Guild Reviews
Vijay 69
Drama, Comedy (Hindi)
An adventurous, foul-mouthed former swimming coach reaches for record-breaking glory when he attempts a triathlon at 69 years old.
Cast:
Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey, Mihir Ahuja, Guddi Maruti, Vrajesh Hirjee
Director:
Akshay Roy
Writer:
Akshay Roy
Anupam Kher takes a dip in the channel of mediocrity
Sun, November 24 2024
One day, a foul-mouthed man on the cusp of 70 realises that he doesn’t have any achievement in his lifelog that will keep him alive for posterity. A national-level swimmer who didn’t strive enough to change the colour of his bronze medal, Vijay Mathew (Anupam Kher) is an ordinary old man seeking a sliver of gold dust. Having lost his supportive wife to cancer, he is withering from the inside and appears grumpy from the outside. Still, he hasn’t given up on the magic of life and doesn’t want those around him to undermine his leap of faith when an opportunity presents itself. Vijay decides to participate in a tough triathlon contest to make it to record books and give something back to his friends who stood by him.
Anupam Kher's Slice-Of-Life Sports Drama Is Cheesy But Heartwarming
Mon, November 18 2024
The sports film Vijay 69, starring Anupam Kher, is about a sexagenarian who realises that he’s not achieved much in his life. He decides to become the oldest man to run a triathlon in India, trying to prove all the naysayers wrong. Anupam Kher ably steps to play the cranky senior citizen who finds new meaning with this ambitious goal. While filmmaker Akshay Roy’s is well-meaning and inspiring, it is a bit meandering in its storytelling that veers from full comedy to drama often.
A Corny Underdog Drama With No Chill
Sun, November 10 2024
There are some movies you just want to like before you watch them. Personal biases are an integral part of the cinema experience. For instance, I used to have a soft spot for stories that romanticised a version of myself: slice-of-life introvert tales or dysfunctional family dramas. My focus has now moved to aspirational old-people stories; perhaps it has something to do with my parents aging with all sorts of ailments. The prospect of watching Vijay 69, then, was an inviting one. Not only is it director Akshay Roy’s first film since the criminally underappreciated Meri Pyaari Bindu (2017), it stars Anupam Kher as Vijay Mathew, a 69-year-old widower who attempts to become India’s oldest triathlete. I went into the film expecting to revise my reality — of having a 71-year-old father allergic to physical fitness — for a few hours. A bit of sports thrown in can’t hurt matters. What could possibly go wrong? And what could possibly go wrong when you have to ask what could possibly go wrong?
Maryade Prashne
Family (Kannada)
Maryade Prashne is a compelling slice-of-life story set in the lower-middle-class neighbourhood of Chamrajpete in Bengaluru. The film centres on three close friends, Suri, Manja, and Sathish, whose lives are tragically altered during what should have been a joyful birthday celebration. As they navigate the challenges of their daily struggles, the movie delves deep into themes of friendship, loyalty, and the pursuit of justice for a loved one.
Cast:
Rakesh Adiga, Sunil Raoh, Teju Belawadi, Prabhu Mundkur, Poornachandra Mysuru
Director:
Nagaraj Somayaji
Writer:
R.J. Pradeepa
(Writing for The News Minute)
Maryade Prashne is an ode to the outliers of Bengaluru’s software gold rush
Fri, November 22 2024
There’s a Bengaluru that has slowly been invisibilised in pop culture. It’s almost like they’d like you to believe India’s Silicon Valley is all about skyscrapers and pubs, people with laptops waltzing into swanky hotels and coffee shops, and health-conscious folks ordering flour from chakkis. But, there’s another Bengaluru, the one that was once the mainstream and is now the outlier — made up of locals and migrant workforce, all of whom fall under the broad category of the middle class — whose members walk hesitantly into star hotels, drink happily in open-to-the-sky bars, who stand in a queue to grind flour in a machine, and who struggle to pay their loans on time, every single month. The kind of people who wear unbranded inner garments and smell of sweat, as a character in Maryade Prashne says. The only thing they have for themselves is maryade or self-respect. What does one do when that is questioned? When intent is rubbished? That’s what Nagaraj Somayaji’s taut two-hour-long Maryade Prashne is all about.
Waack Girls
Drama (Hindi)
Six Kolkata girls create Waack Girls, a dance group in a city unfamiliar with waacking. Led by Ishani, an expert waacker and managed by Lopa, this light hearted story is filled with music, dance, comedy and drama.
Cast:
Mekhola Bose, Achintya Bose, Barun Chanda, Rytasha Rathore, Anasua Chowdhury
Director:
Sooni Taraporevala
Writer:
Iyanah Bativala
Prime Video show is good-natured, well-intentioned
Fri, November 22 2024
An underdog dance group making something of itself: right from the opening frame of Waack Girls, you know that this will be the trajectory of this rag-tag bunch, based in Kolkata. But this Sooni Taraporevala-created-and-directed nine part series attempts to build in differentials. First off, Kolkata is still not a city you’d think of when it comes to street style dancing and underground meetings where dance-offs occur. A lovely Cal feeling is captured in a crumbling old mansion, in a tony club, in the corner puchka-wala, and in the accents people use. You do see some familiar structures on the skyline, like the Howrah Bridge, but they are just there, no emphasis laid. That is refreshing.
Freedom at Midnight
Drama (Hindi)
Freedom at Midnight is the electrifying story of India's struggle for independence. Based on the bestselling book of the same name, it recounts the partition of India and Pakistan, and the religious and socio-political dynamics of the era.
Cast:
Sidhant Gupta, Chirag Vohra, Rajendra Chawla, Arif Zakaria, Ira Dubey
Director:
Nikkhil Advani
Writer:
Ethan Taylor
A pacy, layered account of Partition politics
Mon, November 18 2024
Once a purveyor of Bollywood entertainment, director Nikkhil Advani of late is exploring drama surrounding real, epochal events – life-altering situations where the decisions are not made based on right and wrong, but on the pretext of consequences. A slippery ground to navigate, he got it right in Mumbai Diaries set against 26/11 terror attacks in the metropolis and doesn’t disappoint in Freedom At Midnight either.
Nikkhil Advani's Faithful Adaptation On Partition Is Respectful And Compelling
Mon, November 18 2024
One of the most painful and fraught chapters of India’s history is brought to life in the SonyLIV series Freedom at Midnight, created by Nikkhil Advani. With a large ensemble cast of Indian and foreign actors, the series moves forwards and backwards in time to depict what went through the minds of India’s political leaders as they bargained and argued with the British empire for their freedom. Through the seven episodes, the threat of partition looms large, and the tense finale brings with it a melancholic feeling that lingers.
(Writing for Binged)
A Sensitive, Well-crafted Show On The Politics Around Partition
Sat, November 16 2024
After years of struggle, the idea of an independent India doesn’t seem a distant dream. The British looks ready to hand over the reins to the country by 1946, but at what cost? Nehru is at odds with Gandhi’s ideals and the interests of the Congress party, while Patel prefers to be the bad cop. A bitter and ailing Jinnah is desperate for the formation of Pakistan. Who has the last laugh?
Silo S02
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama (English)
In a ruined and toxic future, thousands live in a giant silo deep underground. After its sheriff breaks a cardinal rule and residents die mysteriously, engineer Juliette starts to uncover shocking secrets and the truth about the silo.
Cast:
Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash
Dystopian Sci-Fi Series With Rebecca Ferguson Deepens Mystery Of Outside World
Mon, November 18 2024
Based on the novels of Hugh Howey, the world of Silo easily captivated sci-fi fans when it first premiered in May 2023. The dystopian drama is set in a future where thousands of people have isolated themselves in a giant underground silo to protect themselves from the outside. But what exactly is outside? The gripping new season, led by Rebecca Ferguson, finally takes us beyond the silo we’ve known for the first season.
Bad Sisters S02
Comedy, Crime, Drama (English)
The tight-knit Garvey sisters have always looked out for one another. But when the toxic brother-in-law they all wanted dead actually dies, it turns their lives upside down and tests their bond like nothing before.
Cast:
Sharon Horgan, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson, Owen McDonnell
Sharon Hogan Delivers Another Fantastic Instalment Of Irish Dark Comedy
Mon, November 18 2024
The first season of Bad Sisters was adapted from the Belgian show Clan, which only ran for one season. The second season, which begins on November 13, takes the story of five close-knit sisters in a whole new direction. Set in Dublin, writer and actress Sharon Hogan brings the black comedy and forges the show ahead in a surprising and moving direction. Bad Sisters retains the shocking surprises, awkward moments, and dark humour that the first season was known for.
The Diplomat S02
Drama, War & Politics (English)
In the midst of an international crisis, a career diplomat lands in a high-profile job she’s unsuited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.
Cast:
Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear
Keri Russell's Thrilling Political Drama Constantly Pulls The Rug Out From Under You
Mon, November 18 2024
The second season of The Diplomat returns with more urgency as the US ambassador to UK, Kate Wyler, tries to uncover who is behind two terrorists attacks on British targets. The political drama is led by the excellent Keri Russell who navigates the exciting twists and turns along with the audience. Debora Cahn’s The Diplomat gives viewers a front seat to an unfolding international crisis, where the stakes have never been higher.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Family (English)
Justin Russo has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada, Roman and Milo. But when Justin's sister Alex brings Billie to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.
Cast:
Janice LeAnn Brown, David Henrie, Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, Taylor Cora
Magical Disney Series Leans Into Nostalgia, With Help From Selena Gomez
Mon, November 18 2024
If you’ve wondered what happened to the Russos of Waverly Place, Disney’s latest series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place gives you an update on the family. The new sequel and spinoff rolled into one is more focused on Justin Russo (David Henrie), who returns to his old life in magic, thanks to a new student, a young wizard named Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown). Aimed at a young new generation, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is a nostalgic watch that fans of the old series can now introduce to their own children.
Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot
Documentary (English)
Prolific South African artist and filmmaker William Kentridge chronicles how he creates intricate, wall-sized charcoal drawings of the vistas from his childhood in Johannesburg and life-sized paintings of himself — all while ruminating on the puzzle of self-knowledge.
Director:
William Kentridge
Chaos and creation in the studio
Sun, November 17 2024
A portly white-haired man walks into the frame and, even before he’s sat, addresses the camera with some urgency. “Before he arrives, there are some things I just want to say. It’s about the nature of the structure of, and the destructure, and the non-structure of what we see." He lists the disparate thoughts running through his head: a green cake he once ate in Naples, the fish pie he must take out of the freezer, a line from Mayakovsky, digging in The Great Escape and as a young boy on the beach, a row of coffins for mass burial, the impending birth of his granddaughter
Against the Tide
Documentary (Marathi)
Two friends, both Indigenous fishermen, are driven to desperation by a dying sea. Their friendship begins to fracture as they take very different paths to provide for their struggling families.
Director:
Sarvnik Kaur
(Writing for HyperAllergic)
A Tale of Two Indigenous Fishermen in Mumbai
Sat, November 16 2024
The story of Mumbai, India’s largest city, is linked inextricably with the story of the Kolis, the lower-caste, Indigenous fisherfolk community whose koliwadas (villages) dot the coastline. Until the 1800s, what we know as Mumbai today used to be an archipelago of seven islands, harmoniously inhabited by Koli communities. These islands turned into a city due to human intervention — a product of several land reclamation projects that also enabled the displacement of Mumbai’s original inhabitants.
Gladiator II
Action, Adventure, Drama (English)
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Cast:
Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn
Director:
Ridley Scott
Director Ridley Scott Goes Through the Motions, Retreading Old Ground
Sat, November 16 2024
What happens when you take one of the most irreverent filmmakers of our times, and force him to be sombre, sincere and melodramatic? The result is a film like Gladiator II. It’s not to say that the sequel doesn’t have the campy goodness of the original, especially in the turns by Denzel Washington playing Macrinus (a gladiator-turned-influential figure in Rome), Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger playing Emperor twins Geta and Caracalla (a more sadistic version of Romulus and Remus), but there’s something amiss.
Half Love Half Arranged S02
Drama, Comedy (Hindi)
A rom-com of two 30 year millennials, Riya and Jogi, discover the world of ‘arranged dating’ and find themselves in the crazy circus of bad arranged matches, set-ups, matchmakers, astrologers and well-meaning aunties in an endeavor to get them to “settle down”.
Cast:
Maanvi Gagroo, Karan Wahi, Grusha Kapoor, Supriya Shukla, Amit Singh Thakur
Director:
Simarpreet Singh
Writer:
Simarpreet Singh
(Writing for Binged)
A Superficial Yet Tolerable Rom-com
Sat, November 16 2024
Riya’s household has a new guest – Ved, son of her father’s close friend Dinesh. As the family gradually adapts to his presence at the house, Riya is desperate to stabilise her relationship with the divorcee Jogi. She finds a new friend in Ved, also her secret admirer. Meanwhile, aunt Rajjo is all set to enter wedlock with a neighbour but Riya is as confused as ever about her relationships.