Shomini Sen

There has been enough representation of The Fantastic Four in pop culture. My earliest memory is of the animated series on TV. Of course, there were some underwhelming films too that came out in the early 2000s. In the post-pandemic era, as Marvel tries to reboot and revive its lost glory, The Fantastic Four: First Steps fits well in the larger scheme of things. It takes the audience, new and loyalists included, back in time and narrates the story of Marvel’s first family. It changes some of our earlier perceptions of the four superheroes from Earth 828, adds certain new elements, and makes it a formidable franchise that hopefully will see more films in the future. Does it make for a thrilling ride, though? Let’s find out.

Bollywood is going back to classic romances after years and it feels refreshing. The audiences in the past month have been treated to love stories and anthologies in Anurag Basu’s Metro In Dino and Vivek Soni’s Aap Jaisa Koi recently, and now Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara focuses on young love. Suri, who has made a name for creating musicals and angsty love stories, returns to his comfort zone and collaborates for the first time with Yash Raj Films- another name synonymous with Bollywood romances. The film marks the debut of Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda and looks and feels like Aashiqui 3 with similar romantic ballads, drama, angst, and love. But is Saiyaara a Gen Z version of Aashiqui? Let’s find out.

He is 42, a virgin and desperately in need of female company. R Madhavan’s Shrirenu Tripathi is unlike a Bollywood hero, especially at a time when leading heroes flex their muscles and wield machetes in heavy-duty actioners. Filmmaker Vivek Soni’s Aap Jaisa Koi, stands apart from regular Bollywood films on many accounts. At its core is a man who is unsure of himself, and thus shy to make friends with the opposite gender. The film has shy and conservative men pitted against liberal, free-thinking modern women. The premise holds promise, but does Aap Jaisa Koi deliver? Let’s find out.

The heart has been craving for a good old love story amid heavy actioners that Bollywood has been churning out for some time now. Amid the clutter of Pan-India gruesome bloodied action thrillers and sappy family dramas that the viewers have been fed the past few years, Anurag Basu’s Metro…In Dino manages to break the clutter with a fresh take on the oldest emotion in the universe -Love. Basu takes four distinct love stories set in cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and spins an intricate tale, typical of the filmmaker’s style of storytelling. The result is an engaging musical 2 hr 42 minutes long ride at theatres.

When you combine two of the most popular entities of the world – Brad Pitt and Formula One racing- in a film, you can expect it be a big blockbuster hit. One of the most popular stars of Hollywood, Pitt has been credited with some of the biggest hits of all time and earned an Oscar award for his performance. The man splashing comes back in F1: The Movie as a Sony Hayes, a rule breaker, a has-been driver who left the circuit years back after a freak accident. When Sony is pulled back into the circuit- this time by an old friend and fellow rider (Javier Bardem in a delightful role) and Sony has to face his demons, move past personal setback, and even befriend a weary rookie driver (Damson Idris) to win F1.

When the first season of Panchayat was released on Prime Video back in 2020, it brought the simplistic village life to our screens in the cities. At a time when the nation was binge-watching a lot of content on the OTT space, thanks to the forced lockdown during the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown, the story of Phulera Village and its people felt like a breath of fresh air. From the reluctant, MBA aspirant Abhishek Tripathi or Sachivji finding home among the people of Phulera, to Pradhan and his family, to Vikas and Prahlad Cha- Panchayat’s characters felt unique yet very rea,l and people sitting in the comforts of their homes could resonate with their simple, often humorous village life. The success of the show ensured more seasons, which led to the greater exploration of each of the characters-with a romance track thrown in the third season between Sachivji and Rinki, the Panchayat head’s daughter. In its fourth season, the characters remain but Phulera has been infiltrated with politics as Panchayat Elections are round the corner and as it happens in most cases- politics ruins and corrupts the simplicity of Phulera here too, making Panchayat Season 4 a drab in comparison to its previous series.

Aamir Khan is back with his trademark, quintessential feel-good movie. Over the years, the actor has carved out a niche in Indian cinema for making entertaining films that convey important social messages. In the past few years, as the actor tried to experiment in typical commercial fare, the set image dwindled. In 2025, he seems to be back in his comfort zone, playing a reluctant hero in Sitaare Zameen Par, where he typically takes a backseat and lets others shine. Of course, the superstar’s presence looms large on this one, but Sitaare Zameen Par works because of its messaging and the way it is delivered. Helmed by RS Prasanna, who had directed the delightful and effective Shubh Mangal Savdhan earlier, Sitaare Zameen Par is the classic underdog story. On many occasions, the film feels cliche and predictable, but it is the bunch of new actors, all neurodivergent, that uplifts this regular story.

Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam- two stalwarts coming together in a film is a cinematic event in itself. The highly anticipated film Thug Life, which marks the collaboration of the two legends after 37 years, is finally here. Expectations, thus, were high for this one from the time the film was announced. But Haasan, who also serves as a co-writer and co-producer of the film, delivers a middling performance in a formulaic film that is spruced with well-known actors, both from the south as well as the north. Ratnam, who is considered one of the best auteurs in the country, always has managed to make warm, emotional, and gritty dramas. Each of his movies has the distinct mark of the filmmaker, which is hard to emulate. Thug Life, however , seems to be more of a massy drama which doesn’t particularly have any distinct stamp of the filmmaker.