Bison Kaalamaadan
Action, Drama (Tamil)
A young man fights to overcome violence plaguing his village and succeed as a professional kabaddi player. (more…)
Guild Reviews
Bison Kaalamaadan
Action, Drama (Tamil)
A young man fights to overcome violence plaguing his village and succeed as a professional kabaddi player.
Cast:
Dhruv Vikram, Anupama Parameswaran, Rajisha Vijayan, Pasupathy, Ameer, Lal, Kalaiyarasan, N. Azhagamperumal, Anuraag Arora
Director:
Mari Selvaraj
Writer:
Mari Selvaraj
Wed, October 22 2025
Mari Selvaraj’s film has the familiar beats of a sports biopic but doesn’t go much beyond it
Since his directorial debut with Pariyerum Perumal (2018), it’s been well-established that Mari Selvaraj’s primary weapons as a storyteller have been his singular point-of-view and guttural intensity. Whether it’s the symbolisation of Karuppi (a dog painted in blue) in his debut, or that interval-block from Karnan (2021), when the protagonist (Dhanush) destroys a public bus. Careful to not end up advocating for mob violence through the scene, Selvaraj uses Santosh Narayanan’s score to build up to the violence as an act of desperate assertion, rather than an accomplishment. In his latest, Bison Kaalamaadan, I kept waiting for a similarly sublime flourish, which arrived in the film’s final moments. Based on the struggles of a Kabaddi player, it’s in the final moments that Selvaraj zooms into what makes Kittan (Dhruv Vikram) such a potent athlete. For the first time in the 160-minute film, we see Kittan’s guile as a kabaddi player, deceiving his opponent by moving sideways and forward faster than his opponents can think. When he’s grabbed by an opponent – instead of trying to free himself, he grabs the opponent back, and spins both bodies around. A couple of twirls later, he’s back on his side of the pitch.
Mon, October 20 2025
Sat, October 18 2025
'Bison' is among the best films to have been released this year and among the absolute best sports dramas to have emerged from Tamil cinema.
Several aspects of Bison will urge you to keep rewatching the film, but if there’s one that kept surprising me, it was its editing. More than a smooth linear edit, Sakthi Thiru builds up scenes like he’s stacking Jenga blocks. Just when you feel too overwhelmed to absorb the layers playing out in one scene fully, he chooses to insert that with a tiny reaction shot or a cutaway that will immediately take you through the entire magnitude of Kittan’s (played by Dhruv Vikram) journey and how much he’s had to go through to get where he has.
Dude
Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance (Tamil)
Childhood friends Agan and Kural are inseparable. When Kural encounters romantic troubles, Agan must balance his hidden feelings for her with his desire to ensure her happiness.
Cast:
Pradeep Ranganathan, R. Sarathkumar, Mamitha Baiju, Hridhu Haroon, Neha Shetty, Rohini, Ramachandra Raju, Dravid Selvam, Aishwarya Sharma, Satya
Director:
Keerthiswaran
Writer:
Keerthiswaran
Mon, October 20 2025
Sat, October 18 2025
Pradeep Ranganathan’s 'Dude' wants to be a self-aware satire about love, ego and liberation, but its loud tone, chaotic twists and overcooked emotions leave you more exhausted than entertained.
There’s an argument to be made about the cleverness of the opening sequence of Pradeep Ranganathan’s third outing as hero, Dude. Not only does he deserve an introduction befitting a rising star, but he’s also not at the level where he can save an entire village — at least, not yet. So instead of a grand hero’s entry, what he gets is the absolute definition of a zero entry.
Sat, October 18 2025
Paathirathri
Drama, Thriller (Malayalam)
When two police officers, Hareesh and Jancy, stumble upon a mysterious event at midnight, they unleash a chain of unpredictable consequences that threaten their careers, relationships, and lives.
Cast:
Navya Nair, Soubin Shahir, Sunny Wayne, Ann Augustine, Shabareesh Varma, Indrans, Athmeeya Rajan, Harisree Ashokan, Achyuth Kumar, Pooja Mohanraj
Director:
Ratheena
Writer:
Shaji Maarad
Sun, October 19 2025
In recent years, Malayalam cinema has produced several police stories that look beyond their heroic surface. From the era of Suresh Gopi’s Bharath Chandran IPS, the template has shifted to more grounded portrayals, with filmmakers exploring the brutal, vulnerable, and helpless sides of police officers. Ratheena’s Paathirathri belongs to this newer breed, focusing equally on the personal lives of its cops. Set in Anakkara, a village in Kerala’s Idukki district, the film revolves around an unforeseen event that takes place at midnight.
Sat, October 18 2025
In following a genre by the book, Ratheena’s sophomore film ‘Paathirathri’fails to bring any novelty to the table or inject excitement to the proceedings
One of the surest bets for audience appreciation in the current purple patch of Malayalam cinema has been realistic police procedurals. An intriguing screenplay bringing out all the crucial little details of the investigation and a fairly surprising twist in the tale could turn a film into a box office winner. But this trend is now slowly turning into a formula, with makers at times mechanically repeating all the familiar beats of the genre.
Two Much With Kajol and Twinkle
Talk (Hindi)
Two of India’s sharpest women, Kajol and Twinkle, host a talk show that’s fun, unhinged and sneakily insightful - featuring celebrity guests, wild takes, and total chaos. Like the fun table at the party - everyone’s invited.
Cast:
Twinkle Khanna, Kajol
Director:
Arun Sheshkumar
Writer:
Bhavesh Gandhi, Jessica Khurrana, Punya Arora
Sun, October 19 2025
The patron saints of the silly join Twinkle Khanna and Kajol on their new talk show.
One of the strange symptoms of our current climate is an inability to distinguish between ironic and unironic love. When I ask friends who have paid for and partaken in Himesh Reshammiya’s Cap Mania concert, if they are enjoying the music or the performance of a collective exercise in irony, the answers confuse me, because the distinction seems hard to make. The question of what to do with celebrities of irony is itching, because they are people who become known for their upfront, unapologetic silliness. We enjoy their audacity. We cringe at the expression of it. Why do we love Rakhi Sawant? Urvashi Rautela? What primal instinct for trash do they accomplish? Perhaps, trash has a street credit that Satyajit Ray simply cannot compete with, a counter-canon kind of joy that insists on and prides itself in being outside of what is considered tasteful and tactful.
Diesel
Action, Romance, Drama (Tamil)
During the 1980s, Manohar was a leader in the city's crude oil smuggling business. Manohar opposed Patanis dream of setting up a private port that would become a hub for the black market oil trade. He looted a large quantity of oil from the pipeline to blackmail the government into fulfilling his dream. Finally, the Vasu finds the missing oil.
Cast:
Harish Kalyan, Athulya Ravi, Yogi Babu, Karunas, Vinay Rai, Ananya, Sai Kumar, Sachin Khedekar, Vivek Prasanna, KPY Dheena
Director:
Shanmugam Muthusamy
Writer:
Shanmugam Muthusamy
Sat, October 18 2025
'Diesel' is a film that keeps growing in size without really asking, what is it really that is expanding—the stakes or the world?
With big, puppy dog eyes and an angular nose that could crater dimples into cheeks, facial hair that hoods over his lips, nimble legs that slip into skinny pants, a bicep wide enough to hold a strange tattoo of his dead mother as a mermaid, and a mop of hair so thick and wild, it requires its own continuity supervisor, actor Harish Kalyan finds the pitch of his character in Diesel, Vasu or Diesel Vasu, somewhere between the charming boy from a romantic film and the vengeful hero from an action one, between the lithe dance movements of Vijay and the handsome, brooding anger of Surya, not quite either, not quite both.
Fri, October 17 2025
Director Shanumugam Muthusamy 'Diesel', starring Harish Kalyan, Vinay Rai and Athulya Ravi, is a film that aims to tell the story of a fisher folk in the problems in the world of crude oil. The film lacks originality despite its length to mount the film on a huge canvas.
Director Shanmugam Muthusamy’s ‘Diesel’, starring Harish Kalyan, Vinay Rai, and Athulya Ravi, attempts to tell the story of fisherfolk caught in the world of crude oil smuggling. Despite its ambitious canvas, the film lacks originality and crumbles under derivative storytelling and technical incompetence. ‘Diesel’ opens with promise. Director Vetri Maaran’s commanding voice-over—reminiscent of his ‘Vada Chennai’—sets up a compelling premise about fishermen protesting a 17-kilometre crude oil pipeline installation on the shore, protests that end in tragedy and bloodshed. It’s the kind of socially conscious setup that suggests substance. But that’s where the promise ends.
The Pet Detective
Adventure, Comedy (Malayalam)
A couple of amateur sleuths attempt to solve the mystery behind disappearing pets, but become embroiled in far more sinister crimes.
Cast:
Sharafudheen, Anupama Parameswaran, Vinay Forrt, Muthukumar, Vinayakan, Joemon Jyothir, Shyam Mohan, Renji Panicker, Maala Parvathi, Jinu Joseph
Director:
Praneesh Vijayan
Writer:
Praneesh Vijayan
Sat, October 18 2025
The screenplay draws on some of the generic elements from comic capers with several parallel events and quirky characters. But, barring some, quite a few characters do not even register due to inadequacies in writing
A kidnapped girl, a missing dog, exotic fishes that get stolen, a feared Mexican mafia don and a couple of smaller dons, a psychopath, a bumbling policeman, and a pet detective. One would need this basic checklist to keep track of the numerous subplots that are cramped into The Pet Detective, directed by debutant Praneesh Vijayan The writers appear to be aware of this rather confusing mix that they get one of the characters to periodically narrate the series of events till then, just so that no one gets lost. But then, it is sometimes a pleasure to get lost in a world in which things do not get serious beyond a point, just like in comics. Clearly, this is the space that the makers are aiming for, where even a Mafia don does not look too dangerous, but at times ends up as a laughing stock. In its staging, editing patterns and over-the-top performances, the film attempts to capture this comic energy. Yet, for a film of this nature, the jokes that land well are just about a handful.
Theatre: The Myth of Reality
Drama, Mystery (Malayalam)
Cast:
Rima Kallingal, Ashwathy B, Dain Davis, Sarasa Balussery, Pramod Veliyanad, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Mekha Rajan, Ann Saleem, Balaji Sarma, Akhil R C Kavalayoor
Director:
Sajin Baabu
Writer:
Sajin Baabu
Sat, October 18 2025
Imagine two women in a lonely house with a large yard that benefits no one else. Would the authorities care about their two votes? In Sajin Baabu’s abstractly titled Theatre: The Myth of Reality, this is how a discussion unfolds among locals in Kerala’s backwaters as they talk about the isolated lives of a spinster named Meera (Rima Kallingal) and her mother Sharadamma (Sarasa Balussery). Their lifestyle is peculiar and far removed from the mainland. In the agriculture-based ecosystem they’ve built for themselves, the duo is surrounded by a serpent temple (kaavu) where a prayer must be performed every day.
The Diplomat S03
Drama, War & Politics (English)
Amid an international crisis, a US diplomat contends with her high-profile job as ambassador to the UK and her strained marriage to a political star.
Cast:
Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, Ato Essandoh
Fri, October 17 2025
The Diplomat season 3 on Netflix ramps up the tension with a missing Russian submarine carrying the doomsday-capable Poseidon torpedo and shocking betrayals that could upend global diplomacy. Oh, it could also destroy and Kate and Hal’s already fragile marriage.
It’s fitting that The Diplomat on Netflix ends its third season not with an explosion, but with something quieter, and infinitely more dangerous. A silence loaded with betrayal. For a show built on diplomatic finesse and political tension, The Diplomat season 3 brings its most devastating twist yet: the realisation that even love, loyalty, and diplomacy are just different dialects of manipulation. Let’s dive into The Diplomat season 3 story and ending, explained here, cast, and more.
Telusu Kada
Romance, Drama (Telugu)
A couple's struggle with infertility takes a complicated turn when an ex-partner offers to be their surrogate.
Cast:
Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Srinidhi Shetty, Raashii Khanna, Harsha Chemudu
Director:
Neeraja Kona
Writer:
Neeraja Kona
Fri, October 17 2025
A complex story of modern relationships that fails to move beyond showing its female protagonists their place, seen through a distinctly male gaze
In an early scene from director Neerraja Kona’s Telugu romance drama Telusu Kada (loosely translated as You know it, right?), chef-restaurateur Varun (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) berates his staff for failing to meet his exacting standards. His friend and moral compass (Harsha Chemmudu) reminds him to see things more practically: for Varun, a loner, the restaurant is his world; for his staff, it is just a job.
The Woman in Cabin 10
Mystery, Drama, Thriller (English)
On a lavish yacht for an assignment, a journalist sees a passenger go overboard. But when no one believes her, she risks her life to uncover the truth.
Cast:
Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Gitte Witt, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario, David Morrissey, Daniel Ings
Director:
Simon Stone, Farhan Rana Rajpoot
Thu, October 16 2025
Aspiring to be Agatha Christie-lite, mounting a narrative that reminds one of the Knives Out films and attempting to throw in a bit of Hitchcockian suspense in a confined space setting, The Woman in Cabin 10 is the latest in the subgenre of unreliable female narrators, one that has gained momentum in the last decade with films like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, Before I Go To Sleep, The Woman in the Window, et al. The Woman in Cabin 10, recently released on Netflix, is based on Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel, and swaps the manor-style/chamber drama setting reserved for mysteries of such kind for a cruise ship. While that may initially come across as inventive, one immediately realises that Christie did it almost 90 years ago with Death on the Nile, that found its way to the big screen in 1978 and then as recently as 2022.
Sat, October 11 2025
Directed by Simon Stone, the yacht-set mystery is an underwhelming thriller that relies entirely on its leading lady.
Based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, The Woman in Cabin 10, follows a journalist, Laura Blacklock, seeking the truth in a suspicious murder. With only herself as a witness, Laura is fighting a losing battle. Starring Keira Knightley as the determined heroine, the film features some cookie-cutter characters who fail to raise interest. The central mystery at the heart of this thriller is too easy to guess as well.
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
Wed, October 15 2025
Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell star in You’re Cordially Invited — the most Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell film possible. That both actors function as executive producers in this 2025 romantic comedy shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, both have earned their stripes largely being a part of such films — ones that are predominantly distinguished by their ability to slap together a ludicrous but mostly watchable story that brings on ample belly laughs. Whether you retain any bit of those films once you walk out of the theatre is, however, questionable.
Sun, February 2 2025
An in-element Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon battle it out in this comedy of errors that is high on errors and low on laughs
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.
Veduvan
Crime, Mystery (Tamil)
Sooraj, a struggling Tamil actor, is approached by a director to star in a biopic about Encounter Specialist Arun. As he dives deeper, he discovers there is much more to Arun’s story.
Cast:
Kanna Ravi, Sanjeev, Sravnitha Srikanth, Vinusha Devi, Rekha Nair, Lavanya, Aishwarya Raghupathi
Director:
Pavan
Writer:
Pavan
Tue, October 14 2025
'Veduvan' on Zee5 follows Sooraj, an actor researching a cop with a controversial past. The series explores the emotional and ethical challenges behind encounter killings in police work.
‘Veduvan’, now streaming on Zee5, throws us into the life of Sooraj, an aspiring actor who unexpectedly lands a lead role in a film about Arun, a cop with a controversial reputation for encounter killings. It’s a classic case of life imitating art, as Sooraj digs into Arun’s world - not just as research for a part, but in a way that starts to affect him deeply.