Fri, September 4 2026

There is not enough slash for a slasher, if that is your thing; and there is not enough surprise for it to be a thriller.

Celeste (Adria Arjona) is a troubled ex-Marine roughing it out in a trailer park in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by similar misfits and discontents, and guns, loads and loads of them. When others shoot the breeze, she literally takes her guns out and does target practice, on carved Halloween pumpkins. Having her ex drop their young daughter (Blake Kennedy) for the weekend to this trailer park is a dangerous enough proposition. But that’s not the half of it.

Continue reading …

Fri, September 4 2026

Venu Gopal Reddy’s Telugu film works better as a buddy comedy than a love story, and could have benefited from sharper writing

In the final portions of Romanchakam, written and directed by Venu Gopal Reddy, the comedy of errors is in full swing. The narrative wants us to root for the lead pair, Anvesh (Sumanth Prabhas) and Mythili (Ananthika Sanilkumar). However, what lands better is the commotion created by Anvesh’s friends as they try to salvage the situation. Despite being consistently silly and overly talkative, their bond feels more convincing than the romance at the centre of the story. For a love story to work, the female protagonist needs to be well written. Perhaps in an attempt to keep the narrative breezy and humorous, the writing holds back from establishing who Mythili is. We know little about her background, aspirations or what stands in the way of her getting what she wants. A passing scene hints at differences between her and her parents, but the idea is not explored further. There are also sporadic references to suicide, but these remain vague and are never treated with much sincerity. At one point, an incident involving a suicide attempt is even played for humour. This imbalance between comedy and emotional depth makes it difficult to fully invest in the love story.

Continue reading …

Fri, September 4 2026

छोटे पर्दे पर धूम मचाने वाली महाप्रभु जगन्नाथ की भक्तिमय कहानी तमाम कानूनी लड़ाइयां जीतने के बाद अब बड़े पर्दे पर पहुंच चुकी है। प्रभु जगन्नाथ की महिमा का गुणगान करती यह ऐनिमेटेड फिल्म बुराई पर अच्छाई की जीत की एक सरल-सहज पौराणिक गाथा है, जो बच्चों को पसंद आएगी।

Continue reading …

Fri, September 4 2026

‘अर्जुन का तीर था, उड़ती शमशीर था। देवों में सूर्य था, वायु रणवीर था। सेना का जोश था, बादल मदहोश था। सीमा के पार जो जाता था तीर सा, दुश्मन काे मारकर आता था वीर सा।’ डॉक्यूमेंट्री ‘द लास्ट सैल्यूट: अ लव लेटर टू मिग-21’ की ये शुरुआती पंक्तियां ही ये साबित कर देती हैं कि कुछ मशीनें सिर्फ मशीनें नहीं होतीं। वे इतिहास का हिस्सा बन जाती हैं, पीढ़ियों की यादों में बस जाती हैं और उनसे जुड़े लोगों के लिए एक भावनात्मक रिश्ता बना लेती हैं। भारतीय वायुसेना के साथ मिग-21 का रिश्ता भी कुछ ऐसा ही है, जिसे डॉक्यूमेंट्री ‘द लास्ट सैल्यूट: अ लव लेटर टू मिग-21’गर्व, रोमांच और भावुकता के साथ दिखाती है। खुद पूर्व वायुसेना सदस्य रह चुके डायरेक्टर कुशल श्रीवास्तव की यह डॉक्यूमेंट्री भारतीय वायुसेना संग 62 साल लंबे रिश्ते के बाद अलविदा कहने वाले मिग 21 को सलामी है। कहानी उन 23 स्क्वॉड्रन से शुरू होती है, जो मिग 21 को ऑपरेशनल भूमिका में उड़ाने वाली आखिरी स्क्वॉड्रन थी। फिर 26 सितंबर 2025 को चंडीगढ़ में हुए मिग-21 के विदाई समारोह को भावुक अंदाज में दिखाती है। दिलचस्प बात यह है कि 1963 में इसी चंडीगढ़ एयर स्टेशन पर मिग-21 को भारतीय वायुसेना का हिस्सा बना था। यानी जहां से इसकी यात्रा शुरू हुई, वहीं उसका अंतिम अध्याय भी पूरा हुआ।

Continue reading …

Mon, August 31 2026

The Last Salute celebrates the MiG-21's immense power while honouring the pilots who flew it

The heady roar of the legendary supersonic fighter jet that served the Indian Air Force (IAF) for 62 years is muffled by nostalgia-dripping voices, an emotionally redolent background score, and a mind seeking to absorb loads of information. The “kick” inherent in the MiG-21 story is, however, given full rein in this engaging Netflix documentary conceived and executed as a companion piece to the hit web series Operation Safed Sagar. “Kick” is the word that several retired and serving pilots interviewed on camera use in describing what they felt when they sat in the cockpit of the now-retired-from-active-service MiG-21 and revved up the engine for take-off. The documentary transmits much of that to the audience.

Continue reading …

Mon, August 31 2026

From the creator of ‘Operation Safed Sagar,’ this neat little documentary features the final hurrah of the Indian Air Force’s prized possession, the MiG-21 fighter jet

There’s something innately sincere about The Last Salute, a documentary about the 62-year-old marriage between the MiG-21 and the Indian Air Force (IAF). It revolves around the retirement of the iconic Soviet fighter jet in 2025, leading up to its farewell ceremony while telling its story through the lens of the chosen few who were qualified to fly them. “A Love letter to MiG-21” is part of the title, so it’s more of a personal ode than a formal chronicling; its reputation as “a flying coffin” is hastily dismissed and neatly glided over. It’s just like watching one partner say goodbye to another after a long and eventful relationship, choosing to remember them fondly despite all the flaws and illnesses. Given that it’s from the creator of the recent Kargil series, Operation Safed Sagar, perhaps this apolitical and isolated wistfulness isn’t surprising.

Continue reading …

Mon, August 31 2026

Nayanthara and Kavin are great when it’s all fun and games in director Vishnu Edavan's 'Hi,' but they’re not able to navigate the film through the more serious portions

There’s a forgotten brand of humour that works really well for the most part in Vishnu Edavan’s Hi. Reminding one of the loud, but likeable comedies from the ’90s made by directors like Ezhil and Sundar C, the intentional old-schoolness of Hi has a way of surprising you with its silliness. It doesn’t even attempt to play it safe or try the logical approach. If there’s a joke to be milked, the film will do anything, even if means hitting someone on the head with a pole. It’s desperate and immatur, but oftentimes also feels oddly sincere.

Continue reading …

Mon, August 31 2026

The journey of Hi is made even more beautiful by the easy charm exuded by Nayanthara and Kavin, who ensure the romance doesn’t overshadow the comedy, and the comedy doesn’t overpower the romance

Desire. Almost every relationship is based on a desire of some sort. It can be a desire for companionship, touch, love, family, respect, and of course, lust. But at the base of it all is a desire to feel desired. Wanting someone to want you for who you are is a high that many go through life without ever feeling. It is in pursuit of this uns that people give their all. Vishnu Edavan’s Hi is about one such guy, Mayilsamy (A wonderfully understated Kavin), who has everything but love of the romantic kind. He meets a down-in-the-dumps woman, Devayani (A superb Nayanthara), who has nothing but the belief that love is destined for the more fortunate ones. No prizes for guessing where the movie goes from here, and the best part? Vishnu isn’t interested in making you play the guessing game, and just wants you to sit back and enjoy a simple, cheery romcom that hits you right at the feels.

Continue reading …

Sun, August 30 2026

Director Vishnu Edavan's Hi, starring Nayanthara and Kavin, is a harmless romantic comedy that has some delightful stretches. The film aims for low-stakes and achieves them too.

Rom-coms have a timeless charm. They make you smile, tug at your heartstrings and, at their best, leave you walking out of the theatre with a little more hope than you walked in with. But very few films manage to get that emotional balance right these days. Last week, the Malayalam film Bethlehem Kudumba Unit did it effortlessly. This week, Tamil film Hi attempts to recreate that magic with a story rooted in romance, family and second chances. But does it work? Let’s find out.

Continue reading …

Mon, August 31 2026

Mon, August 31 2026

It repositions a cultural rockstar as a wannabe punk – dealing with life’s punches, which eventually contributed to his tough-but-fair demeanour.

“It’s going to be a bildungsroman…” Tony (Dominic Sessa) announces at the dinner table “… a coming-of-age novel.” He’s talking about a novel he has pitched at a prestigious scholarship interview. His father (Rich Sommers) is excited, his mother (Dagmara Dominczyk) is more circumspect. He’s almost certain he will be chosen for the scholarship, after which he will embark on his journey to be what he already believes is a crucial part of his identity. “I’m a writer,” our 19-year-old protagonist says while introducing himself at a bar in an earlier scene. As we all know now, the debut novel (Kitchen Confidential) would only arrive 25 years later. Before Anthony Bourdain became a renowned chef and a worldwide phenomenon – he was just a kid. An arrogant, entitled, insufferable young man, who thought the world owed him a stage to showcase his brilliance. He was also an incessant and effortless liar. In Matt Johnson’s film, we meet Bourdain when he’s – as the title suggests – Tony, and follow him over an eventful summer. His mother calls him Anthony, which the rebel can’t stand. Hence, he goes out of his way to ask people to not call him that.

Continue reading …

Sun, August 30 2026

In Matt Johnson's ‘Tony’, a young Anthony Bourdain is pulled towards discipline and craft on one side, and recklessness and transgression on the other

Before Anthony Bourdain became the chef, author and TV host who taught an audience to eat, travel and look at the world with curiosity, he was Tony, a 19-year-old who didn’t quite know what to do with himself. “I was—to be frank—a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive and thoughtless young lout, badly in need of a good ass-kicking,” Bourdain wrote of himself in Kitchen Confidential, his 2000 memoir. It is an unusually unsparing assessment, and very much the man we meet in director Matt Johnson’s coming-of-age film about the young Bourdain. Johnson and his co-writers Matthew Miller, Todd Bartels and Lou Howe take their ideas and inspiration from early chapters of the bestselling Kitchen Confidential, particularly Bourdain’s experiences in Provincetown, while taking cinematic liberties to shape it into a comic drama. Tony is less interested in recreating a life than in capturing a formative moment.

Continue reading …

Sun, August 30 2026

Director Vignesh Srikanth's Once More, starring Arjun Das, Aditi Shankar and Sona Olickal, is a romantic drama that works in parts. The film tries to explore closure, second chances and finding love again, but occasionally falls back on familiar cliches.

If you are a believer in destiny, life is all about second chances. Once More takes that idea and builds a romantic drama around a man who has almost forgotten what happiness feels like. Raghuvaran is stuck in a depressive state, barely pushing through each day, when Anjali, a woman who is quite literally walking sunshine, enters his life. She refuses to let him remain in his shell and slowly gives him another shot at happiness.

Continue reading …

Fri, August 28 2026

Director Vignesh Srikanth’s romance drama finds charm in its quieter moments, but its emotional core wobbles in the latter half

Guy sees girl. Guy follows girl. Guy stalks girl. Eventually, girl falls for him. This is a template Tamil cinema has used several times over the last few years; some heroes have actually made entire careers doing just this. It is due to this overall situation that Once More’s first sequence grabs your attention. Raghu (Arjun Das) is seated at the Velachery bus stop — his bike has broken down, and he has to find some other means of transport to get home. With cab drivers unwilling to take up the ride, Raghu is wondering what to do. Enter a bright red car, with his college junior, Anjali (Aditi Shankar), offering him a lift.

Continue reading …

Fri, August 28 2026

Shuffling between the naive optimism of a Vineeth Sreenivasan film and an ultra messy Gautham Menon romance, this is a neatly narrated and ably performed ‘whodunnit’ about a man, the person who killed him and the one that brought him back alive.

To call Once More an intense love story would be to reduce it to just one aspect that make this film wonderfully frustrating. Instead, I’d prefer to look at this story of a man named Raghuvaran (Arjun Das) as something of a cruel whodunnit. I call it that because the Raghu we first meet can barely be called a person who is well and alive. He’s a corpse, that’s just about capable of walking and talking. When we see him in constant conversation with both a priest as well as a psychiatrist, we see him grappling with spirituality and/or science to bring him alive. Instead of saying ‘Raghu is…’, the film trains you to say ‘Raghu was…’

Continue reading …

Fri, August 28 2026

Teju is a rich businessman’s daughter, living independently on her terms and driving a cab for her livelihood. Her liberated lifestyle is a cause of concern for nagging neighbours. They use every trick in the book to kick her out of the apartment. All hell breaks loose when she has a new roommate in Sindhu, a corporate employee looking to escape her uncle’s rigid norms at home. While both the lead actors fit their parts in terms of appearance and styling, their performances are just okay and nothing great to write home about. Gnaneswari Kandregula is a decent casting choice to play the rebellious Teju. Thanuja Puttaswamy brings a good contrast with her role as a meek yet ambitious girl.

Continue reading …

Thu, August 27 2026

1999-ம் ஆண்டு நடந்த கார்கில் போரின் பின்னணியில், அணு ஆயுதப் போர் மூளும் அபாயத்துக்கு இடையே நடக்கும் அரசியல், ராணுவ மோதல்களைப் பேசும் நெட்ஃபிளிக்ஸ் இந்தித் தொடர் இது. (தமிழ் டப்பிங் உண்டு).

18,000 அடி உயரத்தில் பாகிஸ்தான் ராணுவத்தின் ஊடுருவலை முறியடிக்க, இந்திய விமானப்படையின் ‘கோல்டன் ஏரோஸ்’ (Golden Arrows) ஸ்க்வாட்ரன் நடத்திய சவாலான வான்வழித் தாக்குதலை விவரிக்கிறது இந்தத் தொடர். ஸ்க்வாட்ரன் லீடர் அஜய் அஹுஜா (சித்தார்த்), விங் கமாண்டர் டோனி (ஜிம்மி ஷெர்கில்) இணைந்து தங்கள் இளம் விமானிகளைப் போருக்கு எப்படித் தயார்படுத்தி வழி நடத்துகிறார்கள் என்பதே இதன் விறுவிறுப்பான மையக்கதை. நிஜப் போர் வீரர்களாக சித்தார்த்தும் ஜிம்மி ஷெர்கிலும் எந்தவிதமான மிகைப்படுத்தலுமின்றி, தங்களின் முதிர்ச்சியான நடிப்பால் கதாபாத்திரங்களுக்கு உயிர் கொடுத்திருக்கின்றனர். பாகிஸ்தான் பிரதமர் நவாஸ் ஷெரீஃபாக வினய் பதக், அவரைத் தந்திரமாக இயக்கும் ஜெனரல் முஷாரஃபாக மனு ரிஷி சத்தா ஆகியோரின் நடிப்பும் தொடருக்குப் பெரும் பலம். அபய் வர்மா, மிஹிர் அஹுஜா, பிரஜக்தா கோலி, தியா மிர்ஸா எனத் துணைக் கதாபாத்திரங்களின் பங்களிப்பிலும் நேர்த்தி.

Continue reading …

Mon, August 10 2026

Sat, August 8 2026

‘Operation Safed Sagar’ occasionally drags and doesn't shun its propaganda duties. But it's a rare war narrative that keeps a cool head and focuses on strategy, processes and individual skill

Two months into the Kargil War, Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif determines to see with his eyes what his heart already suspects: that they’re losing the battle. At Skardu base, he’s received by Maj Gen Javed Hassan, who invites him to the officer’s mess for a briefing. Sharif fixes with a stare and says, “The truth of democracy is revealed at the polling booth, and the reality of war in the hospital.” The condition of the wounded and general despondency in the hospital tent tells him all he needs to know, prompting a rare act of rebellion and a covert trip to Washington.

Continue reading …

Thu, August 27 2026

Mon, August 24 2026

Sat, August 22 2026

The Telugu film brings to the fore the pertinent issue of empowering daughters to speak up, anchored by Ravi Teja and child actor Nakshatra’s performances

At the first sign of abuse, a character in the Telugu film Irumudi asks his daughter not to blow it up into a big issue. She wants to raise a complaint, but he states that fear is the best safety armour for a girl child. Another character empowers his daughter to be transparent and share all the happenings at school and the village without fear. These contrasting approaches of two fathers become the film’s biggest takeaway. The other significant takeaway is how Irumudi marks the return of Shiva Nirvana and Ravi Teja to form after a few middling films.

Continue reading …

Thu, August 27 2026

Sun, August 23 2026

With a fun mix of relatable characters and snappy dialogues, Girish AD’s ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’, starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, is a charming age-gap romance

Of all the things Justin (Nivin Pauly) and Ashley (Mamitha Baiju), the protagonists of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, bond over, music is perhaps what triggers the initial spark. He dusts off an old cassette player, and she brings in her box of cherished old audio cassettes, which she refused to leave behind when her strict mother asked her to while shifting houses. She is surprised that he has heard of the alternative rock band ‘Breeders’, her favourite. It changes her serious, old-man image of him. When Ashley lands in this neighbourhood with her family, reluctant to leave her small home in the village, she is a little circumspect and even melancholic, as one of the characters puts it. Soon, she gels in, as if she has found her tribe. Girish AD does something similar with the audience. He places us firmly amid this bunch of closely-knit characters, all with relatable qualities, quirks and failings, making us feel as if we are among a group of our own friends. It also feels as if everyone here, except Ashley and her family have known each other all their lives, for such is the easy camaraderie and the sharpness of the repartees.

Continue reading …

Sat, August 22 2026

Gireesh AD's film has a narrative softness that’s obsessed with making you feel, rather than telling you about it

Set aside all temptations to speak about small town Angamaly as a character in Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, because even a guitar has a full character arc in Gireesh AD’s effortlessly charming film. The first scene of the film is Ashley (Mamitha Baiju) getting ready to say goodbye to her group of close friends as we hear chatter about her moving to a college in Ernakulam. They click selfies, hug each other all teary eyed and as a farewell gift, her friends gift her a new guitar. It takes an hour more, but it’s when we see the wallpaper on Ashley’s screen that we’re told about a band named Room 17 and of how she was its lead guitarist. When her new neighbour Justin (Nivin Pauly) identifies the band that features on this wallpaper, it immediately brings Ashley closer to Justin, someone she thinks off as the only person around her who’s even heard of that band.

Continue reading …

Sun, August 23 2026

ஹாலிவுட்டின் புகழ்பெற்ற `இன்சிடியஸ்' (Insidious) ஹாரர் யுனிவர்ஸில் ஆறாவது பாகமாக வந்திருக்கிறது `இன்சிடியஸ்: அவுட் ஆஃப் தி ஃபர்தர்'. `தி ரெட் டோர்' படத்துக்குப் பிறகு நடக்கும் இந்தக் கதை, லேம்பர்ட் குடும்பத்தைத் தாண்டி வேறொரு குடும்பத்தின் கதையைப் பேசுகிறது.

தாயின் துர்மரணத்துக்குப் பின், தன் பழைய வீட்டிலேயே மகள் மாயாவுடன் வசிக்கிறார் பல் மருத்துவர் ஜெம்மா. அங்கே அந்த வீட்டில் அமானுஷ்ய நிகழ்வுகள் அரங்கேற, மறைந்த அமானுஷ்ய ஆராய்ச்சி நிபுணர் எலிஸின் (Elise) ஆன்மாவின் உதவியுடன் தன்னைப் பற்றிய உண்மையை அறிகிறார். அதாவது ஆன்மாக்களின் உலகத்திற்கு (The Further) சென்று வருவது மட்டுமன்றி, நிஜ உலகத்திலிருந்து அங்கும், அங்கிருந்து நிஜ உலகிற்கும் எந்தப் பொருட்களையும் எடுத்துவரும் ‘கூரியர்’ (Courier) என்ற அபூர்வ சக்தி தனக்கு இருப்பதை உணர்கிறார் ஜெம்மா. அவரின் இந்தச் சக்தியைப் பயன்படுத்தி நிஜ உலகைக் கைப்பற்றத் துடிக்கும் அசுர ஆன்மாக்களிடமிருந்து ஜெம்மாவும் அவரது மகளும் தப்பித்தார்களா, அவர்களுக்கு எலிஸ் எப்படித் துணையாக நிற்கிறார் என்பதே திகில் நிறைந்த திரைக்கதை.

Continue reading …

Sat, August 22 2026

The first Insidious film came out in 2011, and since then, the franchise has spawned six films, including the latest, Out of the Further, directed by Jacob Chase, who makes his debut in the franchise. Horror franchises like this are low-hanging fruit for producers and studios. The six films have collectively made more than $700 million at the box office on a combined budget of less than one-tenth of that amount, making the math fairly simple. The franchise has also attracted some reputed names from the world of horror. James Wan, of The Conjuring fame, directed the first two films, while Oren Peli, who made Paranormal Activity, has served as a producer on all six.

Continue reading …

Fri, August 21 2026

It’s only so many ways that you can take this story about the Further farther, told as it has been in four films before.

If the thought of lying defenceless on a chair as a dentist pokes around inside your mouth leaves you queasy, you are in kindred company. This latest chapter in the Insidious franchise does draw on teeth, the full rotting spectrum of them, to add bite to its howls. And who better than beings suspended between life and death (the “Further” world, in the film’s words) for a specimen of ghastly pearly whites)? However, as and when it pulls out, the film is only passingly effective. It’s only so many ways that you can take this story about the Further farther, told as it has been in four films before. And the effort to do that shows, though as mother and daughter, the pair of Amelia Eve (in the role of Gemma) and Island Austin (Maya) are pretty good.

Continue reading …