Kalki 2898 AD
Drama, Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction (Telugu)
In the year 2898 AD, around 6000 years after Kurukshetra war, Ashwatthama gears up for his final battle of redemption at the sign of hope in a dystopian world and Bhairava, a wisecracking and self-interested bounty hunter, tired of the (more…)
Chandu Champion
Drama (Hindi)
9 bullet wounds (one still in the body), three different sports and an unshakable determination to fulfill the dream of an Olympic Gold later, Muralikant Petkar, India's first Paralympian to finish at the top of the podium, got the recognition (more…)
Guild Reviews
Minmini
Drama (Tamil)
When Praveenah arrives at a boarding school in Ooty, she discovers that her classmate Sabari is haunted by the crushing weight of survivor's guilt. Years later, their paths converge again on a thrilling Himalayan biking adventure, where Praveenah sets out to help Sabari confront his demons and find redemption from the suffocating grip of guilt.
Cast:
Esther Anil, Pravin Kishore, Gaurav Kaalai
Director:
Halitha Shameem
Writer:
Halitha Shameem
Halitha Shameem’s Himalayan outing leaves you cold
Thu, August 29 2024
Early in Minmini, inside a school during a chilly evening at Ooty, a candle goes off. A student offers to light it up with his candle. “When one candle lights up another, there’s no loss,” someone remarks.
The Rings of Power S02
Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama (English)
Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
Cast:
Charlie Vickers, Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Charles Edwards, Owain Arthur, Sophia Nomvete, Daniel Weyman, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Ismael Cruz Cordova
From pure torture to wild ambition
Wed, August 28 2024
Deep into Star Wars: The Last Jedi, shortly after defeating the Supreme Leader’s highly trained elite guards, the anti-hero Kylo Ren extends his hand out to the protagonist Rey and asks her to join him. Together, he says, they can rule the galaxy. He pushes her to confront her greatest fear and assures her that she means the world to him. On the whole, the scene is both epic and intimate. A similar moment occurs late in the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as the series’ two most central forces clash in a swordfight. Sauron (Charlie Vickers) reiterates his desire to make Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) the queen of all Middle-earth. There’s nothing he wants more—and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to have her by his side.
Kalki 2898 AD
Drama, Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction (Telugu)
In the year 2898 AD, around 6000 years after Kurukshetra war, Ashwatthama gears up for his final battle of redemption at the sign of hope in a dystopian world and Bhairava, a wisecracking and self-interested bounty hunter, tired of the perilous life becomes the hurdle in the process.
Cast:
Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, Saswata Chatterjee, Shobana, Rajendra Prasad, Pasupathy, Anna Ben, Keya Nair
Director:
Nag Ashwin
A Spotify Review
Tue, August 27 2024
The year’s biggest Indian hit, Kalki 2898 AD, is just as irredeemable as Prabhas’ other recent films. But unlike those movies, this one barely features Prabhas at all and drags on for three hours without offering a single character you can latch on to. We talk about the film’s poor construction, subpar world-building, and superficial writing. We also discuss its shameless sequel-bait of a climax and wonder why people weren’t up in arms about being short-changed by writer-director Nag Ashwin.
Prabhas reigns supreme, Big B and Deepika Padukone exceptional
Thu, June 27 2024
It was 2015 when SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali’ was released and blew everyone’s mind. To this day, the two ‘Baahubali’ films not only shattered box office records but also set a benchmark for films of the same ilk. Nealy a decade later, director Nag Ashwin, with monumental ambitions, gifted ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, set in a dystopian world. With futuristic ideas coupled with Hindu mythology, the film will surely blow your mind, just like ‘Baahubali’ did. Thousands of years after the Mahabharata war, Kashi became the last city of the world. And the world is ruled by Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan), who is waiting for a magical serum to gain powers. The poor suffer in the city, while the rich enjoy their lives in the Complex, a place built for the privileged. It is Bhairava’s (Prabhas) dream to make it to the Complex. He is a bounty hunter doing petty jobs to earn the units that will enable him to earn his place in the Complex.
Mon, June 24 2024
Kaantaye Kaantaye
(Bengali)
Set against the misty, storm-lashed backdrop of Darjeeling, ‘Kaantaye Kaantaye’ plunges viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems. P.K. Basu [Saswata Chatterjee], haunted by the tragic loss of his daughter, finds himself in a race against time at the ominous Hotel Repose.
Saswata Chatterjee’s web series is too long
Sat, August 24 2024
After their daughter died in a car crash, advocate PK Basu (Saswata Chatterjee) and his wife Rani (Ananya Chatterjee) go to North Bengal to recover from their grief. They visit their family friends Sujata (Ayoshi Talukdar) and Kaushik (Somraj Maity) who open a homestay there. A series of murders take place in Kolkata and North Bengal. As a number of characters get stranded in the homestay, PK Basu catches the culprit.
Vaazhai
Drama, Family (Tamil)
A twelve-year-old bright schoolboy, Sivanandhan, his mother, sister, and with his friend Sekhar works during his school holidays carrying banana stalks, a task he dreads. As he navigates life's challenges, poverty, friendship, and the challenges of growing up, Sivanandhan’s determination is tested by the harsh realities of life.
Cast:
Ponvel, Rahul R., Dhivya Dhuraisamy, Janaki Jayaraman, Kalaiyarasan, Nikhila Vimal, Pathaman, JSK.Satish Kumar, Nivedita Rajappan, Priyanka Nair
Director:
Mari Selvaraj
Writer:
Mari Selvaraj
Mari Selvaraj's career-best film will make you speechless
Fri, August 23 2024
Director Mari Selvaraj, on several occasions, called ‘Vaazhai’ his best film. He stated that it was the film he wanted to make first, before ‘Pariyerum Perumal’, ‘Karnan’ and ‘Maamannan’. ‘Vaazhai’ is a biographical film that explores a significant incident that changed Mari’s life. Mari is absolutely right, as ‘Vaazhai’ is his career-best film and a perfect answer to the trolls that targeted him. Sivanaindhan (Ponvel), with his charismatic and innocent smile, lives with his mother (Janaki) and elder sister Vembu (Dhivya Duraisamy). Sivanaindhan juggles between school and working at a banana plantation over weekends to make ends meet. He excels at school, consistently achieving first rank, but he does not enjoy working at the plantation for obvious reasons. The strenuous labour and the way he’s ripped off of his childish joys take a toll on him. But, Sivanaindhan understands.
Pachinko S02
Drama (English)
Follow the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family beginning with a forbidden love and crescendos into a sweeping saga that journeys between Korea, Japan and America to tell the unforgettable story of war and peace, love and loss, triumph and reckoning.
Cast:
Youn Yuh-jung, Soji Arai, Jin Ha, Jung Eun-chae, Kim Min-ha, Jeong In-ji, Kim Sung-kyu, Lee Min-ho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Anna Sawai
Chasing greatness
Thu, August 22 2024
Deep into the second season of Pachinko—the generation-spanning Apple TV+ drama series that rightfully captured hearts and won several awards upon its debut almost two-and-a-half years ago—the ruthless man of many trades, Koh Hansu (Lee Minho), utters eight words that unfortunately underpin the show: “For people like us, there is no home.” The lives of Pachinko’s characters have always been ravaged by war. First, they were made to feel lesser than and uprooted from their homeland. And since then, they’ve found themselves stuck in a world—as Koreans in Japan—that won’t really accept them no matter how much they give to it. The longing for home, the desire to feel safe and settled, and a quest for solace have defined their existence.
Vedaa
Action, Drama, Thriller (Hindi)
A court-marshalled soldier with a traumatic past helps a young girl from 'lower' caste and an aspiring boxer work towards her dreams despite her hostile environment.
Cast:
John Abraham, Sharvari Wagh, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Kshitij Chauhan, Tamannaah Bhatia, Danish Husain, Tanvi Malhara, Rajendra Chawla, Kapil Nirmal
Director:
Nikkhil Advani
Writer:
Aseem Arora
Caste vs the legend of John Abraham
Fri, August 16 2024
Vedaa is not a film about boxing, though its trailer seemed to suggest that. Director Nikkhil Advani’s film has a bit of boxing, of course, but its plot’s real drivers are caste and caste atrocities. However, Vedaa, starring John Abraham and Sharvari Wagh in the lead, is not a film about caste either. Vedaa is an action-thriller created to embellish and enhance the legend of John Abraham. In this enterprise, boxing is a tiny diversion and caste plays the same part that Islamic terrorism has often played in previous John Abraham-the-one-man-killer-machine films—It’s very bad and it must be annihilated. But since Vedaa is a Nikkhil Advani film, it’s politically sharp, gritty and mildly feminist. Written by Aseem Arora, Vedaa is set in Rajasthan, but its story really begins in Kashmir. Yep, that same-old scenic battleground Abraham keeps visiting, repeatedly, to save the nation from the Phiran-wearing, machine gun-carrying Islamic terrorists.
Thu, August 15 2024
Thangalaan
Adventure, Action, Fantasy, History (Tamil)
During the British rule, Thangalaan, a fierce tribal leader, and his tribe assist Lord Clement, a British General, to trace gold in their village. While searching for the gold, the villagers earn the wrath of Aarathi, an apparent sorceress, who Thangalaan sets out to stop with all his might.
Cast:
Vikram, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Malavika Mohanan, Daniel Caltagirone, Pasupathy, Hari Krishnan, Arjun Anbudan, Preeti Karan, Krish Hassan, Muthukumar
Director:
Pa. Ranjith
Writer:
Pa. Ranjith
Vikram-Pa Ranjith's film drowns due to convoluted storytelling
Thu, August 15 2024
Director Pa Ranjith is one filmmaker with a powerful voice in Tamil cinema. Whether one agrees or not, his voice is significant and cannot be ignored. When he announced his collaboration with actor Chiyaan Vikram in 2021, it excited many. And the excitement grew multifold over the years and became one of the most anticipated films of 2024. Did ‘Thangalaan’ manage to fulfil the expectations? Let’s find out! Thangalaan (Chiyaan Vikram), Gangamma (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and their five children live in North Arcot where they rely on agriculture. However, their land is grabbed by the upper-class landlord using deceitful tactics. In the 1800s, Lord Clement, a British General, expressed his desire to trace gold near their village. However, a local myth claims that the sorceress Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan), guards the area. Thangalaan and the rest of the villagers believe in the myth.
Khel Khel Mein
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
What if for one night your mobile phone was a public property? 7 friends at a wedding after-party decide to play a seemingly harmless but as it turns out, a dangerous game which might have earth-shattering consequences with relationships, marriages and identities being at stake.
Cast:
Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Ammy Virk, Pragya Jaiswal, Aditya Seal, Kiran Kumar, Alka Kaushal, Talat Aziz
Director:
Mudassar Aziz
Writer:
Sara Bodinar, Mudassar Aziz
Is it another Blockbuster?
Wed, August 14 2024
Chandu Champion
Drama (Hindi)
9 bullet wounds (one still in the body), three different sports and an unshakable determination to fulfill the dream of an Olympic Gold later, Muralikant Petkar, India's first Paralympian to finish at the top of the podium, got the recognition by his own country 45 years after he achieved what no athlete from his country could.
Cast:
Kartik Aaryan, Vijay Raaz, Bhuvan Arora, Rajpal Yadav, Yashpal Sharma, Aniruddh Dave, Nitin Bhajan, Hemangi Kavi, Shreyas Talpade, Brijendra Kala
Director:
Kabir Khan
Writer:
Sudipto Sarkar, Kabir Khan, Sumit Arora
A Spotify Review
Wed, August 14 2024
Chandu Champion finds director Kabir Khan returning to 83 territory, for better or worse. We talk about the film’s shoddy storytelling structure, its complete lack of interest in developing its protagonist, and its over-reliance on crutches like music and contrivances. We also discuss Khan’s tendency to underestimate his audiences’ intellect and his inherent insecurity about his subject’s genuine achievements. Chandu Champion is another Hindi movie that shouldn’t get even a passing grade, forget the high praise that it has seemingly received.
जिएगा और जीतेगा ‘चंदू चैंपियन’
Fri, June 14 2024
मुरली का बचपन से एक ही सपना था कि ओलंपिक में जाना है, गोल्ड मैडल लेकर आना है। बड़ा होकर वह फौज में गया तो बॉक्सिंग के ज़रिए अपने इस सपने को सच करने में जुट गया। लेकिन 1965 की जंग में उसे इतनी गोलियां लगीं कि वह अपने पैरों से लाचार हो गया। मगर उसने हार नहीं मानी और स्विमिंग करने लगा। 1972 में हुए पैरालंपिक (दिव्यांगजनों के ओलंपिक) में तैराकी में गोल्ड मैडल लेकर आया। यह एक सच्ची कहानी है और ‘चंदू चैंपियन’ (Chandu Champion) इसी कहानी पर बनी है। आप चाहें तो पूछ सकते हैं कि यदि यह सच्ची कहानी है तो इतने बरसों से हमने इसके बारे में कहीं पढ़ा या सुना क्यों नहीं? जवाब वही पुराना है कि हमारे समाज के नायकों और उनकी प्रेरक कहानियों के प्रति हमारे समाज के कर्णधारों का उदासीन रवैया इसका मुख्य कारण है। मुरलीकांत पेटकर भी ऐसे ही एक नायक थे जिन्हें न तो उचित पुरस्कार मिले, न ही सम्मान और वक्त की आंधी ने उन्हें हाशिये पर कर डाला। लेकिन पिछले कुछ सालों में जब सरकार ने ढूंढ-ढूंढ कर ऐसे नायकों को सम्मानित करना शुरू किया तो उनकी कहानी भी सामने आई और 2018 में उन्हें पद्मश्री देकर सम्मानित किया गया। उसके बाद लोगों का ध्यान उन पर गया और नतीजे के तौर पर यह फिल्म बन कर आई है।
Thu, June 13 2024
Shekhar Home
Drama, Crime (Hindi)
Set in 1990s Lonpur, Bengal, “Shekhar Home” combines suspense & comedy as eccentric Shekhar and his new housemate Jayavrat solve a variety of cases while interacting with a vibrant cast of characters in a charming, pre-technology era.
Cast:
Kay Kay Menon, Ranvir Shorey, Rasika Dugal, Shernaz Patel
Director:
Srijit Mukherji
Writer:
Aniruddha Guha, Niharika Puri
Aping Sherlock and failing
Wed, August 14 2024
Early into Shekhar Home—the new mystery crime series on JioCinema—a middle-aged army doctor arrives as the new housemate at a guest house run by an elderly woman. As she shows him around the place, she apologises for the mess and the living area’s unkempt state on behalf of the other tenant. Shortly after, when the doctor makes the man’s acquaintance, he learns of his expert deduction skills. Taken aback, he remarks on his excellence. In response, the man with a keen eye for tiny details fires back: “No doctor, it’s elementary.” Yes, Shekhar Home is a Sherlock Holmes show and its beginning is a carbon copy of Sherlock’s start, the hit BBC series with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman from a decade-and-a-half ago.
Gyaarah Gyaarah
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (Hindi)
Three cops defy the rules of time to investigate and deliver justice in a series of cold cases. How far will they go as they work from within the corrupt system to bring the criminals to book?
Cast:
Raghav Juyal, Kritika Kamra, Dhairya Karwa, Nitesh Pandey, Gaurav K Sharma, Harsh Chhaya
Director:
Umesh Bist
Mon, August 12 2024
Middling crime thriller bids its time
Sun, August 4 2024
Gyaarah Gyaarah, out on ZEE5 and adapted from the Korean series Signal, is a time-warping thriller of the dour, soulless kind. Tumbling across timelines, director Umesh Bist always makes sure to hold his audience’s hand. Bland letters appear on screen to indicate the precise date, year, location. Lest we lose our bearings, the pop-culture references are even more plain: Dil for 1990, Kapoor & Sons for 2016. This is a fairly unimaginative way to summon a period, to evoke a mood. It’s unlike the scene in Back to the Future where Doc in the 1950s exclaims to Marty, who’s traveled back from the 80s, “Ronald Reagan! The actor?! Then who’s vice president? Jerry Lewis?”