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 →
Thankam – My Flash Review
I have said this before about Malayalam films. Once in a while, you have a movie that doesn’t have a “star”, gets released without much hype or hoopla but leaves you stunned by how it turns out. Recently we had Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey and Mukundan Unni Associates in this category. I will add... Continue Reading →
Malikappuram – My Flash Review!
The Malayalam film Malikappuram which had got a good theatrical response dropped on OTT this week. I had received quite a few nudges to watch the film and so I watched it with a lot of expectations. I had mixed feelings after watching the film. On the one hand, it is a feel-good film that... Continue Reading →
KAAPA (Malayalam) – My Flash Review!
KAAPA is yet another Malayalam movie that has Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead. One wonders how he is able to churn movies in an assembly line fashion in quick succession these days. Or is it the pent-up films that were stuck due to Covid and now getting completed and released? In any case, Prithiviraj fans... Continue Reading →
Mukundan Unni Associates – My Flash Review!
What to say of a movie that right at the outset, warns you to keep your moral compass aside? Right at the beginning there is a title card that says, “Human beings are mostly grey. Except in some cases. In some cases, they are just, black.” In the film, therefore, you find most of the... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Venthu Thanindathu Kaadu – My Flash Review!
Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather might have inspired quite a few films in the gangster genre all over the world but in South Indian cinema, it is Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan that has inspired filmmakers to try that genre. Promising filmmakers in the post-Nayagan era have made at least one film based on the Mumbai Don story,... Continue Reading →
Laal Singh Chaddha – My Flash Review!
First the disclosures. I have not watched Forrest Gump. I watched Laal Singh Chaddha (LSC) in isolation as a film and my review has no comparative references to the original. I have also attempted to look at the film filtering the surround sound that preceded the release. The film opens with the longest disclaimer I... Continue Reading →