Sabar Bonda
Drama, Romance (Marathi)
A thirty-year-old city-dweller compelled to spend ten-day mourning of his father in the rugged countryside of Western India tenderly bonds with a local farmer struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, he must decide the fate (more…)
Guild Reviews
Bandwaale
Drama, Comedy (Hindi)
Mariam, a young poetess, finds herself trapped in a sleepy town, where every young girl's future lies in wedlock. Mariam hopes to find her freedom against all odds, by uploading her poetry on the internet through an anonymous account.Along with her band of misfits - Robo and Psy, Mariam discovers the power of her poetry and her own voice.
Cast:
Shalini Pandey, Zahan Kapoor, Swanand Kirkire, Sanjana Dipu, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Anupama Kumar
Director:
Ankur Tewari, Akshat Verma
Tue, February 17 2026
For 8 impossibly long episodes, Bandwaale invents different ways to be forgettable. The musical dramedy is no Bandish Bandits (I’m no fan but that’s the genre bar), but to be fair, it doesn’t really try. The premise is almost reverse-engineered to justify its dearth of personality. Created by composer-filmmaker Ankur Tewari and writer-actor Swanand Kirkire, the series stages the modernity-versus-tradition conflict through a tiresome template: a small-town girl strives to break free with a little help from her friends. It’s a bit like seeing the alt-reality story of Simran from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge — there’s only the million-and-fifth reference at yet another railway station; an oppressive father; a spunky kid sister — except her liberation is not love but art. Mariam (Shalini Pandey) is a covert poetess who uploads her work online so that she can go viral before her textbook-patriarch dad (Ashish Vidyarthi) marries her off to an eligible bachelor. Along the way, she finds two unlikely male allies: an outdated brass-band singer unwilling to evolve (Swanand Kirkire, as Robo), and a hunky-and-aloof DJ (Zahan Kapoor, as Psy) with a penchant for remixes.
Couple Friendly
Romance, Drama (Telugu)
After connecting on a rideshare app, a young couple struggling to achieve their respective dreams form a romantic connection.
Cast:
Santosh Shoban, Manasa Varanasi, Rajiv Kanakala, Sriranjini, Yogi Babu, Livingston, Goparaju Ramana
Director:
Ashwin Chandrasekar
Writer:
Ashwin Chandrasekar
Sat, February 14 2026
Until the early 90s, Chennai (then Madras) served as a common backdrop for Telugu films. However, the subsequent industry shift to Hyderabad gradually altered the geographical canvas of its stories. Despite Chennai remaining a preferred destination for the Telugu community in nearby regions of Andhra Pradesh for livelihood for years, modern-day filmmakers have seldom explored their enduring connection with the city through a contemporary lens.
Ashakal Aayiram
Drama (Malayalam)
Cast:
Jayaram, Kalidas Jayaram, Asha Sarath, Ishaani Krishna, Anand Manmadhan, Zhinz Shan, Raffi, Sharafudheen, Sudheer Paravoor, Akhil Nrd
Director:
G. Prajith
Writer:
Aravind Rajendran, Jude Anthany Joseph
Sat, February 14 2026
‘History repeats itself’ is the phrase that kept coming to mind while watching Jayaram’s delightfully old-school Ashakal Aayiram, co-starring his son Kalidas. Yet, when you think of a film reuniting this real-life father-son duo, you might first be tempted to recall Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal, the charming Sathyan Anthikad comedy that brought them together the first time. But if you observe closely, the soul of Ashakal Aayiram is closer in spirit to another Anthikad classic, the 1999 family drama Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal.
My Lord
Drama (Tamil)
A man and his wife battle bureaucracy after being wrongly declared dead, while he confronts a kidney trafficking ring connected to corrupt politicians that destroyed his life.
Cast:
M. Sasikumar, Chaithra J Achar, Guru Somasundaram, Asha Sarath, Jayaprakash, Gopi Nainar, Vasumithra
Director:
Raju Murugan
Writer:
Raju Murugan
Sat, February 14 2026
There might be a hundred things you may not like about Raju Murugan’s cinema, but not having a voice that is distinctly his own, cannot be one of them. This voice isn’t just limited to the overarching themes he wants to discuss, his films’ politics or plot, or the manner in which even familiar actors behave differently when they’re in his movies. Even when you get in and out of his movie, there could be dozens of frames only this man could have thought of.
Cast:
Vishwak Sen, Kayadu Lohar, Naresh, Easwari Rao, Muralidhar Goud, Ravi Anthony, Pammi Sai, Raghu Babu, Sampath Raj
Director:
Anudeep
Writer:
Anudeep, Mohan Sato
Sat, February 14 2026
Naaku galeej anipisthundhi, which translates to “It’s all too awkward,” is a repetitive phrase in KV Anudeep’s third film, Funky. After two hours and eight minutes, it’s this thought – and the only one – that you are left with. Director KV Anudeep’s unique sense of humour may not be everyone’s cup of tea. In three films, he’s made that loud and clear. But there’s a sense of earnestness and honesty in Jathi Ratnalu and Prince that hardly makes you look away. You’d want to know what new trick he has up his sleeve the third time around.
Sat, February 14 2026
Jathi Ratnalu director KV Anudeep’s latest film, Funky, is set in a bubble—the Telugu film industry, a world the filmmaker has immediate access to. The premise itself—where an emerging director falls for the daughter of an eminent producer—is a fictional take on the love story of industry couple, director Nag Ashwin and producer Priyanka Dutt (who are often referenced in the film).
Sabar Bonda
Drama, Romance (Marathi)
A thirty-year-old city-dweller compelled to spend ten-day mourning of his father in the rugged countryside of Western India tenderly bonds with a local farmer struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, he must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress.
Cast:
Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, Jayshri Jagtap, Dhananjay Jambar, Sandhya Pawase, Hemant Kadam, Vidhya Joshi, Ram Daund
Director:
Rohan Kanawade
Writer:
Rohan Kanawade
Fri, February 13 2026
Sabar Bonda, the Marathi film that won a prestigious honour at Sundance last year, is either a poetic exploration of the road not taken or a pretentious try-hard desperate to feel important. We discuss the film’s unconventional dramatic choices, the effects of its stillness, and the lacklustre quality of the central performances. We also debate its performative nature and wonder how it turned out to be so divisive.
Sat, September 20 2025
Sat, September 20 2025
Fairly early in Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), a character is instructed on how to grieve. Don’t cut your hair, don’t ask for a second helping and walk bare feet for the next couple of days. Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) has just lost his father but his extended relatives have no time for feelings. The mourning ought to be communal and hence regimented, an ask which falls in line with their larger curiosity in Anand’s life: at 30 years of age, why is he still unmarried? The demand to conform and the desire to live form the crux of Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda, a strikingly assured debut and the first Marathi film to be premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. After Anand’s father passes away, his mother persuades him to go to his ancestral village for the stipulated 10-day mourning period. He resists suggesting that he will go to pick her up instead. A quiet telling-off changes his mind as they both journey back to a place which has more memories than people.
Paro Pinaki Ki Kahani
Drama, Romance, Crime, Thriller (Hindi)
A manhole cleaner and vegetable vendor fall in love during secret meetings in a train bathroom. When she stops appearing, he begins a dangerous search to find her.
Cast:
Eshita Singh, Sanjay Bishnoi, Hanuman Soni, Dhananjay Sardeshpande, Madan Deodhar, Lalit Kumar, Ramdas Andhare, Sanjiv Bage, Pratap Bhosale, Sanjay Dole
Director:
Rudra Jadon
Writer:
Rudra Jadon
Mon, February 9 2026
“A manhole cleaner and vegetable vendor fall in love during secret meetings in a train bathroom” is a great one-liner. Especially for an indie made on a shoestring budget. Especially in an India that’s gotten too real and complicated for love stories to make sense. It’s even better if said India then gatecrashes the love story, revealing why the title contains the term “Ki Kahani (the story of)” rather than the Bollywood-coded “Ki Prem Kahani (the love story of)”. With those like Pinaki (Sanjay Bishnoi) and Mariyam (Eshita Singh), it’s not falling for each other that’s the conflict; it’s the audacity to fall for each other that is.
Vadh 2
Crime, Drama, Thriller (Hindi)
A police officer's pursuit of truth in a shocking prison crime intertwines with the lives of a widowed prison guard and a soon to be released inmate, unravelling a web of morality and redemption.
Cast:
Sanjay Mishra, Neena Gupta, Kumud Mishra, Amitt K Singh, Akshay Dogra, Shilpa Shukla, Yogita Bihani, Akanksha Ojha
Director:
Jaspal Singh Sandhu
Writer:
Jaspal Singh Sandhu
Mon, February 9 2026
A sequel is always a perilous undertaking. Once a film has established its tonal register and moral grammar, the space for reinvention narrows considerably. The past looms large, often shackling imagination and circumscribing execution. Jaspal Singh Sandhu’s Vadh 2 negotiates this terrain cautiously. While it is not a narrative continuation of Vadh (2022), it inhabits the same ethical cosmos, tethered by mood rather than plot. The connection is atmospheric, not anecdotal, and viewers are best served by leaving memories of the earlier film at the threshold.
Mon, February 9 2026
Justice, we all know, by and large eludes the powerless. On screen, however, poetic justice as well as its vigilante variant has been delivered time and again. At times with a loud thump and less often in a quiet, restrained tone. ‘Vadh’, as the name suggests, is about killing. Since the word has much significance in mythology, we know it would be for the right reasons. Enter a jail in Madhya Pradesh. Now the much-acclaimed series ‘Black Warrant’ and many other Indian films have already shown us what all the innards of a jail possibly entail. So you bet the presence of a despicable criminal like Keshav (Akshya Dogra), with deep political connections, hardly comes as a surprise. What does is the tender love story brewing between a criminal serving life sentence and one of the jail’s guards. Trust both Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra to breathe life into their characters of Manju Mishra and Shambhunath Mishra.
Sun, February 8 2026
Over the years, carceral imagery has been an important creative device for shaping tales of confinement and social control. This week, Shambhunath Mishra (Sanjay Mishra), a prison guard struggling with financial burdens and personal isolation, forms an unlikely bond with Manju Singh (Neena Gupta), an inmate serving a life term for crimes she may not have committed. The intimacy amid isolation gets a jolt when one night a politically-connected predator disappears from prison, triggering an investigation. As a determined officer, Ateet Singh (Amitt K. Singh) takes charge, and elements of caste dynamics and power struggles surface, involving a strict but prejudiced superintendent (Kumud Mishra) and a perverted inmate (Akshay Dogra).
Euphoria
Drama (Telugu)
A young woman and her family seek justice after she is raped by a group of young men who come from powerful and influential backgrounds.
Cast:
Sara Arjun, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Naveena Reddy, Ravi Prakash, Rajsekhar Aningi, Nassar, Aadarsh Balakrishna, Bhumika Chawla, Keshav Deepak, Nara Rohith
Director:
Gunasekhar
Writer:
Gunasekhar
Mon, February 9 2026
Euphoria is a difficult watch that demands viewer discretion; its ‘A’ certification is justified. Eschewing the mindless violence common in mainstream cinema, writer-director Gunasekhar delivers a sharp fictional drama rooted in a harrowing true story that shook Hyderabad. The film uses its narrative to pose urgent questions through three interconnected lenses: a survivor reclaiming her life, a mother desperate to reform her son, and the perpetrator’s uneasy and long path toward redemption.
With Love
Romance, Comedy (Tamil)
Sathya reluctantly agrees to a blind date arranged by his sister and meets Monisha. They discover they attended the same school years ago. Bonding over shared memories and old crushes, they reconnect with their past and grow closer.
Cast:
Abishan Jeevinth, Anaswara Rajan, Harish Kumar, Kavya Anil, Sacchin Nachiappan, Saravanan, Theni Murugan, RJ Ananthi, Sudharshan Gandhy, Sachana Namidass
Director:
Madhan
Writer:
Madhan
Sun, February 8 2026
IN Madhan’s directorial debut, With Love, Monisha (Anaswara Rajan) and Sathya (Abishan Jeevinth) meet on the arranged marriage circuit. Sathya is a designer, and Monisha is an influencer with over a million Instagram followers. If there is anything particularly modern about this film, it is that Monisha asks about his “boring” design job. While her job is indeed one with the times — monetising social media — design apparently is already boring. It is a harmless word, but, wonder what choicest descriptors she would have used for the more common arranged marriage qualifications in the Tamil family circuit: engineering. Not pretty, one imagines. Having said that, we don’t get films that skirt the arranged marriage route often in Tamil cinema, at least in recent times. While the practice would have been a more common fixture on screen four decades ago or so (think 1986’s Mouna Ragam), the more famous contemporary (using the word loosely) examples include Dum Dum Dum (2001), Parthiban Kanavu (2003) and a few more. All those films begin with conflict, either the couple actively hating each other or the idea itself abhorrent to one of them (usually the hero, the man).
Sthal
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
Sat, February 7 2026
Sthal, the Marathi-language feature from debutante director Jayant Digambar Somalkar, is one of the best films of 2025. It’s a deftly written, confidently shot, and expertly performed psychological drama about the commodification of women. We discuss the anger at the film’s core, its bleak view of Indian society, and the catharsis it provides with an instant-classic climax.
Sun, March 9 2025
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.
Scarlet
Animation, Action, Drama, Science Fiction (Japanese)
After failing to avenge her father's murder, Princess Scarlet, wakes up in the "Land of the Dead." In this world filled with madness, if she does not achieve her revenge against her nemesis and reach the "No End Place," she will become "Void" and cease to exist. Can Scarlet find a way to live at the end of her endless journey?
Cast:
Mana Ashida, Masaki Okada, Yutaka Matsushige, Kotaro Yoshida, Koji Yakusho, Masachika Ichimura, Yuki Saito, Shota Sometani, Munetaka Aoki, Kazuhiro Yamaji
Director:
Mamoru Hosoda
Sat, February 7 2026
Mirai director Mamoru Hosada’s newest offering is a genderbeat version of Hamlet. In Scarlet, a pink-haired princess travels through the Otherworld to avenge the death of her father at the hands of her own uncle, the king who has usurped his throne. Battling trials and obstacles, Scarlet has help from an unlikely ally and travels to enter the Infinite Land. Mashing up a new mythology created for his film with the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare, Scarlet is action-filled and visually stunning. However, the Japanese anime feature falters in its message of self-discovery versus revenge.