Andhadhun: A script to die for
There were two dilemmas while deciding to write about Andhadhun. First, I was very busy travelling when the film released in November. And until it showed up on Netflix I didn’t get a chance to view it.…
Kedarnath: The wrath of nature
In the opening scenes of Kedarnath, the camera pans the mighty Himalayas and I gasped at the landscape. Complementing the stunning visuals of the magnificent mountains was the resounding score of Amit Trivedi’s Namo namo shankara. The film…
Manmarziyaan: The evolving notion of love
Anurag Kashyap’s new release Manmarziyaan explores love in the age of evolving social mores and morality. The first voice in the film sings: Kaala na safed hai, Ishq da rang yaara, Grey wala shade. And this sets the…
Margarita with a Straw: A path-breaking film
One of the disadvantages of living in a small town is that movies with a limited audience are seldom released here. And so I had missed watching this movie when it was released in 2014. But then…
Sanju unearths the chameleon in Ranbir Kapoor
I walked into the theatre on a rainy Sunday evening, saw the swelling crowds and remembered Rajkumar Hirani’s magical ability to drag families back into the cinema. Sanju, is the third film (with Hirani as director) where…
Raazi: The price of patriotism
Patriotic films are shrill. You walk into the theatre and expect chest thumping, heavy dialogues, and perhaps even find a muscular gentleman pulling out a hand pump with his bare hands. And so when I heard that…
102 not out: Seasoned acting, but weak screenplay
Umesh Shukla’s directorial venture, ‘102 not out’ is a celluloid adaptation of a Gujarati play of the same name. The story revolves around the sweet and sour relationship between 102 year old Dattatreya Vakharia (Amitabh Bachchan) and his 75 year old…
October: A mindful watch
Shoojit Sircar‘s off-beat film ‘October‘ struck a chord somewhere. If you have gone through a phase where your world has come to a standstill for some reason, you will identify with it. In one of the best performances…
Padmaavat: Bhansali brand of grandeur on 70 mm
Padmavati (I just can’t bring myself to call it Padmaavat- reminds me of Amaavat or aam paapad!) is not about the brave queen of Mewar. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus has just one person completely overshadowing everything…
Newton: Amit V Masurkar’s masterpiece
India’s 2017 entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign language film is Amit V Masurkar’s Newton. The film stars Rajkummar Rao as Newton– a conscientious, upright officer who is sent on his first assignment to conduct polls in a…
