Sthal (A Match)
Drama (Marathi)
It chronicles the experiences of a young woman yearning to determine her own future in a world where patriarchal traditions deprive women of agency and arranged marriage is presented as the only option for self-betterment. (more…)
Dabba Cartel
Crime, Drama (Hindi)
When an investigation into a pharma company hits close to home, five women launch a tiffin service with a secret ingredient. (more…)
Bada Naam Karenge
Drama, Family (Hindi)
Rishabh and Surbhi, two young individuals, find themselves at the crossroads of an arranged marriage. The story unfolds in two timelines: one in Mumbai, in the past, and another in Madhya Pradesh, where their families meet. In Mumbai, they find (more…)
The Waking of a Nation
Drama (Hindi)
‘The Waking of a Nation' explores the events surrounding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre through the eyes of Kantilal, a fictitious member of the Hunter Commission. When General Dyer orders his troops to open fire at a gathering in Jallianwala Bagh, (more…)
Guild Reviews
Dope Thief
Crime, Drama (English)
Two lifelong friends in Philadelphia pose as DEA agents to rob small-time drug dealers. It's a perfect grift—until they choose the wrong mark and become targets of a massive narcotics enterprise.
Cast:
Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Amir Arison, Nesta Cooper, Kate Mulgrew, Ving Rhames
Gritty Crime Thriller Has Strong Performances, But Weighed Down By Complex Plot
Wed, March 12 2025
The eight-episode series Dope Thief takes its main characters on an absolute journey as greed and corruption in law enforcement are exposed through each stage. Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura’s characters are longtime friends who are drawn into this mess and try to emerge on the other side unscathed. The story hooks you in from the start, but with each twist, you’ll find yourself rolling your eyes at the outrageous turn of events. The well-acted crime drama is worth tuning in only for its cast. Ray (Brian Tyree Henry) and Manny (Wagner Moura) became the best of friends in juvenile detention and continued their life of crime undetected as adults. The duo pose as DEA agents and rob small drug dealers of their stash and money. Until one day when they hit the wrong meth house in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, they are entangled in the larger narcotic crime ring that involves more dangerous drug dealers and even the cops themselves. With no one to turn to and their families now in danger, how do the two friends find an escape?
Dabba Cartel
Crime, Drama (Hindi)
When an investigation into a pharma company hits close to home, five women launch a tiffin service with a secret ingredient.
Cast:
Shabana Azmi, Sai Tamhankar, Jyothika, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand, Gajraj Rao, Parminder Singh Kainth, Ainth Singh Sarminder, Ishan Saxena
Director:
Hitesh Bhatia
Writer:
Vishnu Menon, Bhavna Kher
Shabana Azmi's Performance Is Half The Battle Won
Mon, March 10 2025
Shabana Azmi is the pivot around which Dabba Cartel, a female-driven Netflix crime drama series, swivels. She is in her element. That is half the battle won. Winning the remaining half takes a bit of doing. Happily, it isn’t entirely beyond the team behind and before the camera. Azmi pulls her weight without missing a beat. She is ably supported by a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan, Sai Tamhankar, Lillete Dubey, Shalini Pandey and Anjali Anand. The writing, too, contributes more than its mite to the show by putting a vigorous fresh spin on the genre. Yet, there is no escaping the feeling that the seven-episode Excel Entertainment-produced series, created by Shibani Akhtar, Gaurav Kapur, Vishnu Menon and Akanksha Seda, could have been a little tighter at the seams and a bit lighter at the edges. It falls just a touch short of being an unqualified success.
Shabana Azmi, Jyotika show doesn’t take off
Wed, March 5 2025
Shabana Azmi is the fiery queenpin of a female outfit. They ply a disreputable trade. Her underlings feel the heat of her glare. She suffers no fools. I’m talking, of course, about a film called Mandi, directed by the late, great Shyam Benegal and released in 1983. Its coolness remains unsurpassed, 42 years on. Dabba Cartel, a new Netflix crime series with Azmi again at the helm, tries its best to be cool. Co-created by Shibani Akhtar, the show has a novel core: a home chef’s dabba (tiffin) delivery business spirals into a perilous drug operation. The pin-balling narrative is tugged along over seven episodes. The characters are stock, but, coming at you in numbers, they keep up a busy rhythm, like players on a revolving stage. It has the mark of an Excel production: ample efficiency, not a lot of excellence.
Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Shalini Pandey, Sunil Grover’s thrilling drug tale on Netflix
Sat, March 1 2025
The dark underbelly of Mumbai has shifted its business base to the illegal drugs trade in recent webseries themes. Netflix’s latest offering Dabba Cartel, directed by Hitesh Bhatia and presented by Excel Entertainment, mixes two popular tracks—drugs and dabbawallahs—in one, and the result is, frankly speaking, fantastic. With six episodes of nearly 45-minutes each, Dabba Cartel has everything you would need for a good timepass—nice tempo, well-paced and a great ensemble. Plots thickens with each episode and new characters are introduced to keep you hooked. And, at the end of everything, you’re left wanting for more! Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan, Anjali Anand, Sai Tamhankar, Gajraj Rao, Jisshu Sengupta and Sunil Grover form the primary cast which drives this saga of guts and greed. The makers have avoided any judgmental tone and treat the drug business as any other survival business. More than well written, the characters are well-placed in the story that revolves from chawls to housing societies to farmhouses.
Daredevil: Born Again
Drama, Crime (English)
Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer with heightened abilities, is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
Cast:
Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer
Marvel Makes A Comeback With Old School Heroes And Villains
Mon, March 10 2025
Daredevil has returned once again to the small screen, making his office debut for his solo series. The show, led by Charlie Cox, will also be following the story of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin aka Fisk. Daredevil’s return to the MCU is after the long-running series and spin-off like Defenders on Netflix. The series was dropped a couple of years ago, but Cox made several appearances in other MCU films and projects including Spider-Man No Way Home, Echo, She-Hulk and more. Moving forward with Kingpin’s Arc through the MCU and Daredevil’s past in the Netflix show, the new series is all set to pit them against each other in a new setting. With Fisk as Mayor of New York, and Murdock hanging up his suit, the city brings out the worst in both of them.
Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio Reignite Steely Rivalry In Thrilling, Gritty Revival Series
Wed, March 5 2025
The first Daredevil series was launched nearly a decade ago on Netflix and lasted for three seasons. Much has changed in the Daredevil universe, and we’ve seen Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, pop up in the MCU to interact with other characters. However, it is great to see him back in his own show, Daredevil: Born Again, tackling new cases and standing up to Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk, again. The actors who play these characters step right back into it as the nine-episode series sets up a new collision course for Daredevil and Kingpin. The relative peace of the law firm Nelson Page and Murdock is shattered by a tragic event in the premiere, which spurs Matt (Charlie Cox) to retire his Daredevil persona for a bit. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) returns after an assassination attempt with a renewed sense of responsibility and decides to run for mayor of New York City. A more sober Matt is focused on his law firm, while Fisk wants to be the people’s politician who wants to rid the city of all its vigilantes. The former rivals have their radars set on high again as events keep pulling them back in each other’s orbit.
The Monkey
Horror, Comedy (English)
When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.
Cast:
Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O'Brien, Adam Scott, Elijah Wood, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, Osgood Perkins, Nicco Del Rio
Director:
Osgood Perkins
Theo James Brings A Twisted Comic Tale Of Pure Gore
Mon, March 10 2025
The film based on a short story by Stephen King gives a take of its own but twist of comedy and creativity liberties to cover for a feature film’s run time. Directed by Osgood Perkins known for his recent release Longlegs, has turned for another horror but this time it comes with a comedy twist. The film led by Theo James follows the story of twins, who didn’t get much from their father, but a haunted Monkey toy. But its not a toy, its like an ‘Evil thing’. Everyone is the safest when the monkey isn’t beating the drum it came with, but the amount of gore in the film, nobody is safe. The film begins with Adam Scott aka Petey Shelburn Sr trying his best to return the Monkey to a shop but is unable to as its next victim as soon as it plays the drums, a chain reaction ends up claiming the live of the shop owner. Leaving it behind isn’t enough for Petey and he decides to use a flame thrower to melt it down but years later it safely finds its way to Petey’s twin kids. It is unclear what happened to Petey, but with everything that goes on in the film, it really could have ended any way for him.
The Waking of a Nation
Drama (Hindi)
‘The Waking of a Nation' explores the events surrounding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre through the eyes of Kantilal, a fictitious member of the Hunter Commission. When General Dyer orders his troops to open fire at a gathering in Jallianwala Bagh, Kantilal takes it upon himself, with his life under threat, to uncover the dark conspiracy that led to the massacre.
Cast:
Nikita Dutta, Sahil Mehta, Paul McEwan, Taaruk Raina, Alex Reece, Bhawsheel Singh Sahni
Director:
Ram Madhvani
Writer:
Shantanu Srivastava, Shatrujeet Nath, Ram Madhvani
History Lesson Lacks Impact
Mon, March 10 2025
The unrest surrounding the oppressive Rowlatt Act culminates in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. London-educated advocate Kantilal Sahni, witnessing the carnage, loses his childhood friends Hari and Allahbaksh amidst the political chaos. Haunted by their deaths, Sahni exposes the systemic injustice of the British Raj that facilitated the massacre, while leading the Hunter Commission inquiry. Taaruk Raina, popular for his lighter roles, makes a welcome departure from his strengths, in a heavy role packed with old-fashioned drama – an arena he’s not fully comfortable with, though he delivers a sincere performance. Sahil Mehta, as the angsty journalist with firm opinions, is at ease with his portrayal and is helped by his strong screen presence.
The Conspiracy Behind The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
Sun, March 9 2025
It was a blood splattered Baisakhi on April 13, 1919. When a jashan (celebration) turned into a janazaa (funeral) for the hundreds gunned down at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar. General Dyer went down in history as the butcher. He was the cruel perpetrator, also the puppet. But mastermind, ringmaster and puppeteer Lieutenant-General Michael O’Dwyer was never formally indicted. (Udham Singh did shoot him dead more than 20 years later.) Is it time for an unwritten chapter to be brought to the fore? Director Ram Madhvani who had shown glimpses of how well he can segue imagination into history when he made the short film That Bloody Line (on how Sir Cyril Radcliffe cut off bits of India on the west and on the east), goes down the same path, same era.This time to recreate the Amritsar of 1919.
All Gunpowder, No Bullets
Sat, March 8 2025
In cricket, when the fielding team challenges an LBW (Leg Before Wicket) call, the DRS (Decision Review System) comes into play. This DRS process is a lot like reviewing a film or show. Every stage corresponds to real-world parameters. First, the third umpire checks if it’s a legal delivery — the equivalent of checking if the craft and shot-taking and basic staging are fundamentally sound. Then they move onto Snickometer to see if there’s an edge off the bat or glove — the equivalent of checking if the storytelling is engaging. Finally, Ball Tracking is used to project the trajectory of the delivery. Even here, it doesn’t matter if the ball is hitting the stumps, it has to pitch in line — the equivalent of checking if the intent and politics of the narrative add up. If all checks out, the on-field decision can be reversed and the batsman is ruled out — the equivalent of defying an anti-art industry and making a good show.
Dupahiya
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
Dhadakpur, the Belgium of Bihar, is on the cusp of celebrating 25 years of being crime free. But chaos strikes when a never-seen-before motorbike, that was purchased as a wedding gift gets stolen 7 days before the ceremony! The journey taken by the bride's family and ex-lover to find the Dupahiya forms the heart of this comedy, which explores the hopes and aspirations of simple people.
Cast:
Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Bhuvan Arora, Yashpal Sharma
Engaging Rural Comedy with a Message
Mon, March 10 2025
Banwari Jha, a teacher in the remote village of Dhadakpur, is anxious to find a husband for his daughter, Roshni. Despite her relationship with childhood friend Amavaas, Roshni accepts a marriage proposal, surprisingly opting for the groom’s brother, Kuber. Kuber’s demand for a five-lakh worth motorbike as dowry sets off a chain of unexpected events. Fresh after his heartfelt performance in Laapata Ladies – Sparsh Shrivastava is back in a familiar avatar (with a few tweaks) but still manages to leave a strong imprint, thanks to his agile body language, ease with humour and drama. Gajraj Rao brings warmth to yet another fatherly role. It’s a pleasant sight to see Shivani Raghuvanshi grow with every project while staying true to the pitch of the character.
Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane’s anti-Mirzapur show delivers clean, family entertainment
Sun, March 9 2025
A stolen motorcycle– ‘dupahiya’– in the fictional village of Dhadakpur becomes the fulcrum around which this new comedy and its characters revolve, delivering a melange of Bihari-via-Mumbai accents, loads of quirk and broad life lessons. This is the mix that gave ‘Panchayat’ its mojo, with Phulera’s Sachivji and Pradhanji and their cohorts becoming a byword in the madly-popular OTT-specific ruralcom genre. Here, Uttar Pradesh is replaced by Bihar, but the mood remains similarly overall sunny, as the occasional clouds created by the busy plot (written by Avinash Dwivedi and Chirag Garg) are dispelled by the show’s determinedly cheerful air: leave the viewer smiling is clearly the mandate.
The Curious Case of a ‘Panchayat’ Hangover
Sat, March 8 2025
I remember watching the first season of Panchayat (2020) and thinking: Wow, this is going to change things. And it did. It altered the way we perceived “comedy” as a serious genre. It was very exciting to see a simple, slice-of-life environment — the iconic fictional village of Phulera and its bittersweet characters — seared into the modern streaming lexicon. But I’d be lying if I said I was blindly optimistic. At the back of my mind, there was this fear — a fear derived from years of watching Hindi cinema overkill a new sensation. Nobody knows how to quit while they’re ahead.
Sthal (A Match)
Drama (Marathi)
It chronicles the experiences of a young woman yearning to determine her own future in a world where patriarchal traditions deprive women of agency and arranged marriage is presented as the only option for self-betterment.
Cast:
Nandini Chikte, Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Sandip Somalkar, Sandip Parkhi, Swati Ulmale, Gauri Badki, Mansi Pawar, Sachin Tonge
Director:
Jayant Digambar Somalkar
Writer:
Jayant Digambar Somalkar
Marathi Film Shining Again
Sun, March 9 2025
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
Subtle yet powerful critique of forced arranged marriages of girls
Sun, March 9 2025
India is obsessed with marriages. Weddings take place all over the country in different regions and among different communities and they are celebrated like anything. However, even in today’s times in rural India, the idea of a girl’s forced arranged marriage still exists. Filmmaker Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s Sthal (A Match) boldly highlights this social evil. The movie takes place in a village in Maharashtra named Dongargaon and it revolves around Savita Daulatrao Wandhare (Nandini Chikte). She is in her Final year of Bachelor of Arts course and her specialization subject is Sociology. Her father (Taranath Khiratkar) and mother (Sangita Sonekar) wish to get her married off soon but she wants to study further.
A sharp critique of traditional matchmaking practice
Sat, March 8 2025
As the world customarily deliberates on a woman’s place in society this week, writer-director Jayant Somalkar shows us the mirror through a deceptively simple take on the patriarchal roots of the traditional matchmaking process and the attendant social churn in our villages. Structured like a coming-of-age story of a village girl struggling to find her way out of the dragnet of gender roles and societal expectations, protagonist Savita’s tenacity and quiet rebellion pierce our consciousness. Seen from a girl’s point of view, Sthal’s scope is not limited to the humiliation a girl and her family endure in finding a suitable match through an arranged marriage. It deconstructs its cultural context, its normalisation, and its consequences. When news pages bring the rise in the number of farmer suicides and the sale of mobile phones in rural Maharashtra into our living rooms, one misses the social pressures and moral conditioning that pushes a peasant to the brink and reduce jobless youth to data.
Kingston
Horror, Adventure (Tamil)
A fisherman is determined to break a curse that has plagued his village for centuries.
Cast:
G. V. Prakash Kumar, Divyabharathi, Chetan, Elango Kumaravel, Sabumon Abdusamad, Rajesh Balachandiran, N. Azhagamperumal, Antony, VishavRaaj, Arunachaleshwaran
Director:
Kamal Prakash
Writer:
Kamal Prakash
A promising sea creature feature watered down by its embellishments
Sun, March 9 2025
There is a quaint Christian fishing hamlet. There is a raging sea at their footsteps. The villagers haven’t gone fishing in their waters for over two decades. Every single person who has gone out to the sea has come back dead. There is a curse. There is a reasoning. There are overarching themes involving regret, retribution, and redemption. There is a romance track that, thankfully, exists in the periphery. There is a to-and-fro between timelines that moves from the 80s to the 2020s to the 2010s to the 60s to the 80s, and you know the drill. There are multiple backstories for each principal player of this story. There is a folklore. There is a fantasy element, and then… there’s a sea creature. And yet, for the longest time, GV Prakash Kumar‘s latest film, Kingston, seems to move nowhere, and this proves to be the film’s biggest undoing.
Gentlewoman
Drama (Tamil)
Errors spun by the threads of kinship, the lives of two women unfold, each tale revealed through her own eyes.In this story, the bond between a married woman and her kitchen becomes central to a dark tale of betrayal. Her husband’s mysterious disappearance reveals his affair with an unmarried client, sparking a tense investigation led by the client, who grows suspicious of the wife’s seemingly detached behaviour. While authorities suspect he fled due to financial troubles, the wife seems to know a deeper, nal truth about his fate. In her mind, men who leave women in anguish deserve no farewell.
Cast:
Lijomol Jose, Hari Krishnan, Losliya Mariyanesan
Director:
Joshua Sethuraman
Lijomol and Losliya anchor a chilling and compelling tale that is rough around the edges
Sun, March 9 2025
Gentlewoman starts off as a tale about a gentle woman. She wakes up. She makes coffee. She has her bath. She wears her saree. She cooks. She packs. Her husband wakes up, prays to God, and gets ready for work. He reads philosophy. On the outset, he is that perfect husband. But scratch just a couple of layers, we understand that he has made her a creature of habit. She wakes up, makes coffee, has her bath, wears her saree, cooks, packs, and also has to stand in the balcony and bid him goodbye as he leaves for work. But what does he do for her? Well, never once in the film does he do anything for her. And this is not registered by an elaborate scene, but just a simple callback that is effective and subtle. Probably why when director Joshua Sethuraman suddenly decides to get all preachy and rub our faces in the film’s ideology with verbose monologues, and random conversations that feel out of place in this world, it feels like a let-down.
Lijomol Jose’s Crime Thriller Is Nearly Brilliant
Sat, March 8 2025
Gentlewoman is one of those films that leaves you with the frustration that rises out of lost potential. It could have been the perfect free-hand circle, if not for the last wayward bit. The circle is not all that misshapen, but you can’t look past the botch made either because when things are going well, it is seamless, until it is not. The mistakes, even though just a few, become conspicuous when everything else is perfect. Now, the film, directed by debutant Joshua Sethuraman, is good. The lamentation is about how it could have been great as it kicks off with a brilliant premise and subtlety that is rare in crime thrillers of Tamil cinema.
Mithya
Drama (Kannada)
'Mithya' is a journey alongside Mithun, an eleven-year-old, coming to terms with the sudden loss of his parents. Things turn gloomier as their families squabble over his custody, even as questions over the nature of his Father's death remain unanswered. We walk in step with Mithun/Mithya's tottering feet, as they search for solid ground. Can a new house be home, can friendships be forged again or is it all just a search for something long gone?
Cast:
Athish S Shetty, Prakash Thuminad, Roopa Varkady
Director:
Sumanth Bhat
Writer:
Sumanth Bhat
A poignant drama that closes with a nail-biting finish
Sun, March 9 2025
Mithya is an intimate story of a young boy struggling to make sense of his life, which has been shattered into countless pieces after his parents pass away. It marks director Sumanth Bhat’s feature film debut. Previously, he helmed the Kannada web series Ekam, also co-produced by Rakshit Shetty. Mithya sheds light on the internal turmoil of an 11-year-old boy, Mithun. Taken in by his aunt’s family after his mother dies by suicide — leaving him and his younger sister orphaned — he is uprooted from Mumbai, where he was born and raised, and placed in the slow, quiet countryside of Udupi. He prefers to be called Mithya, but adjusting to his new reality is far from easy.
A Coming-Of-Rage Classic About Lost Innocence
Sat, March 8 2025
How much does a young boy have to go through to be allowed the freedom to have an emotional breakdown? When we first meet Mithya (Athish Shetty), what we see is his back turned towards us as he travels on a train from somewhere to somewhere else. We later learn that he’s not travelling out of choice. He’s being displaced from his home in Mumbai to Udipi in Southern Karnataka where he will live with his uncle, aunt and their two daughters. Like Mithya, the film about him too has its back turned towards us. It’s not a film that grants you the solace of having empathised with its broken protagonist. Instead, it reveals these broken pieces so sparsely that we feel as lost and helpless as he does.
(Writing for OTT Play)
The Many Shades Of Grief
Fri, March 7 2025
Many a time in Sumanth Bhat’s Mithya, conditioned by today’s happenings and a generally unsafe world, the stomach knots up with uncertainty, wondering what would befall a child that seems to trust adults. You heave a sigh of relief, only to realise that the child can still be injured through other means — what he hears and how he’s treated — especially when he’s too young to remember it all, but also too old to forgetfully. Snatches of these conversations linger and play on in his head like scabs being yanked off.
Bada Naam Karenge
Drama, Family (Hindi)
Rishabh and Surbhi, two young individuals, find themselves at the crossroads of an arranged marriage. The story unfolds in two timelines: one in Mumbai, in the past, and another in Madhya Pradesh, where their families meet. In Mumbai, they find themselves alone in his room due to the lockdown, creating a pivotal moment in their relationship. In the present, Rishabh is hesitant to reveal his past with Surbhi to their families, his being a much more traditional one, fearing disapproval.
Cast:
Ritik Ghanshani, Ayesha Kaduskar, Kanwaljit Singh, Alka Amin, Jameel Khan, Deepika Amin, Rajesh Tailang, Anjana Sukhani, Rajesh Jais, Chaitrali Gupte
Director:
Palash Vaswani
Writer:
S. Manasvi, Vidit Tripathi
दिल के छज्जे पे चढ़ेंगे, ‘बड़ा नाम करेंगे’
Thu, March 6 2025
सोनी लिव पर आई नौ एपिसोड की इस वेब-सीरिज़ के पांचवें एपिसोड के अंत में जब नायक ऋषभ नायिक सुरभि से कहता है-‘मुझ से शादी कर लो प्लीज़’ तो उसकी आंखें नम होती हैं। यह सुनते हुए सुरभि की भी आंखें नम होती हैं। इस सीन को यहीं पॉज़ कर दीजिएगा और गौर कीजिएगा कि एक हल्की-सी नमी आपकी आंखों में भी होगी। अब याद कीजिएगा कि आपकी आंखें इससे पहले के एपिसोड्स में भी कुछ जगह पनियाई होंगी और ध्यान रखिएगा, अभी आगे भी आपकी आंखों में कई बार नमी आएगी। बल्कि कुछ एक बार तो यह नमी झरने का रूप भी लेना चाहेगी। जी हां, यह इस कहानी की ताकत है, उस सिनेमा की ताकत है जो ऐसी कहानी को आपके सामने इस तरह से लाता है कि आप, आप नहीं रहते बल्कि इस कहानी के किरदार हो जाते हैं, कभी मुंबई, कभी उज्जैन तो कभी रतलाम हो जाते हैं।
Old Fashioned Storytelling
Sat, February 8 2025
It’s the 90s world of Rajshri. A mansion. A joint family. A starchy patriarch/matriarch whose word is writ, everybody else shivers, cowers before the family dictator. Karan Johar put Amitabh Bachchan in that stern position in K3G and reversed the gender to give Jaya Bachchan the same unbending top place in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Step into the sprawling mansion of the Rathi parivar in Ratlam where Taoji (Kanwaljit Singh) is the stiff principled head of a large joint family. Like Karan Johar’s joint family in RARKPK, the Rathis too are renowned for their famous mithai. But Taoji’s rules are anything but meetha. More than four decades ago, there was a film called Ek Hi Bhool (1981). Those same 80s sentiments and ambience may be transplanted into the Rathi mansion and labelled, Ek Hi Jhooth. Taoji can never forgive a lie. His sister (Anjana Sukhani) is still paying the price for having fallen in love with someone outside their community. ‘It wasn’t about the community, it was her lying about it that Taoji cannot forgive,’ is underlined a couple of times. And in that claustrophobically tradition-bound ambience, the family is eternally grateful to Fufaji (Rajesh Tailang) who did them all a big favour for saving their reputation and marrying the tainted sister, now referred to as “Bua”.
Rajshri's OTT Debut Takes Aim At Modern Romance, Remains Old-Fashioned
Fri, February 7 2025
We don’t usually see love stories on film or OTT much these days, so our eyes were peeled for Rajshri Production’s Bada Naam Karenge. The ambitious SonyLIV series unfolds like a feature film rather than a series. It’s easy to get invested in the romance between Surbhi (Ayesha Kaduskar) and Rishabh (Ritik Ghanshani) in a story set in Madhya Pradesh. But once we get to the heart of the matter, Bada Naam Karenge becomes jumbled under the weight of so many characters and remains a bit dated. The romance features two families: the wealthy Rathis of Ratlam and the middle-class Guptas of Ujjain. A possible rishta is floated between Rishabh Rathi and Surbhi Gupta. As the families explore their union through an arranged marriage, the audience learns about a hidden secret between the two. Will Rishabh and Surbhi get together, or will the expectations of their families get in the way? The story and screenplay of Bada Naam Karenge has been penned by S Manasvi. Vidit Tripathi has also helped out with the screenplay and co-written the dialogues. Moving to the past and returning to the present, the initial batch of episodes holds promise as the young couple’s story goes from enemies to lovers. Once the large cast of supporting players gets involved, it feels too behind the times. The main conflict between the two families also gets dragged out over the last few episodes, only to be quickly resolved over a big emotional scene.
A Complete Unknown
Drama, Music (English)
New York, early 1960s. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music.
Cast:
Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Scoot McNairy, Dan Fogler, Boyd Holbrook, Will Harrison, Joe Tippett, Eriko Hatsune
Director:
James Mangold
The Inscrutable Bob Dylan Remains As Elusive as Ever
Thu, March 6 2025
The first time we meet Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) in A Complete Unknown, he’s uncomplainingly laying in the back of a wagon amongst a pile of luggage. He’s just hitched a ride to New York City to see his hero, folk musician Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who has been hospitalised after being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Dylan overhears an impassioned discussion trying to determine if Guthrie is a folk or a country musician. “There’s no need to box him,” one of them says. It’s 1961 and a particularly tense period in America, as the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) is summoning people for their alleged communist ties. The celebrities of Hollywood are understandably first in line, just like the musicians of the time like Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), who was critical of the American government. Social justice is becoming a street-side topic among many, as America is sinking deeper into the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement is picking up steam. Two years later, a president will be assassinated during a motorcade, fuelling the paranoia of the public and future governments alike.