Baththa gets its title from its hero, Baththa, a local gangster, rowdy, goonda, bootlegger, and whatnot. If you wonder what the name Baththa means, it is a short form of Bhaktavachalam, which we learn only towards the very end. In a sense, the film's one-line story is the transformation of this street fighter and local... Continue Reading →
Dorothy (Tamil 2026) – My Flash Review: A Bold film that lands!
Dorothy must be the first film I can remember opening with a title card for the music composer. The film opens with silhouette shots of music composer Ilaiyaraaja vibing among enthusiastic crowds, accompanied by a title card that reads, "Maestro Ilaiyaraaja". In fact, the Director card, “A Karthik Subbaraj padam”, appears only at the end... Continue Reading →
Aasha (Malayalam 2026) – My Flash Review: An Urvashi show all the way!
I watched this Malayalam film on OTT without any idea of what it was about. It totally took me by surprise, mostly for the right reasons. I suggest that anyone reading this also watch it without checking the story, etc. As with my Flash Reviews, I can assure you there are no spoilers. There are... Continue Reading →
Pradhama Drishtya Kuttakkar (Malayalam 2026) – My Flash Review: One more in the Drishyam genre!
I don’t recall any film in the history of Indian cinema spawning its own genre. That distinction, in my opinion, belongs to Jeethu Joseph’s Malayalam film Drishyam. Released in 2013, it became not only a Malayalam cult classic but also a film remade in multiple languages, expanded into at least three sequels, and, most significantly,... Continue Reading →
Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (Malayalam 2026) – My Flash Review: A Gen Z-era rom-com made in 90s style!
Premam is a 2015 coming-of-age Malayalam romantic film starring Nivin Pauly, which cemented his status as a heartthrob among college girls at the time. Premalu is a 2024 Malayalam romantic comedy film (though with a Telugu title), starring Mamitha Baiju as the female lead, which made her a heartthrob among young boys. These two come... Continue Reading →
Modha Rathiri (Tamil 2026) – My Flash Review: Not a first its kind!
I learnt about this Tamil film after it was released on OTT a week ago. Since Netflix had categorised it as a “Comedy”, I decided to watch it. These days, one hardly gets to watch a comedy film in Tamil, I thought. The title Modha Rathiri, meaning “First Night” in Tamil, also sounded like a... Continue Reading →
Balan The Boy (Malayalam 2026) – My Flash Review: A Compelling Survival Thriller!
Balan The Boy is directed by Chidambaram, whose last film was the much-acclaimed survival drama Manjummel Boys. It is written by Jithu Madhavan, whose last film as a director was Aavesham, a black comedy that, in a sense, was a survival drama about college kids. Both of them come together for this film, which is... Continue Reading →
Maa Inti Bangaaram (Telugu 2026) – My Flash Review : Another Baasha Redux!
Women doing mainstream kickass action and beating the hell out of villains seems to be the in thing in South Indian films these days. After the Tamil film Blast, this Telugu film, Maa Inti Bangaaram (MIB), has a similar theme. While in Blast, this theme was interwoven into a smartly written screenplay, in MIB, the... Continue Reading →
Mollywood Times (Malayalam 2026) – My Flash Review: An Out Of The Box Meta take
Mollywood Times, directed by Abhinav Sunder Nayak, is not the typical film Malayalam cinema is known for these days. It is not a slow-burn murder mystery. It is not a police procedural that excels in detailing. It is also not a typical slice-of-life film with characters plucked from real life, seemingly doing real things. Neither... Continue Reading →
Blast (Tamil 2026) – My Flash Review: An Action Blast from the Past!
“For my 1st film, let me make a full-fledged action film.” But most Tamil films these days are centred only on action! Yes, but let me bring back the OG of action – Action King Arjun – to the Tamil big screen. But betting completely on Arjun, that too as an action hero after so... Continue Reading →