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Sonal Pandya

Times Now, Zoom

Sonal Pandya is the Associate Producer for Times Now and Zoom, and earlier worked at Hindustan Times, and Cinestaan.com as deputy editor. Prior to becoming a film journalist, she worked as a CG artist and digital compositor in the animation industry.

All reviews by Sonal Pandya

Image of scene from the film Made in Korea

Made in Korea

Romance, Drama (Tamil)

Priyanka Mohan's Film Is Underwhelming Cross-Cultural Tale About Friendship, Identity

Thu, March 12 2026

Writer-director Ra. Karthik’s South Korean adventure starring Priyanka Mohan has a promising start but fizzles out towards the finale.

The Tamil film Made in Korea reveals that there is a tangible connection between Tamil Nadu and South Korea. In 48 AD, Princess Sembavalam, aka Queen Heo Hwang-ok, from Tamil Nadu, went to start her new life in South Korea after marrying King Suro of the Gaya Kingdom. The protagonist of the South film, Shenba, becomes fascinated with the country after dressing up as the young queen at school one day. The feature, written and directed by Ra. Karthik follows a different kind of adventure as Shenba struggles to survive in the land of her dreams. Priyanka Mohan plays the young woman in the mediocre coming-of-age story.

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Image of scene from the film One Piece S02

One Piece S02

Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (English)

Netflix’s Near-Perfect Manga Adaptation Delivers On All Fronts

Wed, March 11 2026

The adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s ambitious, popular manga returns as the Straw Hats sail down the Grand Line.

After a two-and-a-half year wait, the next chapter of the live-action One Piece is ready to set sail on the Going Merry. Based on the beloved manga by Eiichiro Oda, Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) returns to lead his Straw Hats crew on the quest to find the One Piece treasure hidden on the Grand Line by pirate Gold Roger. Navigator Nami (Emily Rudd), first mate Zoro (Mackenyu), marksman Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson), and chef Sanji (Taz Skylar) join him as they face all sorts of adversaries and friends. Netflix’s One Piece Season 2 is that rare show that has gotten better in its return.

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Image of scene from the film Rooster

Rooster

Comedy, Drama (English)

Steve Carell's Campus Series Is Comedy At Its Cringeworthy Best

Fri, March 6 2026

Created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, the ensemble comedy led by Steve Carell is wickedly funny

After leaving The Office, Steve Carell has branched out as an actor with diverse projects such as Foxcatcher, The Morning Show, The Patient, and Four Seasons. His latest comedy series, Rooster, co-created by Shrinking and Ted Lasso’s Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, features the faculty and students of Ludlow College behaving very badly indeed, much to the amusement of audiences. The cringeworthy comedy will remind fans of Michael Scott, though this current character is more endearing. The original HBO series centers around an author, Greg Russo (Carell), who comes back into his daughter Katie’s life during a difficult period.

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Image of scene from the film Young Sherlock

Young Sherlock

Action & Adventure, Mystery (English)

Prequel Series On Famed British Detective Gets The Guy Ritchie Treatment

Fri, March 6 2026

The fictional but thrilling origin story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes goes back in time to explore his early days and relationship with his complicated family.

After The Gentlemen and MobLand, Guy Ritchie turns his attention to Sherlock Holmes. The filmmaker has already directed two features on the Arthur Conan Doyle character with Robert Downey Jr as the Baker Street detective. Ritchie returns to Victorian England as the Amazon Prime Video series Young Sherlock looks at the origin story of Sherlock, with Hero Fiennes Tiffin playing the 19-year-old investigator. The web series is a mixture of Andrew Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes book series and the original Doyle detective. The result is an engaging, twisty mystery series about the young Sherlock that goes around the world to reveal how he got his start. The mostly British cast has a roaring good time, peeling back the layers of the murder at Oxford University, and viewers will have plenty of sleuthing to uncover as the series unveils some major shockers.

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Image of scene from the film Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S02

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S02

Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure (English)

Monsterverse Spinoff Balances New Titan With Family Drama And Lore

Fri, February 27 2026

The spinoff series from the film Godzilla (2014) delves into Titan lore and follows troubled family dynamics for the Randa family.

After two and a half years, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters returns with an answer to the cliffhanger ending of Season 1. Will Colonel Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) be rescued from Axis Mundi? Affirmative. Kurt and son Wyatt Rusell, who plays the younger version of Lee in the past, are back as the Monsterverse spinoff series adds yet another Titan to the mix and deals with the complicated Randa family relationships now that Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto) has returned from the dead. Developed by Chris Black and Matt Fraction, the second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tries its hand at family conflict again.

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Image of scene from the film Bridgerton S04 Part 2

Bridgerton S04 Part 2

Drama (English)

Benedict And Sophie's Romance Satisfies Amid Other Complicated Storylines

Fri, February 27 2026

The wildly addictive Regency romance series returns after a month to wrap up the love story between Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Baek).

In the first half of Bridgerton Season 4, viewers were introduced to a magical Cinderella tale between second brother Bendect Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) as the mysterious Lady in Silver. And at the end of the fourth episode, Benedict proposed that Sophie become his mistress. The Netflix series returns to explore the fallout of the proposal, as Benedict must decide whether to defy society and his family for the sake of love. Furthermore, other younger Bridgertons have significant goings-on in their lives as the series sets up what’s next for seasons ahead.

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Image of scene from the film The Last Thing He Told Me S02

The Last Thing He Told Me S02

Mystery, Drama (English)

Jennifer Garner Leads Starry Guest Cast In Engaging Family Drama

Sat, February 21 2026

Based on the sequel from author Laura Dave, the mystery thriller ably expands on the story from Season 1 and picks up five years later.

Jennifer Garner is back as Hannah Hall in this family thriller, The Last Thing He Told Me. In the first season, Hannah watched as husband, Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), disappeared after his tech company faced financial issues. She and her stepdaughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice), learn to move on with their lives. The Apple TV series returns after a three-year gap with Owen back in their lives, opening up a whole can of worms. The mystery drama series leans heavily on its past with several Hollywood stars from David Morse, Rita Wilson, and Judy Greer, as the show travels to France to close out a traumatic chapter.

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Image of scene from the film Heated Rivalry

Heated Rivalry

Drama (English)

Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams Carry Cliched But Endearing Queer Hockey Romance

Sat, February 21 2026

Based on the romance series by Rachel Reid, the buzzy Canadian show follows the decade-long romance between two rival players, Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov.

Created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney, Crave’s Canadian series Heated Rivalry has taken the world by storm. On February 20, it lands in India on Lionsgate Play. The show adapts the books of author Rachel Reid, which focus on the unlikely love story between two top players, Canada’s Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Tierney’s show elevates the material, getting to the heart of the matter as the two men meet when they are teenagers as rivals and end up as each other’s partners, away from the public eye. The low-budget series connects strongly due to its heartwarming screenplay and the refreshing performances from the cast.

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