Reviews

A pure entertainment masala action thrill ride with amazing over the top action set-pieces that also tries to delve into some serious issues of the country ranging from farmer suicides to corrupt political system run by crony capitalists. It is also a call for the power of the ballot and the public's right and duty to question each and everyone.

Jawan has the soul of rang de Basanti and a Wednesday that has been infused with cocaine and action cranked to the maximum.

The side characters could have been more fleshed out and the momentum does drop a little at the start of the second half but it picks up towards the end. Enjoyed it more than Pathaan.

A really good social and political satire. It was also quite refreshing to see the traditional roles and power dynamics being reversed as well. Usually in an Indian crime movie it is usually a male protagonist in a position of power while the female characters just play second fiddle or at best a good sidekick; but Kathal reverses this whole power dynamic that is traditionally seen in a mainstream Indian movie.

It also provides a commentary on the caste dynamics that is still a major part of rural India.

Kathal is a silly comedy mystery but at the same time it does provide a biting social commentary.

One of the best theatrical experiences I have had in quite a while.

Ponniyin Selvan 2 is an epic historical character driven drama. The film continues the story from the prequel and you finally get the answers behind the mysterious figure in the water and how it ties with the story of Nandini.

It has some of the most striking visuals complemented by AR Rahman's magical score. The film is as much a Mani Ratnam film as it is an AR Rahman musical. It is a visual and musical feast. Great character development and acting. All the actors were great although I think the character of poonzhugali portrayed by Aishwarya Lekshmi just faded to the background.

One of the few films where I wanted the movie to have more songs. If you liked PS 1 you will probably love the sequel as well. But don't expect epic action sequences or battle scenes. There are a couple of amazingly done fight and battle sequence but it's mostly a character driven drama and a narrative rich historical epic. I haven't read the original source material but I had a great time. The scale of the film is grand with some really spectacular production design. Probably one of the best historical epics to come out of India. Best experienced in a theatre!

An entertaining and brutal masala action movie that has a lot of style. Loved the visual presentation. In terms of story there isn't anything new, it is similar to most films in this genre. The film tries to touch on various social issues as well like alcoholism, domestic violence and voting rights.

The story or the concept has been used a lot in various films of this genre, one can find some similarities with many films; I was reminded of rangasthalam and asuran a lot. The visual style is very similar to Asuran. But nonetheless the emotional beats of the story do work mainly due to the amazing acting performances. There are two spectacular action sequences. One in the middle and the other during the climax.

The extreme graphic violence might be too intense for some viewers. The pacing of the film is quite good, doesn't feel overly long. There are scenes featuring decapitations and lot of stylised over the top action. There is also a lot of thematic reference to the ramayana as the film is set around dusshera/dasara. The visuals, acting and action makes it a touch above than the generic action movies that come out. There are running chokeslams, flying headbutt, leaping clothesline attacks. All in all it was an entertaining watch.

Are homes just made of stones, bricks, cement and sand or are they something more? A repository of memories, of shared grief and trauma? Bhoothakaalam might make you ask all these questions and more.

It's almost 4 a.m. And as I am typing this I am still surrounded by this feeling of foreboding after just watching this movie. It deals with themes around grief and mental health. It feels very real due to its muted tone and great acting from both the characters. It's been a long time since I have had a good scare in a horror film and this movie did affect me. It's starts with a death in the family comprising of a widowed mother and an unemployed son both dealing with their own mental health issues. The film slowly builds towards this crescendo at the end. The only gripe I have is the unnecessary song in the middle that completely breaks the immersion for a while.

This is definitely going to be on my list of favourite horror films. For the best experience turn off the lights, crank up the volume and just surrender yourself to the experience.