Bison Kaalamaadan
Action, Drama (Tamil)
A young man fights to overcome violence plaguing his village and succeed as a professional kabaddi player. (more…)
Guild Reviews
The Lost Bus
Drama, Mystery, Thriller (English)
A determined father risks everything to rescue a dedicated teacher and her students from a raging wildfire.
Cast:
Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, Kimberli Flores, Levi McConaughey, Kay McConaughey, John Messina, Kate Wharton, Danny McCarthy
Director:
Paul Greengrass
A tense and thrilling spectacle that never lets go of its human heart
Thu, October 23 2025
Rumour has it that if Brad Pitt hadn’t thrown his weight behind F1 (read: put his movie star foot down), then the film would have bypassed the big screen and been a straight-to-streaming release. The high-octane film fittingly found a release in theatres in June, made pots of money and will arrive on Apple TV only in December. No such luck, however, for another Apple TV-backed project. After a limited release in theatres in the US, The Lost Bus found its way to the streaming service earlier this month.
Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera's Harrowing Ride Through Fire Is Emotional But Overlong
Fri, October 3 2025
Matthew McConaughey plays a down-on-his-luck bus driver who becomes a reluctant hero after evacuting schoolchildren in The Lost Bus. The Paul Greengrass film takes its time to establish McConaughey’s character and the growing disaster. Once the fire grows in the small town, the drama gets to the heart of the story as two individuals fight against the odds to make it. The tension is heightened in the second half to the right temperature as the odds become slim. The leads’ teamsmanship carries the film over the line.
Good Fortune
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy (English)
A well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy capitalist.
Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh, Sherry Cola, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Blanca Araceli, Joe Mande, Aditya Geddada
Director:
Aziz Ansari
Writer:
Aziz Ansari
A Sweet, Rose-Tinted Indictment of Social Inequities
Wed, October 22 2025
A lot of one’s experience of Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut, Good Fortune, might rest on what they think of him as a storyteller. A stand-up comedian/actor/writer/director for nearly two decades now, Ansari turned to direction with the Netflix series, Master of None, a semi-autobiographical take on his experience as a brown actor in America, as he goes through the typical ups and downs on both personal and professional fronts. Co-created with Alan Yang, Master of None, in my opinion, is a sublime meditation on modern American society, as we see it through the eyes of Dev (a fictitious version of Ansari himself), and its commentary on immigrant parents, dating culture, and thorny issues like sexual harassment on public transport or at the workplace – but they’re dealt with his customary light touch. Like most comedians working, Ansari has this tendency to bleed out the theatrics of the most unsettling moments in life – stressing on how most life-changing moments can seem mundane in real life. This gentle rebuke as a storytelling choice is instantly recognisable as something from Ansari’s canon.
(Writing for OTT Play)
An Angelic John Wick Rescues A Flailing Master Of None
Sat, October 18 2025
Good Fortune plays out a bit like a smart-alecky Aziz Ansari comedy sketch. A skit-like one-liner — what if a well-meaning but incompetent “budget angel” body-swaps a wealthy white guy and a miserable brown guy? — is pan-fried with a series of thematic keywords: gig economy, American dream, immigrant struggle, racial biases, capitalist greed. It’s a deadpan spoof that counts on looking like a deadpan spoof; even the sincerity is supposed to sound designed and clunky. It has the narrative scale of a gag, too. As a film, it doesn’t know where to go after the social gimmick wears off; it just fizzles into the sort of artificial resolution that, if I didn’t know any better, passes off as image-renovating and self-righteous tripe. The film is fun when Keanu Reeves turns earnestness and bad writing into an art form. But as a Barbie-styled comment on modern American society, it comes across as performative and dishonest. Look Ma, (no) Wings!
Bison Kaalamaadan
Action, Drama (Tamil)
A young man fights to overcome violence plaguing his village and succeed as a professional kabaddi player.
Cast:
Dhruv Vikram, Anupama Parameswaran, Rajisha Vijayan, Pasupathy, Ameer, Lal, Kalaiyarasan, N. Azhagamperumal, Anuraag Arora
Director:
Mari Selvaraj
Writer:
Mari Selvaraj
A Familiar Tale of an Athlete’s Battles on a Pitch and Wars off it
Wed, October 22 2025
Since his directorial debut with Pariyerum Perumal (2018), it’s been well-established that Mari Selvaraj’s primary weapons as a storyteller have been his singular point-of-view and guttural intensity. Whether it’s the symbolisation of Karuppi (a dog painted in blue) in his debut, or that interval-block from Karnan (2021), when the protagonist (Dhanush) destroys a public bus. Careful to not end up advocating for mob violence through the scene, Selvaraj uses Santosh Narayanan’s score to build up to the violence as an act of desperate assertion, rather than an accomplishment. In his latest, Bison Kaalamaadan, I kept waiting for a similarly sublime flourish, which arrived in the film’s final moments. Based on the struggles of a Kabaddi player, it’s in the final moments that Selvaraj zooms into what makes Kittan (Dhruv Vikram) such a potent athlete. For the first time in the 160-minute film, we see Kittan’s guile as a kabaddi player, deceiving his opponent by moving sideways and forward faster than his opponents can think. When he’s grabbed by an opponent – instead of trying to free himself, he grabs the opponent back, and spins both bodies around. A couple of twirls later, he’s back on his side of the pitch.
Mari Selvaraj never misses
Mon, October 20 2025
Mari Selvaraj Rewrites Rules of the Sports Drama
Sat, October 18 2025
Several aspects of Bison will urge you to keep rewatching the film, but if there’s one that kept surprising me, it was its editing. More than a smooth linear edit, Sakthi Thiru builds up scenes like he’s stacking Jenga blocks. Just when you feel too overwhelmed to absorb the layers playing out in one scene fully, he chooses to insert that with a tiny reaction shot or a cutaway that will immediately take you through the entire magnitude of Kittan’s (played by Dhruv Vikram) journey and how much he’s had to go through to get where he has.
Dude
Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance (Tamil)
Childhood friends Agan and Kural are inseparable. When Kural encounters romantic troubles, Agan must balance his hidden feelings for her with his desire to ensure her happiness.
Cast:
Pradeep Ranganathan, R. Sarathkumar, Mamitha Baiju, Hridhu Haroon, Neha Shetty, Rohini, Ramachandra Raju, Dravid Selvam, Aishwarya Sharma, Satya
Director:
Keerthiswaran
Writer:
Keerthiswaran
Pradeep Is here to stay
Mon, October 20 2025
Pradeep Ranganathan Shouts Through a Loud, Crass Soup Boy Comedy
Sat, October 18 2025
There’s an argument to be made about the cleverness of the opening sequence of Pradeep Ranganathan’s third outing as hero, Dude. Not only does he deserve an introduction befitting a rising star, but he’s also not at the level where he can save an entire village — at least, not yet. So instead of a grand hero’s entry, what he gets is the absolute definition of a zero entry.
The Long Review
Sat, October 18 2025
Paathirathri
Drama, Thriller (Malayalam)
When two police officers, Hareesh and Jancy, stumble upon a mysterious event at midnight, they unleash a chain of unpredictable consequences that threaten their careers, relationships, and lives.
Cast:
Navya Nair, Soubin Shahir, Sunny Wayne, Ann Augustine, Shabareesh Varma, Indrans, Athmeeya Rajan, Harisree Ashokan, Achyuth Kumar, Pooja Mohanraj
Director:
Ratheena
Writer:
Shaji Maarad
(Writing for Filmy Sasi)
Navya and Soubin lead the charge
Sun, October 19 2025
In recent years, Malayalam cinema has produced several police stories that look beyond their heroic surface. From the era of Suresh Gopi’s Bharath Chandran IPS, the template has shifted to more grounded portrayals, with filmmakers exploring the brutal, vulnerable, and helpless sides of police officers. Ratheena’s Paathirathri belongs to this newer breed, focusing equally on the personal lives of its cops. Set in Anakkara, a village in Kerala’s Idukki district, the film revolves around an unforeseen event that takes place at midnight.
Soubin Shahir and Navya Nair star in an uninspiring crime procedural
Sat, October 18 2025
One of the surest bets for audience appreciation in the current purple patch of Malayalam cinema has been realistic police procedurals. An intriguing screenplay bringing out all the crucial little details of the investigation and a fairly surprising twist in the tale could turn a film into a box office winner. But this trend is now slowly turning into a formula, with makers at times mechanically repeating all the familiar beats of the genre.
Two Much With Kajol and Twinkle
Talk (Hindi)
Two of India’s sharpest women, Kajol and Twinkle, host a talk show that’s fun, unhinged and sneakily insightful - featuring celebrity guests, wild takes, and total chaos. Like the fun table at the party - everyone’s invited.
Cast:
Twinkle Khanna, Kajol
Director:
Arun Sheshkumar
Writer:
Bhavesh Gandhi, Jessica Khurrana, Punya Arora
Chunky Panday and Govinda On Their Feminism
Sun, October 19 2025
One of the strange symptoms of our current climate is an inability to distinguish between ironic and unironic love. When I ask friends who have paid for and partaken in Himesh Reshammiya’s Cap Mania concert, if they are enjoying the music or the performance of a collective exercise in irony, the answers confuse me, because the distinction seems hard to make. The question of what to do with celebrities of irony is itching, because they are people who become known for their upfront, unapologetic silliness. We enjoy their audacity. We cringe at the expression of it. Why do we love Rakhi Sawant? Urvashi Rautela? What primal instinct for trash do they accomplish? Perhaps, trash has a street credit that Satyajit Ray simply cannot compete with, a counter-canon kind of joy that insists on and prides itself in being outside of what is considered tasteful and tactful.
Diesel
Action, Romance, Drama (Tamil)
During the 1980s, Manohar was a leader in the city's crude oil smuggling business. Manohar opposed Patanis dream of setting up a private port that would become a hub for the black market oil trade. He looted a large quantity of oil from the pipeline to blackmail the government into fulfilling his dream. Finally, the Vasu finds the missing oil.
Cast:
Harish Kalyan, Athulya Ravi, Yogi Babu, Karunas, Vinay Rai, Ananya, Sai Kumar, Sachin Khedekar, Vivek Prasanna, KPY Dheena
Director:
Shanmugam Muthusamy
Writer:
Shanmugam Muthusamy
Harish Kalyan Anchors A Lost, Lazy Film
Sat, October 18 2025
With big, puppy dog eyes and an angular nose that could crater dimples into cheeks, facial hair that hoods over his lips, nimble legs that slip into skinny pants, a bicep wide enough to hold a strange tattoo of his dead mother as a mermaid, and a mop of hair so thick and wild, it requires its own continuity supervisor, actor Harish Kalyan finds the pitch of his character in Diesel, Vasu or Diesel Vasu, somewhere between the charming boy from a romantic film and the vengeful hero from an action one, between the lithe dance movements of Vijay and the handsome, brooding anger of Surya, not quite either, not quite both.
Harish Kalyan's film fails to ignite despite strong premise
Fri, October 17 2025
Director Shanmugam Muthusamy’s ‘Diesel’, starring Harish Kalyan, Vinay Rai, and Athulya Ravi, attempts to tell the story of fisherfolk caught in the world of crude oil smuggling. Despite its ambitious canvas, the film lacks originality and crumbles under derivative storytelling and technical incompetence. ‘Diesel’ opens with promise. Director Vetri Maaran’s commanding voice-over—reminiscent of his ‘Vada Chennai’—sets up a compelling premise about fishermen protesting a 17-kilometre crude oil pipeline installation on the shore, protests that end in tragedy and bloodshed. It’s the kind of socially conscious setup that suggests substance. But that’s where the promise ends.
The Pet Detective
Adventure, Comedy (Malayalam)
A couple of amateur sleuths attempt to solve the mystery behind disappearing pets, but become embroiled in far more sinister crimes.
Cast:
Sharafudheen, Anupama Parameswaran, Vinay Forrt, Muthukumar, Vinayakan, Joemon Jyothir, Shyam Mohan, Renji Panicker, Maala Parvathi, Jinu Joseph
Director:
Praneesh Vijayan
Writer:
Praneesh Vijayan
A moderately funny comic book caper with template characters
Sat, October 18 2025
A kidnapped girl, a missing dog, exotic fishes that get stolen, a feared Mexican mafia don and a couple of smaller dons, a psychopath, a bumbling policeman, and a pet detective. One would need this basic checklist to keep track of the numerous subplots that are cramped into The Pet Detective, directed by debutant Praneesh Vijayan The writers appear to be aware of this rather confusing mix that they get one of the characters to periodically narrate the series of events till then, just so that no one gets lost. But then, it is sometimes a pleasure to get lost in a world in which things do not get serious beyond a point, just like in comics. Clearly, this is the space that the makers are aiming for, where even a Mafia don does not look too dangerous, but at times ends up as a laughing stock. In its staging, editing patterns and over-the-top performances, the film attempts to capture this comic energy. Yet, for a film of this nature, the jokes that land well are just about a handful.
Theatre: The Myth of Reality
Drama, Mystery (Malayalam)
Cast:
Rima Kallingal, Ashwathy B, Dain Davis, Sarasa Balussery, Pramod Veliyanad, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Mekha Rajan, Ann Saleem, Balaji Sarma, Akhil R C Kavalayoor
Director:
Sajin Baabu
Writer:
Sajin Baabu
Between solitude, superstition and survival
Sat, October 18 2025
Imagine two women in a lonely house with a large yard that benefits no one else. Would the authorities care about their two votes? In Sajin Baabu’s abstractly titled Theatre: The Myth of Reality, this is how a discussion unfolds among locals in Kerala’s backwaters as they talk about the isolated lives of a spinster named Meera (Rima Kallingal) and her mother Sharadamma (Sarasa Balussery). Their lifestyle is peculiar and far removed from the mainland. In the agriculture-based ecosystem they’ve built for themselves, the duo is surrounded by a serpent temple (kaavu) where a prayer must be performed every day.
The Diplomat S03
Drama, War & Politics (English)
Amid an international crisis, a US diplomat contends with her high-profile job as ambassador to the UK and her strained marriage to a political star.
Cast:
Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, Ato Essandoh
Who really stole the doomsday weapon Poseidon?
Fri, October 17 2025
It’s fitting that The Diplomat on Netflix ends its third season not with an explosion, but with something quieter, and infinitely more dangerous. A silence loaded with betrayal. For a show built on diplomatic finesse and political tension, The Diplomat season 3 brings its most devastating twist yet: the realisation that even love, loyalty, and diplomacy are just different dialects of manipulation. Let’s dive into The Diplomat season 3 story and ending, explained here, cast, and more.
Telusu Kada
Romance, Drama (Telugu)
A couple's struggle with infertility takes a complicated turn when an ex-partner offers to be their surrogate.
Cast:
Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Srinidhi Shetty, Raashii Khanna, Harsha Chemudu
Director:
Neeraja Kona
Writer:
Neeraja Kona
Siddhu, Raashii and Srinidhi lead a messy Telugu drama about tangled relationships
Fri, October 17 2025
In an early scene from director Neerraja Kona’s Telugu romance drama Telusu Kada (loosely translated as You know it, right?), chef-restaurateur Varun (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) berates his staff for failing to meet his exacting standards. His friend and moral compass (Harsha Chemmudu) reminds him to see things more practically: for Varun, a loner, the restaurant is his world; for his staff, it is just a job.
The Woman in Cabin 10
Mystery, Drama, Thriller (English)
On a lavish yacht for an assignment, a journalist sees a passenger go overboard. But when no one believes her, she risks her life to uncover the truth.
Cast:
Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Gitte Witt, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario, David Morrissey, Daniel Ings
Director:
Simon Stone, Farhan Rana Rajpoot
Carries forward the genre of mysteries with unreliable female narrators... with mixed results
Thu, October 16 2025
Aspiring to be Agatha Christie-lite, mounting a narrative that reminds one of the Knives Out films and attempting to throw in a bit of Hitchcockian suspense in a confined space setting, The Woman in Cabin 10 is the latest in the subgenre of unreliable female narrators, one that has gained momentum in the last decade with films like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, Before I Go To Sleep, The Woman in the Window, et al. The Woman in Cabin 10, recently released on Netflix, is based on Ruth Ware’s 2016 novel, and swaps the manor-style/chamber drama setting reserved for mysteries of such kind for a cruise ship. While that may initially come across as inventive, one immediately realises that Christie did it almost 90 years ago with Death on the Nile, that found its way to the big screen in 1978 and then as recently as 2022.
Keira Knightley Thriller Weighed Down By Predictable Twists
Sat, October 11 2025
Based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, The Woman in Cabin 10, follows a journalist, Laura Blacklock, seeking the truth in a suspicious murder. With only herself as a witness, Laura is fighting a losing battle. Starring Keira Knightley as the determined heroine, the film features some cookie-cutter characters who fail to raise interest. The central mystery at the heart of this thriller is too easy to guess as well.