Srivathsan Nadadhur

Rohith, a lawyer by profession, arrives at the police station to claim that his wife, Meera, is missing. After a work trip, he’d returned home to surprise Meera on her birthday. Meanwhile, Meera’s sister Aditi takes charge of the situation at home, shielding his daughter Tara from the confusion. A woman, claiming to be Rohith’s wife, lands at home, whom he asserts is an imposter. Where’s the case headed? Shodha doesn’t demand much from its cast, for it barely settles down, not giving any performance enough time to register well. Pawan Kumar (who also helped with the adaptation), as the protagonist, gets the maximum screen time and plays a multi-layered role minus any overt exaggeration. Yet it isn’t a performance you’d call memorable; it fits the bill and that’s about it.

Songs of Paradise is a film based on the life and journey of Padma Shri awardee Raj Begum, the first female singer of Radio Kashmir. The story follows Noor Begum (name changed) who defies societal norms to pursue her passion for music. It is a tale of her resilience and the struggles she faced to break free from the shackles of a conservative society to become a celebrated artist. With a solid lineup, but none of the familiar faces deliver any meaningful performances. Soni Razdan’s presence barely captures the aura of a legendary singer. Saba Azad looks mostly confused and struggles to embody the character’s rebellious spirit. Sheeba Chaddha is one of the major disappointments, saddled with a one-dimensional and unsubstantial role.

There is a certain degree of freedom that storytellers enjoy with a film that is not tailored to suit an actor’s image. One can sense that liberation in director Mohan Srivatsa’s Telugu film Tribanadhari Barbarik, which, despite being a done-to-death redemption drama centred on a missing child, rises above the limitations of its genre, thanks to crisp storytelling and well-etched characters. The title, Tribanadhari Barbarik, is a reference to Ghatotkacha’s son in the Mahabharata; he is a gifted warrior who vows to support the losing side in the war. The film’s protagonist, Shyam Kathu (another name for Barbarik, played by Sathyaraj), a psychiatrist, is a warrior-like figure for his granddaughter Nidhi, who goes missing one night. The grandfather will not rest till he finds her.

In Sundarakanda, Siddharth (Nara Rohith) faces a quintessential problem common to most middle-aged protagonists in Telugu cinema’s romcoms. The parents are worried that their ageing son may never get married, while the typical man-child will not agree to a girl unless she matches his specific requirements. However, the Nara Rohith starrer gives this idea a cheeky little twist and playfully subverts it. The film’s title is a throwback to Venkatesh’s 1992 hit by the same name, and there is enough thematic similarity between the two to establish a clear connection. While the former featured an unconventional equation between a male teacher and a feisty student, the 2025 film is a tale of a man who turns a teacher to woo his lady love (creepy, yes), tackling ageism with tongue-in-cheek humour.

Niraj, Archie and Parth have cleared their CA Group 1 exams. Both Parth and Archie land articleships in different companies, juggling their time for exam preparation. Niraj bumps into his ex, Kavya, again, and the two give their relationship another chance. Tejas continues to support Archie through her highs and lows, while Vishal makes progress with his acting career. The performances generally fit the bill. Given the graph of the characters is limited in terms of complexity, there’s only so much that an actor can do to go beyond the established tropes. Ahsaas Channa is the pick of the lot among the cast; she’s barely tested but tries to bring some earnestness into her performance. Half CA is precisely Kota Factory for CA aspirants – a group of students from different parts of the country across age groups come together to pursue their dream, nearly give up, get distracted, but give it a good shot. Some make it, some don’t, there are heartbreaks, disappointments and time runs out. Through the journey, some victories are literal, others moral, but they gear them for life.

In a bomb blast near the Israeli embassy in Delhi, a six-year-old Indian girl is killed. The blasts coincide with the death of two diplomats in other parts of the globe. Rajeev Kumar, Vijay and Divya, cops from the Special Cell, are out to catch the culprit, Afshar Hosseini, even if it means risking the cancellation of an international gas deal, pressure from superiors to call off the covert operation. John Abraham’s not new to slipping into the shoes of an officer bound by duty; it’s a role and a film tailor-made for him. His agility, body language and restraint help his cause, though the redundancy in his choices dampens the impact considerably. He could do more to loosen up. Manushi Chhillar delivers the goods with a neat, focused performance. She leaves no scope for a false note.

Kanaka Mahalakshmi a.k.a Kanakam, a feisty young woman, is deputed as a constable in Repalle in the 90s. While her male colleagues consistently undermine her capabilities, she finds an ally in a senior cop Sambasiva. Kanakam forges a strong bond with a folk artiste Chandrika, who goes missing. As the missing cases mount in the village, she goes all out to find answers. Varsha Bollamma effortlessly portrays the psychological evolution of Kanakam through the series, from an underdog staffer to an officer who’ll go to any length to seek the truth. She has an arresting screen presence, displaying an uncanny ability to hold a show on her shoulders. Srinivas Avasarala’s penchant for unconventional roles takes an interesting turn, and he responds well to it.

A young woman, Bani’s disappearance into a supernatural darkness leads a cop, Kalpana and a medical student, Jay, on a dangerous quest. They uncover a conspiracy by a pharma CEO, Madhu Uberai, who exploits human suffering. As they try to unravel the secrets behind the darkness, named Tama, they confront their traumas and an unstoppable evil in a final, epic battle to save reality. The show boasts of decent performances all around, though it’s designed to exhibit the vision of the creators more than anything else. Karanvir Malhotra delivers a neat performance as the troubled sibling, trying to make sense of his brother’s trauma. Prajakta Koli’s vibrant, easy-going presence helps her portrayal, and Priya Bapat lends a silent dignity to her sincere cop-act.