Guild Reviews
Salaar
Action, Crime, Drama (Telugu)
Set in the fictional dystopian city-state of Khansaar, the film follows the friendship between Deva, a tribesman, and Varadha, the prince of Khansaar. When a coup d'état is planned by his father's ministers and his relatives, Varadha enlists Deva's help to become Khansaar's undisputed ruler.
Cast:
Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Easwari Rao, Jagapati Babu, Bobby Simha, Sriya Reddy, Ramachandra Raju, Mime Gopi, Tinnu Anand
Director:
Prashanth Neel
Writer:
Prashanth Neel
A Spotify Review
Mon, January 22 2024
Is Salaar the worst movie we’ve covered on the podcast? It might be. We discuss the incomprehensible plotting, Prashanth Neel’s overwhelming direction, and debate about the film’s three major action set-pieces.
Tiger 3
Action, Adventure, Thriller (Hindi)
Following the events of Tiger Zinda Hai, War, and Pathaan, Avinash Singh Rathore returns as Tiger but this time the battle is within. He has to choose between his country or family as an old enemy is after his life, who claims that his family was killed by Tiger. He holds Tiger captive in Pakistan as the Indian agent's loyalty towards his country faces its biggest test.
Cast:
Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Simran, Revathi, Sartaaj Kakkar, Kumud Mishra, Anant Vidhaat Sharma, Chandrachoor Rai, Gavie Chahal
Director:
Maneesh Sharma
Writer:
Shridhar Raghavan
A Spotify Review
Fri, January 12 2024
Shockingly, Tiger 3—the fifth overall instalment in the YRF Spy Universe—isn’t entirely unwatchable. But the movie could’ve been so much better with just about any other star in the lead role instead of Salman Khan, who not only struggles to emote but also seems pained to move physically. We talk about the film’s Pathaan-like progressive politics, flat visual effects, and Emraan Hashmi’s performance as the villain. We also discuss Shah Rukh Khan’s cameo and wonder why even he wasn’t able to elevate the film.
Killer Soup
Comedy, Crime, Drama (Hindi)
Swathi dreams of owning a restaurant. But when a murder derails her plan, she and her lover take an outrageous step — to replace him with her husband.
Cast:
Konkona Sen Sharma, Manoj Bajpayee, Nassar, Sayaji Shinde, Anula Navlekar, Lal, Vaishali Bisht, Kani Kusruti, Shilpa Mudbi
Director:
Abhishek Chaubey
Writer:
Abhishek Chaubey, Unaiza Merchant, Harshad Nalawade, Anant Tripathy
Chaotically overcooked
Thu, January 11 2024
Killer Soup—the new Netflix series led by Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sensharma—has a fairly good idea of the recipe it’s going for: three to four cups of blood, a splash of dark comedy, and a pinch of camp. More or less along the lines of what Bill Hader gave us on Barry, Noah Hawley’s anthology series Fargo, or Martin McDonagh with In Bruges or The Banshees of Inisherin. But just like Bajpayee in the eighth and final episode, Killer Soup spills a whole can of an ingredient that was meant to be used sparingly. In effect, we end up with an entirely different dish altogether. Over and over, the Netflix series swings wildly into histrionics territory, finding itself further and further away from its genre ambitions. By the end, it’s chaotically overcooked.
Echo
Drama, Crime, Action & Adventure (English)
Pursued by Wilson Fisk's criminal empire, Maya's journey brings her home and she must confront her own family and legacy.
Cast:
Alaqua Cox, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, Vincent D'Onofrio
Marvel’s slump drags on
Wed, January 10 2024
In 2023, the overlords of Marvel (finally) realised they had overdone it. After seven movies and seven series in a two-year period—most of which have been utterly forgettable, severely bloated, or downright terrible—he hadn’t overseen, returning Disney CEO Bob Iger decided to slow things down at the superhero giant, worried that Marvel itself may be the biggest contributor to the much-touted phenomenon: superhero fatigue. Under Iger, finished shows have been put on the back burner, scripts have been thrown out and creative teams redrawn, and the 2024 calendar is all but empty. It’s set to be one of the leanest Marvel years, with just one confirmed live-action show (Echo) and film (Deadpool 3) so far. (Though some of that is also thanks to the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023.)
12th Fail
Drama (Hindi)
Based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, 12th Fail sheds limelight on fearlessly embracing the idea of restarting the academic journey despite the setbacks and challenges and reclaiming one's destiny at a place where millions of students attempt the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.
Cast:
Vikrant Massey, Medha Shankr, Anant Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Geeta Agrawal Sharma, Harish Khanna, Vikas Divyakirti, Sarita Joshi, Sam Mohan
Director:
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Writer:
Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Jaskunwar Kohli
A Spotify Review
Wed, January 3 2024
Is 12th Fail actually one of the best Hindi movies of 2023 or is it massively overrated? We find ourselves wondering why writer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s latest film is getting rave reviews, because all we could see was a deeply problematic, all too simplistic story about a young man let down by society. We also talk about Vikrant Massey’s performance, and the egregious brown-face makeup that he’s been coated with. Along the way, we discuss the film’s flawed perspective and disinterest in examining the more complex aspects of what is an undoubtedly stirring true story.
Maujaan Hi Maujaan
Drama, Comedy (Punjabi)
Three brothers Guri, Inder and Jassi, live in London along with their sister Aman and run a cafe. Guri is deaf, Inder is blind and Jassi is mute. One day Guri falls for a girl, Reet. Will they overcome all the challenges and have a happy ending?
Cast:
Gippy Grewal, Binnu Dhillon, Karamjit Anmol, Tanu Grewal, Hashneen Chauhan, Anthony Haley
Director:
Smeep Kang
Gippy Grewal shines in hilarious situational comedy with a social message
Sun, October 22 2023
Comedy has become the genre synonymous with Punjabi cinema, and director Smeep Kang’s latest Punjabi-language feature starring Gippy Grewal, Binnu Dhillon and Karamjit Anmol is a fun, family film that comes with a social message. Kang has already delivered a blockbuster hit earlier this year with another Gippy Grewal-starrer, Carry On Jatta 3 (2023), followed by the recent Ammy Virk-starrer Gaddi Jaandi Ae Chalaangaan Maardi (2023). His latest offering, Maujaan Hi Maujaan, fully makes use of the rib-tickling performances of the actors to keep audiences amused. Orphaned at an early age, three differently-abled brothers, Karan (Gippy Grewal), Soni (Binnu Dhillon), and Jassi (Karamjit Anmol) have brought up their sister Aman (Hashneen Chauhan) with a lot of love and wish to get her married. She is in love with Jimmy (Jimmy Sharma) but Jimmy’s father, Shamsher Singh Brar, (Yograj Singh) is prejudiced against differently-abled people and will never allow his son to marry into the family.