Guild Reviews
Thunderbolts*
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction (English)
After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, seven disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Cast:
Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Olga Kurylenko, Geraldine Viswanathan, Wendell Pierce
Director:
Jake Schreier
(Writing for OTT Play)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Goes To Therapy
Sat, May 10 2025
Thunderbolts* has a soul beneath layers of superhero set pieces and tropes — it mixes a bit of Inception (shame rooms full of old memories) with some Inside Out and Hancock. It’s not subtle with its gimmicks and visual symbolisms, of course, but it suggests that all the superhero fans who flock to theatres in search of escapism and thrills are inherently wired to avoid the imperfections of being human. It forces most MCU enthusiasts to confront the very life that the comic-book multiverse protects them from.
Teases a Possible Reinvention of the MCU, But Ends up as One More From the Assembly Line
Mon, May 5 2025
If there’s one thing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is good at, it’s capitalising on its self awareness. Tony Stark knew he was the smartest guy in any room, and didn’t bore people with false humility. Steve Rogers knew how corny his idealism sounded in a largely-cynical world, so he kept up a stoic face while being mocked for it in film after film. Peter Parker was just another New York teenager anxious about not fitting in. Ant-Man and Hawk-Eye knew their powers were perceived as ‘sillier’ compared to the A-listers, and they owned this silliness. It’s what used to be endearing about these films [till Avengers: Endgame, 2019] – but once the stronger actors and directors quit, it became increasingly clear there was nothing beneath the layer of self-awareness.
Superheroes, Again
Sat, May 3 2025
If you are curious about the significance of the asterisk in Thunderbolts*, it denotes the New Avengers, as revealed at the film’s conclusion. Maybe they could have revealed it earlier but it was probably a marketing decision, like most things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Four Seasons
Comedy (English)
The decades-long friendship between three married couples is tested when one divorces, complicating their tradition of quarterly weekend getaways.
Cast:
Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, Erika Henningsen, Kerri Kenney, Will Forte, Marco Calvani
(Writing for OTT Play)
A Friendship Poem Disguised As A Hollywood Rom-Com
Sat, May 10 2025
A miniseries adaptation of Alan Alda’s moderately popular 1981 rom-com of the same name, The Four Seasons revolves around a group of six lifelong friends — or three couples — on four seasonal trips together. Two episodes per ‘season’: a neat riff on the TV-sitcom template. It opens with a lake-house weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the couples. Things go awry for the gang when the seemingly loving husband expresses his desire to divorce his wife. The woman, on her part, is blissfully planning a vow renewal ceremony. The consensus among the friends is that the successful 50-something man is having a midlife crisis. The consensus is also that nobody is as happy as they appear.
The Friends reunion you never got; Tina Fey and Steve Carell’s Netflix show is a star-studded misfire
Fri, May 9 2025
If they can keep all the dads satisfied with shows about burly men going on secret missions and feuding families in the American West, they can certainly take care of the moms as well. Netflix’s The Four Seasons, a comedy drama that follows three married couples across one year, is designed as something of a palate cleanser for middle-aged audiences to watch between the latest true crime offerings. It’s pleasant enough to qualify as undemanding, and has enough moments of insight to elevate it above the ambient TV line. The Four Seasons isn’t good, but it’s good enough. And good enough is good enough these days, especially if you’ve just survived stuff like Jewel Thief or Nadaaniyan. Co-created by and starring Tina Fey, The Four Seasons features a stacked cast that also includes her Saturday Night Live buddy Will Forte — they play a couple — as well as Steve Carell and two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo. Think of The Four Seasons as the Friends reunion you never got. These characters could just as easily have been living in New York City apartments back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, worried about where life will take them.
Padakkalam
Comedy, Fantasy (Malayalam)
Four nerdy comic book enthusiasts find themselves in an unexpected adventure when their school's charming new professor turns their academic world upside down with supernatural events.
Cast:
Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharafudheen, Sandeep Pradeep, Niranjana Anoop, Ishan Shoukath, Arun Pradeep, Pooja Mohanraj, Arun Ajikumar, Saaf, Nahas Hidayath
Director:
Manu Swaraj
Writer:
Nithin C Babu, Manu Swaraj
Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharaf U Dheen's Comedy Is One-Note, But Still Infectious Fun
Sat, May 10 2025
There’s an infectious amount of silliness in Padakkalam which makes this fantasy impossible to take seriously. Speaking broadly, it’s another one of those body-swap comedies in which the jokes emerge out of our amusement on seeing one actor perform like another. There have been dozens of comedies in a similar vein, including Big (1988), The Hot Chick (2002) and Freaky Friday (2003), with Malayalam cinema getting its version in Shine Tom Chacko’s Ithihasa (2014). But with Padakkalam, we take a few outrageous steps ahead to be left with a plot that goes beyond the basic setup-payoff pattern of most body-swap comedies. The writers of Padakkalam push their concept to the limits, not just by throwing in the idea of one character being able to control the body of another, but also by making this a three-way swap.
Maria
Drama, Music (English)
Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.
Cast:
Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Stephen Ashfield, Valeria Golino, Caspar Phillipson, Lydia Koniordou, Vincent Macaigne
Director:
Pablo Larraín
Writer:
Steven Knight
Angelina Jolie Led Biopic Breaks Your Heart With Pablo Larraín's Direction
Fri, May 9 2025
Maria Callas was an infamous opera singer known as one of the most renowned sopranos of the 20th century. Directed by Pablo Larrain of Spencer on Princess Diana and Jackie on Jacqueline Kennedy, this too does not disappoint with its storytelling and cinematography. Maria, is the third film by Pablo about an influential female public figure and it does not attempt to life the character or break it down. Instead we get a look into what little we know of the finale days of her life and career. The film follows the seven days before her death in Paris in 1977, as she reflects on her life and career.
Angelina Jolie Brings Alive Opera Legend's Torment In Revealing Biopic
Thu, May 8 2025
With Maria, filmmaker Pablo Larraín completes the unofficial trilogy after Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). It’s his sad women universe. The first two films were on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana, and while Maria Callas was never married to a world leader or a royal, she knew something about pain. And there’s a lot of it in Maria, headlined by Angelina Jolie. The Oscar winner takes us into the diva’s final days in Paris, and she comes to terms with the loss of her voice and fame. Originally released in 2024 in select theatres in the US, the biopic Maria will release on Lionsgate Play on May 9. The biopic is set in Maria’s Paris apartment, where the former opera singer resides with her butler, Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino), and housekeeper, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher). Maria (Jolie), who is on several medications, blurs the past and the present. She imagines a young filmmaker (Kodi Smit-McPhee) interviewing her for a film, but mostly, the feature goes down memory lane as Maria tries to recapture her past glory and fails. It’s a tragic ending for the powerful singer who held the world at her feet with her performances. Maria also gives us parts of Maria’s affair with the billionaire Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer), who would go on to marry Jacqueline Kennedy. In a way, the film links back to Larraín’s 2016 film.
Bad Boy
Drama (Hebrew)
Dean, a young teen living with his mother and younger brother, prepares to turn in for the night when a knock on the door changes his life forever. Correctional officers storm into his room and haul him, barely clothed, out of the house.
Cast:
Guy Menaster, Daniel Chen, Liraz Chamami, Havtamo Freda, Yishai Lalush, Bat-Chen Sabag, Neta Plotnik, Ben Sultan, Amjad Shawa
Director:
Hagar Ben-Asher
A grittier, more gruesome companion piece to Adolescence; Netflix’s teen drama is a brutal coming-of-age tale
Fri, May 9 2025
A comedian recounts the four traumatic years that he spent in a juvenile detention centre as a teen in the Israeli coming-of-age drama Bad Boy, now out on Netflix. The eight-episode series is interspersed with grainy footage of the comedian, who goes by Daniel, telling jokes about his troubled youth and life-threatening stint in juvie. He used to be called Dean Shaiman back then, and it’s a miracle that he survived. Co-created by Ron Leshem, who remains best-known for the original Euphoria, the series can best be described as the unholy lovechild of Adolescence and Seinfeld. Like that landmark Netflix mini-series, which shattered viewership records only a few weeks ago, Bad Boy opens with a teenage boy being arrested by cops armed with a search warrant of his house. His bedroom is turned upside down, and within minutes, he’s shoved into the back seat of a police car before his mother can even get him his clothes. Like Jamie Miller from Adolescence, Dean is a deeply troubled kid. The difference is that Bad Boy lets us in on his psyche from minute one. The question, then, isn’t if he’s a problem child, but why he’s a problem child.
#Single
Comedy, Romance (Telugu)
An unlucky-in-love man unexpectedly finds himself in a complicated love triangle with two spirited women
Cast:
Sree Vishnu, Ketika Sharma, Ivana, Vennela Kishore, VTV Ganesh
Director:
Caarthick Raju
Writer:
Bhanu Bogavarapu, Nandu Savirigana, Caarthick Raju
(Writing for The Hindu)
Sree Vishnu’s romcom is a bag of outdated tricks
Fri, May 9 2025
It is one thing to not take yourself seriously, and another to be genuinely funny. Actor Sree Vishnu’s #Single, a 129-minute ode to the male gaze, narrates the story of a man caught between two women. The film mistakes catchy one-liners for situational humour, leaning on capable actors to carry an obnoxious, aimless premise. A banal idea is stretched to the point of exhaustion, and in trying to be cool, it ends up being neither clever nor funny. Directed by Caarthick Raju (of Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene and Thirudan Police fame), #Single resorts to lazy writing, attempting to mask its flaws with a barrage of pop culture references, borrowed film tropes, and social media memes. Its male leads, insurance agents Vijay (Sree Vishnu) and Aravind (Vennela Kishore), are desperate for female attention — using metro rides to ogle women, hiring goons to stage rescues, and winning a girl’s sympathy.
Subham
Horror, Comedy (Telugu)
A group of married men band together after their wives become transfixed by a cable TV soap opera serial.
Cast:
Harshith Malgireddy, Srinivas Gavireddy, Charan Peri, Shriya Kontham, Shravani Lakshmi, Shalini Kondepudi, Vamsidhar Goud, Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Director:
Praveen Kandregula
Writer:
Vasanth Maringanti
Samantha’s maiden production is a hilarious genre bender
Fri, May 9 2025
It is always a joy when a modest film swings big and lands comfortably, andSubham, a Telugu horror comedy, does just that. Marking actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s debut as a producer, the film is directed by Cinema Bandi’s Praveen Kandregula and written by Vasanth Maringanti. On the surface, it is a spooky comedy, but at heart, it is a sharp commentary on gender sensitivity — made all the more effective by smart writing and charming performances. Set in the early 2000s, in the pre-internet days of coastal Bheemili, undivided Andhra Pradesh, the story begins with a sweetly awkward pelli choopulu (an arranged marriage meet-cute) between Srinu (Harshith Reddy), a cable TV operator, and Sri Valli (Shriya Kontham), a bank employee. The backdrop — where cable still reigns while satellite TV starts inching in — adds nostalgia without overwhelming the narrative.
Jai Mata Ji Let's Rock
Comedy, Family, Drama (Gujarati)
An 80-year-old woman faces four wild options after a government program disrupts her life: revenge on family, rekindling romance, living luxuriously, or choosing it all in this comedy about family surprises
Cast:
Malhar Thakar, Vyoma Nandi, Tiku Talsania, Vandana Pathak, Shekhar Shukla
Director:
Manish Saini
मज़ा, मस्ती, मैसेज ‘जय माता जी-लैट्स रॉक’ में
Fri, May 9 2025
सरकार ने ऐलान किया है कि 80 साल से ऊपर के हर बुजुर्ग को हर महीने एक लाख रुपए की पेंशन मिलेगी। अब अचानक से सब लोगों के भीतर वृद्धों के प्रति प्रेम जाग गया है। अपने माता-पिता को वृद्धाश्रम में छोड़ आए लोग अब विनती करके उन्हें वापस ला रहे हैं। जो कमल और गुलाब अपनी मां को पास नहीं रखना चाहते थे, अब उन्हें अपने-अपने पास रखने के लिए लड़ रहे हैं। दोनों बहुओं में तकरार हो रही है कि सास की ज़्यादा सेवा कौन करेगा। लेकिन सासू बा भी गजब हैं। इस नई पारी के खुल कर मज़े ले रही हैं। और तभी आता है एक ट्विस्ट…! मनोरंजन के रैपर में लपेट कर मैसेज देने वाले लेखक-निर्देशक मनीष सैनी अपनी दो गुजराती फिल्मों ‘ढ’ और ‘गांधी एंड कंपनी’ के लिए राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार पा चुके हैं। अब अपनी इस अगली गुजराती फिल्म ‘जय माता जी-लैट्स रॉक’ में भी वह तारीफें पाने लायक काम करते दिखे हैं।
Pyar Paisa Profit
(Hindi)
Abhijeet, a small-town boy with big dreams, leaves behind Delhi and his modest family for a high-paying job in Mumbai. But between five-star hotels, cutthroat colleagues, and fragile friendships, he learns that survival isn't about playing fair - it's about playing smart. In a city built on ambition, will he lose himself before he finds success?
Cast:
Mihir Ahuja, Mahvash, Shivangi Khedkar, Pratik Yadav, Ashish Raghav
Director:
Prashant Singh
Writer:
Durjoy Dutta, Sumrit Shahi
(Writing for M9 News)
Okayish Corporate Drama
Fri, May 9 2025
Abhijeet, a small-town boy, relocates to Mumbai for a high-paying job, struggling with professional ethics and fitting in. His ambition leads to selfish acts, damaging friendships with colleagues Garima, Saurav, and Shruti, resulting in isolation and debt. After a crisis, he rebuilds, facing workplace crises and navigating a complex relationship with Garima, learning the true cost of success. Mihir Ahuja’s ‘chocolate boy’ looks suit his role as an innocent young man trying to find his way in a restless city. His performance is neat, handling the highs and lows of his character with composure. RJ Mahvash has good screen presence, unveiling many layers in her role and sharing a warm camaraderie with Mihir.
Hit 3
Crime, Thriller, Action (Telugu)
Arjun Sarkaar, an SP in HIT at Visakhapatnam, gets assigned to a case for HIT in Jammu and Kashmir to catch a group of serial killers who are responsible for the gruesome murders of several people.
Cast:
Nani, Srinidhi Shetty, Komalee Prasad, Maganti Srinath, Rao Ramesh, Surya Srinivas, Adil Pala, Brahmaji, Prateik Babbar, Amit Sharma
Director:
Sailesh Kolanu
Writer:
Sailesh Kolanu
Wed, May 7 2025
An effective Nani sees red in this bloody but rocky action drama
Sat, May 3 2025
Why doesn’t John Wick die? Why doesn’t Ethan Hunt die? Why doesn’t any bullet even graze the shoulders of our heroes when they have insane precision with their shots? How do the henchmen die with a couple of slashes by a machete but the hero survives a thousand blows? Of course, there is no point asking these questions simply because we know the answer. He is the hero, and at the end of the day, he has to walk into the sunset with a girl in tow even if he is a bloodied mess. Director Sailesh Kolanu’s third installment in the popular HIT franchise, follows this template right from the word go, and converts our ‘beloved-boy-next-door’ Nani into a ‘kick-the-door open and innovatively kill and maim 100 people’ Nani.
Nani lifts a visually slick but uneven thriller
Thu, May 1 2025
In a scene from HIT: The Third Case, a character describes Arjun Sarkaar’s (Nani) actions as “classy”. Arjun retorts that this time, he intends to show his true self — stepping away from the image of refinement often associated with him. In another moment, when someone warns him that he “cannot survive here”, he responds, “I’ve been hearing that since the beginning of my career.” These meta-cinematic lines feel less like commentary on the character and more like nods to the actor himself. In HIT 3, director Sailesh Kolanu leans into fan service, casting Nani — long embraced by family audiences — in a darker, bloodier setup. The film carries an ‘A’ certificate, and Nani effectively sheds his man-next-door image to become a ruthless cop whose methods, unsurprisingly, come under scrutiny. Departing from the slow-burn whodunit tone of the earlier films, this third instalment in the HIT universe trades mystery for carnage. It is not about who, how, or even why — the perpetrators are beyond reasoning. The real question is whether the film successfully marries crime thriller elements with full-throttle action to offer a gripping cinematic experience. Some segments land powerfully; others feel stretched or overly engineered.
Retro
Romance, Action, Drama, Crime (Tamil)
Paarivel Kannan's marriage is broken by his fiancé, Rukmani, due to his violent ways. In an attempt to win her back, Paarivel goes to Black Island in Andamaan, where he comes to loggerheads with the heads of the island.
Cast:
Suriya, Pooja Hegde, Joju George, Jayaram, Vidhu, Prakash Raj, Karunakaran, Sujith Sankar, Nassar, Nandita Das
Director:
Karthik Subbaraj
Writer:
Karthik Subbaraj
Wed, May 7 2025
(Writing for OTT Play)
So Much To Love, Very Little To Feel
Sat, May 3 2025
You can say many things about a Karthik Subbaraj movie, but one thing you can never accuse it of is being lazy—be it ideation, fine use of technology, great performances, shock value, irony, smart humour, or just the world he creates. And, with every film, you can see that he’s developing a stronger voice on what he wants to say. Jigarthanda DoubleX was an example. But, the one thing that is sorely missing in his films with the same intensity is emotion—that one thing which brings the rest together, and makes them work. Retro, starring an effervescent Suriya, falls in the same category.
(Writing for Medium)
Retro Is Flawed, Fierce, and Exactly What Suriya Needed
Sat, May 3 2025
Suriya was left bruised and bloodied — figuratively speaking — after the release of his much-hyped film Kanguva. Years of promotions pitched it as Tamil cinema’s answer to Baahubali, setting up massive expectations among audiences. But when the film finally released, it fell woefully short of delivering on that promise. To make matters worse, it became a target of a systematic and persistent online attack that further ensured its disastrous box office run. Kanguva’s failure was especially brutal — it visibly shook Suriya’s confidence. That uncertainty was evident in the way he promoted Retro. He avoided overhyping it, spoke cautiously, and refrained from the aggressive push we’ve seen from him in the past. Once bitten, twice shy, right?
Cast:
Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohini Hattangadi, Prajakta Hanamghar, Parna Pethe, Om Bhutkar, Siddharth Jadhav, Bharat Jadhav
Director:
Shivraj Waichal
Writer:
Shivraj Waichal, Omkar Gokhale, Arvind Jagtap
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
This heartwarming tale restores your faith in humanity
Tue, May 6 2025
Mumbaikars are often seen complaining about the BMC (Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Corporation) when it comes to running the city. While these criticisms might be valid, it is their poor workers who are always at the receiving end since they become the face of BMC at ground level. Debutant filmmaker Shivraj Waichal’s Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a much deserved tribute to them and their painstaking efforts to keep the city functioning. But the movie goes much beyond displaying their difficult lives. It is based on a true and heartwarming incident in the lives of a few BMC workers in 2016, although the film features fictitious characters and their sub-stories. The Assistant Municipal Commissioner Uday Shirurkar (Ashutosh Gowariker) of BMC decides to get a group of its Class IV workers complete their 10th standard. They had to drop out of school due to some reason of the other. Shirurkar not only decides to provide them education free of cost at a night school but, on top of that, promises to pay them a remuneration for the same along with a chance of salary hike.
A heartfelt story that makes you smile and leaves you teary-eyed too
Fri, May 2 2025
When waste collection by sanitation workers was briefly paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, it took just a couple of days to show us how important a role they play in society today. Be it choked drainages, burst water lines or piled up garbage heaps, the municipal safai karmacharis are the first responders that get to work. Unfortunately, they’re also the first ones to bear the brunt of citizens’ wrath in such cases. Often it is the educated person that doesn’t think twice before covering their nose and making derogatory remarks about these workers. That lack of empathy and abundance the entitled behaviour also highlights the difference between education and literacy. In multiple scenes of his debut directorial, Shivraj Waichal sheds light on this. At its heart, Ata Thambaycha Naay is an ode to the BMC’s sanitation workers whose life is a paradox – they simultaneously form the backbone of the city and are among the most neglected lot. The film is based on the real story of class IV BMC workers going back to school at the behest of Uday Shirurkar, the erstwhile assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’s ward B.