Entertaining half-truths, nuanced truths and (un)intended consequences
One of the now-inevitable sideshows that accompany most big releases is the group of people objecting to something in the film and taking their grievance to court. Sometimes it’s religion (Kevin...
View ArticleWisecracking
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Middle East… Wise Man 2: You had one job. One. Job. Wise Man 3: Sorry Wise Man 2: How difficult could it have been? I remember specifically asking you to get fleece pyjamas....
View ArticlePetta: A lightweight film that works beautifully as a tribute, but that’s...
Petta functions wonderfully as a supercut of Rajni’s filmography, set to old தமிழ் film music. The Mullum Malarum references abound, obviously – with a name like Kaali, that’s almost a given. One of...
View ArticleSeethakathi: State of the Art
How did a film like Seethakathi even get funded in the first place? The story lends itself to a kind of dryly comic narrative (Isaac Asimov’s One Night of Song comes to mind), but here’s the thing: the...
View ArticleManmarziyan
Taapsee Pannu occupies the center of Manmarziyan like this was the role she was born to play. And why wouldn’t she? The role’s a peach, and Pannu mines a vein of ferocity that makes her character in...
View ArticleOn the craft in Gully Boy
Caution: Spoilers ahead. Read this only if you’ve watched the film. Gully Boy is a rousing tale, but it’s easy to look at the broad outlines of the plot and dismiss it as Dharavi’s 8 Mile or some such...
View ArticleDepth of Field: Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Vada Chennai
I remember walking out of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam with mixed feelings. It felt precise, like the work of a master, but not fulfilling. But I couldn’t quite put my finger on what didn’t work for me, and...
View ArticleSphere of Influence
I was witness to one of the stranger variants of Tu jaanta nahin main kaun hoon recently. I was traveling in an auto from Nandidurga Road to my place. My auto driver was a rather portly, elderly...
View ArticleI’m not feeling particularly creative today, so…
Let me talk about this ad that’s been popping up every so often while I’m on YouTube, or the Sun Nxt app. Now, I like chocolate as much as the next person, okay? Hershey’s Kisses, too. But a few...
View ArticleSuper Deluxe: There are more things on heaven and earth…
There might be the odd spoiler, so beware. But as with most of my reviews these days, read it after you’ve watched the film, please? Those of you who have been following my reviews, sporadic as they...
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