(This piece was written for the news website thenewsminute.com and was first published on August 13, 2025, and can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/mullum-malarum-to-kabali-seven-pivotal-films-in-rajinikanths-50-year-career ) For film buffs, August 15 this year marks an important milestone. It will be 50 years since Rajinikanth literally ‘gatecrashed’ the world of cinema in K Balachander’s Apoorva Raagangal. 50 years – let that... Continue Reading →
IC 814 – The Kandahar Hijack – My Flash Review & More!
The IC 814 flight hijack incident is one that is too embedded in the collective consciousness of a whole generation of Indians who were old enough to see it unfolding back in December 1999. As a nation, if there are few events for which we have not achieved closure, this would certainly be among 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 →
Holi Hai…. in Tamil Films!
The iconic ‘Rang barse bheege chunarwali rang barse’ song from the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Silsila is usually on top of any playlist during Holi celebrations. Then there’s the ‘Holi ke din’ song from Sholay, which also rings loud on “Holi-Day”. And one cannot forget Gabbar Singh’s legendary “Holi kab hai?” line from the same film. Holi has been... Continue Reading →
My pick of the Top 10 films of 2022!
Another Friday. Another big-ticket Hindi film release. Another flop at the Box Office. This has been the recurring theme in Bollywood this year. The latest one to suffer this ignominy is Cirkus directed by none other than Rohit Shetty - a filmmaker with many 100 crore grossers under his belt and one who is touted... Continue Reading →
30 Years of Roja and Rahman!
This piece was originally written for the news portal “The News Minute” and was carried on 15th Aug 2022. The link to the piece is here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/30-years-roja-movie-gave-us-musical-marvel-ar-rahman-166867 Mani Ratnam’s super hit film Roja was released on August 15, 30 years ago. When we saw the film, we understood why the makers opted for a Saturday... Continue Reading →
30 Years of Mala da… Annamala…!
This piece was originally written for the news portal “The News Minute” and was carried on the 27th June, 2022. The link to the piece is here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/mala-da-annamalai-30-years-rajinikanth-s-super-duper-hit-165330 In the last many years post Sivaji – The Boss, if directors and writers have been struggling to make a “Super Star” film that is universally appealing... Continue Reading →
Revisting Kamal Haasan’s 1986 Vikram!
This piece was originally written for the news portal "The News Minute" and was carried on the 15th of May, 2022. The link to the piece is here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/revisiting-kamal-haasan-s-1986-vikram-film-was-ahead-its-time-163986 There may not be frenzied requests for daily “updates” on social media like the kind we saw for Valimai but, in terms of audience expectations, Kamal... Continue Reading →
The Kashmir Files – Not a Flash Review!
When you sit down to write a review of a film, there are usually two things that you give attention to – Content and Craft. It is natural that when a film is based on real events, the focus is more on the Content to see if the film does justice to the piece of... Continue Reading →
35 Years of Muthal Mariyathai!
This piece was written for the News site - The News Minute and was carried on 15th Aug, 2020. It can be read here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/35-years-muthal-mariyathai-why-sivaji-film-bharathiraja-classic-130796 In a scene in the film Muthal Mariyathai, the lead character Malaichami, an aged village chieftain, catches up with Kuyilu, a very young girl who has just recently shifted to the... Continue Reading →
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