Guild Reviews
The Puppet's Tale
Drama, History (Bengali)
Shashi, an urbane doctor, returns to his native village, a place seemingly mired in a backward way of life, for a short visit. As he becomes closely involved with the villagers, Shashi’s short stay threatens to become permanent.
Cast:
Abir Chatterjee, Jaya Ahsan, Parambrata Chatterjee, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Ananya Chatterjee, Surangana Bandyopadhyay, Shantilal Mukherjee
Director:
Suman Mukhopadhyay
Writer:
Manik Bandopadhyay
(Writing for OTT Play)
Captures The Anxiety Of A Man and A Country — On The Edge
Tue, February 4 2025
Suman Mukhopadhyay’s Putulnacher Itikatha or The Puppet’s Tale (part of the Big Screen Competition at International Film Festival Rotterdam this week) begins with a man on a boat, the twilight glistening in the swampy conditions surrounded by rural Bengal of the late 1930s. On the boat is Dr Shashi Bhuto (Abir Chatterjee), encountering his ancestral village and with it, death. “Everyone must face death someday”, his voiceover drones, insisting that he doesn’t, therefore, mourn. He lives a double life, one in his physical manifestation, as a doctor in a village in pre-Independence India, populated by people with little to no education and beset by all kinds of issues, from religious dogma, superstitions and lack of access to basic services amidst war in Europe and freedom struggle. His other life is in his head, his future he dreams of in a city, maybe London, as the affluent, posh doctor he wishes to be. In many ways, The Puppet’s Tale — adapted from Manik Bandopadhyay’s 1936 novel of the same name — is a curious film. It can be placed in the context of a particular time in India as well as a particular period in Indian cinema. It is set during a transitional, commotion-filled phase in modern Indian history — less than a decade for independence from British rule—with the movement touching every corner of the country. The film intentionally refrains from registering any of that. In cinema terms, it is almost two decades before Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, which itself is a certain rural time capsule of new India, followed by forced migration towards busier parts of the country. Here, Shashi’s existential crisis takes precedence over India’s own. That’s not to say he is unbothered by the condition of a country that is just about incubating. His existential crisis eats away at him, he holds dreams of moving to London to be the doctor that he wants to be instead of toiling away treating the local villagers who are sceptical about his methods.
You're Cordially Invited
Comedy (English)
When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family's special moment while making the most of the unanticipated tight quarters. In a hilarious battle of determination and grit, the father of the bride and sister of the other bride chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.
Cast:
Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, Jimmy Tatro, Stony Blyden, Leanne Morgan, Rory Scovel, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Ramona Young
Director:
Nicholas Stoller
Reese Witherspoon And Will Ferrell's Comedy Isn't Perfect
Mon, February 3 2025
The latest Prime Video release is the romantic comedy titled You’re Cordially Invited led by Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell. Directed and written by Nicholas Stoller, the film focuses on the story of two supporting characters at two different weddings aka the bride’s sister and another bride’s widowed father. They cross paths at the accidently double-booked wedding venue and the fight for the venue ensues. While the plot seems easy to explore in the comedy genre, the makers did present a new take on the situation. Instead of the fight going on before the wedding proceeds, the arguments go on throughout the wedding and after, taking away the urgency of the incident. The film begins with Will Ferrell’s character finding out that his young daughter is getting married to her boyfriend. While he isn’t exactly happy about it, he agrees because it would mean his daughter moves closer to home. On the other hand, Reese finds out her sister is getting married to her erotic dancer boyfriend. Supportive of the decision and wary of how the family would react, she agrees to look after the wedding planning. Both weddings are accidentally booked at the same resort on a small island for the same weekend.
Wedding woes
Sun, February 2 2025
By now, big stars teaming up for a streaming original film — mostly comedy, and made on a budget that makes you wonder about the recovery without a theatrical run — has become a mainstay. What’s been difficult is to shake off the tag that these films offer little entertainment compares to their big-screen counterparts. Films like Prime Video’sYou’re Cordially Invited tell you why this trend is, unfortunately, not a fad. Director Nicholas Stoller, the maker behind comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, The Five-Year Engagement and Bros, is back for another comedy headlined by powerhouses Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. In You’re Cordially Invited, a single father, Jim (Will Ferrell), to get his daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) married off, books a small inn on Palmetto Island where he got married years ago. Concurrently, television producer Margot (Reese Witherspoon) finds out that her sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) is planning on marrying and she volunteers to plan the wedding. She books the same Palmetto Island, where she and Neve visited their grandmother as children. Thanks to what can be only called a clerical error, both parties reach the island on the same day to learn about the double booking. While Jim and Margot initially decide to work it out by sharing the premises, their egos, insecurities, miscommunication, and many other mistakes play havoc.
The Secrets of the Shiledars
Action, Adventure, Drama (Hindi)
A secret society unravels a hidden treasure belonging to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with Rajeev leading the quest to protect it from falling into wrong hands, ultimately becoming the chief of the Shiledars.
Cast:
Rajeev Khandelwal, Sai Tamhankar, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Dilip Prabhavalkar
Director:
Aditya Sarpotdar
(Writing for M9 News)
Thrilling Historic Ride
Sun, February 2 2025
After losing his parents in an accident in childhood, Ravi is raised by the Bhatts and has a loving brother in Aditya. He grows up a history enthusiast and bumps into a judge Dixit, who reminds him of his duty as a Shiledar and reveals the mystery behind his parents’ death. Soon implicated in a crime, Ravi embarks on a quest to uncover a hidden treasure.
Hisaab Barabar
Drama, Thriller, Comedy (Hindi)
Radhe Mohan, an honest TC working for Indian Railways and a self-proclaimed accounts expert, sets out to uncover a massive financial fraud by banker Mickey Mehta. As Mickey puts the entire system against Radhe, what lies next for him?
Cast:
R. Madhavan, Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rashami Desai, Faisal Rashid, Jitender Hooda, Manu Rishi Chadha, Shaunak Duggal, Himanshu Malik, Rajesh Jais
Director:
Ashwni Dhir
Writer:
Ashwni Dhir
(Writing for M9 News)
Madhavan Drowns in a Hopeless Film
Sun, February 2 2025
Radhe Mohan Sharma, a railway ticket checker, stumbles upon a minor discrepancy in his bank account, setting off a chain of events, leading him to uncover a massive financial fraud orchestrated by a powerful banker named Micky Mehta, the founder of Do Bank. While unearthing a billion-dollar scam and facing immense pressure and threats, Radhe does what it takes to expose the truth.
Delightfully Tallied
Fri, January 24 2025
Have you spared a minute to check if your bank balance has an insignificant discrepancy? Would you invest precious time and energy to make the bank accountable for Rs 27.50? It’s precisely this common customer lethargy that makes suave and merry Micky Mehta (Neil Nitin Mukesh) make dizzy sums like Rs 20,000 crore. Small amounts that don’t tally, interest credited just a day later, inconsequential figures that account holders ignore. Micky preys on just this customer ignorance to live life like a party. But there’s always one aam insaan whose brain works like a calculator. Senior Ticket Collector Radhe Mohan Sharma (R Madhavan) arrives laden with oranges that he generously shares with passengers. “I don’t touch stolen goods,” huffs passenger P Subhash (Kirti Kulhari). His enthusiastic reply about taking oranges to balance what the fruit seller owed him as change, delightfully introduces Radhe’s quirk. Debits and credits must tally. He’d once rejected a marriage proposal too because the girl was weak in Maths.
Madhavan’s film nosedives every time Neil Nitin Mukesh shows up
Fri, January 24 2025
An honest-to-a-fault, maths-whizz ticket collector gets embroiled, unwittingly, in the doings of a greedy banker: this one-line premise may have sounded exciting on paper, but the execution comes off contrived and clunky. Madhavan plays Radhe Mohan Sharma, who brings his affable self and a razor sharp brain to his job, whose first encounter with a comely cop (Kirti Kulhari) isn’t exactly a meet-cute. She rebuffs his offer of an orange bought from a fruit-seller at the station: ‘main chori kiye santare nahin khati’, she says.
Sky Force
Action, Thriller (Hindi)
Skyforce unravels a gripping tale inspired by true events from one of the deadliest air strikes between India and Pakistan. A hero lost, a comrade's quest for truth-an epic tribute to bravery, sacrifice, and unbreakable courage.
Cast:
Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya, Nimrat Kaur, Sara Ali Khan, Sharad Kelkar, Mohit Chauhan, Manish Chaudhary, Naisha Khanna, Soham Majumdar
Director:
Sandeep Kewlani, Abhishek Kapur
Writer:
Sandeep Kewlani, Carl Austin, Niren Bhatt
(Writing for M9 News)
Force Missing, Soft Landing
Sun, February 2 2025
A group of Indian fighter pilots, led by Om Ahuja (Akshay Kumar), is tasked with the destruction of a fleet of modern American F-104 Starfighters at the Sargodha airbase in the 1965 war. Meanwhile, a young pilot T Krishna Vijaya (Veer Pahariya), disobeys orders and ventures into enemy territory to rescue his fellow pilots. Haunted by the disappearance of his protégé, Ahuja embarks on a quest to uncover the truth while facing resistance and bureaucratic hurdles.
Mission accomplished, but not here
Sat, January 25 2025
A film releasing close to Republic Day and starring the new-age Bharat Kumar, the poster boy of patriotism Akshay Kumar, and you enter the cinema halls with a bit of dread. But you are pleasantly surprised both by the storyline and the fact that though the film harks back to the 1965 Indo-Pak war, there is no overt Pakistan-bashing or screechy jingoism. ‘Sky Force’, based on true events — actually the Indian Air Force’s retaliatory attack on Pakistan’s Sargodha airfield — tells the story simply, without too many theatrical excesses. Prior to the release, it has been drawing comparisons with last year’s Republic Day release, ‘Fighter’. However, except for some finely executed aerial action set pieces and dogfights, there isn’t much to compare, both in good and bad ways.
उड़ते शेरों का शौर्य दिखाती ’स्काई फोर्स’
Sat, January 25 2025
पहले एक सच्ची कहानी सुन लीजिए। 1965 में हुई भारत-पाकिस्तान की जंग में भारतीय वायु सेना ने पाकिस्तान के भीतर तक घुस कर उनके सरगोधा एयर-बेस को न सिर्फ बुरी तरह तबाह कर दिया था बल्कि अमेरिका से उन्हें तोहफे में मिले बहुत सारे लड़ाकू जहाजों को भी नष्ट कर दिया था जबकि वे जहाज भारत के लड़ाकू जहाजों से कई गुना बेहतर थे। इस अभियान में एक भारतीय लड़ाकू विमान भी नष्ट हो गया था और उसका पायलट लापता। वायु सेना ने उस पायलट ए.बी. देवैया को ’मिसिंग इन एक्शन’ घोषित कर दिया लेकिन उसके करीबी विंग कमांडर तनेजा को हमेशा लगता रहा कि वह पायलट जीवित है। क्या हुआ था उस पायलट के साथ…? क्या वह सचमुच लापता हो गया था…? मर गया था…? या फिर…!
Sweet Dreams
Romance, Drama (Hindi)
A tale that blurs the line between fantasy and reality, Sweet Dreams captures the magic of serendipity and the intensity of love that transcends the ordinary. It’s a film that asks: do we find love by chance, or does love find us? The answer might just lie in the dreams we dare to dream.
Cast:
Mithila Palkar, Amol Parashar, Meiyang Chang, Sauraseni Maitra, Faye D'Souza, Mohini Shimpi, Ayesha Adlakha, Sukkarann Vats, Vandana Pathak, Pragati Mishra
Director:
Victor Mukherjee
(Writing for M9 News)
Bittersweet but Watchable
Sun, February 2 2025
Kenneth Fernandes, a recycling artist in Mumbai, and Dia, an aspiring songwriter in Pune are strangers who have never met, yet share identical dreams. While Kenny finds a true friend in an acquaintance Roop, Dia struggles to be herself in a strained relationship with her long-time boyfriend Ishant. The duo’s search for dream partners leads them on a whimsical journey, filled with unexpected encounters and humorous mishaps.
Parashar and Palkar enliven love story
Sun, January 26 2025
From the title itself, it’s a giveaway that this romcom is going to be rife in clichés and oozing cheesiness. In that sense, writer-director Victor Mukherjee’s 107-minute-long film does not disappoint. Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Fernandes (Amol Parashar) is a recycle artist and social media influencer who is nursing a broken heart and often posts philosophical and pensive posts about dreams, feelings etc. These read like memes or the kind of ‘good quotes’ one could Google up. But what is baffling Kenny at this time, is a recurring dream featuring a date with an attractive young woman in a coffee shop. Said woman does exist. Somewhere else, an aspiring and ambivalent musician called Diya Jaisingh (Mithila Palkar) is experiencing the same dream, featuring Kenny and the same coffee shop.
A Promising Love Story Ruined By Instagram Film-making
Fri, January 24 2025
Sweet Dreams has a sweet premise. It begins with a J.R.R. Tolkien quote, setting the stage for a fantasy-coded romcom. And it opens with a dreamy date between a flirty Diya (Mithila Palkar) and the cool Kennith (Amol Parashar) at a cafe. We soon learn that this is a shared dream between two strangers — a recurring habit for both — leading completely different lives. Kennith, an influencer and recycle artist, is newly single and he speaks to his psychiatrist (Faye D’Souza; a surprise-but-meek cameo) about this mysterious girl he keeps meeting in his dreams. He’s convinced she exists. Diya, a career drifter who writes and sings, is in an autopilot relationship with Ishant (Meiyang Chang); she, too, is baffled by how real and tangible her dreams feel. The film follows their attempts to find each other and (re)unite.
Sivarapalli
Comedy (Telugu)
Shyam, an engineering graduate from Hyderabad, reluctantly takes up the job of Panchayat Secretary in Sivarapalli, a remote village in Telangana, due to a lack of job options. The show follows Shyam as he navigates the idiosyncrasies and absurdities of village life and his job while preparing for the GMAT, hoping to leave the village and move to the USA.
Cast:
Rag Mayur, Muralidhar Goud, V. S. Roopa Lakshmi, Uday Gurrala, Sunny Palle, Pavani Karanam
Director:
Bhaskhar Maurya
Writer:
Shanmukha Prasanth
(Writing for The Hindu)
A loyal remake uplifted by solid performances
Sat, February 1 2025
While remakes are commonplace in feature films, the concept of targeting hyper-local markets using already successful material is gaining traction in the OTT space as well. The digital medium has thrived on the idea of ‘overcoming the two-inch barrier’ (subtitles), allowing stories to transcend language barriers. Yet, platforms continue to commission near frame-by-frame adaptations to attract a new set of viewers Over the years, villages have served as backdrops for various genres, ranging from political sagas to dramas, comedies, thrillers, action-packed entertainers, and romances. Amazon Prime Video’s eight-episode series Sivarapalli, a remake of TVF’s hit show Panchayat, takes a middle path, exploring the familiar terrain of rural drama through the perspective of an urban youngster.
Dominic and the Ladies' Purse
Thriller, Action (Malayalam)
Dominic, a former Circle Inspector dismissed due to a hidden color blindness that led to a crucial error, now struggles as a broke, divorced ex-cop living with an old landlady he can't pay. A seemingly simple case of lost property draws him into a complex murder mystery.
Cast:
Mammootty, Gokul Suresh, Viji Venkatesh, Wafa Khadeeja Rahman, Siddique, Vijay Babu, Lenaa, Sushmitha Bhat, Meenakshi Unnikrishnan, Shine Tom Chacko
Director:
Gautham Vasudev Menon
Writer:
Sooraj-Neeraj, Gautham Vasudev Menon
(Writing for All in a Frame)
Sat, February 1 2025
Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse is an unlikely Gautham Menon film in a positive sense, from the way it’s visualised, shot and edited. The leisurely yet consistently engaging investigation thriller is built on a juicy premise centred around a lost ladies purse that leads a former cop-turned-detective to a missing couple, a mystery that only gets murkier with time. Even while catering to the star in Mammootty, the film doesn’t lose its way and culminates with a pulpy, edge-of-the-seat finale. Sushmitha Bhatt is a surprise find, with Gokul Suresh, Viji Venkatesh and Vineeth chipping in with impressive performances.
Mammootty, Gautham Menon film is engaging in parts
Sat, January 25 2025
Malayalam superstar Mammootty and his film choices in the last couple of years have been incredible and eye-opening. From doing a Kaathal to Bramayugam, the actor is all in for experimental films and giving his all to every choice he makes. And when he chooses to join hands with Tamil filmmaker Gautham Menon, it certainly excites every film buff who has followed their career paths. Has Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse lived up to expectations? Let’s find out! Dominic (Mammootty) is a former police officer who now runs a detective agency. He is a laid-back guy with a quirky sense of humour. As he undergoes some financial issues, his landlady gives him a task to find the owner of a purse she found. In return, she will waive the rent. Dominic and his aide (Gokul Suresh) go on a mission to find the owner of the purse.
Needless flab turns Gautham Menon-Mammootty film into average fare
Fri, January 24 2025
Private eye Dominic, like all wannabe Sherlocks, has a habit of making quick deductions about other people just from their appearances. But, unlike in most other films, the protagonist of Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse gets it wrong in the opening sequence when he makes assumptions about a person aspiring to be his assistant. It is a delightful subversion of the overused detective trope, which fills one with hope for what is to follow. Unfortunately, the film does not always live up to this early promise except in a few interesting patches. Gautam Menon, in his first Malayalam outing, appears to be in a bit of a dilemma as to how to treat the star at the centre of his film. While there are a few scenes lampooning the pompous private detective Dominic (Mammootty), there are an equal number of scenes of his assistant (Gokul Suresh) being amazed by his investigative abilities.
Paradise S01
Drama, Crime (English)
The tranquility in a serene, wealthy community inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high stakes investigation unfolds.
Cast:
Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin, Percy Daggs IV, James Marsden
All the right hooks
Sat, February 1 2025
Paradise… is that even a place in this world? As the series by the same name takes you into its labyrinths, you actually realise it isn’t the same earth we are living in right now. Yet, it opens like a regular murder mystery. US President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) has been brutally killed in his own house. Like us, you could end up wondering; why isn’t he living in the White House? Well, well, the mystery begins to deepen at many levels. As Special Agent Xavier Collins discovers his body in the sprawling mansion, things begin to unpeel like layers of onion.
Sterling K Brown's Intriguing Sci-Fi Thriller Opens With Surprising Twist
Tue, January 28 2025
Sterling K Brown reunites with This is Us creator Dan Fogelman on a new series, Paradise, that follows a Secret Service agent looking into the murder of someone he was assigned to protect. But like Fogelman’s previous works, the narrative is more layered than it seems. Paradise mixes a few genres to give viewers a thriller with an intriguing twist. Xavier Collins (Brown) is one of President Cal Bradford’s (James Marsden) lead agents. So when the unthinkable occurs, the level-headed man approaches with a clear focus as someone who would always do the right thing. Amidst high-level government officials and a few billionaires lies a conspiracy that continues to astonish the deeper we fall into it. The eight-episode series has a massive reveal at the end of the first episode, forcing viewers to rethink everything about what has been shown to them so far. That is usually the modus operandi of Fogelman and his usual collaborators, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. In Paradise, the show slowly unveils each character and scenario in a leisurely manner.
Oru Jaathi Jathakam
Comedy, Romance (Malayalam)
When a girl, supposedly an expert in palmistry, requests Jayesh to display his hand, he eagerly obliges. But when she tells him that this will be the worst time of his life, it surprises him.
Cast:
Vineeth Sreenivasan, Nikhila Vimal, Mridul Nair, Babu Antony, P. P. Kunhikrishnan, Vidhu Prathap, Sayanora Philip, Kayadu Lohar, Amal Thaha, Indu Thampi
Director:
M. Mohanan
Writer:
Rakesh Mantodi, Sharesh Malayenkandy
Vineeth Sreenivasan Plays A Problematic Character In A Laugh-Riot
Sat, February 1 2025
In a sense, Oru Jaathi Jathakam is a bold attempt as the director M Mohanan, writers Rakesh Mantodi and Sharesh Malayankandy didn’t shy away from making a comedy-drama, which for pedantic and caviller eyes might strike as problematic. In reality, the intentions of the film seem to be the opposite. Oru Jaathi Jathakam is about a problematic 38-year-old virgin named Jayesh (Vineeth Srinivasan), who is struggling to find a match due to his regressive ideas about gender, queer community, and women in general. Throughout the film, we travel with this caricature of a sexist, and the film satirises their worldview, their take on women, and things that are beyond the grasp of their regressive thought. Jayesh, a writer with a magazine, has numerous conditions and demands for his future bride. He wants her to be fair-skinned, stay-at-home wife/mother, heed to gender roles, and above all, her horoscope should match his. When we meet Jayesh, he is in a hurry to find a girl since his horoscope claims that his father would die if he isn’t married before 38. Nevertheless, Jayesh isn’t the compromising type. With equally-regressive family and friends around, he doesn’t budge despite his age, looks, and attitude. Oru Jaathi Jathakam is essentially his journey of meeting and rejecting women.
The Recruit S02
Drama, Crime, Action & Adventure (English)
Recruited out of law school by the CIA, a daredevil young attorney leaps unprepared into the dangerous world of international espionage.
Cast:
Noah Centineo, Colton Dunn, Aarti Mann, Fivel Stewart, Kristian Bruun, Kaylah Zander, Maddie Hasson, Angel Parker, Teo Yoo, Vondie Curtis-Hall
Noah Centineo, Teo Yoo's Korea-Centred Action Thriller Still Charms Despite Shorter Span
Fri, January 31 2025
Noah Centineo returns as the bumbling but charming CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks in the new season of The Recruit. We left him in Season 1, kidnapped in the Czech Republic, and miraculously, Owen survives. Although he lands himself in an entirely new scrap that could have international implications. Alexi Hawley’s series is two episodes shorter than the first, but the South Korea-set story remains entertaining in round two. Initially benched, Owen can’t sit still and do nothing at the CIA, so he finds himself pulled into a new threat that takes him to Seoul, where he meets NIS agent Jang Kyun (Teo Yoo). Jang blackmails him to get something personal of his in return. Battling past demons with his late father’s memory and his own time in Seoul as a child, Owen must use his quick-thinking skills to get what Jang wants. Additionally, Owen is also laying low against an internal investigation that could have him disbarred. Hawley makes good use of the baby-faced but earnest Noah as the protagonist Owen in The Recruit. This season, with new and old characters, the series has a good mix of the pending storyline and a new mystery to take the story further. The show continues to lean into the lawyer jokes, and there were several scenes that made me laugh out loud more than once.
Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh
Drama, History (Hindi)
The video depicts the war of ideologies between Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse, increasing the curiosity level amongst the viewers to watch the film.
Cast:
Deepak Antani, Chinmay Mandlekar, Tanisha Santoshi, Anuj Saini, Pawan Chopra, Sharda Nand Singh
Director:
Rajkumar Santoshi
Writer:
Asghar Wajahat, Rajkumar Santoshi
A timely dialogue on the idea of India
Fri, January 31 2025
At a time when history is being fictionalised, director Rajkumar Santoshi uses creative licence to bust the canards that have been allowed to fester over the years to delegitimise Mahatma Gandhi in public conscience. From being called a pawn of the Empire to faking fasts, a notion has been created that Gandhi forced the first government of independent India to release Rs 55 crore to Pakistan. The film suggests that it triggered Nathuram Godse to kill Gandhi on January 30, 1948. Santoshi revisits the events leading up to Gandhi’s assassination and then takes a leap into an imaginary space where Gandhi survives the three bullets that Godse pumped into his chest and seeks a dialogue with him.