One can easily mistake this film for a typical masala action flick starring Salman Khan or Ajay Devgn. In reality, it is a courtroom drama made almost in documentary style with Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. The Bajpayee factor upped my interest to watch the film that dropped on OTT last week. The strange title... Continue Reading →
Maniyin Ponniyin Selvan: Cracking the Story telling Code for an epic:
The much-awaited sequel to Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I was released on April 28, and we finally have a complete view into how Kalki’s literary magnum opus has been adapted to the theatrical film format. Making the film version of Ponniyin Selvan, a five-part novel that first ran as a weekly serial for almost four years in the... Continue Reading →
Ponniyin Selvan 2 – My Flash Review!
Before reading this, it may be a good idea to re-visit my review of PS-1 (Read here) which will negate the need to repeat some of the common points regarding the format chosen for an epic like Ponniyin Selvan. After the sequel of Bahubali, this must be the most awaited sequel in this part of... Continue Reading →
Gulmohar – My Flash Review!
Just the cast of some films piques your interest to watch them. With an ensemble cast of Sharmila Tagore, Amol Palekar, Manoj Bajpayee, Simran and even Ghazal singer Talat Aziz in a cameo, Gulmohar is one such. If ever you needed proof that Bollywood is flipping itself for the good after getting the rough end... Continue Reading →
Nanpagal Nerathu Mayakkam – My Flash Review!
You can mistake this for a Tamil film from the title. But it is a Malayalam film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery whose reputation as a filmmaker of powerful cinema precedes him. Why is the title in Tamil or why most of the film is in Tamil is interesting to understand. How many of you... Continue Reading →
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey – My Flash Review!
The film opens with a lady doing kitchen chores early in the morning and leaving for work while we see a shot of a man – most likely her husband, still sleeping. We wonder if it’s a sequel to the hit Malayalam film – The Great Indian Kitchen. We soon realise it is not, as... Continue Reading →
Love Today – My Flash Review!
While the opening credits roll, we are taken inside a smart phone production line where we get to see visuals of phones getting assembled completely on a “hands-free” basis except at the final packaging stage where we see workers doing the packing. This irony is stark for a product that is destined to be at... Continue Reading →
CHUP – The Revenge of the Artist – My Flash Review
What happens when a filmmaker gets enraged by the uncharitable reviews which he believes are dishonest? What if that filmmaker had a mentally disturbing upbringing? And finally, what happens if that filmmaker becomes a psychopath and starts targeting film critics whom he believes are not honest in their reviews? And what if the targeting means... Continue Reading →
Kantara – My (late) Flash Review!
If KGF – Part 1 opened the doors of the world of Kannada cinema to many Non – Kannadigas, for me it was a film called – Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana (GGVV), a 2021 film that took me to Kannada films. GGVV is a gritty film about a set of local gangsters – a genre... Continue Reading →
Palthu Janwar (Malayalam film) Review!
This review was written for the news portal The News Minute and was published on 21st Oct, 2022. It can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/palthu-janwar-delectably-sweet-malayalam-film-has-animals-its-centre-169094 Directed by Sangeeth P Rajan, Malayalam film Palthu Janwar does not have a ‘star’ at its heart but animals, that too livestock. It is only in Malayalam cinema that we can expect such... Continue Reading →