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Guild Reviews

Image of scene from the film The Gorge
The Gorge

Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller (English)

Two highly trained operatives grow close from a distance after being sent to guard opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil below emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.

Cast: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, William Houston, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, James Marlowe, Julianna Kurokawa, Ruta Gedmintas, Oliver Trevena
Director: Scott Derrickson
Writer: Zach Dean


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Rohan Naahar | Independent Film Critic

Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy jolt Apple’s plodding sci-fi thriller to life

Fri, February 14 2025

Apple's new film relies heavily on Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy's performances, but suffers from mediocre pacing and an overuse of CGI.

The Gorge is four movies in one. Some might describe this as a value-for-money proposition. But others might find it a bit all over the place. There is no doubt, however, that the film bites off more than it can chew. And in the age of snackable ‘content’, this could be construed as high praise. Directed by Scott Derrickson, a filmmaker who has routinely shown skill at elevating genre movies, The Gorge coasts by for the majority of its two-hour run-time on star-power alone. There are long stretches of plodding nonsense, yes, but the film’s biggest strength lies in its constant determination to be unpredictable — relatively speaking, at least. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy play Levi and Drasa, two snipers who are hand-picked to keep guard at watchtowers on opposite ends of a mysterious gorge. We aren’t told where the gorge is located, or what our heroes are even supposed to be guarding. In time, however, we learn that the facility is strategically located somewhere between America and Russia, and that protecting it from being discovered was one of the biggest objectives during the Cold War. Levi and Drasa have been drafted to keep watch for exactly a year, following which they’ll be replaced by two others.

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Sonal Pandya | Times Now, Zoom

Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy's Sci-Fi Horror Tale Is An Unusual Love Story

Thu, February 13 2025

Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson helms a romance between two elite snipers that is both thrilling and effective.

The Apple TV+ movie, The Gorge, is an unexpected Valentine’s Day release. This, combined with the ongoing saga on Severance Season 2, has the streamer taking an unconventional approach to the day dedicated to romance. Written by Zach Dean, The Gorge is about the horrors hidden in the aforementioned valley, which has two highly trained operatives assigned to protect it. But the story shifts into a forbidden romance between the duo with unexpected results. The film shows how Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) are at the top of their games as snipers, even though their approach might be different. They are each chosen for a year-long gig defending a vast gorge, covered by a mysterious fog, in an unknown country. The previous guard, JD (Sope Dirisu), tells Levi as he hands off the post to him that the gorge is the “door to hell, and we’re standing guard at the gate.” So what lies beneath?

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Image of scene from the film La Dolce Villa
La Dolce Villa

Romance, Comedy (English)

When his daughter decides to buy a crumbling Tuscan villa, Eric rushes to Italy to talk her out of it — and instead finds beauty, romance and new purpose.

Cast: Scott Foley, Violante Placido, Maia Reficco, Giuseppe Futia, Simone Luglio, Tommaso Basili, Nunzia Schiano, Luisa De Santis, Lucia Ricalzone, Giselle LeBleu Gant
Director: Mark Waters
Writer: Elizabeth Hackett, Hilary Galanoy


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Sonal Pandya | Times Now, Zoom

Scott Foley Rom-Com Disguises As Tourism Ad For Italy

Thu, February 13 2025

Directed by Mark Waters, the low-key romance about an American dad discovering his passion for life again almost wants you to relocate to the Italian countryside.

Every year around Valentine’s Day, the streamers trot out generic romance films that help you pass the time but don’t leave any impact. Director Mark Waters’s latest film La Dolce Villa, starring Scott Foley and Maia Reficco, is no exception. Set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, the breezy romantic comedy on Netflix will have you booking your next ticket to the country. Former chef turned business consultant Eric (Scott Foley) rushes to Italy after he finds his 24-year-old daughter Olivia (Maia Reficco) is buying a run-down villa for one euro. Determined to stop her, he lands in the fictional Montezara and ends up falling for the town’s mayor, Francesca (Violante Placido). As the father and daughter heal their relationship, they become part of the family in the Montezara as well.

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Image of scene from the film Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story
Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story

Romance, Drama (Hindi)

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Cambridge, the film follows the journey of Bobby and Rishi as they going through the complexities of love and life. The story revolves around their passionate romance, which faces numerous challenges and misunderstandings. Despite being separated by circumstances, their love remains strong. Years later, fate gives them a second chance to rekindle their relationship and overcome the obstacles that once tore them apart.

Cast: Vardhan Puri, Kaveri Kapur, Lillete Dubey, Atul Sharma, Sonam Nanwani, Raj Zutshi, Nisha Aaliya, Seema Bowri, Sameer Suri
Director: Kunal Kohli
Writer: Kunal Kohli


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Rahul Desai | The Hollywood Reporter India

The Death of the Hindi Romcom

Thu, February 13 2025

Director Kunal Kohli returns with a Hum Tum-shaped debacle.

I’m running out of polite ways to say that most Bollywood launch vehicles are vanity vans parading as commercial movies. I’m running out of impolite ways to say that most Hindi rom-coms feature nepotism hires and Gen Z characters who speak like outdated youngsters at a debutante ball imagined by out-of-touch boomers. I’m also running out of ways to say that I’m running out of ways. Kunal Kohli’s Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story looks like it was written in 1995, shot in 2005, scored in 2015, edited in 1985, colour corrected in 1975 and released in 2025. Remember the annoying animated couple from Kohli’s hit, Hum Tum (2005)? Those two were still more realistic and less cringey than the live-action couple in this film, who do the walking-and-talking-in-Europe (or post-Brexit Britain) jig as if Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Before Sunrise were in-flight tourist videos rather than classic landscape changers. They start as enemies, become frenemies and turn into screechy soulmates — all with the artistic spirit of a paid vacation and the emotional awareness of an oblivious meme.

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Image of scene from the film The Mehta Boys
FCG Rating for the film The Mehta Boys: 64/100
The Mehta Boys

Comedy, Drama, Family (Hindi)

After the loss of his mother, Amay, a struggling young architect is forced to live for 48 hours with the one person he cannot stand, his father. It seems like a recipe for disaster. Wrong! It's much worse. Will the young architect crumble or will this bumpy ride help him rebuild his relationship with his crabby old man?

Cast: Avinash Tiwary, Boman Irani, Shreya Chaudhary, Puja Sarup, Harssh A. Singh, Siddhartha Basu, Flora Jacob, Shreyash Jadhav, Jignesh Bhatt, Morli Patel
Director: Boman Irani
Writer: Boman Irani, Alexander Dinelaris


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Anupama Chopra | The Hollywood Reporter India

Despite its structural bumps, The Mehta Boys carries warmth, heart, and a performance-driven intimacy that makes it a poignant watch.

Sun, February 9 2025

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Nonika Singh | The Tribune

Complex Mehtaverse of father & son

Sat, February 8 2025

‘The child is father of the man…’ Whatever William Wordsworth may have meant by that poetic expression, sons and fathers are as inextricably linked as a mother’s umbilical connection binds her to her children. Yet, fathers and sons are always on a tricky terrain, invariably perched on delicate ground, rarely common. “Is he an adult or a child?” — the question pops up from a perplexed son finding it difficult to get a grasp of his father’s whimsical ways. “He is your father, you are the child,” comes the honest reply from his girlfriend. Boman Irani, who has proved his mettle as an actor more than once, now comes with his directorial debut, ‘The Mehta Boys’, where he brings out the tensions immanent in a father-son relationship in the same nuanced manner which has marked his acting. After winning the Best Feature Film award at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, the film is currently streaming on Prime Video, and is as much about the father-son conflict as it is about love and affection.

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Uday Bhatia | Mint Lounge

Soft-edged drama lacks novelty

Sat, February 8 2025

Boman Irani's directorial debut is a heartfelt but unexceptional film about a warring father and son

Boman Irani began acting in films in his 40s. From the start, it seemed like he’d always been there. He was a throwback to an earlier era of actors like Charles Laughton and Alex Guiness who were happy to disappear behind a wig, a fake nose, an accent. Irani could, of course, play it straight, like the father in Lakshya. But no one was better at going broad. His Khurana in Khosla Ka Ghosla and Asthana in Munnabhai M.B.B.S. are legend, but there’s a spectacular rogue’s gallery stretching from Darna Mana Hai to Don, Well Done Abba to Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd to Jayeshbhai Jordaar. Irani stars in The Mehta Boys and does a fine, fussy, fretful job. It’s also his first film as director, co-written with Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman) and co-produced by his company, Irani Movietone. It’s a polite little film about a recently bereaved family, emotionally available, a bit shapeless. Not all directors start with a big swing, but this is closer to forward defence.

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Image of scene from the film Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal
Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal

Drama (Malayalam)

Three distanced, discordant brothers strive to put aside their differences as they reunite after decades at their ancestral home to give their dying mother a peaceful send off, but soon are at loggerheads as the house brings up painful memories of their tumultuous past.

Cast: Alencier Ley Lopez, Joju George, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Shelly Kishore, Garggi Ananthan, Thomas Mathew, Shelly Nabu Kumar, Sajitha Madathil, Sarasa Balussery
Director: Sharan Venugopal
Writer: Sharan Venugopal


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Kirubhakar Purushothaman | News 18

An Incredibly Moving Family Drama Of Homecoming

Sat, February 8 2025

When the three brothers meet after a long time expecting the death of their ailing mother, old scars, bittersweet nostalgia, and new problems surface in a poignant tale that invokes laughter and tears.

“Going home again" is a cinema trope that continues to string hearts despite being around for a while. It never becomes dated as everyone–even the ones staying in their hometown–longs to go back since home is never a place. It is a collection of memories of a place and time with people that’s lost. Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal (Narayani’s Three Sons) explores the popular adage: “You can never go home again." It isn’t there anymore because even the one, who is missing it, is not the same individual who once lived there. Sethu (Joju George), the middle son of Narayani, learns it the hard way when he tries to bring back his estranged brothers to their hometown, when their mother is on her deathbed, counting her days. The family reunion brings to the fore the old scars, nostalgic memories, and new problems, making up for an immense experience of laughter, tears, and profound thoughts.

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Image of scene from the film Thandel
FCG Rating for the film Thandel: 52/100
Thandel

Romance, Action, Drama, Thriller (Telugu)

Fisherman Raju is deeply in love with Satya. However, at one point, she urges him to stop going to the sea and look for other jobs. Ignoring her plea, Raju ventures out and accidentally drifts into Pakistani waters, where he is arrested.

Cast: Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Sai Pallavi, Sundip Ved, Prakash Belawadi, Kalpalatha, Karunakaran, Parvateesam, Mahesh Achanta, Babloo Prithiveeraj
Director: Chandoo Mondeti
Writer: Chandoo Mondeti


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Sangeetha Devi Dundoo | The Hindu

Sai Pallavi, Naga Chaitanya elevate a partly choppy romance saga

Sat, February 8 2025

The swooning romance works hugely for the film, while other portions could have benefited from better writing

Some films focus less on plot and more on character-driven narratives. Thandel, the Telugu film directed by Chandoo Mondeti, is a prime example. Based on true incidents from a few years ago, in which fishermen from Andhra Pradesh unknowingly crossed international waters into Pakistan, the film weaves a love story that transcends all odds. The storyline, penned by Karthik Theeda, is straightforward, but Chandoo’s screenplay immerses viewers in the world of the fisherfolk, with an emotionally stirring romance — between Raju (Naga Chaitanya) and Satya (Sai Pallavi) — at its core. The poignant love story comes alive through the lead actors’ performances, complemented by Devi Sri Prasad’s evocative music, which serves as the film’s emotional anchor. But is that enough to overlook the weaker, more turbulent portions? Almost.

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Kirubhakar Purushothaman | News 18

Naga Chaitanya Delivers A Career-Best Performance As He And Sai Pallavi Outshine The Film

Fri, February 7 2025

Naga Chaitanya's film is loosely based on real-life events, of 22 fishermen from Andhra Pradesh getting arrested by Pakistan’s Navy and struggling to get home.

Thandel becomes the much-needed breakthrough for Naga Chaitanya, who establishes himself as an able actor, something he has been striving for a while now. The Telugu actor plays the role of Raju, a fisherman from a coastal village in Andhra Pradesh, named Machidesam. The fishermen in the town make a living off travelling to the Gujarat coast and fishing in the treacherous waters, which borders a Pakistan-controlled region. Raju, the Thandel, the captain of the village’s fisherman, is deeply in love with Sathya (Sai Pallavi), another pillar of the film. Together the two actors make Thandel a moving love story about perseverance and aid hugely in letting go of the blemishes, that are scattered in the movie.

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Aditya Shrikrishna | Independent Film Critic Writing for OTT Play

Thandel Is A Dry & Dated Melodrama

Fri, February 7 2025

Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi starrer Thandel is the best bad film in all the oldest ways possible. Apart from Pallavi, everyone and everything is artificial including the filmmaking.

In Chandoo Mondeti’s Thandel, distance makes romance sing harder before it combusts into a residue of tears. Raju (Naga Chaitanya) and Satya (Sai Pallavi) have been together since childhood and now their love blossoms through the stray mobile tower. Raju is a seafarer, a fisherman who works the waters around Gujarat while Satya in Srikakulam looks longingly at her mobile phone to hear a syllable in his voice. He holds the phone aloft and so does she at home. He, with ocean on all sides and, she, on land but not far from the beach. We see a fisherfolk community that toils in the waters, the men away for long and the women waiting and working at home. We know that this frequent separation will not end well and as expected, Thandel doesn’t hold its cards too close to its chest. It presents everything without a facade. Raju is our regular Telugu film hero, and this is as mainstream as it gets so he is introduced romancing and fighting at the same time. The first half coasts along and nothing really happens for much of Thandel’s runtime. Physical distance gives way to emotional distance between the lovers but the way the film narrativises these events is toothless. The film places itself in melodramatic territory, the star-crossed lovers’ separation is the whole point, but the writing is flat and we never feel for any of these people. Apart from Sai Pallavi, everyone and everything is artificial including the filmmaking. It is probably forgivable to use a green screen for scenes atop a lighthouse, but Satya is staged in front of what looks like a green screen even for a scene on the terrace of her tiny dwelling. The film looks cheap and when even basic scenes are given this little attention then what to make of stormy seas where there are both fights as well as lifesaving action.

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Image of scene from the film Vidaamuyarchi
FCG Rating for the film Vidaamuyarchi: 62/100
Vidaamuyarchi

Action, Thriller (Tamil)

Arjun and Kayal, an Indian couple living in Azerbaijan, set out on a journey to visit her parents. Their peaceful trip takes a terrifying turn when Kayal mysteriously disappears. With time running out, Arjun must navigate a web of danger and deception, facing a ruthless gang determined to keep him from uncovering the truth.

Cast: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Regina Cassandra, Trisha Krishnan, Aarav Kizar, Nikhil Nair, Dasarathi Narasimhan, Ganesh Saravanan, Ravi Raghavendra, Jeeva Ravi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Writer: Magizh Thirumeni


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Avinash Ramachandran | The New Indian Express

Magizh Thirumeni moulds Ajith into a different kind of star in a different kind of a film

Fri, February 7 2025

While Vidaamuyarchi revolves around Ajith, and he does a commendable job of dealing with anguish and perseverance, the film rides on the roles played by Arjun and Regena Cassandra.

Ajith Kumar’s Arjun isn’t a “hero” by any stretch of the imagination, especially in the Tamil cinema ecosystem. In fact, if the film wasn’t a gripping action drama, Arjun would have been a certified loser with nothing going for him. In fact, even in this movie, for a really long time, Arjun is never a facilitator of action, but just a responder to the consequence. And that’s what makes it all the more special because it is an action film featuring one of the biggest stars of Tamil cinema, and it features a star stripped of all his stardom… almost. Magizh Thirumeni takes the premise of the 1997 film, Breakdown, and remains largely faithful to the plot, giving it a few necessary changes to suit Indian sensibilities. And the most important change is in the relationship dynamics between Arjun and his wife Kayal (Trisha), which adds gravitas to this equation that drives large portions of the film. The movie starts off by establishing the romance between the couple and the gradual falling out that happens over years of marriage. We are shown glimpses of their journey, right from the first meet-cute to falling heads over heels in love to the first cracks in the relationship, and the seemingly irreparable ones. And point to Magizh and editor NB Srikanth for deciding to tell all these through two beautiful Anirudh Ravichander numbers to ensure the pacing isn’t sacrificed for showcasing the romance part.

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Vishal Menon | The Hollywood Reporter India

A Solid Marriage Story Stuck In A Middling Action Flick

Fri, February 7 2025

Ajith and Trisha's 'Vidaamuyarchi' directed by Magizh Thirumeni, begins with a fascinating setup about a lost couple having to find their way back into love, but soon gets sidelined into a generic action movie

There are lovely additions Magizh Thirumeni makes to Breakdown (1997) to humanise what was otherwise a straightforward Hollywood action movie. This begins right with the way he re-interprets the title ‘Breakdown’. Not only does this mean that Magizh’s version begins way before Arjun’s (Ajith Kumar) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere as he travels with his wife to Tbilisi, but the title also alludes to the ‘breakdown’ they are experiencing in their marriage. It’s middle of the road in a sense, but the not the kind you’re thinking about. They’ve been together for 12 years and they’ve lost the magic that had once brought them together. In another awkward meet-cute that we’ve now come to expect from Magizh Thirumeni, we’re told that Arjun once sent “Happy Birthday” messages every day to Kayal (Trisha) for six consecutive months. But after 12 years, Arjun doesn’t even remember the date anymore, even when the world stays up to wish Kayal.

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Aditya Shrikrishna | Independent Film Critic Writing for OTTplay

Ajith-Trisha Thriller Doesn’t Fully Commit To Its Genre

Fri, February 7 2025

Vidaamuyarchi is a genre film: a road action thriller where the thrills need to be earned. And it does a commendable job of establishing terrain as well as characters.

Magizh Thirumeni’s Vidaamuyarchi, starring Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Sarja and Regina Cassandra, adapts from Jonathan Mostow’s 1997 film Breakdown. The premise and several plot events are similar, but Magizh’s additions and adornments do stand out as one would expect in an Indian version with a huge star in the lead. Just look at the length of both the films: Breakdown clocks at a crisp 93 minutes. Vidaamuyarchi is 150 minutes. Make of that what you will. This film places itself in the highways, cafes and rest stops of Azerbaijan with Ajith’s Arjun living in Baku with his wife Kayal (Trisha). Their relationship is 12 years old, and we get some quick flashbacks, choppily written, to establish history. Magizh wants to present an adult relationship, something his mentor Gautham Vasudev Menon managed to do in Yennai Arindhaal with the same actors. It works to an extent in the present-day portions when the relationship is crumbling, they deal with slow erosion like mature individuals. But in the flashback, it is unwieldy. The dialogues don’t pop the way adult romantic lines should; it is edited to be concise, but the pattern is shoddy, the cadence is off, and it is clear that the actors are working with mediocre material.

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Image of scene from the film Anuja
Anuja

Drama (English)

When a brilliant nine-year-old working in a sweatshop gets a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister's future.

Cast: Sajda Pathan, Ananya Shanbhag, Nagesh Bhonsle, Gulshan Walia, Sushil Parwana, Sunita Bhadauria, Rudolpho Rajeev Hubert, Jugal Kishore, Pankaj Gupta
Director: Adam J. Graves
Writer: Adam J. Graves


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Sukanya Verma | rediff.com

Oscar Hopeful Aims For The Heart

Fri, February 7 2025

Palak and Anuja endear us to their bittersweet world

Anuja begins with a girl telling her tween sibling a Panchatantra story about how a faithful mongoose saved a farmer’s child from a poisonous snake yet was mistaken for an attacker because of his master’s impetuous impulses. Making a thoughtful decision is central to writer-director Adams J Graves’ Oscar-nominated live-action short film – backed by the likes of Guneet Monga, Mindy Kaling and Priyanka Chopra Jones – about a pair of orphaned sisters inhabiting Delhi’s grimy, shabby slums.

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Rahul Desai | The Hollywood Reporter India

Classic Oscar Bait, Little Substance

Fri, February 7 2025

The Oscar-nominated live action short film greedily panders to the western gaze.

On paper, Anuja is a noble project. It’s made in association with Salaam Baalak Trust, a Delhi-based non-profit organisation that supports street kids. It stars one of its children, Sajda Pathan, as a gifted nine-year-old garment factory worker who is conflicted between earning a livelihood and getting an education. It’s an Indian American production. It is backed by diaspora-global celebrities like Mindy Kaling, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Guneet Monga Kapoor. And it’s about spirited orphans in a big bad world. Which is to say: Anuja is so noble that it’s only a project. At its best, it’s a creative presentation slide. At its worst, it’s less of a short film and more of a look-poor-people-hungry-people aesthetic. It brings back memories of the famous and infamous Slumdog Millionaire (2008) — and not in a good way.

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Sonal Pandya | Times Now, Zoom

Optimistic Oscar-Nominated Short Film Turns Spotlight On Child Labour And Education

Wed, February 5 2025

Directed by Adam J Graves, the heartwarming fictional drama is up for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2.

Written and directed by Adam J Graves, Anuja is one of five shorts nominated for an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category. Backed by producers Guneet Monga, Mindy Kaling, and Priyanka Chopra, it gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of two young girls trying to survive in the city without much support. There is hope for the younger girl Anuja, and the film highlights the hard choice the little one must face: choosing herself or supporting her beloved sister Palak. In just 22 minutes, the short film takes us on an emotional journey. The short film focuses on two orphaned sisters, Anuja (Sajda Pathan) and Palak (Ananya Shanbhag), who work in a garment factory in Delhi. Child labour is illegal, but the owner, Mr Verma (Nagesh Bhonsle), flaunts the rules by lying about the ages of the younger children. An educator, Mr Mishra (Gulshan Walia), comes to the factory with the opportunity of a lifetime for the bright Anuja. If she can take and pass an admission test for a boarding school, she’ll receive a scholarship. But the fee for the test is Rs 400, which is a large sum for the sisters. Writer-director Graves straddles both the fictional and real worlds in this story. Made in conjunction with the Salaam Baalak Trust, which supports the street children of Delhi, Anuja turns a spotlight on the still-persistent issue of child labour. Poverty and a lack of education give rise to the problem that has been prevalent in India for decades. Still, Graves gives us a touching story about the unbreakable bond between the two sisters. The film begins with a fable about a farmer’s family and a pet mongoose, highlighting the virtues of bravery and sacrifice.

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Image of scene from the film The Storyteller
FCG Rating for the film The Storyteller: 65/100
The Storyteller

Drama (Hindi)

After decades of working in the printing industry in Kolkata in eastern India, Tarini has reached retirement age. He spends his days at home, having declined his son’s invitation to come to the United States. Then a friend shows him a help-wanted ad. Although he has never published a book, Tarini used to tell made-up stories to his friends in his youth, and the ad for a storyteller in Ahmedabad in western India piques his interest.

Cast: Paresh Rawal, Rajarshi Nag, Adil Hussain, Jayesh More, Anindita Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Revathi, Rohit Mukherjee, Pratik Dutta, Senjuti Roy Mukherji
Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan


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Udita Jhunjhunwala | Mint, Scroll.in

A question of authorship

Fri, February 7 2025

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan's film is a satisfying retelling of a classic short story by Satyajit Ray

Director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, in partnership with writer Kireet Khurana, has extended Satyajit Ray’s short story Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro into The Storyteller, a 116-minute drama available on Disney+ Hotstar. Tarini Bandopadhyay (Paresh Rawal) is a recently retired writer, whose longest assignment lasted 13 weeks. He’s a widower who is content with his Calcutta life and takes meticulous care of his Ambassador car. Conversations with his fellow comrades, over fish fry and fish curry, are rarely without mention of Capitalism and its ills and almost always end with ‘Tarini tales’. Tarini is a wonderful storyteller. Even after his wife gifted him a pen to encourage him, Tarini never recorded his imaginative and original stories.

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Srivathsan Nadadhur | Independent Film Critic Writing for M9 News

Relatable, Gentle, Masala-Free

Sun, February 2 2025

Tarini Bandyopadhyay, a widowed elderly Bengali man with a son, has long stints at many publishing houses, but never takes it upon himself to be an author, despite being a gifted communicator and storyteller. After his retirement, he’s hired by an Ahmedabad-based businessman Ratan Garodia, suffering from chronic insomnia, to tell stories in the hope of finding sleep.

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Shubhra Gupta | The Indian Express

Paresh Rawal, Adil Hussain film rewards you for your patience

Fri, January 31 2025

Even though the casting of the Gujju-in-real-life Paresh Rawal as the intellectual Bengali, and Adil Hussain as the sheep-counting-to-no-avail businessman, feels counter-intuitive, the actors are consummate enough to carry it off.

A Satyajit Ray short story becomes the basis of ‘The Storyteller’, an unhurried unspooling of an unlikely relationship between two men, separated by geographies, backgrounds, and, most crucially, intent. The result is a film which takes its time to lay out its wares, demanding your patience, which does get a trifle stretched, but overall rewards you for it. Tarini Bandhopadhyaya (Paresh Rawal) is a 60-something Bengali gent who loves fish and hates capitalism with equal passion. Ratan Garodia (Adil Hussain) is a Gujarati businessman who has everything except the comfort of sleep.

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Image of scene from the film Conclave
Conclave

Drama, Thriller (English)

After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, Lawrence finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could lead to its downfall.

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Sergio Castellitto, Brían F. O'Byrne, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl
Director: Edward Berger
Writer: Peter Straughan


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Sanyukta Thakare | Mashable India

Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci's Performance In This Vatican Political Thriller Is Must Watch

Fri, February 7 2025

The ending turns the table on the audience

In a sense the ending in brilliant where the audience ends up judging themselves on the reaction as they were judging each character through out the runtime of the film, but it may not be enough. Directed by Edward Berger of All Quiet On The Western Front, the film is based on a book by Robert Harris released in 2016. The story sets forward a simple premise but stirs up major socio economic discussion in a religious setting. Conclave isn’t about ideology how much to maintain it while also trying to exist in the same world filled with national and economic borders. The film follows Dean Lawrence arriving after the death of the Pope and then tracking his last moments of the day. Early on the film builds suspense around his death but instead of turning into a crime thriller or drama the film explores several plots and subplots at the same time with much fineness. Much of it can be seen through the screenplay while other can be seen in the performance of the actors and through the direction aka Edward Berger’s point of view. He also explores the contradiction in Vatican’s world, the orders it operates on, the way it is perceived and even tries to break down those notions.

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Image of scene from the film The Secrets of the Shiledars
The Secrets of the Shiledars

Action, Adventure, Drama (Hindi)

A secret society unravels a hidden treasure belonging to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with Rajeev leading the quest to protect it from falling into wrong hands, ultimately becoming the chief of the Shiledars.

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Sai Tamhankar, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Dilip Prabhavalkar
Director: Aditya Sarpotdar


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Srivathsan Nadadhur | Independent Film Critic Writing for M9 News

Thrilling Historic Ride

Sun, February 2 2025

After losing his parents in an accident in childhood, Ravi is raised by the Bhatts and has a loving brother in Aditya. He grows up a history enthusiast and bumps into a judge Dixit, who reminds him of his duty as a Shiledar and reveals the mystery behind his parents’ death. Soon implicated in a crime, Ravi embarks on a quest to uncover a hidden treasure.

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Image of scene from the film Hisaab Barabar
FCG Rating for the film Hisaab Barabar: 50/100
Hisaab Barabar

Drama, Thriller, Comedy (Hindi)

Radhe Mohan, an honest TC working for Indian Railways and a self-proclaimed accounts expert, sets out to uncover a massive financial fraud by banker Mickey Mehta. As Mickey puts the entire system against Radhe, what lies next for him?

Cast: R. Madhavan, Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rashami Desai, Faisal Rashid, Jitender Hooda, Manu Rishi Chadha, Shaunak Duggal, Himanshu Malik, Rajesh Jais
Director: Ashwni Dhir
Writer: Ashwni Dhir


Fox in morning light

Srivathsan Nadadhur | Independent Film Critic Writing for M9 News

Madhavan Drowns in a Hopeless Film

Sun, February 2 2025

Radhe Mohan Sharma, a railway ticket checker, stumbles upon a minor discrepancy in his bank account, setting off a chain of events, leading him to uncover a massive financial fraud orchestrated by a powerful banker named Micky Mehta, the founder of Do Bank. While unearthing a billion-dollar scam and facing immense pressure and threats, Radhe does what it takes to expose the truth.

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Fox in morning light

Bharathi Pradhan | Lehren.com

Delightfully Tallied

Fri, January 24 2025

Have you spared a minute to check if your bank balance has an insignificant discrepancy? Would you invest precious time and energy to make the bank accountable for Rs 27.50? It’s precisely this common customer lethargy that makes suave and merry Micky Mehta (Neil Nitin Mukesh) make dizzy sums like Rs 20,000 crore. Small amounts that don’t tally, interest credited just a day later, inconsequential figures that account holders ignore. Micky preys on just this customer ignorance to live life like a party. But there’s always one aam insaan whose brain works like a calculator. Senior Ticket Collector Radhe Mohan Sharma (R Madhavan) arrives laden with oranges that he generously shares with passengers. “I don’t touch stolen goods,” huffs passenger P Subhash (Kirti Kulhari). His enthusiastic reply about taking oranges to balance what the fruit seller owed him as change, delightfully introduces Radhe’s quirk. Debits and credits must tally. He’d once rejected a marriage proposal too because the girl was weak in Maths.

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Fox in morning light

Shubhra Gupta | The Indian Express

Madhavan’s film nosedives every time Neil Nitin Mukesh shows up

Fri, January 24 2025

R Madhavan looks older than he should for his role, but he is never unwatchable.

An honest-to-a-fault, maths-whizz ticket collector gets embroiled, unwittingly, in the doings of a greedy banker: this one-line premise may have sounded exciting on paper, but the execution comes off contrived and clunky. Madhavan plays Radhe Mohan Sharma, who brings his affable self and a razor sharp brain to his job, whose first encounter with a comely cop (Kirti Kulhari) isn’t exactly a meet-cute. She rebuffs his offer of an orange bought from a fruit-seller at the station: ‘main chori kiye santare nahin khati’, she says.

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