Sanyukta Thakare

Directed by co-written by S. Sashikanth, the Netflix film is about love, passion and determination. It brings together inherently different people who are fueled by different emotions. Led by R. Madhavan, Nayanthara, and Siddharth, the film follows all three as their stories entangle the most important days of their lives. Their decisions at that moment will define who they are and who they are willing to be. While the performances are good in several moments, the story does not bring a complete journey for either of the characters. The film begins with Arjun, a celebrated cricketer who is about to be kicked off the national team. But his passion for the game has him twisted enough to manipulate the team management, even if it includes the media harassing his wife and his kid. It also leads to his father’s poor health, social media trolling. Things work out for him as he is confirmed to play in the next tournament with Pakistan.

Sikandar, directed by A.R. Murugadoss, known for films like Ghajini, makes an honest effort with the story, but the execution doesn’t match up to its potential. The film essentially follows a good-natured man who aims to live up to his dead wife’s expectations and keep what is left of her safe. The makers take an emotional, very Bollywood masala approach with its story, but it still could have been enjoyable without the flimsy editing and screenplay. The film begins with Raja Sahab’s aka Sanjay aka Sikandar introduction through the film’s minor villain. When a politician’s son is blackmailing and harassing a girl on a flight, Snjay takes it upon himself to teach the kid a lesson. However, when a complaint is filed against him, the politician and his corrupt officer, Sanjay’s beloved praja, saves him from arrest. Rashmika Mandana is his fairly young and devoted wife. Indebted by his selfless act to marry her, he takes it upon herself to always be the one between him and any danger. After some goons are sent behind Sanjay, in an accident, Saisri passes away.

The mystery thriller is directed by Mimi Cave, who is best known for Flesh, a film focused on body horror. A glimpse of the same can be seen in Holland, but this is more focused on being a mystery thriller for its own characters. The trailer zeros in on the story, and the same narrative is explored during the almost two-hour-long film. Led by Nicole Kidman and Matthew Macfadyen, the film explores the dynamics of a family that looks perfect on the outside but something sinister is going on underneath. The film also stars a young actor Jude Hill and Gael García Bernal as the second love interest for Nicole. It begins with Nicole’s narration as Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher at the local high school where he kid also goes. She is respected around the town as the wife of Fred Vandergroot, a good church going man who is a life-saving doctor. Their kid, Harry, follows every word of his father, who ends up mediating their fights. Their life is perfect and good, but something remains off about Nancy as she gets obsessive and paranoid about little things. First, it is a missing earning which leads to her firing a babysitter and later, it is a receipt she finds in Fred’s pants.

Snow White is the new live-action version of Disney’s classic princess story. Unlike the previous versions the film does stick to some of its traditional roots. It is hard to ignore all the controversy that came before and after the film’s release but even with its overwhelming shadow, Rachel Zegler’s performance is commendable. Snow White is not the first time Rachel has been part of a musical and it shows, but the film does take some extra effort to present her as a princess. Most of the weight is carried forward by the young actress who played young Snow in the opening song. The film begins with the introduction to a happy Kingdom where the King and Queen are kind and loving people who believe in thriving along with the people of the village they rule over. The opening song talks about the royals teaching their young daughter Snow the right way to live and the kind of person she should grow up to be — Fearless, Fair, Brave and True.

Written and directed by Vikram Bhatt, the film is a fictionalised version of the story of Ajay Murdia aka the founder of a chain of fertility clinics, Indira IVF. According to reports the film has incorporated some real facts about his life and career in the screenplay. The film explores a legal case, where he is accused of an attempt to murder one of his younger board members, while the memory of his dead wife gives him hope to not give up. With a run time of over two and a half hours, the film feels longer than necessary between, flashbacks, songs and more. Led by Anupam Kher as Ajay Murdia, the film begins with a news montage of how he is accused of attempting to murder, while a court proceeding grants him bail in the matter. His lawyer played by Eesha Deol is seen flying with him to Udaipur, so the family can decide how to move forward with the case. While Ajay wants to brave the storm along, he isn’t left behind by his kids who also decide to stick by him till the end. Soon it is evident, that the young board member is trying to frame Ajay Murdia in the case and his life was never in danger.

The Netflix film takes place in a dystopian past where the world was taken over by a war with robots and turned the world into a different kind of machine obsessed society decades ago. Set in the 90s the film explores what happens when robots take over everyday activities, gain conscious awareness and decide this is their world too. A war breaks out and one evil is replaced with another. The film is reportedly based on Simon Stalenhag’s illustrated book of the same name. However, reports have revealed that the makers took creative liberty with the tone and aesthetic of the film which is far from the original material. The film has its own version to offer but the source seems way more cooler. Netflix’s film is more focused on being a child’s film enjoyable by the adults while be wholesome and also sharing its deeper message of human bonding. However, if the reports are true and the film has been using AI without considering its impact and consequences, then the irony of the film loses its impact totally. Millie Bobby Brown’s film begins amid the war with machines, where her character Michelle’s brother is taking a test for college applications. He is deemed a genius who has the potential to save the world and humans from the war against machines. However, just as their lives were about to get better, the family ends up in an accident and Michelle is the only one who survives.

John Abraham film is based on a true story but the makers do take liberties with the storytelling. Directed by Shivam Nair the film focuses on the thriller tone while exploring the victim’s story instead of the outcome since it’s already known. Inspite of the lack of action and punchy dialogues which is what John is known for in the recent years, the actor gives a commendable yet subtle performance. The film begins with a woman from the mountains of Pakistan being escorted to the Indian embassy. The makers from the first shot make it known that she isn’t coming from a good place, other women she comes across are beaten and bruised while the men carry guns and would use them as easier as their arms. She is taken to the embassy by her husband and another man along with him. They wait for the embassy to open and as soon as her husband leaves her side and the doors open, Uzma Ahmed presents her Indian passport demanding she be led inside and that she’s in need of dire help.

The film based on real incidents follows the group of friends who decide to bring real cinema to their small town after realising Mumbai is out of their reach. Directed by Reema Kagti, the film focuses on their progress as filmmakers but also their friendship. It keeps the film rounded and about the people which the story is meant to be about than the industry. However, through out the run time, the film does stray from the point long enough for the ending to feel out of place. In the end, it is the performances that win. The film begins with the story of a group of young boys in Malegaon who would drop everything to get a glimpse of the stars on the big screen. While one of them runs a theater, another is part of a wedding video team, one is a writer and more. However, not all of them are working towards their career is films but still are obsessed with the stories just as much. Nasir when asked to buy film reels for the theatre finds out how to make copies and decides to make his own cut of action comedies to show at his theatre. They become an instant hit in his town but are shut down because of piracy.