Sanyukta Thakare

Demon Slayer Infinity Castle has finally hit the big screen in India, and though the tickets have caused quite the ruckus among fans, the 155 minutes are worth the long wait. The film kicks off right at the end of the last season, with almost the entire Demon Slayer corps being pulled into the Infinity Castle after Muzan is attacked by the Hashiras at Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s house. Infinity Castle is filled with fan service as each character is touched upon, while also diving deeper into the story for a few of the characters in the same format that the show goes through. All Demon Slayer films, or other franchise anime films, have focused on providing a recap of the final battle and then diving into the new season. However, with the new films for the Infinity Castle arc the makers are taking a filmmaking approach. For the first time, we do get a recap, but through a new perspective to avoid any kind of repetition. Instead of watching the final moments of Muzan’s fight or Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s interaction with Muzan, we get the preparation he put into the trap through Hashira Gyomei Himejima’s perspective.

Only Murders In The Building season 5 returns to the hallways of the Arconia after touring to LA in the previous season. This time, our podcast hosts stay in the building and in and around New York as far as the iconic Godfather would take them. The new season doubles down on what works best for them and brings back some iconic characters while introducing another set of crazy characters New York has to offer. The show is obviously coming to an end, but it still maintains its niche writing, and that’s the biggest win for Only Murders In The Building. The show begins at the end of the previous season when the now beloved doormen Lester is found dead in the pool of his own blood in the building’s fountain. Charles, Oliver and Mabel don’t take much time to start looking for clues around the building and among their neighbours before the body is cold and under. However, it isn’t enough, especially when the police reports claim it was an accident. As every season of the show unfolds, the latest instalment also follows the trio as they track a list of trails left behind by the killer, which may or may not lead them to the end.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final release in the hit horror film franchise that debuted in 2013 with The Conjuring. The films explored stories of real-life couple Ed Warren and his wife Lorraine Warren, who were pioneers in the supernatural community back when their findings were often mocked by the scientific community. The final film in the franchise explores a very different and dramatic tone while also bringing back some classic filmmaking techniques of the franchise. The film has more drama than expected, but the last act picks up the pace enough for a good send-off. The film begins in 1864 as young Ed and Lorraine have begun taking new cases while expecting their baby, Judy. The first encounter with this demon puts their baby at risk, and they decide to never return to the case, but years later, after Judy has grown up, it shows up at another house among the Smurl family. However, after Ed suffers due to health complications, the Warrnes decide to stay away from the field and stick to sharing their knowledge through teaching.

Baaghi 4, led by Tiger Shroff as Ronnie, follows his love affair with the idea of passionate and unapologetic love that can only be expressed through violence. The film explores yet another love story where the villain is also in love with the same girl as the hero, but in this case, he is played by Sanjay Dutt, who is twice the age of the actress. But the makers knew it was an issue and still decided to go through with it, and added a dialogue explaining how love is beyond someone’s age. But it isn’t beyond everything that happens in this film. The film begins with Tiger Shroff’s Ronnie in an accident, almost being crushed by a train, but in the next scene, he is taken to the hospital. After several very dramatic scenes of Shreyas Talpade crying in front of the doctor, it is revealed that Ronnie has been brought back from the dead, but as his brain is dead, he goes into a coma for seven months. When he wakes up, he asks for a girl, Alisha, but no one knows who she is, not even his brother.

Inspector Zende, led by Manoj Bajpayee and Jim Sarbh, is directed by Chinmay Mandlekar and follows the story based on real incidents in the 1990s as the Mumbai police tries to catch a dangerous escaped convict from Tihar Jail. The team of Mumbai police officers is led by Madhukar Bapurao Zende, who knows the convict and had previously caught him. The film brings a comic aspect to the real story, which sits well with the simple, wholesome nostalgia of the 90s. The film begins with Madhukar Bapurao Zende going on about his usual family duties of buying milk early in the morning. However, the radio announcer reveals that one of the most notorious criminals of the country, aka Carl Bhojraj, aka the Swimsuit killer, has escaped from Tihar jail with four other criminals. With Zende being the one who caught Carl in 1971, fifteen years before the story is set in 1986, he rushes to the police station, waiting for the call to brief him on the mission to catch Carl once again.

Param Sundari directed by Tushar Jalota and led by Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor has been much in the news for the controversy around the portrayal of some of its characters, the stereotypes and the implications of it. However, the film focus on the romance and the comedy aspects with a soundtrack that is fresh for the first time in a long time. The love story is simple and picks up from some of the Bollywood’s classic revamped with time. The film begins with Param played by Siddharth Malhotra narrating about how his life is dictated by data and follows a fixed routine as a business man. The routine being he invests his father’s money in new star ups which don’t work. However, just when his father is about to give up on him, Param comes across an app idea which will help people find their soulmates. To convince his father, Param decides to prove the app is worth investing by setting out to find his own soulmate.

Created by Brad Ingelsby of Mare of Easttown, the show follows a simple crime thriller, but only on the surface. The way the characters in the seven part series are explored is the real story within the plot. Task is about an FBI agent in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia trailing a string of violent robberies. Before the gangs in the area start taking credit and the cops have a turf war on their hands, Special Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) is sent out on the scene to bring things under control. Task begins with a grieving family man, Robbie, played by Tom Pelphrey. Raising two kids without their mother, Robbie wants a better life for his family and knows he won’t be able to do it if things stay the way they are. The only one by his side is his work friend, Cliff and his niece, Maeve. She is the one usually taking care of the kids and is unhappy with how unreliable Robbie is as a father. But Robbie has plans of his own to make sure his kids are taken care of, no matter the cost.

Songs of Paradise is written and directed by Danish Renzu, stars Saba Azad and Soni Razdan as the leading character of Zeba aka Noor Begum. The film is inspired by the life and the songs of Kashmir’s legendary singer, Raj Begum (1927-2016). The film explores her story with bravery, which she showed at a time when women’s basic rights were limited and opportunities in the arts were scarce. Named as Noor Begum in the film, she is seen being the change she hoped for and paving the way for more freedom and talent for the women of Kashmir. The film begins with Soni Razdan as Noor Begum discussing the rights for her team and artists while renewing her own contract with the station. Strict with her rules and the expectations for her young students, Noor Begum lives up to the name and legacy she created on her own. Meanwhile, a young boy from Mumbai comes to visit her to learn of her story, but, unsure of his intentions, Noor Begum refuses to talk to him.