Srivathsan Nadadhur

A small-time xerox shop owner, Prakasha, makes a shocking discovery: his machine can create living, breathing human duplicates. What begins as a simple trick quickly turns dangerous as these clones multiply and cause chaos. As the copies threaten his life and expose dark secrets, Prakasha must find a way to stop the madness before his reality is completely taken over by his own creations. There is a likeability that Nagabhushana brings to the role of the common man, Prakasha, internalising his little concerns, dilemmas, and conflicts. Payal Chengappa, as Sooji, gets a juicy part as a girl lost between two men, though the resolution to her conflict feels too simple and cinematic. Manju Pavagada is aptly cast as a cop, while Yashwanth Shetty displays his flair for comedy in a brief role. Thukali Santhu passes muster.

Brij Bhatti, a debt-ridden cotton worker, launches the Matka gambling game in Mumbai’s textile mills. As the operation expands nationwide, he faces intense pressure from media, cops and politicians alike. Internal betrayals by his kith and kin, interference from rivals, gradually threaten his empire. Amidst a massive city-wide mill strike, he goes all out to defend his fading legacy.

Frederick, an influential businessman, moves with his family to a mansion in the countryside. Despite multiple warnings from locals against demolishing an idol of the deity Pochamma on his premises, Frederick proceeds with it, only to invite ill luck upon his household. A series of eerie deaths and occurrences soon cripple the family’s happiness. Is this a supernatural curse, or a well-plotted conspiracy?

Actor Thiruveer’s latest Telugu outing, Papam Prathap, begins like a thematic sequel to his previous film, The Great Pre-Wedding Show. While the former focused on the drama prior to a wedding, this film opens with a marriage sequence, where protagonists Prathap (Thiruveer) and Bujjamma (Payal Radhakrishna), childhood sweethearts, tie the knot. At its core, the story is about the chaos that ensues when a personal problem between a couple balloons into a public spectacle. The drama begins on their wedding night, where something seems amiss with Bujjamma. When efforts to resolve the issue with her husband fail, she reaches out to the village elders for help. How far does Prathap go to address the elephant in the room and salvage his marriage?

Ramakant, a miserly middle-class man is obsessed with saving every penny. When a wedding he and his wife (Sanya Malhotra) attended is abruptly called off, he embarks on a bizarre, relentless quest to get back the expensive toaster they gifted. His pursuit results in series of mishaps, accidental murders, blackmail, amidst a group of eccentric neighbours. It is simply a bad day at work for Rajkummar Rao. While he has pulled off comedies effortlessly before, this one is too much of a farce to salvage, and the cluelessness is visible on screen. Sanya Malhotra puts up a neat show, as she generally does, though her role contributes little to the proceedings.

Raman and Jayanti invite friends to a resort to celebrate their tenth anniversary. The party turns nasty when a guest, Sohrab Handa, starts bullying everyone and exposing their secrets. By morning, Sohrab is found murdered. Since the house was locked, the killer must be one of the friends. Inspector Qureshi arrives to find the truth, proving that even ‘nice’ people can hide a deadly streak.

After a security breach in a small jail, a thief sneaks inside to steal a locked donation box. Two very different police officers, Anbuchelvan and Arjun, try to solve the crime, but things get messy when local YouTubers start filming everything for views. Between the weird prisoners and the media circus, the officers struggle to catch the clever thief who is using all the noise and confusion to stay hidden. Munishkanth appears at home as a laidback officer on the verge of retirement; it’s a role tailor-made for him. He’s alright, but it honestly doesn’t feel like a surprise. Subash Selvam, playing an ambitious constable, is more agile and enjoys stepping into the shoes of his role, hardly going overboard.

A couple in Pune loses their way in an intense but toxic romance that collapses under the weight of ego and ambition. Seven years after their breakup, they unexpectedly reunite in Japan. Against the backdrop of Mount Fuji, they must confront their painful past and the possible road ahead. The film predominantly revolves around the couple, and both the leads, Lalit Prabhakar and Mrinmayee Godbole, hold the fort with assurance. Lalit plays the more complex role with a better character graph; he’s efficient because you ultimately understand the man’s trauma and also despise him for his abusive behaviour towards his partner. Mrinmayee Godbole, as the woman bearing the brunt of mounting debts and an insensitive love interest, delivers an intense yet delicate portrayal that lingers long after the film ends. Omprakash Shinde is not left with much to do. The child artiste Kabir Jueelee Deven makes a mark with his happy-go-lucky presence.