Sachin Chatte

Comedy is serious business – and not everybody can get that right. The gags could be physical (think of ‘thoda khao thoda pheko’, in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, (1983) or any Bustor Keaton, Charlie Chaplin film), situational like Chupke Chupke (1975) or a Golmaal (1979) that got everything right. Then we had the Kadar Khan Shakti Kapoor comedy in the 80s & 90s and Aamir Khan Productions own Delhi Belly (2011) had some funny situations.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple comes within a year of its predecessor’s release, with both films being shot back-to-back. Directed commendably by Nia DaCosta, this is the fourth film in the 28 Days Later franchise that started back in 2003 with Danny Boyle at the helm as the director with a script conceptualized by Alex Garland who has also written the last two 28 Years Later films.

Song Sung Blue is inspired by the music of Neil Diamond but it is not a biopic of the famed singer. Rather, it presents a biographical narrative of the individuals who established a tribute band dedicated to Neil Diamond. The documentary featuring Mike and Claire Sardina shares the same title as this film and acts as a source of inspiration for the storyline.

Imagine if you were forcibly confined in a room without food, and your captor is so cruel that he compels you to inflict twenty-one cuts on your stomach with shattered chinaware, merely for amusement. If you somehow manage to escape and imprison your captor in that room, what would your next step be? (a) Seek medical assistance (b) Flee from that house as fast as possible or (c) Relax in the living room and watch television. The character in The Housemaid opts for the absurd choice of C, while the menacing figure upstairs attempts to break free

Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis stands out as an exceptional film and ranks among the finest war films produced in our country. Drawing inspiration from the remarkable true story of India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal, Raghavan has skillfully created a narrative that encourages reflection, emotional engagement, empathy, and makes you admire the craft of film making that takes the road less travelled.

One might not expect that a film released in 1997, centered around a giant snake, would spawn four sequels and a Mandarin version that premiered earlier this year. Anaconda was a light-hearted and entertaining film that captivated audiences at the time. Some films and all snakes should be left alone – Anaconda is certainly one of them- the film and snake, both.

Directed by Sameer Vidwans, the film Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri is proof that a film and it’s title can be overwhelmingly long. The title itself gives us adequate warning and feels like an endurance test, and the film faithfully lives up to it. By the midpoint, which feels like an eternity, one realizes that only half of the title has been addressed.

When Avatar (2009) came 16 years ago, it broke new ground on many fronts, especially with the visual effects. Although it took some time for the sequel, The Way of Water (2022), to arrive, but because the story was set in a familiar world and technology had advanced sufficiently by then, it didn’t have the same appeal as the original.