabu (Shatru), who want to bring down Apoorva because they do not want to be under a woman’s leadership. How does Apoorva deal with these patriarchs amid a brewing cultural problem that forms the crux of the story?

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Mon, July 7 2025

Director Venu Sriram attempts an emotionally-charged survival drama, but a patchy screenplay, odd tonal shifts and forced melodrama weigh it down

There is a fine line between inventive and outright bizarre. On paper, Thammudu might have seemed like a gripping watch —blending complex family dynamics, childhood friendship, and a good-versus-evil survival thriller. But in execution, it is more of an endurance test than an immersive film. Written and directed by Venu Sriram, starring Nithiin, Varsha Bollamma, Sapthami Gowda and Laya, the film tries to juggle too much, and drops most of it. Nithiin plays Jai, an archer chasing gold at the world championship. His struggle, we are told, is not about fitness or skill, it is emotional baggage. He confides in childhood friend Chitra (Varsha) about his broken bond with his sister (Laya) and the regret that has been weighing him down. Chitra, meanwhile, is apparently a successful entrepreneur who wins ‘Start-up of the Year’. What does her company do? The film does not tell us. On stage, she announces her love for Jai, tearfully calling him “more than just a boyfriend.” Logic takes a backseat, and so does character depth.

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Mon, July 7 2025

This absurd but entertaining film by Ilya Naishuller makes good use of the Elba-Cena pairing

Heads of State is exactly what it promises: a fast-paced, action-packed buddy comedy that leans into its absurdity with style, big laughs and big action set pieces. Ilya Naishuller directs a script by Harrison Query, John Applebaum and Andre Nemec, which clearly understands the assignment—pair two mismatched but magnetic leads, toss them into a high-stakes international mess, and let the chemistry and chaos unfold. John Cena and Idris Elba headline the action-comedy as two political powerhouses. Cena plays Will Derringer, a former action movie star whose latest job is as President of the United States, while Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, the current Prime Minister of the UK. The latter’s calm, calculating exterior hides a former life in the British special armed forces, whereas Derringer relies on his celebrity to skate through his tenure. When a diplomatic visit to England almost goes off the rails (over a plate of fish and chips, among things), a little diplomatic engineering provides the perfect photo-op to change the narrative surrounding their public discord. Derringer and Clarke travel on Air Force One together, but things go sideways while they are en route to a NATO meeting in Italy.

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Fri, July 4 2025

Agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) does it first. “We’ll ketchup with you…” British Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) later ketchups up with her. “Everything harpoons for a reason,” he says self-consciously after they’ve emerged from a series of set action pieces with multiple weapons. But it’s weapons’ lord Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine), a Russian arms dealer with more money to burn than the security budgets of the US and UK put together, topped with a personal revenge agenda, who’s set off the action all over. Especially targeting the President of the United States of America Will Derringer (John Cena), a Reagan type actor-turned-politician, and PM Clarke. Director Ilya Naishuller (Russian filmmaker) with writers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Harrison Query, make a punny, funny, action film where the end’s obvious but the ride is lighthearted.

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Wed, July 2 2025

The new action comedy, starring Idris Elba, John Cena, and Priyanka Chopra, is the kind of Prime Video programming that enters your eyeballs, bypasses your brain, and leaks out of your ears.

A key part of movie promotions these days involves the lead cast going on the talk show circuit (as they normally would), and instructing the audience to essentially lower their expectations. In fact, it’s almost as if Priyanka Chopra remembered all those times that she and her fellow Bollywood stars sold their movies by telling viewers to leave their brains outside the theatre, and introduced this strategy to her new friends in Hollywood. She’s been going around saying that her new action film Heads of State is an undemanding Friday night watch, but, unsurprisingly, it fails to meet even those standards. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, who previously made Hardcore Henry and Nobody, Heads of State is the kind of Prime Video programming that enters your eyeballs, bypasses your brain, and leaks out of your ears. Like his previous films — Hardcore Henry was presented in first person, while Nobody transported a middle-aged man into a John Wick-style world — Heads of State works better as a concept than in execution. It stars John Cena as the President of the United States and Idris Elba as the British Prime Minister, while Chopra plays an MI6 agent who might as well have been airdropped into the movie from Citadel.

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