Sanyukta Thakare

HBO has wrapped for the first season of Dune Prophecy which also starred our very own Tabu in the role of a Sister working with The Sisterhood aka Bene Gesserit, widely known in the Dune Universe. The show takes place 10,000 years before the current films directed by Denis Villeneuve. But the prequel is still connected to the current storyline as it explores the lore of how the Bene Gesserit prophecy about Paul Atreides came into being. The show begins with the story of two Harkonnen sisters who have been accepted into the sisterhood. One of them, Valya Harkonnen had special powers which let me control the will of others on her command, she goes on to teach the same to others in the sisters who followed the same values as her. Meanwhile, another has her own secrets to protect. The sisterhood also has factions, while one believes in nurturing the good in humans and use the power of truth sense to lead humanity towards a better future after the War with Thinking Machine which destroyed the world. The other faction believes, that humans need a genetically enhanced leader to take them to the right direction.

What If…? returned with season 3 sharing a deep dive into the 5th dimension and hinted at what we can expect from the future of the multiverse. The show does show Sam Wilson as the new Captain America on a world saving mission with Bruce Banner and others. Meanwhile, more magical and mystical creatures come to life as the Watcher guides more superheroes to save their universes. With every season of What If…? Marvel continues to surprise their fans with something unexpected, the same is true for season 3 as the multiverse gets more weird and messy. Each episode shared a piece of a story from a different universe and what canon event may have shaped it. It also reveals how The Watcher sees it, and experiences it, the changes he would have expected and wished for. In the past seasons, The Watcher had gotten himself involved in the multiverse by saving lives and reshaping the world. As he continues to do so, it leaves The Eminence unhappy. That too shapes a path for the mortals to move on to a new dimension and turn their fate over.

Mufasa is the prequel to the Disney’s iconic film The Lion King. However, the film takes a different route than a typical prequel, we also get to see a follow-up plotline for Simba, Nala and their kids along with what’s going on at Pride Rock aka Milele. The Hindi Dub remains as close to the original names and essence of the characters while also adding a bit of a twist. While Simba and his family remain the prideful ruling family of Pride’s land, Timon, Pumbaa and some supporting characters get a twist with the Hindi Dub adding more comedy to the screenplay.

Singham Again made quite the impression with its short film for a trailer. It also led to the perception that the film won’t have much to offer after everything was revealed in the teasers and trailers. And yet the film surprises with its comedy and its Ramayan connective direction. Rohit Shetty does warn his audience and the religious critics that the film is not meant to disrespect anyone’s faith or any religion with a two-minute long disclaimer and what follows is a cameo-filled film with a run time of 144 minutes.

The show fits right into the style of Raj and DK sans the comedy, the rawness and the drama will keep you hooked for a while. Set in the 90s and early 2000s it focuses on the lack of technology and old-school espionage. Its sequences set in the 90s will remind audiences of old movies like the action remains grounded to today’s time. The makers find a good mix of old aesthetics, cinematography and modern writing for spy thrillers. The show has ups and downs, but performances like that of Kay Kay Menon will bring you back to the story.

Co produced by Kriti Sanon and Kanika Dhillon the film suffers from lack of consistency possibly from the writing stage. The film aims to spread awareness about women and domestic abuse, it attempts to express the turmoils of abuse trauma, its generational history but fails to do it through out the run time. The film tries hard to be It Suspect X (Jaane Jaan), It Ends With Us, Gone Girl and The Girl In The Train all at once with a crime thriller genre — it ends up being none of them.

The Shameless became highly recognizable after its Cannes 2024 victory. The film’s leading star Anasuya Sengupta made history and became the first Indian actor to win the Best Actress Award at Cannes. The film explores the story of two polar women stuck in the world of prostitution finding hope in each other, but the bleakness and grim reality of the world is always just around the corner to take it away. The film though dramatic and dark has much appreciative theatrical performances with wit of Sengupta’s abrasive character. Devi and Renuka keep the story balanced but the outcome is left for the audience to endure.