Guild Reviews
Devil's Double Next Level
Horror, Comedy (Tamil)
A well-known movie critic is invited by a strange person to watch a special horror film. But once the movie starts, he finds himself trapped inside it. The world keeps shifting timelines, endless day-to-night cycles, non-linear narration, and scary things from horror movies come to life. To escape, he must either stop reviewing movies forever or find a way to defeat the ghost that trapped him.
Cast:
Santhanam, Selvaraghavan, Geethika Tiwary, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Rajendran, Kasturi Shankar, Yashika Anand, Redin Kingsley, Lollu Sabha Maaran, Nizhalgal Ravi
Director:
S. Premanand
Writer:
S. Premanand
Few gags aside, Santhanam's film is mostly torture
Sat, May 17 2025
If anyone who follows movies says that horror comedies are a thing of the past, show them the Tamil film slate. Almost every two weeks, a horror comedy takes over the screens. Whether it lives up to the horror or comedy genre is debatable. This week, we have Santhanam’s ‘DD Next Level’, the fourth film in the ‘Dhilluku Dhuddu’ franchise. Is it a great addition to the franchise? Let’s find out! DD Next Level’s premise is fascinating, especially because it includes a film critic. Krishna aka Kissa 47 (Santhanam) is a film critic on YouTube, who uses rap to share his views. He gets called to a special screening along with his family. When he reaches the venue, he feels that something is off and returns. Upon returning, he finds out that his family, including his mother, father and sister, are already seated inside a theatre.
Santhanama's Latest Is A Meta Comedy Of Patchy Creative Brilliance
Sat, May 17 2025
DD film series has a tested template. It starts with a prologue about a haunted place and moves to a first half that deals with the romance of the lead pair and their arrival at the place of horror and finally, the third act of horror-comedy cocktail. DD Next Level, the costliest of the series, is a bit more interesting despite following the template to a large extent. Adding a meta layer to the template has made a huge difference to the worn-out horror-comedy genre. However, the novelty runs out of steam pretty soon as the filmmakers run out of ideas in the second half, resorting to the usual antics of the genre.
An Insufferable Comedy About People Stuck In An Insufferable Movie
Sat, May 17 2025
There’s a list of clever ideas in Santhanam’s meta comedy Devil’s Double Next Level that should have resulted in a film that’s at least remotely funny. It’s a spoof movie that operates on the same founding principle of the Scary Movie franchise and you find the film breaking the fourth wall throughout its runtime to keep throwing references and cliches towards you, hoping at least a few would stick. Some of these, like the idea of casting Gautham Vasudev Menon to play a police officer named Raghavan, might not seem like a big deal. But then the film goes several steps further to make this character fall in love with the protagonist’s sister and then run after her on the beach while ‘Uyirin Uyire’ from Kaakha Kaakha (2003) plays in the background. It’s definitely immature and silly, but at least there’s a bit of thought that has gone into making the joke land.
Hai Junoon
(Hindi)
Talent vs Ambition. Music vs Dance. At Anderson College, rivalries explode in a cut-throat battle for the GOATs Trophy. Who will rise? Who will break?
Cast:
Jacqueline Fernandez, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Siddharth Nigam, Sumedh Mudgalkar, Elisha Mayor, Sanchit Kundra, Priyank Sharma, Santana Roach, Devangshi Sen, Bhavin Bhanushali
Director:
Abhishek Sharma
Need Junoon for song-dance drama
Sat, May 17 2025
It is indeed passion that takes us to our goals. Thus, the title of the musical series, ‘Hai Junoon!’, is just apt. But more than the name of the series, we need to pay heed to its tagline: ‘Dream. Dare. Dominate.’ It’s important to both dream and dare, but where can the will to dominate take us? When the musical ‘Bandish Bandits’ landed on our screens, it was indeed a breath of fresh air, for it celebrated music in its entirety, especially the sonorous notes of shastriya sangeet. One can’t say Jio Creative Studios’ ‘Hai Junoon!’ walking the musical path is a rip-off. Rather, instead of playing on the rivalry of musical groups or different genres, it starts off as a class divide of sorts. And thus pitches off the college’s musical band, Supersonics, against a dance group, which later finds its name: Misfits.
The Diplomat
Thriller, Drama (Hindi)
The Deputy High Commissioner, J.P. Singh, faces an unusual crisis when a mysterious woman rushes inside the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, claiming to be an Indian citizen and seeking a return to India.
Cast:
John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi, Ashwath Bhatt, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Benjamin Gilani, Vidhatri Bandi, Jagjeet Sandhu, Sehar Shehnaz
Director:
Shivam Nair
Writer:
Ritesh Shah
If John Abraham wants to save his career, he needs to stop saving damsels in distress first
Sat, May 17 2025
There is a difference between ambition and delusion. Ambition often depends on one’s means; delusion, on the other hand, hinges on one’s capability. The Diplomat isn’t an ambitious film for barring the brawny John Abraham from lifting a finger. But it’s certainly delusional for thinking of itself as a desi answer to Argo. There is, however, a more unexpected comparison that the movie invites, without realising that it is guilty of committing the same mistakes that it is so confidently calling out. But more on that later. Directed by Shivam Nair, The Diplomat projects itself as a feminist film, but it is actually a tribute to male ego. A dramatically inert distillation of a multi-pronged story, The Diplomat takes a typically Bollywood approach to telling a story about a woman’s emancipation and empowerment. It frames its narrative from the perspective of Abraham’s character, India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan, JP Singh. But it is actually the story of Uzma Ahmed, an Indian woman played by Sadia Khateeb, who is conned into marrying a Pakistani man named Tahir. They met in Malaysia, where he was working as a taxi driver. A few months into their relationship, Tahir moved back home and invited her to join him there. But he had an ulterior motive.
A Spotify Review
Mon, May 12 2025
No diplomacy takes place in the new John Abraham film The Diplomat, which is now streaming on Netflix after a theatrical run earlier this year. While Abraham doesn’t throw any punches in the film, The Diplomat is hardly a toned-down drama for adults. We discuss the film’s odd narrative choices, unnecessary non-linear writing, and the absolute miscasting of Abraham. We also talk about the film’s problematic perspective, which reduces the female protagonist to a side character in her own story.
Tue, March 18 2025
Final Destination Bloodlines
Horror, Mystery (English)
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Cast:
Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, April Telek, Andrew Tinpo Lee, Tony Todd
Director:
Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
(Writing for OTT PLay)
A Franchise Reboot To Die For
Sat, May 17 2025
It’s a strange week to be a Hollywood nerd. I binge-watched all the seven Mission: Impossible movies in anticipation of The Final Reckoning. Psychologically, this made me feel invincible — I almost found myself walking into oncoming traffic on a Mumbai highway (the potholes slowed down the cars, but never mind), convinced that I’d Ethan-Hunt my way out of danger. Nothing could kill me; I felt braver every time I risked my life to reach a place. Then I speed-watched the five Final Destination movies in anticipation of the sixth, Final Destination Bloodlines, which is more of a reboot but never mind. Just to get into the spirit of things. Psychologically, this made me feel extremely killable. On one hand, the M:I movies injected blind courage into me, but on the other, my mind was suddenly wired to obsess about a million gruesome ways I could perish the moment I walked out my front door. Was I fearless or scared sh*tless? I don’t know anymore. Maybe it’s the same thing.
Will Get You Cheering For All The Wrong Reasons
Wed, May 14 2025
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, the franchise returns with a fresh perspective and many nostalgic moments. Titled Final Destination Bloodlines, the film brings forth exactly what it promises with the title and the trailer. The story is pretty simple and follows through with every other film in the franchise, but the direction and screenplay get a major upgrade. The film takes you from cheering for the characters, rooting for them to surive to cheering for death and fullfilling his own destiny by taking everyone out.
23
Drama, Crime (Telugu)
23 is a gripping social drama inspired by true events, including the 1992 Ksunduru massacre, the 1993 Chilakaluripet bus burning, and the 1997 Jubilee Hills bomb blasts. It explores themes of caste-based discrimination, violence, justice, and societal unrest.
Cast:
Teja, Tanmayee, Praneeth
Director:
Raj Rachakonda
Writer:
Raj Rachakonda, Indus Martin
A hard-hitting film that raises tough questions
Fri, May 16 2025
It is tough to look at 23 (Iravai Moodu) solely as a film. The indie-spirited Telugu venture based on real incidents, written and directed by Raj R, is part social commentary, presented in a docu-drama style. Armed with a cast that includes 25 newcomers and a few established names, Raj questions if the justice system is equal to everyone. George Orwell’s statement from Animal Farm, ‘All are equal, but some are more equal than others’, sets the tone of the film that wants its audience to look at crime and its perpetrators through different perspectives. The film’s premise is shaped by three incidents that shook undivided Andhra Pradesh in the 1990s. In 1991, the Tsunduru massacre witnessed brutal caste violence against Dalits. In 1993, 23 passengers lost their lives after two Dalit men set a bus on fire in Chilakaluripet. In 1997, a car bomb explosion in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, reportedly killed 26 and injured several others.
Murderbot
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Comedy, Drama (English)
In a high-tech future, a rogue security robot secretly gains free will. To stay hidden, it reluctantly joins a new mission protecting scientists on a dangerous planet...even though it just wants to binge soap operas.
Cast:
Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian, Sabrina Wu, Akshay Khanna, Tamara Podemski, Tattiawna Jones
Alexander Skarsgard's Wry, Zany Sci-Fi Comedy Series Has Intriguing Premise
Fri, May 16 2025
The Weitz brothers, Chris and Paul, have adapted Martha Wells’ book series Murderbot and given it their unique spin. The Apple TV+ series is also aided by Alexander Skarsgård’s fantastic performance about a security robot trained to obey humans. After he hacks his own system and names himself Murderbot, he begins to find himself transformed by the humans around him. The ten-episode series takes a while to grow on you, but once you immerse yourself in its world, you’ll find yourself charmed by what you see. Murderbot (Skarsgård) is assigned to protect a crew from the Preservation Alliance who want to explore a more dangerous planet for scientific purposes. The robot tries to hide the fact he has free will, but the presence of an augmented unit, Dr Gurathin (David Dastmalchian), amongst the scientists trips him up. As the situation becomes more dangerous for everyone, with death looming around every corner, the security unit must think fast and use his instincts to survive amongst a group of distrustful humans.
Anaganaga
Drama (Telugu)
A school teacher uses innovative storytelling methods to help struggling students, overcoming various challenges to achieve his goal.
Cast:
Sumanth, Anu Hasan, Srinivas Avasarala, BVS Ravi, Rakesh Rachakonda, Kaumudi Nemani, Kajal Choudhary
Director:
Guru Kiran Battula, Sunny Sanjay
Writer:
Deepthi Sree Juttada, Sunny Sanjay
Sumanth leads a soulful tale of education and relationships
Thu, May 15 2025
Last year, the Telugu film 35: Chinna Katha Kaaduasked viewers to consider why zero — seemingly without value — becomes greater than nine when placed after a one. The message was a subtle but effective way of empowering students struggling with mathematical concepts. This year, director Sunny Sanjay returns with Anaganaga, streaming on ETV Win, which presents science lessons — ranging from eclipses to the role of red and white blood cells — through short, story-driven episodes. At the heart of the film is Vyas Kumar, a storyteller-teacher played with quiet sincerity by Sumanth, in one of his most nuanced roles. He brings learning to life for children who find traditional methods difficult to absorb. Loosely adapted from the Marathi film Eka Kay Zaala, Anaganaga opts for simplicity, using its narrative as a gentle teaching tool. Like Taare Zameen Parand 35, it follows a familiar underdog arc, delivering its message with warmth and clarity without talking down to its audience.
(Writing for M9 News)
Simple. Soulful. Sumanth.
Thu, May 15 2025
Vyas is a teacher at the same school where his wife, Bhagyalakshmi, is the principal. Their son Ram struggles with his grades and resists rote learning. Vyas’s innovative teaching methods draw attention from his son and students alike, leading to remarkable progress. Meanwhile, his marriage begins to suffer, and in a cruel twist of fate, his future hangs in the balance, leaving him to face an uncertain path. Kajal Chaudhary makes a decent impression despite her one-note role. The young child actor Viharsh Yadavalli impresses, while Rakesh Rachakonda convincingly brings his character to life. Anu Haasan also shines in a brief yet sparkling cameo. Srinivas Avasarala, however, feels underutilised, while BVS Ravi, Shiva Kandukuri don’t get enough screen time to make much impact.
Kull: The Legacy of Raisingghs
Drama (Hindi)
A dysfunctional royal family implodes with the death of their diabolical patriarch. Now, the three surviving Raisingghs battle it out for power and kingship.
Cast:
Nimrat Kaur, Amol Parashar, Ridhi Dogra, Ankit Siwach, Suhaas Ahuja, Gaurav Arora, Rohit Tiwari
Director:
Sahir Raza
Nimrat Kaur (Almost) Saves The Day
Thu, May 15 2025
Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs opens with a bloody corpse floating in a palatial pool. The senile King of Bikaner, Chandra Pratap Raisinggh (Rahul Vohra), has been murdered. The butler did not do it. As is the template, we learn of the days and circumstances leading up to the tragedy. The next three episodes revolve around a birthday celebration gone wrong, lots of wheeling and dealing, and of course, a dysfunctional and greedy family. Everyone needs money, nobody is happy, and almost nobody is sad that the old man popped it. There’s the oldest, Indrani (Nimrat Kaur), in a lavender marriage with the Chief Minister’s gay son, Vikram (Suhaas Ahuja). There’s Kavya (Ridhi Dogra), the pensive one handling the property; she’s having an affair with the videographer (Arslan Goni) who’s filming this royal family for a streaming platform. There’s Abhimanyu (Amol Parashar), the coke-addicted and bratty prince who addresses an indulgent Indrani as “maa” (mother). And there’s Brij (Gaurav Arora), the king’s illegitimate son and the only loyal royal around. A cocky CBI officer named Bhagwan (what else?) arrives, sorts through the fresh characters and the raw footage, and the killer is revealed as early as the fourth episode.
(Writing for M9 News)
Part Pulpy, Part Clumsy Royal Saga
Sat, May 3 2025
Following the murder of king Chandra Pratap, his children – Indrani, Kavya, and Abhimanyu – are caught in a ruthless tussle for the throne. Tension grips the palace as long-buried secrets are unearthed. The adopted son, Brij, too, vies for power, adding to the twisted web of rivalries and hidden agendas. As the family deals with the king’s death and their ambitions, a series of chilling events unfolds. Kull comes alive predominantly due to a string of underrated performers who get much-deserved limelight through well-fleshed-out characters. Nimrat Kaur, of course, leads the party in the shoes of Indrani, the perennial ice-breaker between her troublesome siblings, who gradually succumbs to her royal and political privileges. Ridhi Dogra delivers a fine performance as the rebellious Kavya.
Black, White & Gray: Love Kills
Crime, Drama (Hindi)
A 22-year-old under suspicion of killing four people, including the girl he claims to love, has been on the run for two years. When an independent journalist from the UK investigates the crime, he uncovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
Cast:
Mayur More, Palak Jaiswal, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Deven Bhojani, Hakkim Shahjahan, Anant Jog, Kamlesh Sawant, Jairoop Jeevan, Abhishek Bhalerao, Kavita Ghai
Director:
Pushkar Sunil Mahabal
Writer:
Pushkar Sunil Mahabal
Displays Imagination While Showcasing the Chasms of Narratives in Today’s World
Mon, May 12 2025
There’s something off about Pushkar Mahabal and Hemal Thakkar’s Black White & Gray from the very beginning. A pronounced foreign accent asking questions from behind a camera, to cops about an unsolved murder case that we’re told took place in Nagpur, in 2020. The talking heads (a sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector) seem rehearsed in their responses to questions – almost like they’re acting badly. I wondered if they made the people repeat their answers more than once, which caused the lack of spontaneity. The voice-over featuring the ‘types of India’ sounded almost too generic and lazy by a foreigner. Even the cutting between the fictitious recreations and the interviews felt almost too neat and narrativised, and not something that was discovered in the edit. And then it took me till the start of episode four to pause and properly read the show’s disclaimer, addressing it all as a work of ‘fiction’.
Avant-garde & Wildly Original
Wed, May 7 2025
Dizzying inventiveness — both of the literal and metaphorical variety — is at the heart of Black White & Gray. Distinguished by a daring meta-narrative which turns the so-called tenets of the true-crime genre on its head, this six-part SonyLIV series is perhaps the most ingenious piece of writing seen on Indian screens in a while. Co-created by Pushkar Mahabal and Hemal Thakkar, with the former also doubling as director, Black White & Gray — with the title delving into the good, the evil and, more importantly, the in-between — focuses on the classic poor boy-rich girl trope, but builds a storytelling technique around it that keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are two intertwined strands: a mockumentary about a crime that is supposed to be real, and the restaging of the crime. Both are fictional, but what hits hard is that all of it could well be true.
Interestingly Structured Crime Thriller
Fri, May 2 2025
Four murders. In four different places. The victims: a minister’s daughter (Palak Jaiswal), a young adult; a private cab driver (Hakkim Shahjahan); his passenger, a senior police officer (Tigmanshu Dhulia) with temporary blindness caused by a welding burn; a random kid who’d shot a video of the alleged killer pulling the body of the cop. The killer, a young 20-something (Mayur More) whose name is kept gray, perhaps in an attempt to make the limited series not seem an apologetic thriller that makes one community come across as victims of a prejudiced system. The son of the politician’s driver, he’s soon dubbed a serial killer and has been on the run for two years.
Sarkeet
Family, Drama, Comedy (Malayalam)
In a distant land, Balu and Stephy struggle to balance work, parenting their spirited son with ADHD, and holding their relationship together. When a worn-out stranger enters their lives, a fleeting connection sparks unexpected change in just one day.
Cast:
Asif Ali, Divya Prabha, Deepak Parambol, Orhan, Swathi Das Prabhu, Prasanth Alexander
Director:
Thamar K V
Writer:
Thamar K V
Asif Ali’s gentle drama on ADHD brims with unrealised promise
Mon, May 12 2025
At the core of Thamar KV‘s sophomore film, Sarkeet, is a sticky affair that pushes the limits of believability. But, it is to the credit of the makers and the actors involved that one goes along willingly with this rather unbelievable situation that propels the story forward. Thamar, going by the two movies he has made so far, appears to be adept at pulling off such uncommon occurrences in a light, engaging manner. For about half of its runtime, Sarkeet moves along two parallel tracks, one dealing with a couple who are struggling to manage their child with a severe case of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and another on the travails of a young Malayali who has landed up in a West Asian country in search of a job.
Asif Ali Stars in Affecting Drama About Two Lost Boys And Their Boyhood
Sat, May 10 2025
If there’s one feeling that binds all the central characters of Thamar KV’s Sarkeet, it’s helplessness. In their efforts to make the most of the Malayali dream of making it big in the Middle East, we find a group of people who are just one bad day away from falling and breaking apart. You sense this helplessness the most with Balu (Deepak Parambol) and his wife Steffi (Divya Prabha), who are trying to have one normal day with their son Jappu (Orhan). He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the early portions of the film are built over montages that ease you into realising just how impossible it is to live with Jappu. Sarkeet even opens with Jappu knocking over a birthday cake at a friend’s birthday party. You notice how the wife doesn’t get a second to socialise before it’s time to look after Jappu again. Even when Jappu knocks over the cake, you’re amused that there’s no explosive reaction from either parent; their expressions suggest that they’ve surrendered to their circumstances years ago, unable to muster the energy it takes to scold him yet again.
Naale Rajaa Koli Majaa
Drama, Comedy, Family (Kannada)
On the day of Gandhi Jayanti, when meat sale is prohibited nationwide, an 11-year-old girl goes on a quirky adventure in pursuit of a forbidden chicken curry.
Cast:
Samrudhi Kundapura, Sanidhya Acharya, Prabhakar Kunder, Radha Ramachandra, Supreetha K S, Shridhar M, Chandravathi, Ganesh Mogaveera, Akshay Kumar Shetty, Anil B
Director:
Abhilash Shetty
Writer:
Abhilash Shetty
चिकन करी का मज़ा ‘नाले रजा कोली मजा’
Sun, May 11 2025
2021 में अपनी कन्नड़ फिल्म ‘कोली ताल’ (चिकन करी) लाकर तारीफें पाने वाले फिल्मकार अभिलाष शैट्टी अब उसी कतार में ‘नाले रजा कोली मजा’ (संडे स्पेशल) नाम की यह फिल्म लेकर आए हैं। स्नेहा के घर में हर संडे को चिकन बनता है। पूरे हफ्ते उसे इस दिन का इंतज़ार रहता है। लेकिन इस संडे को है गांधी जयंती और इस दिन चिकन की दुकानें बंद रहती हैं। अब स्नेहा को तो चिकन खाना ही खाना है। अब शुरू होती है चिकन की तलाश जो उसे एक दिलचस्प सफर पर ले जाती है। महज़ दो दिन की इस छोटी-सी कहानी को लेखक-निर्देशक अभिलाष ने रोचकता से फैलाया है और अंत में सार्थकता से समेटा भी है। बतौर लेखक वह यह संदेश दे पाने में सफल रहे हैं कि इंसान की खाने-पीने की अपनी-अपनी चॉयस होती है और किसी दूसरे को इस आधार पर उसे जज करने का कोई अधिकार नहीं है। अभिलाष के निर्देशन में परिपक्वता है और पूरी फिल्म में वह कसावट बनाए रखते हैं। यह फिल्म मनोरंजक है, दिलचस्प है और प्यारी भी।
Gram Chikitsalay
Comedy, Drama (Hindi)
The young, idealistic and brilliant Dr. Prabhat, takes charge of a neglected Primary Health Centre in a North India Village hoping to bring about much needed changes only to realise it is he who will have do change before anything else.
Cast:
Amol Parashar, Vinay Pathak, Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Akash Makhija, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Garima Vikrant Singh
Director:
Rahul Pandey
Writer:
Vaibhav Suman, Shreya Srivastava
The Calm We Need
Sat, May 10 2025
Safe and staid Panchayat redux colours itself in sameness
Sat, May 10 2025
A doctor comes to a village, there to discover a place where a familiar mix of innocence and craftiness is at play, where a quack has a bustling practice, and where he, the well-intentioned doc, learns life lessons. Replace Amol Parashar’s doctor with Jitendra Kumar’s sachivji, and you will get the set-up for Panchayat, TVF’s much-loved show, with so little difference as to be negligible. But given that clueless shehari babus having to check their privilege can make for an entertaining ride, there will always be similar shows.
A 'Panchayat'-Sized Misfire
Fri, May 9 2025
Needless to say, the creators of Gram Chikitsalay — a five-episode dramedy that revolves around an urban doctor (Amol Parashar, as Dr. Prabhat Sinha) who arrives to take charge of a derelict PHC (Primary Health Center) in rural Jharkhand — are also the creators of Panchayat. In recent interviews, they mentioned the term “Village Cinematic Universe,” a grounded TVF version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the YRF Spy Universe. The irony of the commodification of small-town life (featuring Gullak, Kota Factory, Aspirants) is lost on most, but that’s a formal complaint for another day. The streaming platform, Prime Video, is already a step ahead: its release of Dupahiya (a motorbike goes missing in a…Bihari village) in March marked the expansion of the ‘Cutesy Village Universe’ franchise: a nice cast, colourful personalities, curated nothingness, grassroots commentary, cultural tokenism.