Guild Reviews
Thudarum
Drama (Malayalam)
A taxi driver finds himself embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy after his car is confiscated by a corrupt police officer.
Cast:
Mohanlal, Shobana, Prakash Varma, Maniyanpilla Raju, Farhaan Faasil
Director:
Tharun Moorthy
Writer:
KR Sunil
Fri, May 2 2025
Why did George kill Pavi?
Tue, April 29 2025
Thudarum is a new Malayalam action thriller that starts off innocently enough, almost as a family dramedy, but soon becomes much, much darker. The film is a wild ride and throws surprises every now and then. Let’s explore in detail the plot of Thudarum, its ending, which is explained here, its cast, and more. The film features Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in the main role of Shanmugham, who is better known as Benz. The reason? It’s his car, and no, it’s not a Mercedes. In fact, it is a vintage Mark-I Ambassador that he loves more than anyone. Well, not really, as he also has a wife and two children, but you get the point. Until close to halfway mark, Thudarum remains the family movie that the director promised. After that… well, let’s leave for that later. This Malayalam thriller movie also features Shobhna as Shanmugham’s wife Lalitha. The plot kicks off when the said car is seized by the cops. It was at a mechanic’s workshop after being crashed by the friend of Shanmugham and Lalitha’s son, Pavi (Thomas Mathew). The mechanic was charged with possession of marijuana.
Mohanlal in top form in a fine film, with minor flaws
Sat, April 26 2025
Like a beast taking its time in revealing its true nature, Thudarum almost lulls us into a comfortable space with everyday happenings and innocuous humour in its opening passages. When it shifts shape, it does it ever so slightly, over the course of ‘Benz’ Shanmugham (Mohanlal)‘s pursuit to get back his beloved old car, unfairly seized by the police, and during a night journey up the hills, as one feels the tension ramping up. The film then coasts along on this path, while throwing in Shanmugham’s emotional roots at regular intervals, with the car, with a former stunt master and with his family. With Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka, Tharun Moorthy proved himself as a filmmaker to look forward to, but there was always the apprehension of how he would adapt his approach to a big star. He gets the balance almost right, giving the fans stuff to cheer for without compromising much on what he wants to say, in the way he wants it to be said. Buoyed by a solid story by K.R.Sunil, Tharun gets the right pulse for a mainstream drama. Intelligently woven into the plot is a natural disaster, which turns out to be one of the key elements in a revelation.
Cast:
Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohini Hattangadi, Prajakta Hanamghar, Parna Pethe, Om Bhutkar
Director:
Shivraj Waichal
Writer:
Arvind Jagtap
A heartfelt story that makes you smile and leaves you teary-eyed too
Fri, May 2 2025
When waste collection by sanitation workers was briefly paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, it took just a couple of days to show us how important a role they play in society today. Be it choked drainages, burst water lines or piled up garbage heaps, the municipal safai karmacharis are the first responders that get to work. Unfortunately, they’re also the first ones to bear the brunt of citizens’ wrath in such cases. Often it is the educated person that doesn’t think twice before covering their nose and making derogatory remarks about these workers. That lack of empathy and abundance the entitled behaviour also highlights the difference between education and literacy. In multiple scenes of his debut directorial, Shivraj Waichal sheds light on this. At its heart, Ata Thambaycha Naay is an ode to the BMC’s sanitation workers whose life is a paradox – they simultaneously form the backbone of the city and are among the most neglected lot. The film is based on the real story of class IV BMC workers going back to school at the behest of Uday Shirurkar, the erstwhile assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’s ward B.
The Bhootnii
Comedy, Horror, Romance (Hindi)
The Virgin Tree, based in the heart of St. Vincent's College, is home to a spirit who awakens every Valentine's Day in response to the longing for true love. As strange incidents multiply, the Virgin Tree becomes a place of dread, the authorities call in a veteran para-physicist to confront the entity.
Cast:
Sanjay Dutt, Mouni Roy, Palak Tiwari, Aasif Khan, Sunny Singh
Director:
Sidhaant Sachdev
Sanjay Dutt’s ghosthunter act cannot enliven horror comedy
Thu, May 1 2025
What’s the deal with Sunny Singh? The actor, in his fairly long career, has been a curious nonentity in Hindi cinema, turning up in any and every film that will have him. He was a mildly amusing presence in the Luv Ranjan Cinematic Universe. But his recent output has been especially bleak. It does not seem to matter if he is playing Lakshmana in Adipurush or a boozy beefcake in Wild Wild Punjab. Whatever the assignment, Singh gives the impression of an amiable jock who’s wandered in from the nearest Hakim’s Aalim. In The Bhootnii, a new horror-comedy, Singh plays Santanu, a student of ‘St. Vincent’s College of Arts and Culture’, a true cradle of learning. Its students occupy themselves with the pursuit of sachi mohabbat (true love), which is understandably hard to come by. Each year, on Valentine’s Day, they hang trinkets and pictures on a wishing tree called the ‘Virgin Tree’. It is worshipped as a bringer of romantic good luck, but it also bodes ill: a tree nymph, played by Mouni Roy, haunts the campus, and has apparently precipitated a string of recent suicides.
A Horror-Comedy That Haunts its Viewers
Thu, May 1 2025
As a genre, the horror comedy has reached a stage in its afterlife cycle where its ghoulish spirit is haunting theatres and vowing revenge against empty seats. The latest distorted entity is called The Bhootnii, an anti-film posing as a campus comedy set in a university that merges shots of Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College with the abandoned studio lot of Om Shanti Om (2007) and the miscellaneous cultural energy of Rok Sako To Rok Lo (2004). It stars Mouni Roy as a jilted ghost named Mohabbat who yearns for the love of the student who accidentally summons her after a bad breakup by yelling “Where is my mohabbat?” in front of a tree haunted by her. He wanted to scream at the Virgin Tree (don’t ask), but drunkenly reached the wrong yard on a rainy night. Sometimes I wonder if I’m actually typing these lines in 2025.
Unimaginable, Unbelievable, Unfathomable
Thu, May 1 2025
Once in a while, a film comes that breaks even the toughest of the tough. That, when watching, you do not question your existence but the fact that you are still alive. That scoffs at a regular cinephile and vows to teach them a lesson for still wanting to watch Hindi films. Once in a while, a film makes sitting through it an art form and filmmaking into a joke. This year, it is Sidhaant Sachdev’s The Bhootnii. The ’the’ in the title is the only, and the last, semblance of respect the filmmaker offers to anybody associated with the film – actors and audience alike. Everything beyond this unfolds as an assault to the senses and disrespect to the fact of living and the art of surviving. Rage should have made me more coherent, but Sachdev’s film has broken me. If it were a living entity, it would be sitting across and, seeing my lifeless stare into the laptop, celebrating my defeat.
Muthayya
(Telugu)
In a remote village, a 70-year-old man dreams of becoming an actor before he dies. While sharing these dreams with his best friend, he tries to showcase his acting skills in every way possible.
Director:
Bhaskhar Maurya
A charming tale about long-cherished dreams pays homage to cinema
Thu, May 1 2025
Watching director Bhaskhar Maurya’s Telugu film Muthayya, now streaming on ETV Win, feels like shedding the trappings of urban life and settling into an unhurried rural setting, surrounded by affable characters. The story centres on a 70-year-old man from a village in Telangana, who dreams of becoming a film actor and seeing himself on the big screen — just once in his lifetime. Age may not be on his side, but his zest for life remains undiminished. Humour weaves gently through the narrative. In an early scene, two men climb a water tank to unveil a banner. Someone remarks, in the Telangana dialect, “Yem peekindu?” (What did he achieve?). We soon find out. At the heart of the story is Muthayya (played by Sudhakar Reddy of Balagamfame), who owns a modest plot of land that overlooks open fields and distant hills. Each evening, he retreats to his simple dwelling on the land, sharing a drink or two with his much younger friend Malli (Arun Kumar), who runs a cycle repair shop in the village.
Another Simple Favor
Comedy, Crime, Thriller (English)
Stephanie and Emily reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.
Cast:
Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin
Director:
Paul Feig
Writer:
Laeta Kalogridis
Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick Film Is Chaotic, Wacky And A Bit Fun
Tue, April 29 2025
Another Simple Favour directed by Paul Feig is a sequel to A Simple Favor released in 2018. Both films are based on a book of the same name by Darcey Bell. The sequel is based on the characters written by Darcey Bell but does not explore the same tone or plotline as the previous film. We do get to see many characters return but the twists take wilder turns as the story moves forward. The 2018 film was known for take a deep dive into the thriller genre and exploring the stereotypes in it with two female characters but the sequels drops it all to explore something different. The film begins with Anna Kendrick’s Stephanie Smothers, who has turned into a celebrity and an author. While she is preparing to release her book based on Blake Lively’s Emily aka the allusive blonde in her life, Stephanie is also suffering from PTSD about her crime solving days. She decided to leave it behind after a man shot himself for being accused of sexual harassment and possibly abuse. However, as Miles’ mother she decides to move on with her life. But Emily isn’t done with her yet.
Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick Sparkle In Entertaining Yet Freaky Dark Comedy
Tue, April 29 2025
Based on the characters by author Darcey Bell, the sequel to A Simple Favor (2018) returns with double the craziness and twists of the first film. Several familiar faces are back in Another Simple Favor, directed once again by Paul Feig. But it’s the weird bond between frenemies Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) that elevates this fun and freaky sequel. The Italian setting and the wedding venue lead to wild storytelling, which is only saved by the stars’ chemistry and banter. Emily, who is out of prison on appeal, invites her old bestie Stephanie to be her maid of honour at her Italian wedding to a wealthy Italian man, Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), who may or may not be in the mob. As the wedding festivities take off, the bodies begin to drop like flies, and unsurprisingly, mommy vlogger Stephanie is one of the suspects. Is this one of Emily’s tricky traps again?
Phule
History, Drama (Hindi)
A biopic on Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule, considered to be a pioneering couple in India’s societal history. They are often credited for underlining the importance of the girls’ education and self-dependence.
Cast:
Pratik Gandhi, Patralekhaa
Director:
Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
Too much like textbook history
Tue, April 29 2025
Writer-director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan bookends his 129-minute biopic on social reformers and educationists Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule with the events of 1897. Poona is devastated by the plague. Savitribai runs across parched land to bring an ailing child to a makeshift medical camp. Before the doctors can pronounce a prognosis, events move back in time to 1848. Savitri was a child bride then, married to the slightly older Jyotirao Phule who, even as a teenager, was progressive enough to want his wife to be educated. This did not sit well with his conservative father (Vinay Pathak). Undeterred, Jyotirao continued to encourage not just his wife, but also the younger village girls, to learn. Now older and more committed, the Phules’ egalitarian practices and focus on social reform conflicted with the caste hierarchy of the time. The ire of higher-caste men, enraged that the ‘untouchables’ were stepping out of their lane, compelled the couple to move away from their family home. Joy Sengupta plays the upper-caste Vinayak, Darsheel Safary is the adopted son Yashwant Phule, and Amit Behl plays the head priest. Sharad Kelkar serves as narrator, giving the staccato screenplay some cohesion.
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama
Sun, April 27 2025
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitri Phule were a social reformer couple who worked for the causes like eradication of caste discrimination, women education, widow remarriage, etc. Filmmmaker Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s Phule is a biopic on their lives and struggles. Jyotirao is married off to Savitri when they were kids, as per the traditions and customs of that era. They both belonged to the (so-called) lower caste. Jyotirao starts educating his wife from an early age as he strongly believed that it’s important for women to be educated. The movie starts off in 1848 when Jyotirao (Pratik Gandhi) and Savitri (Patralekhaa) are already grown-ups and working towards education of girls from their neighbourhood in Pune (then Poona). The two face strong opposition from the (so-called) upper caste people of that time.
Ananth Mahadevan’s Film is Not as Brave as its Firebrand Protagonists
Sun, April 27 2025
One could argue: making a biopic in Hindi cinema these days is a lost battle even before one begins. Such is our legal system, our near-Olympic status at taking offence as a society, the cumbersome process of obtaining life-rights, and the patronising tone filmmakers adopt to turn someone’s life story into a moral science lesson (or they won’t get it). It’s no surprise then that most biopics coming out of Hindi cinema re-manufacture a stale, reverential tone with intermittent cues of inspirational music – so much so that my brain almost involuntarily switches off during such sequences these days. And god forbid if the film has the slightest socio-political criticism. Then the headache of battling the CBFC (censor board), with the livelihoods of hundreds of crew members being on the line – it’s no surprise why nearly every filmmaker is cautious, even if the film is set around characters who took on Brahmanical patriarchy more than a century ago.
Devmanus
Drama, Crime (Marathi)
A devout priest's peaceful existence unravels after a moral transgression forces him to choose between confession and making amends.
Cast:
Mahesh Manjrekar, Renuka Shahane, Subodh Bhave, Siddharth Bodke, Anshuman Joshi
Director:
Tejas Vijay Deoskar
Writer:
Neha Sandeep Shitole
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
This drama is a fine mixture of crime and emotions
Tue, April 29 2025
Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar’s Marathi movie Devmanus is the official remake of directors Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal’s Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta starrer 2022 Hindi movie Vadh (which this reviewer hasn’t seen). The movie is a fine emotional crime drama. The story takes place in Kopargaon in Maharashtra. Senior citizen couple Keshav (Mahesh Manjrekar) and his wife Laxmi (Renuka Shahane) are staying alone after their son Madhav (Ruturaj Shinde) migrates to the US and gets married over there without their consent. Keshav is a tuition teacher cum farmer, who somehow managed to gather loan to get Madhav educated in the US. Along with the bank, he also had to take money from the local contractor and an evil goon Dilip (Siddharth Bodke) while mortgaging their ancestral house.
Auntypreneur
Comedy, Family (Gujarati)
Supriya Pathak Kapur helms a titular role in a comic tale of 65-year-old Jasuben, who teams up with fellow homemakers to claim their financial independence, proving, as she says, "Why should boys have all the funds?"
Cast:
Supriya Pathak, Brinda Trivedi, Margi Desai, Yukti Randeria, Kaushambi Bhatt
Director:
Pratik Kothari
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
Supriya Pathak shines in this feel-good drama
Sun, April 27 2025
Filmmaker Pratik Rajen Kothari’s Gujarati movie Auntypreneur has an unusual title. A person who carries out business is called entrepreneur. So, when an aunty becomes an entrepreneur, she becomes an ‘Auntypreneur’, as per the movie. What sets the protagonist of the film aside is the necessity angle of her business. Auntypreneur takes place in today’s times in Malad, Mumbai in Poonam Co-Operative Housing Society. Jaswanti Gangani aka Jasu (Supriya Pathak Kapur) stays with her young tenant Raju (Parikshit Tamaliya) and maid Manda (Margi Desai). Her son Bhavik (Ojas Rawal) has been in Dallas, US, where he is doing very well. Jasu once imagines her housing society about to be demolished by the municipality in her dream. Unfortunately, her nightmare comes true as the municipality gives an eviction notice to the CHS. It says that their builder hasn’t paid property tax worth Rs. 1.96 crores and has run away outside the country. Hence, if they don’t pay up the amount within four months, their building will be demolished.
Ground Zero
Action, Thriller, War (Hindi)
An Indian army officer embarks on a mission leading to India’s most successful counter-terrorism operation in history.
Cast:
Emraan Hashmi, Mukesh Tiwari, Sai Tamhankar, Zoya Hussain, Lalit Prabhakar
Director:
Tejas Vijay Deoskar
Writer:
Priyadarshee Srivastava
How does Dubey find Ghazi Baba’s hideout?
Sun, April 27 2025
Ground Zero is an action thriller about Indian Armed Forces’ hunt to eliminate the dreaded terrorist Ghazi Baba. Ghazi was responsible for not only ending dozens of innocent lives, but he also masterminded the outrageous terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 that left multiple security personnel dead. Let’s dive into the ending of Ground Zero, which is explained here, its plot, cast, release date, and more. The movie stars Emraan Hashmi as a Border Security Force (BSF) officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey. A real person, Dubey was the man who led an anti-terror operation against Ghazi. The said operation ended with Ghazi and his associates’ deaths but also casualties on the BSF side.
Film on Kashmir only opens its eyes so much
Sat, April 26 2025
Narendra Dubey (Emraan Hashmi) is getting his daughter ready for school. She’s reluctant to go; the ‘gun waale bhaiyya’ on the bus is scary, she says. Who would you rather have on the bus, her father asks with a smile. Santa Claus, the girl immediately replies. Later, when Narendra, the BSF’s top man in Srinagar, is asked why he risks his life, he says he hopes to fulfil this wish of his daughter’s. Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar’s Ground Zero opens its eyes—but only a little. It recognises that a child heading out every day with an armed soldier is scarring. Fair enough. But that girl, young though she is, must have some idea that the gun is there for her protection. Similarly, there must be a child in her class who sees the same guns every day. Even if, in her short life, they haven’t been pointed at her, she must instinctively know that they might be one day. This child Ground Zero doesn’t want to contemplate.
Trouble in Paradise
Sat, April 26 2025
It is impossible to watch this film set in Kashmir without keeping in the mind the tragedy that unfolded in Pahalgam, a couple of days ago. Ground Zero, which draws inspiration from the valor of BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, is set within the context of the Kashmir conflict, albeit during a different period.
Crayon Sin Chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary
Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family (Japanese)
Follow the friendship between the Nobara family's pet dog Shiro and a "small dinosaur". Their connection helps the growth of Shinnosuke and the Kusakabe Defense Squad.
Cast:
Yumiko Kobayashi, Miki Narahashi, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Satomi Korogi, Mari Mashiba
Director:
Shinobu Sasaki
All FCG reviews of Crayon Sin Chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary
The Hindi Dub Will Bring Back Your Childhood Peace
Sat, April 26 2025
Crayon Shin-chan The Movie; Our Dinosaur Diary released in 2024 in Japan and became one of the highest grossing movies of the year. The film is all set to release in India on May 9 in several dubs including Hindi which essentially has been childhood for several generations. The film brings back every character imaginable from the series back to the big screen with Avengers like event, major villains, and emotional arc with a message for young audience. The film beings with Shin Chan getting ready to celebrate summer vacation, but Nohara family’s fans to go to the beach are cancelled. Shin Chan’s dad is called to office, and it leaves him with the option to go out and play with his friends. The family is seen going through its usual tasks, Shiro is seen taking care of himself, Mrs Nohara taking care of Shin Chan’s dad and Himawari. Shin Chan decides to step out with the gang and go to the park, meanwhile, the country is getting ready to welcome Dinosaurs back to civilization in an island park.
Ayyana Mane
(Kannada)
The storyline revolves around a newly married woman who enters her husband’s ancestral house, only to uncover a chilling pattern of unexplained deaths and deep-rooted family secrets.
TV-Serial-Style Rural Thriller
Sat, April 26 2025
Jaaji gets married to Dushyanta, the youngest son in a joint family that’s guarding a mystery, in return for a 5-acre property. Right on the day she enters her in-laws’ house, her father-in-law is found dead. Her brother-in-law Mahesha has strange visions about his ex-wife Pushpavati. Over time, Jaaji realises that the house harbours secrets that could destroy her peace. The show largely rests on Kushee Ravi’s steady shoulders. She carries the drama with a convincing performance as a confused daughter-in-law trying to uncover the secrets of a strange and eerie family. It’s clear she has grown as an actor since her Dia days, and it’s heartening to see a new side to her talent. Manasi Sudhir also stands out, bringing strength and a strong screen presence to her role.
Gangers
Comedy, Crime (Tamil)
An undercover cop teams up with a crooked PT Master to loot 100 crore from a corrupt politician.
Cast:
Sundar C, Vadivelu, Catherine Tresa, Munishkanth, Bagavathi Perumal
Director:
Sundar C
An in-form Vadivelu and Sundar C keep this light-hearted, simplistic yet trite film afloat
Sat, April 26 2025
Sundar C is a rather enigmatic filmmaker who understands the kind of nuanced conversations around cinema on social media, and still makes a film that would invariably be contentious in such a space. In fact, in a recent interview, Sundar C said that his films don’t have a lot of bloodshed, voyeuristic camera angles, double-meaning dialogues, and glamour for the sake of it. But then, Gangers is like an antithesis to his belief system as the film has bloodshed, voyeuristic camera angles, double-meaning dialogues, glamour for the sake of it, and… oodles of humour that salvages the film whenever it dips into unsavoury territories.
Sundar C And Vadivelu’s Latest Is A Middling Comedy Drama
Fri, April 25 2025
There’s an explanation for the weird title Gangers when a character wonders isn’t ‘Gangster’ the right term to use. Vadivelu as Singaram goes, “That’s an old term. This is for a change." Thus, the title ends up being the unique thing about Gangers, which is a reiteration of many such comedy dramas of Tamil. It isn’t unusual that Sundar C has stuck to a template yet again with Gangers. But the problem here is that the film has nothing else going for itself other than the template. Scenes cruise through checking all the usual boxes, following all the cliches with complete nonchalance, revealing a half-hearted effort in the writing and direction. The expectations, if any, about the collaboration of the hit duo Sundar C and Vadivelu after years, quickly turn into disappointments as the duo fails to recreate their past glory.
Vadivelu almost saves Sundar C’s low-stakes heist comedy
Fri, April 25 2025
Two clips from recent promotional interviews went viral for the most ironic reasons. A Telugu producer asserted that there’s no nepotism in their film industry, and closer home, Sundar C, while promoting his movie Gangers, said his films never have double-meaning dialogues or suggestive sequences. Of course, netizens called it out and had a field day on social media. In fact, that is one of a few more concerns that plague Gangers, a rudimentary heist comedy almost rescued by the back-in-form legendary comedian Vadivelu. Veteran filmmaker Sundar C’s films are known for their simple plots, and Gangers is no different. The film is a mishmash of several ideas and templates we have gotten accustomed to — some from the director’s yesteryear hits. When a schoolgirl goes missing, her teacher, Sujitha (Catherine Tresa), takes it up and gets an undercover cop to serve as a teacher. Meanwhile, Saravanan (Sundar C) lands up in town as the new PET teacher for a school where Singaram (Vadivelu) holds the same position and has an eye for Sujitha. Is Saravanan the appointed cop? What’s the correlation between the teachers and the local gangsters masquerading as bigwigs? What are the films these plot points remind you of?…