Humans in the Loop
Drama (Hindi)
A single mother from the Oraon tribe balances training AI systems and reconnecting with her roots, while her pre-teen son struggles to accept their new life away from the city. (more…)
Inspector Zende
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
When serial killer Carl Bhojraj escapes prison and resurfaces in Mumbai, the determined Inspector Zende steps up to nab the cunning fugitive once more. (more…)
Ek Chatur Naar
Drama, Comedy, Crime (Hindi)
Abhishek Verma, a fund consultant, gets trapped in a web of lies, deception and blackmail after a good-for-nothing but cunning woman, failing to make ends meet, gets her hands on his phone, which lets slip more than anyone should know, (more…)
Do You Wanna Partner
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
Best friends Shikha and Anahita turn entrepreneurs with an exciting craft beer brand, Jugaaro, to stand out in the crowded NCR beer market. However, they face gender discrimination every step of the way. To fight for an equal place in (more…)
Guild Reviews
Ek Chatur Naar
Drama, Comedy, Crime (Hindi)
Abhishek Verma, a fund consultant, gets trapped in a web of lies, deception and blackmail after a good-for-nothing but cunning woman, failing to make ends meet, gets her hands on his phone, which lets slip more than anyone should know, forcing him to comply.
Cast:
Divya Khossla, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rajneesh Duggal, Chhaya Kadam, Yashpal Sharma, Sushant Singh, Zakir Hussain, Heli Daruwala, Geeta Agrawal Sharma, Rahul Mittra
Director:
Umesh Shukla
Twisted Tale
Sat, September 13 2025
In Euclidean geometry, or on a flat surface, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. However, in Bollywood films, the journey from point A to point B often involves a detour around point A for a considerable duration, followed by a series of convoluted twists before finally arriving at the destination. Ek Chatur Naar, directed by Umesh Shukla, exemplifies this tendency, taking an unnecessarily lengthy path to reach its conclusion. In doing so, it becomes overly clever for its own good.
Fun Can Be Clever Too
Sat, September 13 2025
There is a lot going for writer-director Umesh Shukla’s new film that strikes a quirky equation between Mamta Mishra (Divya Khossla Kumar) from the slums and suited-booted Abhishek Verma (Neil Nitin Mukesh). And take it from us, there’s nothing romantic going on between them. But what Mamta is all about doesn’t add up. She’s got a kid and a mother-in-law (Chhaya Kadam) who hits the bottle all the time. She’s got a job at the railways and moonlights as a waiter. And the three stay in a locked up little flat, leading the landlord on a merry chase. Along with writers Siddharth Goel, Jay Master, Deepak Nirman and Himanshu Tripathi, Umesh Shukla’s feel for comedy strikes from the first note. But the story really gets going when suave but sleazy Abhishek Verma who’s late for a meeting with a politician (Zakir Hussain), dumps his car that’s stuck in a traffic snarl, jumps into the metro and loses his mobile phone.
Do You Wanna Partner
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
Best friends Shikha and Anahita turn entrepreneurs with an exciting craft beer brand, Jugaaro, to stand out in the crowded NCR beer market. However, they face gender discrimination every step of the way. To fight for an equal place in this male dominated sector, they decide to invent a fictitious male partner to help smooth their way. Invariably, things don’t go exactly as planned. What follows are their collective adventures & misadventures in trying to build a successful start-up amidst the current boom, as the bunch of misfits band together and become a family.
Cast:
Tamannaah Bhatia, Diana Penty, Javed Jaffrey, Neeraj Kabi, Sufi Motiwala, Rannvijay Singha
Director:
Archit Kumar, Collin D'Cunha
Writer:
Mithun Gangopadhyay, Aarsh Vora, Nandini Gupta
Serves up more froth than flavour
Sat, September 13 2025
The premise of the Prime Video series Do You Wanna Partner promises fizz: two women dare to launch a craft beer start-up in Delhi, taking on the boys’ club of the alcobev industry. Shikha (Tamannaah Bhatia) and Anahita (Diana Penty) are best friends who set out to build their own brewery. Shikha is fuelled by the unrealised dream of her late father, Sunjoy (Indraneil Sengupta). Sunjoy’s beer brand Gondogol was snatched away by businessman Vikram Walia (Neeraj Kabi, sporting a Cruella-inspired hairdo to suggest a villainous streak). Anahita is the pragmatic financial anchor, Shikha’s often lonely partner-in-entrepreneurship who is overcoming her own issues with being taken seriously at work.
A tedious, hollow experience
Sat, September 13 2025
A Beer Startup Story With Zero Fizz
Fri, September 12 2025
When Indian shows get it right, they become their own genre. They’re used as a point of comparison by creators and viewers: Oh, you mean it’s a wannabe Mirzapur? It’s giving slice-of-life Raat Jawaan Hai energy? They’re Panchayat-coded characters? What, it’s a slow-burning Paatal Lok-meets-Kohrra thriller? But when they get it wrong, you think fondly of the ones that became their own genre. Do You Wanna Partner, for instance, made me appreciate all the titles that ran so that Do You Wanna Partner could crawl: the upscale-and-socially-mobile-NCR entrepreneur drama of Made In Heaven, the middle-class business hustles of Rocket Singh and Band Baaja Baarat, the scammy Delhiness of Khosla Ka Ghosla, even the cross-cultural swag of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (whose ghost haunts imitations from the production house).
Unbroken: The Unmukt Chand Story
Documentary, Drama (Hindi)
This access-driven documentary chronicles the life of Unmukt Chand, an Indian-American cricketer once heralded as ‘the next big thing’ in Indian cricket. The film is an intimate exploration of universal themes like broken dreams, second chances, mental health, identity, and the immigrant experience—through the lens of Unmukt and his wife, Simran.
Cast:
Unmukt Chand, Simran Khosla
Director:
Raghav Khanna
A Superficial Documentary About A Fallen Star
Sat, September 13 2025
In Indian cricket, as in most religions, the tragedies are as mythical as the triumphs. Certain names become adjectives in the lexicon of the game — antonyms to the gods, like cautionary tales mentioned in the same breath as the fairytales. It’s hard to love Sachin Tendulkar without grieving for Vinod Kambli: two sides of the same Bombay-fabled coin. Similarly, it’s hard to worship Virat Kohli without feeling for Unmukt Chand: two sides of the Delhi-swag coin. Chand’s story is almost like an alternate-reality version of Kohli’s — a batting prodigy, a dizzying rise as Under-19 World Cup winning captain and star batsman, a lucrative IPL contract, a Ranji knock to remember, unprecedented brand endorsements for a teenager, and suddenly, a failed transition to senior cricket. He left India at 28 after all doors of an international debut were shut, moved to the USA to play minor-league cricket and work towards a 2024 T20 World Cup spot as an American-Indian player. As someone who’s closely followed his career in the hope of a miraculous resurgence, I’ve often found myself randomly googling “Unmukt Chand” to see what he’s up to. There are no ready answers. The fame-to-anonymity curve is second to none; being forgotten is worse than being notorious (public scrutiny is reserved for those like Prithvi Shaw — whose genius as a 12-year-old unfolded in the 2013 documentary Beyond All Boundaries).
Kishkindhapuri
Horror, Thriller (Telugu)
A ghost walking tour group visits an abandoned radio station, inadvertently awakening a vengeful spirit.
Cast:
Bellamkonda Srinivas, Anupama Parameswaran, Hyper Adhi, Makrand Deshpande, Tanikella Bharani, Srikanth Iyengar
Director:
Koushik Pegallapati
Writer:
Koushik Pegallapati
(Writing for The Hindu)
Bellamkonda Sreenivas’ horror thriller is watchable, but plays it safe
Fri, September 12 2025
Film after film, horror enthusiasts continue to get a raw deal as storytellers lazily rehash old tropes for cheap thrills — a haunted house, mysterious deaths, a ghost with a flashback, a possessed woman, and a man who braves it all to end the menace. However, Kishkindhapuri is at least forthright about not being any different, embracing its masala mishmash exterior earnestly. Kishkindhapuri, while showcasing glimpses of a tragedy at a radio station in the 1980s, shifts to a contemporary timeline with the story of a much-in-love couple, Raghav (Bellamkonda Sreenivas) and Mythili (Anupama Parameswaran), who offer spooky experiences in haunted houses through their ghost walking tours. The tours, while deceptively curated, bank more on their participants’ fears.
Bomb
Drama, Comedy, Romance (Tamil)
Bomb is a comedy film set in the fictional village of Kaalakammaipatty, where a man named Kathiravan dies unexpectedly but even after death, he won’t stop farting. His body becomes the center of chaos, confusion, and laughter as the villagers try to figure out the Reason.
Cast:
Arjun Das, Shivathmika, Kaali Venkat, Nassar, Abhirami, Singampuli, Balasaravanan
Director:
Vishal Venkat
Writer:
Manikandan Mathavan, Abishek Sabarigirison, Vishal Venkat
Arjun Das's social drama fizzles despite good intentions
Fri, September 12 2025
‘Bomb’ begins with a bedtime story about a fictional village, Kallakammaipatti, which splits into Kallapatti and Kammaipatti due to superstition, faith, and perceived superiority. This separation sparks a rivalry that is the film’s primary conflict: the ongoing division between the two communities shaped by these beliefs. The story sets the tone for a quirky social commentary, but raises the question: Does director Vishal Venkat execute this central conflict effectively? Let’s find out! Mani Muthu (Arjun Das) and Kathiravan (Kaali Venkat) belong to different communities. Kathiravan, an atheist, looks beyond local politics and dreams of bringing water, electricity, and education to the village. Fighting a lonely battle, he often takes refuge in alcohol. His sister (Shivathmika Rajasekhar) cares for him and secretly harbours feelings for Mani Muthu.
Kumaara Sambavam
Drama, Comedy (Tamil)
Cast:
Kumaran Thangarajan, Paayal Radhakrishna, Balasaravanan, Elango Kumaravel, G. M. Kumar, Vinodh Munna, Shiva Aravind, Livingston, Vinod Sagar, Gowtham Sundararajan
Director:
Balaji Venugopal
Writer:
Balaji Venugopal
Fri, September 12 2025
Humans in the Loop
Drama (Hindi)
A single mother from the Oraon tribe balances training AI systems and reconnecting with her roots, while her pre-teen son struggles to accept their new life away from the city.
Cast:
Sonal Madhushankar, Ridhima Singh, Geeta Guha, Anurag Lugun
Director:
Aranya Sahay
Writer:
Aranya Sahay
Nature’s edge in an AI world
Fri, September 12 2025
How does artificial intelligence interact with a developing economy, particularly at its lowest rung? Humans in the Loop hits like the casual threats you hear in corporate offices: “Everyone’s replaceable. This is the AI era,” echoing memories from when computers began replacing paper and people. The immediate question then, as I recall, was: “Who will operate them?” Okay, let’s face it. There is no running away from technology. It will only get sharper and smarter, but will human beings grow more intelligent alongside it? In Aranya Sahay’s quiet yet powerful feature, we meet a sharp woman whose natural intellect is tested as she struggles to earn a livelihood. Set in India’s rural Jharkhand, the film opens with Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar), who belongs to the Oraon tribe, failing a CAPTCHA test in a village recruitment drive. She fidgets her fingers, applying human logic as she identifies traffic lights, taxis, and zebra crossings. It is important to mention her caste identity in light of her marital status (or its legitimacy at all). Nehna’s ex-husband, Ritesh (Vikas Gupta), seeks custody of their children, one of them a toddler. A regular job is the only way Nehma would stand a chance against the upper-caste man who lives in the state capital, Ranchi.
The Depiction of the Contradictions in Modern Society is Nothing Short of Marvellous
Sat, September 6 2025
I’ve always likened the opening stretch of a film to a train about to leave the station. The best films give the impression that the train has been running long before we boarded, and one that will continue after we get off. It’s during these opening moments that, as viewers, we decide if we want to get on the train and go on a journey the director has planned for us. In Aranya Sahay’s Humans in the Loop, this opening stretch features a woman waiting to take a test at a data labelling centre, in rural Jharkhand. Haunted by visions of a childhood spent with a porcupine in her ancestral village, one she’s forced to unceremoniously return to after her divorce begins, Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar) fails the test for a job at the centre. She has an infant tied to her back, as her friend pleads her case in front of a superior. “She belongs to the local tribe, and is undergoing her divorce. She really needs it,” the friend advocates in front of the manager (Gita Guha). “She’s a graduate and fairly acquainted with computers.”
A Profound Take on Artificial Intelligence and Natural Order
Wed, March 12 2025
A great concept can be a curse. Take the one-liner of Humans in the Loop, for instance. An Adivasi single mother named Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar) starts working as a ‘data labeller,’ a job that requires her to train AI models to recognise the world in pictures and videos. This one-liner alone is so fertile — so ripe with cultural parables and documentary minimalism — that it’s hard to imagine a fictional film that expands on it. What can a feature-length story express that isn’t already implicit?
Inspector Zende
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
When serial killer Carl Bhojraj escapes prison and resurfaces in Mumbai, the determined Inspector Zende steps up to nab the cunning fugitive once more.
Cast:
Manoj Bajpayee, Jim Sarbh, Bhalchandra Kadam, Sachin Khedekar, Girija Oak, Harish Dudhade, Vaibhav Mangle, Onkar Raut, Bharat Savale, Devaang Bagga
Director:
Chinmay Mandlekar
The Long Take: A Spotify Review
Thu, September 11 2025
Inspector Zende, the new spoof movie starring Manoj Bajpayee and Jim Sarbh, succeeds as a concept but fails in execution. What could’ve been a homegrown homage to The Naked Gun comes across as a first draft in need of clever rewrites. While Bajpayee is going full ham in the central role, matching the movie’s energy, Sarbh seems to have been told to tone it down. The result is a tonally uneven ride that could’ve been worse, but also better.
A Breezy, Playful Retelling of the Pursuit of the Criminal Charles Sobhraj
Tue, September 9 2025
A markedly distinct genre of Mumbai films have emerged in the Hindi mainstream (Kaun Pravin Tambe?, Lootcase, Madgaon Express) in the last decade. The director is Mumbai-bred for the most part, the dialogues flits from Hindi, Marathi and the in-between language laced with Mumbai slang. The underdog protagonist usually lives in a cramped central Mumbai chawl, and the films tend to have the wry humour and the wisdom of the city’s many pot-holed streets. Chinmay Mandlekar’s Inspector Zende fits into this slew of breezy, playful and intentionally cartoonish films — which are modest in their ambitions, enjoyable in the moment and rarely able to sustain the joys of their first hour. Madhukar Zende (Manoj Bajpayee) is a cog in the Mumbai police machinery, battling the underworld. Like any good fielder in the 30-yard circle, Zende can anticipate his moment to shine. Whether it’s out of a sense of duty or his ‘supercop’ ego is up for debate. A thing I liked about Mandlekar’s film is how it accounts for someone’s ability to exaggerate while regaling anecdotes. It’s amused by the self-mythologising, while also being affectionate towards its subject. It results in a film that is consistently amusing, even if it doesn’t break any new ground.
झंडू फिल्म बना दी ‘इंस्पैक्टर झेंडे’
Sun, September 7 2025
70 के दशक में ‘बिकनी किलर’ के नाम से मशहूर हुए और दिल्ली की तिहाड़ जेल से कैदियों व स्टाफ को नशीला खाना खिला कर फरार हुए कुख्यात अपराधी चार्ल्स शोभराज पर दुनिया भर में किताबें लिखी गईं और उसकी कहानी को सिनेमा में भी उतारा गया। तो नेटफ्लिक्स पर आई इस फिल्म में नया क्या हो सकता है? जवाब है-यह फिल्म चार्ल्स की बजाय मुंबई पुलिस के उन इंस्पैक्टर मधुकर झेंडे के बारे में है जिन्होंने चार्ल्स को पहले 1971 में पकड़ा था और फिर 1986 में उसके तिहाड़ से भागने के बाद गोआ से। चूंकि चार्ल्स ने अपनी कहानी के अधिकार यहां-वहां बेचे हुए हैं इसलिए इस फिल्म में सिर्फ इंस्पैक्टर झेंडे का नाम असली है और बाकी सब के नाम, काम बदल दिए गए हैं। मसलन चार्ल्स शोभराज यहां कार्ल भोजराज है, ‘बिकनी किलर’ की बजाय ‘स्विमसूट किलर’ है, नशीले खाने की बजाय नशीली खीर है, वगैरह-वगैरह…! लेकिन इससे क्या फर्क पड़ता है, कहानी मज़ेदार होनी चाहिए, काल्पनिक हो या वास्तविक। और बस, यहीं आकर यह फिल्म मात खा गई है क्योंकि इसे ‘मज़ेदार’ बनाने के लिए जो रंग-ढंग चुने गए हैं उससे यह हल्की, कमज़ोर और उथली हुई है।
Baaghi 4
Action, Thriller (Hindi)
After waking up from a coma, a grieving man sets out to uncover the truth about his missing girlfriend.
Cast:
Tiger Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Sonam Bajwa, Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, Jimmy Shergill, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Sunny Hinduja, Raj Zutshi, Sai Ketan Rao, Mahesh Thakur
Director:
A. Harsha
The Pain is Real
Wed, September 10 2025
Tiger Shroff disappoints in this corny actioner
Sun, September 7 2025
During the pan-Indian wave, one thing that has reached Bollywood shores from the South is the toolkit of the Iron Age. Armed with cleavers, these days our heroes are slashing and slashing hard. It is not always when the stakes or tempers run high. It is just for the hack of it. Bored of firing gunshots from a distance, now they wield an axe and a hammer to grind the opposition to pulp. With an adult certificate becoming a sign of misplaced maturity, the makers can play with as much blood as they want. There is nothing like excess anymore. If Ranbir Kapoor can do it, how can Tiger Shroff be far behind? In this fourth installment of the action franchise, Ronny (Tiger) is madly in love with a girl named Alisha (debutante Harnaaz Sandhu), who the world feels doesn’t exist.
I think it’s time to draw the curtains
Sat, September 6 2025
Only Murders in the Building S05
Comedy, Mystery, Crime (English)
Three strangers share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.
Cast:
Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez
Steve, Martin, Selena Starrer Brings Back Magic In New Mystery
Tue, September 9 2025
How many murders can you have in a building? Turns out one every season, and we hope the corpses continue to fall because the fifth season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building is warm, funny, and oddly delightful. Several new characters are added this season, but it doesn’t take away from the core protagonists as they investigate the murder of one of their own. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are once again the highlight, while Meryl Streep is the best addition to the stellar show. Season 5 of the series looks at a New York institution, the doormen of the Big Apple who keep the buildings running. Viewers knew from last season that the Arconia’s beloved doorman, Lester (Teddy Coluca), was found dead in the courtyard fountain. Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) decide to investigate the mysterious circumstances, which takes them down memory lane into the history of the Arconia itself with interactions with mobsters and billionaires that provide more clues.
Its The Beginning Of The End, But Still Good
Mon, September 8 2025
Only Murders In The Building season 5 returns to the hallways of the Arconia after touring to LA in the previous season. This time, our podcast hosts stay in the building and in and around New York as far as the iconic Godfather would take them. The new season doubles down on what works best for them and brings back some iconic characters while introducing another set of crazy characters New York has to offer. The show is obviously coming to an end, but it still maintains its niche writing, and that’s the biggest win for Only Murders In The Building. The show begins at the end of the previous season when the now beloved doormen Lester is found dead in the pool of his own blood in the building’s fountain. Charles, Oliver and Mabel don’t take much time to start looking for clues around the building and among their neighbours before the body is cold and under. However, it isn’t enough, especially when the police reports claim it was an accident. As every season of the show unfolds, the latest instalment also follows the trio as they track a list of trails left behind by the killer, which may or may not lead them to the end.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
Animation, Action, Fantasy, Thriller (Japanese)
The Demon Slayer Corps are drawn into the Infinity Castle, where Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Hashira face terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight as the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji begins.
Cast:
Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Hiro Shimono, Toshihiko Seki, Reina Ueda, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Takahiro Sakurai, Katsuyuki Konishi, Kengo Kawanishi
Director:
Haruo Sotozaki
Heavy And Heartbreaking With Endless Battles
Mon, September 8 2025
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle has finally hit the big screen in India, and though the tickets have caused quite the ruckus among fans, the 155 minutes are worth the long wait. The film kicks off right at the end of the last season, with almost the entire Demon Slayer corps being pulled into the Infinity Castle after Muzan is attacked by the Hashiras at Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s house. Infinity Castle is filled with fan service as each character is touched upon, while also diving deeper into the story for a few of the characters in the same format that the show goes through. All Demon Slayer films, or other franchise anime films, have focused on providing a recap of the final battle and then diving into the new season. However, with the new films for the Infinity Castle arc the makers are taking a filmmaking approach. For the first time, we do get a recap, but through a new perspective to avoid any kind of repetition. Instead of watching the final moments of Muzan’s fight or Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s interaction with Muzan, we get the preparation he put into the trap through Hashira Gyomei Himejima’s perspective.
Songs of Forgotten Trees
Drama (Hindi)
Migrant and aspiring actress Thooya navigates Mumbai by leveraging beauty and wit, occasionally trading intimacy for opportunity. When she sublets her sugar daddy’s upscale apartment to Swetha, a fellow migrant working a corporate job, the two women from seemingly different worlds begin sharing more than just living space. Amid Mumbai’s relentless pulse, they discover silent empathy, though personal histories and wounds test their delicate connection in a strange and tender unfolding – of selfhood, of survival, of unexpected kinship.
Cast:
Naaz Shaikh, Sumi Baghel, Bhusan Shimpi, Ravi S Mann, Pritam Pilania, Lovely Singh
Director:
Anuparna Roy
Writer:
Anuparna Roy
Anuparna Roy’s Debut Finds Tenderness Amid Hardship
Sun, September 7 2025
Songs of Forgotten Trees is a clear-eyed, restrained, moving story of two young women, lonely and bruised, finding solace in each other. Thooya and Swetha are migrants in Mumbai. Thooya, played by Naaz Shaikh, is an aspiring actress and part-time sex worker — it helps to pay the bills. Swetha, played by Sumi Baghel, is a call center employee, hoping to find a soulmate in the matrimonial market. Both are navigating an indifferent, manic city. Swetha, a new arrival, is still a little starry-eyed. She really wants to see the ‘samudra’ but Thooya tells her with the amused awareness of an old timer – itna bhi khubsoorat nahi hai. The film, presented by Anurag Kashyap, is the debut feature of Anuparna Roy and the only Indian film selected for the prestigious Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice Film Festival (Karan Tejpal’s Stolen and Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court also premiered here). The scenario might remind you of Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light, also about the bond between two migrant women in Mumbai. But Anuparna’s vision is far less lyrical. With stillness, long takes and an understated tone, she creates an anguished portrait of what it takes for women to survive. The heart of this film is a scene in which the two women are in two bathrooms next to each other — one is washing clothes in the bathing space, and the other is using the commode as a chair. What starts out as buoyant banter shifts seamlessly into grief and tears. The scene is beautifully staged and performed.