Rohit Khilnani

Can you imagine a spy comedy that uses cross-border tensions, mistaken identities and political undertones to deliver laughs? Udta Teer, directed by Aakash Kaushik, starts on a high note and promises a thoroughly entertaining ride. The film gets its comic timing right early on, and the first half is genuinely hilarious. Unfortunately, it struggles to maintain that momentum after the interval. The biggest strength of Udta Teer is its writing in the first half. The situations are funny, the dialogue often lands, and several scenes are smartly constructed around the political context without making the humour feel forced. The film knows the absurdity of its premise and makes good use of it. There are moments when the comedy is sharp, unexpected and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny.

The trailer of Tu Hai Meri Kiran suggests a psychological thriller about obsession: a woman pushing back against a man who refuses to let go, but the film turns out to be far more than its trailer implies. In fact, the film’s biggest strength is how much it holds back before revealing what it really has in store for the audience. I went in expecting one kind of thriller, but what unfolded on screen was a genuine surprise. The makers deserve credit for not giving away too much in the trailer. It’s a lesson other filmmakers could take note of. Directed well, shot effectively and edited sharply, the film gets several essentials of a psychological thriller right. The sound design deserves special mention, adding to the tension and keeping you immersed in the unfolding drama. There is also a time-travel element to the story, but I wouldn’t want to reveal more and spoil the experience. It’s best to walk into the cinema knowing as little as possible.

Films like Tenzing don’t come very often, because people like Tenzing Norgay don’t come very often. Most of us know his biggest achievement. In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. We know the historic story, we have seen the photographs, and we know how significant that climb was. But do we really know Tenzing? What did he have to go through before he finally reached the top of the world? That’s where this film makes a difference. Available on Apple TV, Tenzing, directed by Jennifer Peedom, takes us beyond the famous climb and tells us about the man behind it. And what I found most interesting is that Tenzing’s biggest challenges did not begin on Mount Everest. They began much earlier in his life.

My generation knows who Ujjwal Nikam is and recognises his contribution to India’s criminal justice system. But many young people may not be familiar with him or his work. My advice to them would be this: don’t ask ChatGPT to tell you his story in two minutes. A far better option is to go and watch this film. Directed by Avinash Arun, Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam has been written by Sumit Roy, who has penned the story, screenplay and dialogues. First, let me say this: 26/11 is an intensely personal chapter in India’s history. It was a dark episode that the country will never forget, especially those who lost their loved ones. As a journalist, I remember those three days vividly. I was covering the attacks as they unfolded, reporting on television through those terrifying hours. In fact, Ajmal Kasab was caught right in front of my eyes, and I witnessed the gunfight. But let’s bring the focus back to the film.

Because somewhere along the way, we have completely accepted the Salgaonkars as our people. Yes, we know Vijay has done something wrong and, technically, he should face the law. But director Abhishek Pathak makes us look at the story from Vijay’s side. We are not sitting in the theatre hoping the police win. We are waiting to see how Vijay gets out of the next situation. Tabu returns as Meera Deshmukh, and this time her frustration has reached another level. She hasn’t been able to get Vijay punished, and that anger turns personal. She wants revenge. Enter the SP Crime Branch, played by Jaideep Ahlawat. And this is not simply the presence of an actor. This is the presence of a star. Every time he appears on screen, there is an authority and intensity that immediately changes the atmosphere.

Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, the film has been directed by Michael Showalter, who keeps the suspense alive through a steady stream of twists, secrets and revelations. Dakota Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who gets an unexpected opportunity when she is hired to complete the bestselling series of Verity Crawford, a successful author who is now bedridden and unable to continue writing. Verity’s husband Jeremy and her publishers want Lowen to take over the series, but there’s a catch: she has to move into the Crawford family home in Vermont and go through Verity’s work — her manuscripts, notes, documents and everything she has left behind.

The series opens with 17-year-old Meenu Rawat arriving at a police station with her parents to file a complaint against a powerful spiritual leader, Baapji, accusing him of sexual assault. Right from this opening sequence, the tension is palpable. The atmosphere inside the police station, the silences, the discomfort and the small details around Meenu’s complaint immediately tell you that this is not going to be an easy watch. This crime is not new in India; self-proclaimed Godmen like Asaram and Gurmit Ram Rahim have abused women in their ashram and they have been convicted by the court of law in India for crimes like rape.