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Kshitij Rawat

Lifestyle Asia

Kshitij Rawat did not unleash himself to the world as a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. He has been reviewing films and TV shows since 2017. Growing up in different parts of the country, he has been exposed to a variety of cultures, something that informs his criticism. He currently works at Lifestyle Asia.

All reviews by Kshitij Rawat

Image of scene from the film Raid 2

Raid 2

Drama, Crime (Hindi)

How does Amay Patnaik bring down Dada Bhai?

Thu, May 1 2025

Raj Kumar Gupta’s Raid 2 is a sequel of its own 2018 crime thriller Raid and continues the story of Amay Patnaik, an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer who still operates with a rigid sense of duty in a system that rarely rewards it. The movie ends with more surprises and twists than one would expect from a movie about tax raids and corruption. Let’s dive into the plot of Raid 2, its ending, and learn all about its cast, release date, and more. Ajay Devgn returns to play the role of Patnaik. This time, he comes face to face with a politician called Dada Manohar Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh), who is something of a darling of his constituency, Bhoj. Initially just a humble shoemaker, he rose in power thanks to popular support as first a state minister and then a cabinet minister. Patnaik, when he is transferred to Bhoj, suspects something is not right despite a feeling of general goodwill towards Dada and happiness suffusing the town. And indeed — spoiler alert — Patnaik is proven right. But even with ample evidence, can he really touch somebody as powerful as Dada Bhai? Not only does he have the state machinery at his disposal, but he is also a darling of the masses, and as we see in the movie multiple times, they would not hesitate to form mobs to sabotage any law enforcement action against him.

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Image of scene from the film Thudarum

Thudarum

Drama (Malayalam)

Why did George kill Pavi?

Tue, April 29 2025

Thudarum is a new Malayalam action thriller that starts off innocently enough, almost as a family dramedy, but soon becomes much, much darker. The film is a wild ride and throws surprises every now and then. Let’s explore in detail the plot of Thudarum, its ending, which is explained here, its cast, and more. The film features Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in the main role of Shanmugham, who is better known as Benz. The reason? It’s his car, and no, it’s not a Mercedes. In fact, it is a vintage Mark-I Ambassador that he loves more than anyone. Well, not really, as he also has a wife and two children, but you get the point. Until close to halfway mark, Thudarum remains the family movie that the director promised. After that… well, let’s leave for that later. This Malayalam thriller movie also features Shobhna as Shanmugham’s wife Lalitha. The plot kicks off when the said car is seized by the cops. It was at a mechanic’s workshop after being crashed by the friend of Shanmugham and Lalitha’s son, Pavi (Thomas Mathew). The mechanic was charged with possession of marijuana.

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Image of scene from the film Ground Zero

Ground Zero

Action, Thriller, War (Hindi)

How does Dubey find Ghazi Baba’s hideout?

Sun, April 27 2025

Ground Zero is an action thriller about Indian Armed Forces’ hunt to eliminate the dreaded terrorist Ghazi Baba. Ghazi was responsible for not only ending dozens of innocent lives, but he also masterminded the outrageous terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 that left multiple security personnel dead. Let’s dive into the ending of Ground Zero, which is explained here, its plot, cast, release date, and more. The movie stars Emraan Hashmi as a Border Security Force (BSF) officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey. A real person, Dubey was the man who led an anti-terror operation against Ghazi. The said operation ended with Ghazi and his associates’ deaths but also casualties on the BSF side.

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Image of scene from the film Kesari: Chapter 2

Kesari: Chapter 2

Drama, History (Hindi)

Is General Dyer punished in the end?

Sat, April 19 2025

Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh is a new historical film that details the — you guessed it — the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. But it goes beyond and also explores its aftermath and the legal battle one Indian lawyer fought against Brigadier-general Reginald Dyer and the British colonial government. In fact, for the most part, the massacre itself is the backdrop. The real story is the arguments between lawyers representing the grieving one one side and the Crown on the other. Let’s dive into the ending of Kesari Chapter 2, its plot, its cast, release date, and more.

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Image of scene from the film Chhorii 2

Chhorii 2

Horror, Drama (Hindi)

What happens to Sakshi in the final scene?

Sat, April 12 2025

When Chhorii 2 begins, it doesn’t just pick up where the original story left off. It drags us deeper into a mythology soaked in fear, grief, and generational trauma. Seven years have passed since Sakshi escaped that cursed village. She’s now a mother and someone who’s tried very hard to build a life from the wreckage of what she survived. But as fate would have it, she gets dragged back, literally in one sense, to the village. Here is all you need to know about Chhorii 2, its plot, ending analysis, release date, cast, reviews, where to watch, and more. Sakshi is now raising her daughter, Ishani, a quiet child with a mysterious condition — her skin burns in sunlight. It’s not fully explained, but it seems to be photosensitivity. It reminds one of the Nicole Kidman-starrer psychological horror movie The Others (2002). Except instead of a Victorian mansion, this one is set against the backdrop of rural superstitions and unresolved trauma.

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Image of scene from the film Sikandar

Sikandar

Action, Thriller (Hindi)

Does Sanjay defeat Pradhan’s sinister plans in the end?

Sun, March 30 2025

Sikandar is the latest action-packed gift by Salman Khan to his fans on Eid. But unlike most movies starring the Bhai of Bollywood, this one is a lot more emotional than you would expect. It has a pretty hefty runtime, but moves at a blistering pace, and you hardly notice the length. Directed by A. R. Murugadoss, known mainly for his Tamil films, Sikandar also features several twists along the way. Here is all you need to know about the Sikandar movie, its plot and ending, which are all explained here, as well as its release date, budget, director, trailer and a brief review. It appears with age, Bhai is mellowing down a little. In this Bollywood action thriller, the fans can expect the usual, such as the hero taking on dozens of goons on his lonesome, but there is also a beating heart at the centre of the movie. Salman Khan is firing on all cylinders in the Sikandar movie. And he’d better, for he was paid 60 per cent of the entire budget of the movie if we look at the movie’s cast salaries. He portrays the role of the king of Rajkot, Gujarat, who earns the ire of a powerful ruling party politician in Mumbai after he beats up his son. And then, a tragedy in his life causes him to lose his sense of purpose for a while. It all ends in an explosive showdown in the end. Let’s dive deep into the plot and ending of the movie.

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Image of scene from the film L2: Empuraan

L2: Empuraan

Action, Crime, Thriller (Malayalam)

What happens to Khureshi Ab’ram and Baba Bajrangi?

Fri, March 28 2025

L2: Empuraan is the sequel to 2019’s Lucifer and the second instalment in a planned trilogy. The movie, which is now in theatres, continues the tale of the dreaded criminal Khureshi Ab’ram (or Stephen Nedumpally), who we learned in the first movie is not the axis of evil as many had thought. In fact, he and his gang fight injustice all over the world. The movie’s ending and that post-credit scene leave more questions than answers. Here is all you need to know about L2: Empuraan, its plot, ending, cast, release date, trailer, and a review. The film brings superstar Mohanlal back in the titular role. The film is once again about the intersection of politics, religion, and crime. The plot is set about five years after the original. Five years is also the length of a Chief Minister’s full term in India.

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Image of scene from the film Adolescence

Adolescence

Drama, Crime (English)

The haunting ending of Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ explained: Why did Jamie really kill Katie?

Sat, March 22 2025

Adolescence is a crime drama, yes, but one that isn’t about the crime as much as the boy at its centre, the world that shaped him, and the people left reeling in his wake. If you thought it would be a murder mystery, the idea is put to rest at the ending of the first episode itself (it’s a miniseries and features four episodes) when the said mystery is revealed. It is revealed that (spoiler alert, but not really, for the trailer itself let it slip if one watched it closely) Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) did really kill the victim, Katie. No, Adolescence series is more interested in the motive behind the crime, and it is revealed piecemeal in the rest of the three episodes. Like Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer The Buckingham Murders, Adolescence capably uses its small British town setting to paint a picture of a community simmering with quiet tensions. But while The Buckingham Murders leaned into grief and personal reckoning, Adolescence sharpens its gaze on something far more insidious, which is the slow radicalisation of a young mind through figures like Andrew Tate.

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