Suchin Mehrotra

Two titans of cinema team up after aeons in Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot, which is easily among the most eagerly anticipated Indian films of the year. If Mammootty and Mohanlal are in the same frame, powering the same narrative, crafted by one of our most celebrated filmmakers (Take Off, C U Soon, Malik), and that isn’t a thing to be excited about, I don’t know what is. It’s also interesting to consider what the term “spectacle” or “event film” means with respect to modern Malayalam cinema, known for producing India’s most refined and boundary-pushing mainstream cinema. It’s often said that hollow spectacle and empty movie star calories alone won’t fly for Malayalam cinema audiences. Even sweeping blockbusters need to be rooted in character and narrative—and offer something substantial, new, and evocative.

At first glance, Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla seems cursed to be more of the same as yet another templated haunted-haveli horror-comedy. Perhaps there is hope, you tell yourself. Perhaps Priyadarshan reuniting with Akshay Kumar after over a decade could mean something. Perhaps this could be the sequel to Bhool Bhulaiya they never got to make, considering Anees Bazmee and Kartik Aaryan took over the franchise in 2022. But, alas, what we get is a nothingburger of the highest order: a horror-comedy that doesn’t land as horror, comedy, or even as a vaguely passable time at the movies.

Toaster—the confused new comedy on Netflix from debut director Vivek Daschaudhary and the first film from actors Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa’s new production house, Kampa Films—wastes a great premise. Meet Ramakant (Rajkummar is never NOT a joy to watch in a comedy) who’s a terrifyingly, debilitatingly cheap. I’m talking ‘argues for a six-rupee refund on his phone bill’ level kanjoos. His way of being includes taking his wife to the local gurdwara for langar to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and sneaking toast from his neighbour every morning to save himself from having to pay for breakfast. That, or attending local political rallies or religious processions for the free food.

Dynamic duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller return to live-action filmmaking after years of giving us some of the most crowd-pleasing animation storytelling in recent memory. You can clearly see the animation-filmmaking fingerprints from the producers, co-writers, and creative engines behind both the Spider-Verse films and Netflix’s terrific The Mitchells Vs The Machines all over the utterly delightful new space saga—Project Hail Mary. Think Interstellar meets Arrival meets The Martian (which is itself based on a book by Andy Weir, whose 2021 book Project Hail Mary this film is adapted from).