Sanyukta Thakare

Santosh which has been making rounds in the top film festivals including Cannes is by the British-Indian director Sandhya Suri. Focusing on the state of rural India through the eyes of a young femal cop, the film is is Suri’s first fiction feature, which can be seen in its rawness and sincerity. The film is led by Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar as cops on the other side of the law, and their performances are unforgettable.

Girls Will Be Girls is helmed by first time feature film director Suchi Talati. It follows the story of a high school top student in a coming of age story. But the story isn’t just about Mira played by Preeti Panigrahi but also about her mom Anila played by Kani Kusruti. Their complex relationship amid Mira’s rebellious romance with NRI boy Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), the tense environment in strict school. The film offers a change for millennials to live through some of their most embarrassing and traumatizing memories but also gives a chance to many more in building a better and more nutriting relationship with their mothers.

The Apprentice is one of the film that no one asked for but now that its here you can’t look away from it. The direction, cinematography, lighting, sets and most of all the performances all are worth praising but the film majorly avoids taking sides. For first half it makes you like Trump and for the other the pre-existing hate returns, so it doesn’t really add to his public narrative, the reason for its existence left questioning. But the film is worth the watch for its art.

The Wild Robot was one of the most anticipated films since its first teaser dropped with the song ‘What a Wonderful World’ and the film has lived up to its hype. Not only does it offer an adorable story for kids to watch but it also comes with heavy context and geological subtext that is enough to keep the adults engaged. The film unexpectedly also offers much humour and some emotional moments but best yet has been the artwork throughout the run time. From birds taking flight and colouring the sky, to the moving leaves that breathe life into the art, the film comes with a great re-watch value ready to turn it into a classic.

Citadel Diana is one of the many spin-offs set around the American Citadel led by Priyanka Chopra. The series explores the world of a covet organisation across the globe trying to take down the world’s most evil organisation Manticore. While Citadel carried the story more straightforward, Citadel vs Manticore, we get to see a different side in Diana. The Italian show led by Matilda De Angelis, Lorenzo Cervasio and Maurizio Lombardi explores more on the side of how things are done at Manticore. Released in Italian, with few dialogues in English, the show is expected to have a stronger opening than Citadel.

Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri’s latest release Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video is a social comedy that focuses on the length of the story more than logic. With a shorter, more crisp story the film would have managed to give the very serious and important message it wishes to. The film is a cautionary tale in the 1990s but the fear is very relevant and still prevalent given the growing use of AI, instead of finding a way to incorporate the fear throughout, the story focuses a bit too much on the comedy punch lines and hopes a long monologue will make up for the rest. But it doesn’t.