<p>India’s independence from British rule came at a price. As the British left India, they ravaged and divided the country - emotionally, based on religion and geographically. The happiness of independence was far less on 15 August 1947, as so many families were destroyed; people were separated from their loved ones, their homes, and their motherland. The Partition led to the birth of Pakistan but also to a great Hindu-Muslim divide, an enmity that continues to this day between the two countries. Bollywood has made innumerable stories on India’s Independence and the partition. Most have narrated stories of brutality and riots that preceded partition. Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi’s latest release, Batwara 1947, flips the narrative a bit- telling the story of a Muslim family in Lahore in the aftermath of partition. Santoshi teams up with Sunny Deol, with whom he has delivered iconic films like Damini, Ghatak and more. Deol and Santoshi collaborate after decades, making Batwara 1947 special. The film also features Shabana Azmi, marks Preity Zinta’s comeback to Bollywood after a long time and has Aamir Khan as the producer. With such impressive names attached to the project, expectations are bound to be high for Batwara 1947. So, does it deliver? Let’s find out.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>The Plot of Batwara 1947</h2><p>Sunny Deol plays Sikandar Mirza, a Meerut businessman who is forced to move to Lahore during partition after being targetted by Hindu rioters. 2 months later, he is allotted a huge haveli in the heart of Lahore when he moves in with wife Hamida (Preity Zinta) and daughter Tanno, only to discover that the house is not completely vacant but a certain Durgavati Johri (Shabana Azmi) still lives in the upper story, waiting for her son to come and fetch her. She refuses to vacate the house, despite the family’s repeated request. Instead, she wants to co-inhabit and wait till her son arrives.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>New to Lahore, Sikandar has plenty of troubles. His son Javed (Karan Deol) and the rest of the family are missing. He is unable to find a space to restart his business, and local goon/councillor Yaqub (Abhimanyu Singh) has eyes on the giant haveli. Durgavati’s refusal to leave the premises only adds more to Sikander’s woes.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/father-s-film-on-15-august-1947-son-s-film-in-2026-can-you-guess-this-father-son-duo-p-l-santoshi-rajkumar-santoshi-1786621563652"><strong>Did You Know? Batwara 1947 director Rajkumar Santoshi's father made India's first film after Independence</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Yaqub is also a fanatic who wants to get rid of the neighbourhood’s Hindu past, and as soon as he realises that a Hindu woman is still in a Muslim-dominated Pakistan, he wants her out at any cost. But with time, the Mirzas get used to Durga’s presence in the family. Having lost his mother at a young age, Sikander eventually warms up to Durga, and then is willing to fight the world to keep her at his home. But amid tensions and hostility, including some from his son Javed, will he be able to keep her at his new home?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/awarapan-2-vs-batwara-1947-which-film-is-leading-the-advance-booking-battle-1786634460471"><strong>Awarapan 2 vs Batwara 1947: Which film is leading the advance booking battle?</strong></a></p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Santoshi, along with Asghar Wajahat, writes a film that delivers a very powerful message. ‘Insaniyat se bada koi dharm nahi hota (no religion is greater than humanity). In the polarised world that we live in, Batwara 1947 effectively talks of humanity over religious divides set in the backdrop of partition. Santoshi also extracts the best performances from Sunny Deol, who isn’t a loud, angry, chest-thumping patriot like Tara Singh from Gadar. Sure, even in Batwara, he takes on five or six goons in one go and uproots heavy wooden carts, but Deol’s Sikandar Mirza is a quiet man who doesn’t lose his temper that often. He is kind, generous and always willing to see the point of view of the person in front.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>One of Deol’s finest performances was in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Damini, which fetched him a National Award. Batwara’s Sikandar Mirza is not quite similar, but Deol manages to deliver a fine performance. The other star who stands out is Shabana Azmi. A helpless, vulnerable old woman left behind amid the riots and atrocities- Azmi’s act makes you emotional. Because her off screen persona is well known - that of a confident actor who always speaks her mind- her performance as a starkly different character in Batwara is truly outstanding, reminding us again why she is considered a powerful performer.</p><p>The film has some very defining moments. One has an entire neighbourhood coming together to bid one of its old occupants a final goodbye. A scene featuring Ali Fazal and Karan Deol sitting and discussing the Hindu-Muslim divide, where a man calls the Hindu’s rioters and violent, to which Fazal asks, ‘And what are we doing?” is special.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Another scene has Sunny Deol declaring that Islam does not teach us to break temples is a very loaded sentence, particularly for the times we live in.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While Batwara 1947 has its heart in the right place, it is still flawed. Apart from Deol and Azmi, most performances are very theatrical. Preity Zinta seems to be still stuck in the Veer Zara phase. Come rain or sunshine, or even a mob breaking the door, she is seen running every time with one arm stretched out, as her dupatta cascades down the stairs. Karan Deol needs to work on his dialogue delivery, and Abhimanyu Singh hams through his part.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The screenplay is adapted from an acclaimed play, Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai, and it shows. Certain scenes can easily be visualised on stage and are not necessarily written for a film. The editing is too patchy, and the narrative is slightly dull.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>Coming on the heels of Imtiaz Ali’s <i>Mani Vaapas Aaunga</i>—which laid bare the raw, impartial tragedy of Partition—<i>Batwaara 1947</i> delivers a sharp, defiant plea for secularism.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>At its core is a Muslim man standing alone against his own community to shield a Hindu woman. The film could have probed deeper into the staggering human tragedy of the era, which it doesn't, but it reiterates that there is no greater religion than human good. Unlike partition films, this story is not as impactful as it ideally sets out to be, but it has its moments.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/the-play-about-lahore-that-pakistan-banned-is-now-sunny-deol-s-baatwara-1947-1786600842498">The play about Lahore that Pakistan banned is now Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Against all odds, Batwara 1947 champions tolerance when it matters most. Arriving right on India’s 80th Independence Day, it offers an essential, heartwarming reminder that humanity must always triumph over religious divides.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Batwara 1947 is now in theatres.</p>

Batwara 1947 is a timely reminder about the secular fabric of India. Set against the backdrop of partition, Rajkumar Santoshi's film delivers a sharp message on communal harmony and has Shabana Azmi delivering a class act. 

India’s independence from British rule came at a price. As the British left India, they ravaged and divided the country - emotionally, based on religion and geographically. The happiness of independence was far less on 15 August 1947, as so many families were destroyed; people were separated from their loved ones, their homes, and their motherland. The Partition led to the birth of Pakistan but also to a great Hindu-Muslim divide, an enmity that continues to this day between the two countries. Bollywood has made innumerable stories on India’s Independence and the partition. Most have narrated stories of brutality and riots that preceded partition. Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi’s latest release, Batwara 1947, flips the narrative a bit- telling the story of a Muslim family in Lahore in the aftermath of partition. Santoshi teams up with Sunny Deol, with whom he has delivered iconic films like Damini, Ghatak and more. Deol and Santoshi collaborate after decades, making Batwara 1947 special. The film also features Shabana Azmi, marks Preity Zinta’s comeback to Bollywood after a long time and has Aamir Khan as the producer. With such impressive names attached to the project, expectations are bound to be high for Batwara 1947. So, does it deliver? Let’s find out. The Plot of Batwara 1947 Sunny Deol plays Sikandar Mirza, a Meerut businessman who is forced to move to Lahore during partition after being targetted by Hindu rioters. 2 months later, he is allotted a huge haveli in the heart of Lahore when he moves in with wife Hamida (Preity Zinta) and daughter Tanno, only to discover that the house is not completely vacant but a certain Durgavati Johri (Shabana Azmi) still lives in the upper story, waiting for her son to come and fetch her. She refuses to vacate the house, despite the family’s repeated request. Instead, she wants to co-inhabit and wait till her son arrives. New to Lahore, Sikandar has plenty of troubles. His son Javed (Karan Deol) and the rest of the family are missing. He is unable to find a space to restart his business, and local goon/councillor Yaqub (Abhimanyu Singh) has eyes on the giant haveli. Durgavati’s refusal to leave the premises only adds more to Sikander’s woes. Also read: Did You Know? Batwara 1947 director Rajkumar Santoshi's father made India's first film after Independence Yaqub is also a fanatic who wants to get rid of the neighbourhood’s Hindu past, and as soon as he realises that a Hindu woman is still in a Muslim-dominated Pakistan, he wants her out at any cost. But with time, the Mirzas get used to Durga’s presence in the family. Having lost his mother at a young age, Sikander eventually warms up to Durga, and then is willing to fight the world to keep her at his home. But amid tensions and hostility, including some from his son Javed, will he be able to keep her at his new home? Also read: Awarapan 2 vs Batwara 1947: Which film is leading the advance booking battle? What works and what does not Santoshi, along with Asghar Wajahat, writes a film that delivers a very powerful message. ‘Insaniyat se bada koi dharm nahi hota (no religion is greater than humanity). In the polarised world that we live in, Batwara 1947 effectively talks of humanity over religious divides set in the backdrop of partition. Santoshi also extracts the best performances from Sunny Deol, who isn’t a loud, angry, chest-thumping patriot like Tara Singh from Gadar. Sure, even in Batwara, he takes on five or six goons in one go and uproots heavy wooden carts, but Deol’s Sikandar Mirza is a quiet man who doesn’t lose his temper that often. He is kind, generous and always willing to see the point of view of the person in front. One of Deol’s finest performances was in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Damini, which fetched him a National Award. Batwara’s Sikandar Mirza is not quite similar, but Deol manages to deliver a fine performance. The other star who stands out is Shabana Azmi. A helpless, vulnerable old woman left behind amid the riots and atrocities- Azmi’s act makes you emotional. Because her off screen persona is well known - that of a confident actor who always speaks her mind- her performance as a starkly different character in Batwara is truly outstanding, reminding us again why she is considered a powerful performer. The film has some very defining moments. One has an entire neighbourhood coming together to bid one of its old occupants a final goodbye. A scene featuring Ali Fazal and Karan Deol sitting and discussing the Hindu-Muslim divide, where a man calls the Hindu’s rioters and violent, to which Fazal asks, ‘And what are we doing?” is special.

<p>Batwara 1947 is a timely reminder about the secular fabric of India. Set against the backdrop of partition, Rajkumar Santoshi's film delivers a sharp message on communal harmony and has Shabana Azmi delivering a class act.&nbsp;</p>

Batwara 1947 movie review: Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi's film delivers a powerful message on secularism

<p>The Kargil War remains one of the most crucial and difficult wars that Indian forces fought and won. Since then, numerous films and shows have highlighted the valour of the Indian Army, who bravely reclaimed key peaks in the Kargil sector from the Pakistani army, but not much is known about the role that the Indian Air Force played in the war. Netflix's new series, Operation Safed Sagar, retells an important chapter in history where the IAF fought in the toughest and highest altitudes in history and successfully bombed key hideouts of the Pakistani army in the Kargil and Drass sector, thereby enabling the Indian Army to capture the peaks for India.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Directed by Oni Sen, Operation Safed Sagar doesn’t glorify war but the men and their sacrifice more. It steers clear of the jingoism that is often attached to such war dramas, yet it leaves you with a sense of pride and a sense of the belongingness for the country like India. While the backdrop is that of war, Operation Safed Sagar, successfully gives a 360-degree picture of the situation that prevailed in both Pakistan and India. It also humanises its war heroes, making it an emotional watch where, once again, it is reiterated that the sacrifices the men in uniform and their families have made time and again for the safety of our country.</p><h2>The plot of Operation Safed Sagar</h2><p>Months before the Kargil War in 1999, Squadron leader Ajay Ahuja (Siddharth) is called in by B.S Dhanoa Tony (Jimmy Shergill) to an IAF base in Bhatinda to train a bunch of young officers for a special complex formation of their fighter jets, which involves team coordination and alignment. The officers, all raring to go, initially have issues understanding Ahuja’s strategy and following it. Dhali (Abhay Verma) is a risk taker and slightly brazen about flouting rules. He often clashes with Baldy (Mihir Ahuja) who is more of a calculative risk taker. Baldy also has personal battles to fight as his girlfriend Madhvi (Prajakta Koli ) arrives unannounced at the base, keen to elope and marry him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As Ahuja and his wife Alka (Amrita Bagchi) slowly warm up to the young officers, making them a part of their family at the base, war breaks out in Kargil. They are all asked to report to Srinagar. The Indian Air Force is initially assigned to click photos of crucial checkposts in high altitude captured by the Pakistani Army. The aerial images are to help the Indian Army understand what and who they are fighting high up in the mountains. However, soon the IAF’s Golden Arrows play a strategic role in bombing these captured posts, aiding the army in reclaiming what's ours.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While the first few episodes establish the various characters and their bonding, the later part of the six-part series gives a detailed account of how the IAF made strategic moves to drop bombs in targeted areas, without jeopardising the safety of our own men. Writers Sandeep Jain, Barun Kashyap, Abhijeet Singh Parmar, Nikhil Ravi, and Kushal Srivastava also give a detailed insight into the Pakistani side of the war where PM Nawaz Shariff (Vinay Pathak delivering strong performance) is shown to be at constant loggerheads with his father and General Musharaff ( Manu Rishi Chaddha delivering a class act) who manipulates and constantly lies and intructs the Pak army to infiltrate areas in Kargil, thereby disregarding the Shimla act.</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Operation Safed Sagar works primarily because of its story. It celebrates the men in uniform and how a bunch of them tactically strategised an operation that, by conventional standards, would have failed. Written with insights and inputs from the IAF, the series gets into the thick of things from the beginning, delivering a story that is riveting. It keeps the jargon at bay, instead projecting the story as it had happened, keeping the humane side of the war intact.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Actors Siddharth and Jimmy Shergill lead a formidable cast who are all pitch-perfect in their respective characters. It is a mystery why Siddharth is not seen in Hindi series as much as his fans would want to see him. The actor takes up the role of a brave officer Ahuja in the series, and one can’t help but recall Siddharth playing the rebel youth in Rang De Basanti. The heart cries when his character is held captive by the enemy camp. Shergill, Abhay Verma and Mihir Ahuja, along with Adil Hussain, are all fantastic in their respective roles.</p><p>The women- Dia Mirza, Amrita Bagchi and Prajakta Koli have less to do in the series apart from playing the support system to the men. Bagchi’s scenes in the second half stand out for their emotional quotient.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Since the series talks of fighter jets, the instant comparison to Top Gun is inevitable. The CGI is not the best and some of the technical terms and jargons force-fed to the layman viewer. Scenes in the second half, played out in Pakistan between Sharif and Musharraf, feel repetitive too after a point. There is also of course, some dramatisation of certain moments.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p> </p><p> </p><p>However, Operation Safed Sagar picks up pace in the final two episodes, giving a rousing tribute to the IAF and the role they played in the Kargil war. Original TV footage juxtaposed with the series adds more heft to the storytelling. Because Netflix has mounted the show on a big scale, there are prominent actors like Sanjay Suri, Barun Sobti, and Anjan Srivastava playing cameo roles in the series.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>While there are ample amount of shows and films based on the Kargil War, Operation Safed Sagar still stands out as it tells a story that is not so well known. IT also serves as a reminder to the audience that a story on the India-Pak war can be told without force-feeding patriotism. It can be told with sensitivity, factually, without glorifying brutality and killing. Operation Safed Sagar reinstates your belief in the defence forces who have time and again risen up to moments of crisis and protected India.</p><p> </p><p>Operation Safed Sagar is now streaming on Netflix.</p>

Operation Safed Sagar, the new Netflix web series, gives a detailed account of the crucial roles that the Indian Air Force played in capturing key points during the Kargil War in 1999. The war drama has deft writing and powerful performances from its cast. 

The Kargil War remains one of the most crucial and difficult wars that Indian forces fought and won. Since then, numerous films and shows have highlighted the valour of the Indian Army, who bravely reclaimed key peaks in the Kargil sector from the Pakistani army, but not much is known about the role that the Indian Air Force played in the war. Netflix's new series, Operation Safed Sagar, retells an important chapter in history where the IAF fought in the toughest and highest altitudes in history and successfully bombed key hideouts of the Pakistani army in the Kargil and Drass sector, thereby enabling the Indian Army to capture the peaks for India. Directed by Oni Sen, Operation Safed Sagar doesn’t glorify war but the men and their sacrifice more. It steers clear of the jingoism that is often attached to such war dramas, yet it leaves you with a sense of pride and a sense of the belongingness for the country like India. While the backdrop is that of war, Operation Safed Sagar, successfully gives a 360-degree picture of the situation that prevailed in both Pakistan and India. It also humanises its war heroes, making it an emotional watch where, once again, it is reiterated that the sacrifices the men in uniform and their families have made time and again for the safety of our country. The plot of Operation Safed Sagar Months before the Kargil War in 1999, Squadron leader Ajay Ahuja (Siddharth) is called in by B.S Dhanoa Tony (Jimmy Shergill) to an IAF base in Bhatinda to train a bunch of young officers for a special complex formation of their fighter jets, which involves team coordination and alignment. The officers, all raring to go, initially have issues understanding Ahuja’s strategy and following it. Dhali (Abhay Verma) is a risk taker and slightly brazen about flouting rules. He often clashes with Baldy (Mihir Ahuja) who is more of a calculative risk taker. Baldy also has personal battles to fight as his girlfriend Madhvi (Prajakta Koli ) arrives unannounced at the base, keen to elope and marry him. As Ahuja and his wife Alka (Amrita Bagchi) slowly warm up to the young officers, making them a part of their family at the base, war breaks out in Kargil. They are all asked to report to Srinagar. The Indian Air Force is initially assigned to click photos of crucial checkposts in high altitude captured by the Pakistani Army. The aerial images are to help the Indian Army understand what and who they are fighting high up in the mountains. However, soon the IAF’s Golden Arrows play a strategic role in bombing these captured posts, aiding the army in reclaiming what's ours. While the first few episodes establish the various characters and their bonding, the later part of the six-part series gives a detailed account of how the IAF made strategic moves to drop bombs in targeted areas, without jeopardising the safety of our own men. Writers Sandeep Jain, Barun Kashyap, Abhijeet Singh Parmar, Nikhil Ravi, and Kushal Srivastava also give a detailed insight into the Pakistani side of the war where PM Nawaz Shariff (Vinay Pathak delivering strong performance) is shown to be at constant loggerheads with his father and General Musharaff ( Manu Rishi Chaddha delivering a class act) who manipulates and constantly lies and intructs the Pak army to infiltrate areas in Kargil, thereby disregarding the Shimla act. What works and what does not Operation Safed Sagar works primarily because of its story. It celebrates the men in uniform and how a bunch of them tactically strategised an operation that, by conventional standards, would have failed. Written with insights and inputs from the IAF, the series gets into the thick of things from the beginning, delivering a story that is riveting. It keeps the jargon at bay, instead projecting the story as it had happened, keeping the humane side of the war intact. Actors Siddharth and Jimmy Shergill lead a formidable cast who are all pitch-perfect in their respective characters. It is a mystery why Siddharth is not seen in Hindi series as much as his fans would want to see him. The actor takes up the role of a brave officer Ahuja in the series, and one can’t help but recall Siddharth playing the rebel youth in Rang De Basanti. The heart cries when his character is held captive by the enemy camp. Shergill, Abhay Verma and Mihir Ahuja, along with Adil Hussain, are all fantastic in their respective roles. The women- Dia Mirza, Amrita Bagchi and Prajakta Koli have less to do in the series apart from playing the support system to the men. Bagchi’s scenes in the second half stand out for their emotional quotient. Since the series talks of fighter jets, the instant comparison to Top Gun is inevitable. The CGI is not the best and some of the technical terms and jargons force-fed to the layman viewer. Scenes in the second half, played out in Pakistan between Sharif and Musharraf, feel repetitive too after a point. There is also of course, some dramatisation of certain moments.

<p>Operation Safed Sagar, the new Netflix web series, gives a detailed account of the crucial roles that the Indian Air Force played in capturing key points during the Kargil War in 1999. The war drama has deft writing and powerful performances from its cast.&nbsp;</p>

Operation Safed Sagar review: Siddharth and Jimmy Shergill soar in a restrained Kargil war drama

<p>Not so long back, post the release of Avengers: Endgame, the world declared it was suffering from superhero fatigue. As Marvel Studios churned out stand alone shows of all its characters- heroes, side heroes and villains alike- and introduced new superheroes on screen, the audience felt jaded watching the same stories. Clearly, Marvel Studios took note of the fatigue, reassessed its content and then reinvented a new template. Films like Thunderbolts and the series Loki have all attempted to explore the inner demons more than villains in physical form. Thus, MCU’s latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day fits right into the same framework where the friendly neighbourhood superhero is no longer a funny, slightly reckless but humorous high schooler, but a grown-up man, fighting loneliness and warding off evil from New York City in equal measures. Tom Holland returns as the web-slinging superhero along with his wife, actress Zendaya, who plays MJ and Jacob Batalon as his buddy Ned Leeds. But the trio, unlike the previous films, are not together anymore thanks to Doctor Strange setting things differently in No Way Home.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Instead, Peter Parker is now just a vigilante who protects New York City and lives alone, far away from his friends just to protect them.</p><h2>What's the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day?</h2><p>It's been a few years since Doctor Strange recalibrated the world order. MJ and Ned are now roommates in their final year of MIT- a dream that they had envisioned with Peter Parker back in high school. They do not remember Peter now, as their memory has been wiped clean. Peter, however, remembers them, quietly follows their life through social media and works full time as Spidey, keeping the crime rate at an all-time low in New York.</p><p>He is afraid to show his face to anyone, even to Punisher and General Rivera, the authorities who help him in fighting crime in the city.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/before-spider-man-brand-new-day-arrives-revisit-the-biggest-moments-from-no-way-home-1785324592192">Before Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives, revisit the biggest moments from No Way Home</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>One day Peter realises that he is fighting a crime that is beyond the human form and something that can manipulate the psyche of any human and make them do evil. The faceless evil soon catches up with Peter, who has been riddled with guilt ever since the death of Aunt May and even threatens to kill MJ. Peter now must fight his inner battles in order to protect the city he lives in and the love of his life.</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Brand New Day has Peter Parker coming of age. You go in expecting a goofy superhero complete with his humour and punchlines. The humour is there, but Peter is now a grown-up man, responsible for the people of New York, guilty of his past work and terribly lonely, who keeps having imaginary conversations with MJ in his head. While he is now more brazen and unafraid to take risks, he is also constantly honing his skills and the technology that aids him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Some of the funniest scenes involve Spidey letting go of his guard. A scene featuring him and the new Black Widow (Florence Pugh) having a serious discussion about saving the world inside a hamam stands out. They are stripped naked and submerged in the bath, but Spidey decides to keep the mask on, just to keep his identity a secret from Yalina. Then there is also a brief appearance of the Hulk in all his glory and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) never disappoints even if he has limited screen time.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/tom-holland-s-spider-man-brand-new-day-first-reactions-awe-inspiring-absolutely-spectacular-1785223809132"><strong>Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day first reactions&nbsp;</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I wish Holland and Zendaya had more screen time because the scenes involving the two are crackling with chemistry, despite the Indian censor board cutting their on-screen kiss completely.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Holland is undoubtedly the star of the film. He has grown up as an actor, projecting the right amount of restraint that is needed for this sad, melancholic Peter Parker who pines for MJ and a family of his own.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The other star of the film is Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, who possibly can be seen in future Spider-Man films. She plays a conflicting character and comes much after the film’s plot is established but leaves a lasting impression.</p><p>Since Thunderbolts also dealt with the fighting of inner demons, the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day feels familiar and a tad formulaic. I wish it had explored more about the problem at hand, of Parker’s inner battles juxtaposed with the crisis at hand. But the film skims over it and leaves only half an impact compared to one that was created in Thunderbolts.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>Spider-Man: Brand New Day is Holland’s best performance as the web-slinging superhero. He truly has come of age much like Peter Parker. This isn’t the best Spider-Man film in the franchise, but it still makes for an entertaining watch for its interesting cameos, Peter and MJ’s love story and the growth Peter shows as a superhero.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Spider-Man: Brand New Day is out in theatres now.</p>

Spider Man: Brand New Day movie review: Tom Holland is back playing the web-slinging superhero but this time Peter Parker is more mature and lonely who must fight his inner demons as well as the new faceless villain in town. 

Not so long back, post the release of Avengers: Endgame, the world declared it was suffering from superhero fatigue. As Marvel Studios churned out stand alone shows of all its characters- heroes, side heroes and villains alike- and introduced new superheroes on screen, the audience felt jaded watching the same stories. Clearly, Marvel Studios took note of the fatigue, reassessed its content and then reinvented a new template. Films like Thunderbolts and the series Loki have all attempted to explore the inner demons more than villains in physical form. Thus, MCU’s latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day fits right into the same framework where the friendly neighbourhood superhero is no longer a funny, slightly reckless but humorous high schooler, but a grown-up man, fighting loneliness and warding off evil from New York City in equal measures. Tom Holland returns as the web-slinging superhero along with his wife, actress Zendaya, who plays MJ and Jacob Batalon as his buddy Ned Leeds. But the trio, unlike the previous films, are not together anymore thanks to Doctor Strange setting things differently in No Way Home. Instead, Peter Parker is now just a vigilante who protects New York City and lives alone, far away from his friends just to protect them. What's the plot of Spider-Man: Brand New Day? It's been a few years since Doctor Strange recalibrated the world order. MJ and Ned are now roommates in their final year of MIT- a dream that they had envisioned with Peter Parker back in high school. They do not remember Peter now, as their memory has been wiped clean. Peter, however, remembers them, quietly follows their life through social media and works full time as Spidey, keeping the crime rate at an all-time low in New York. He is afraid to show his face to anyone, even to Punisher and General Rivera, the authorities who help him in fighting crime in the city. Also read: Before Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives, revisit the biggest moments from No Way Home One day Peter realises that he is fighting a crime that is beyond the human form and something that can manipulate the psyche of any human and make them do evil. The faceless evil soon catches up with Peter, who has been riddled with guilt ever since the death of Aunt May and even threatens to kill MJ. Peter now must fight his inner battles in order to protect the city he lives in and the love of his life. What works and what does not Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Brand New Day has Peter Parker coming of age. You go in expecting a goofy superhero complete with his humour and punchlines. The humour is there, but Peter is now a grown-up man, responsible for the people of New York, guilty of his past work and terribly lonely, who keeps having imaginary conversations with MJ in his head. While he is now more brazen and unafraid to take risks, he is also constantly honing his skills and the technology that aids him. Some of the funniest scenes involve Spidey letting go of his guard. A scene featuring him and the new Black Widow (Florence Pugh) having a serious discussion about saving the world inside a hamam stands out. They are stripped naked and submerged in the bath, but Spidey decides to keep the mask on, just to keep his identity a secret from Yalina. Then there is also a brief appearance of the Hulk in all his glory and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) never disappoints even if he has limited screen time. Also read: Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Brand New Day first reactions I wish Holland and Zendaya had more screen time because the scenes involving the two are crackling with chemistry, despite the Indian censor board cutting their on-screen kiss completely.

<p>Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie review: Tom Holland is back playing the web-slinging superhero but this time Peter Parker is more mature and lonely who must fight his inner demons as well as the new faceless villain in town.&nbsp;</p>

Spider-Man: Brand New Day review: A mature Peter Parker navigates heartbreak, loneliness and new evil

<p>Vikrant Massey’s Musafir Cafe, a slow romance drama, comes at a time when there is anger on the streets of India and spy thrillers and murder mysteries are dominating screens- big and small. The eight-part series, produced by Massey, who also plays the lead in the show, takes a practical approach to modern-day relationships, where love alone is not enough to make a relationship work. It reiterates that timing is everything, and that two right people can drift apart if the timing is not right. Created and written by Sharanya Rajgopal and based on Divya Prakash Dubey’s novel of the same name, Musafir Cafe is refreshing, real and breaks the clutter of action thrillers that have been releasing of late.</p><h2>What’s Musafir Cafe about?</h2><p>Chander (Massey) is a software engineer working in Bhopal, away from his family in Delhi. The man is an emotional being, always dreaming of a happy family and a slow life in the mountains. His calm meets the chaos of Sudha (Vedika Pinto), a divorce lawyer who is fiercely independent and wants to build a comfortable life for her mother. While Chander and Sudha are different as chalk and cheese, they are also each other’s cheerleaders.</p><p>Completing the triangle is Preeti (Mahima Makwana), a wanderlust who has made a life with Chander in the hills years after Sudha has walked out of it. But has Chander found closure from his past relationship? The eight-part series is set in Bhopal and Mussorie and narrates Chander’s story spanning over 8 years.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/pallichattambi-review-tovino-thomas-ambitious-political-saga-weighed-down-by-predictable-script-1784882492587">Pallichattambi review: Tovino Thomas' political saga falls short</a></p><h2>What works and what doesn’t</h2><p>Love is complicated, a fact that is constantly reiterated in Musafir Cafe. The show highlights that falling in love is easy; sparks fly, you end up having the best time with each other. However, that alone cannot make a relationship last. The eight episodes beautifully highlight that often relationships are messy and complicated, despite two people being deeply in love with each other.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Massey, who turns producer with this series, plays Chander with absolute earnestness. The cehmistyry that that he shares both with Pinto and Makwana feels organic. The women play their parts well, even with Makwana putting in the right amount of restraint to her character, Preeti. A woman who is aware of her man’s past and is patient enough to wait for him to get closure, no matter how long it takes.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Musafir Cafe also highlights the conflicts that urban, career-oriented women have to go through, where they take responsibility of their own family and thus, often, resist marriage. The beauty of Musafir Cafe is that no one is wrong. The three characters are all strong individuals who want to make things right for their partners.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/adarsh-baal-vidyalaya-review-kay-menon-teaches-trolls-and-questions-our-education-systemjantar-menonprimevideo-1784882718568">Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya review: Kay Menon teaches, trolls, and questions our education system</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While Musafir Cafe is an easy, breezy romance, it, on many occasions, gives a sense of Deja Vu of Massey’s previous show Broken But Beautiful.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The supporting cast comprising Adil Hussain, Loveleen Mishra, Anubha Fatehpuri, Rajeev Siddhartha, and Sadiya Siddiqui only enable the core story, but the makers never delve into something deeper about these characters in the show. Wish they had.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Musafir Cafe could have also been a movie; it would have had the same impact.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>Love is perhaps the most favoured genre in India. While most shows and films talk about the process of falling in love, not too many address the complexities of modern-day relationships. Musafir Cafe is real and takes a practical approach at relationships. It ends at a point which opens up possibilities of a sequel. Let’s hope the sequel- if it is made- creates a similar impact on viewers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Musafir Cafe is streaming on Netflix.</p>

Musafir Cafe, the new show on Netflix, is refreshing and real. Organic chemistry among the trio, strong portrayal of urban women balancing career and family, and earnest performances from Massey, Pinto, and Makwana make this a must watch. 

Vikrant Massey’s Musafir Cafe, a slow romance drama, comes at a time when there is anger on the streets of India and spy thrillers and murder mysteries are dominating screens- big and small. The eight-part series, produced by Massey, who also plays the lead in the show, takes a practical approach to modern-day relationships, where love alone is not enough to make a relationship work. It reiterates that timing is everything, and that two right people can drift apart if the timing is not right. Created and written by Sharanya Rajgopal and based on Divya Prakash Dubey’s novel of the same name, Musafir Cafe is refreshing, real and breaks the clutter of action thrillers that have been releasing of late. What’s Musafir Cafe about? Chander (Massey) is a software engineer working in Bhopal, away from his family in Delhi. The man is an emotional being, always dreaming of a happy family and a slow life in the mountains. His calm meets the chaos of Sudha (Vedika Pinto), a divorce lawyer who is fiercely independent and wants to build a comfortable life for her mother. While Chander and Sudha are different as chalk and cheese, they are also each other’s cheerleaders. Completing the triangle is Preeti (Mahima Makwana), a wanderlust who has made a life with Chander in the hills years after Sudha has walked out of it. But has Chander found closure from his past relationship? The eight-part series is set in Bhopal and Mussorie and narrates Chander’s story spanning over 8 years. Also read: Pallichattambi review: Tovino Thomas' political saga falls short What works and what doesn’t Love is complicated, a fact that is constantly reiterated in Musafir Cafe. The show highlights that falling in love is easy; sparks fly, you end up having the best time with each other. However, that alone cannot make a relationship last. The eight episodes beautifully highlight that often relationships are messy and complicated, despite two people being deeply in love with each other. Massey, who turns producer with this series, plays Chander with absolute earnestness. The cehmistyry that that he shares both with Pinto and Makwana feels organic. The women play their parts well, even with Makwana putting in the right amount of restraint to her character, Preeti. A woman who is aware of her man’s past and is patient enough to wait for him to get closure, no matter how long it takes. Musafir Cafe also highlights the conflicts that urban, career-oriented women have to go through, where they take responsibility of their own family and thus, often, resist marriage. The beauty of Musafir Cafe is that no one is wrong. The three characters are all strong individuals who want to make things right for their partners. Also read: Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya review: Kay Menon teaches, trolls, and questions our education system While Musafir Cafe is an easy, breezy romance, it, on many occasions, gives a sense of Deja Vu of Massey’s previous show Broken But Beautiful. The supporting cast comprising Adil Hussain, Loveleen Mishra, Anubha Fatehpuri, Rajeev Siddhartha, and Sadiya Siddiqui only enable the core story, but the makers never delve into something deeper about these characters in the show. Wish they had. Musafir Cafe could have also been a movie; it would have had the same impact.

<p>Musafir Cafe, the new show on Netflix, is refreshing and real. Organic chemistry among the trio, strong portrayal of urban women balancing career and family, and earnest performances from Massey, Pinto, and Makwana make this a must watch.&nbsp;</p>

Musafir Cafe review: Vikrant Massey’s slow-burn romance proves timing is everything in love

<p>An evil mining mafia that is looking to loot mineral wealth and finish off indigenous people in India; Indian government officials that are insulted and betrayed by system that they work under; a weapon smuggling mafia that has tentacles spread across politico-business circles in India; Pakistani terrorists plotting against India, communal riots in Tamil Nadu; a fictional African nation that is destabilized into chaos and civil war by external forces; Terminator-like weaponized robots and drones. Roll all of these disparate themes and elements into a plot that spans over three hours and we get<i> Jana Nayagan</i>, the H Vinoth directorial, which is the farewell film of Tamil actor Vijay(popularly known as Thalapathy Vijay). Jana Nayagan is touted as Vijay's final film, bringing a close to a career that started when he was a child artist in 1984.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>No prizes for guessing that the solutions to all the aforementioned geopolitical and Indian politico-societal problems come from one man - Thalapathy Vetri Kondan(TVK) - the protagonist played by Vijay. Aside from being his final film, <i>Jana Nayagan</i> was also meant to be a political vehicle for actor-politician Vijay to gain further inroads into the hearts and minds of the people of his home state Tamil Nadu.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Context: Jana Nayagan was meant to hit the screens in January 2026, but its release was delayed due to a censor certificate hold-up, a legal battle, and an online leak of the film. Vijay was originally an actor-politician when the film was originally set for release in January 2026. With barely two years of experience in politics, Vijay's fledgling political party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam(TVK) won the April 2026 Assembly polls, and he assumed office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in May 2026.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

A still from Jana Nayagan

<p> </p><p> </p><p>As much as the film is meant to give hardcore Vijay fans their money's worth in terms of action, these predominantly gory fight sequences are also interspersed with sentimental scenes or tragedies or triumphant moments. However, the central messaging is clear: protagonist Thalapathy Vetri Kondan has a magic bullet to address every issue that exists. Literally speaking, it need not always be a bullet. Often, the solution happens to in the form of a sword, a machete, a whip, a rusted iron pipe and what not! From ragtag rowdies to suit-boot baddies, Thalapathy Vetri Kondan beats them all, amply aided and abetted by the beats of Anirudh Ravichander's music. The score adds heft to all these sequences and helps adequately elevate them into fan-favourite "mass moments".</p>

<p>Seen from the perspective of a political film, <i>Jana Nayagan</i> also makes blatant attempts to position Vijay as a political successor of the late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran(popularly known as MGR), who is widely the most famous actor-politician in Tamil Nadu. There are scenes where the protagonist is prominently juxtaposed with MGR's image; the protagonist sings MGR songs while beating up corrupt politicians. Things even reach a point where a framed photo of MGR appears to speak to the protagonist, Thalapathy Vetri Kondan, and even hands him a whip to lash the baddies. Well, it just doesn't stop with the Late MGR. Even Ministers from Chief Minister Vijay's cabinet in Tamil Nadu are seen making appearances in song sequences or crucial moments.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Though the film did include a few themes related to women's empowerment, they too were based on the male protagonist's worldview and not based on the will and wishes of the female lead(played by Mamitha Baiju). Ironically, the same film features another female lead (played by Pooja Hegde), which lacked any depth or purpose, other than falling instantaneously in love with the protagonist. Another female lead(the IAS Officer character played by Priyamani) did have a role of some significance in the larger plot. However, her screen time lasted barely a few fleeting moments. It almost felt like a case of too little, too late.</p>

Vijay and Pooja Hegde in Jana Nayagan

<p> </p><p>While Bobby Deol played the villain character well, poor writing appeared not to do justice to his talent and ability. Though there is an attempt to showcase an elaborate backstory to establish this villain character, it tends to veer more towards tiresome territory. Similarly, Prakash Raj was made to play a corrupt politician, a role that he has played in innumerable films. However, that too felt inadequate because of the writing.</p><p> </p><p>For the Thalapathy Vijay maniacs(Thalapathy Veriyans, as they are called in Tamil), <i>Jana Nayagan</i> could certainly offer many big mass moments to celebrate while viewing on the big screen with the blaring BGM. However, even that grand celebration risks getting drowned in a plot that force-fits too many themes and too many characters.</p>

Jana Nayagan attempts to solve every conceivable issue—from local corruption and mining mafias to international terrorism and AI warfare—by framing Vijay’s character as the sole saviour for all problems. Is it a befitting finale to Vijay's acting career, though? Let's find out. 

An evil mining mafia that is looking to loot mineral wealth and finish off indigenous people in India; Indian government officials that are insulted and betrayed by system that they work under; a weapon smuggling mafia that has tentacles spread across politico-business circles in India; Pakistani terrorists plotting against India, communal riots in Tamil Nadu; a fictional African nation that is destabilized into chaos and civil war by external forces; Terminator-like weaponized robots and drones. Roll all of these disparate themes and elements into a plot that spans over three hours and we get Jana Nayagan, the H Vinoth directorial, which is the farewell film of Tamil actor Vijay(popularly known as Thalapathy Vijay). Jana Nayagan is touted as Vijay's final film, bringing a close to a career that started when he was a child artist in 1984. No prizes for guessing that the solutions to all the aforementioned geopolitical and Indian politico-societal problems come from one man - Thalapathy Vetri Kondan(TVK) - the protagonist played by Vijay. Aside from being his final film, Jana Nayagan was also meant to be a political vehicle for actor-politician Vijay to gain further inroads into the hearts and minds of the people of his home state Tamil Nadu. Context: Jana Nayagan was meant to hit the screens in January 2026, but its release was delayed due to a censor certificate hold-up, a legal battle, and an online leak of the film. Vijay was originally an actor-politician when the film was originally set for release in January 2026. With barely two years of experience in politics, Vijay's fledgling political party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam(TVK) won the April 2026 Assembly polls, and he assumed office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in May 2026.

<p><i>Jana Nayagan</i> attempts to solve every conceivable issue—from local corruption and mining mafias to international terrorism and AI warfare—by framing Vijay’s character as the sole saviour for all problems. Is it a befitting finale to Vijay's acting career, though? Let's find out.&nbsp;</p>

Jana Nayagan movie review: Thalapathy Vijay deserved a sharper send-off

<p>Trust Christopher Nolan to deliver a strong message on the futility of war through an age-old story based on Greek mythology. Nolan, one of the greatest auteurs of our time, weaves the most beautiful and poignant story of homecoming and redemption in his latest, The Odyssey. Based on Homer’s age-old poem, the Odyssey, which is set after the Trojan War as King Odysseus and his men make their way back home, Nolan’s film looks beyond the mythology and delivers a story that astounds you from the word go. It is a story that may have its origin in Greek mythology, but its relevance to the present times is hard to miss. The release of the film feels timely as the world is engulfed in one war or the other. The Odyssey is not just about Odysseus' long journey back home but of realisation, of coming of age, of being just and fair - qualities that make a true leader stand out from the herd. The story is also about men and their lofty egos and ambition, which lead to mayhem and blind them to reality.</p><h2>What is the plot of The Odyssey?</h2><p>It's been 20 years since Odysseus (Matt Damon) set out with his army for Troy. His kingdom, Ithaca, is now in shambles with suitors lining up and feasting every night, eyeing to marry his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway). The kingdom knows about Odysseus’ victory at Troy, but he is now presumed dead as most of his men have made their way back home. Only Penelope, their son Telemachus (Tom Holland) and the blind Eumaeus(John Leguizamo), a trusted aide of Odysseus, still believe he's alive.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film relies on a non-linear format, where Odysseus, now living with nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), is slowly getting his memory back. The film then goes back in time, where Odysseus slowly recalls the Trojan War and events that followed as he and his men made a long journey back home.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/the-odyssey-who-is-argos-the-heartbreaking-bond-between-king-odysseus-and-his-loyal-dog-explained-1784223634125"><strong>The Odyssey: Who is Argos? The bond between King Odysseus and his dog explained</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Meanwhile, tired of waiting, Telemachus sets out to Sparta to meet its king, Menelaus, who had served as a commander for Odysseus in the Trojan War, to seek answers about his father, whom he has never met. Back home, his mother Penelope continues to ward off suitors, including the conniving Antinous (Robert Pattinson), hoping that Odysseus will keep his promise and make his way back home.</p><h2>The Odyssey’s larger-than-life scale</h2><p>Touted as one of Nolan’s most expensive films to date and shot entirely on IMAX cameras, The Odyssey is set on a grand scale. To put together a long journey of Odysseus and his men, where he encounters gods, monsters, witches and cursed lands, is not an easy task. While many are familiar with Homer’s poem, which has dominated folklore and influenced cultures all over the world, it is still no mean feat to create that world and with such conviction. Nolan gathers some of the most well-known faces from British and American cinema to create the mythical world. The sets, the characters, and the vastness of the sea overwhelm you at times just the way it is intended to.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who is a frequent collaborator with Nolan in his films, brings alive the mythical world in all its grandeur. From the scenes inside the wooden horse to the men rampaging Troy to Odysseus and his men getting trapped in a cave with a giant Polyphemus, are visually stunning.</p><h2>Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon shine</h2><p>Nolan lines up stars like Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Jon Bernthal and others in prominent roles. They all deliver to their parts well. Zendaya and Theron are in cameo appearances; however, they make their presence felt with their strong performances. The film, however, belongs to Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson. Pattinson’s Antinous is a conving, sly man who is easy to hate amid all the bravado and heroism that the film narrates. He plays the character with such conviction that it is hard to separate the actor from the character. Pattinson should be earning a few nominations for his performance in the awards season next year.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-odysseus-to-athena-who-s-who-in-christopher-nolan-s-the-odyssey-full-cast-guide-1783691243528"><strong>From Odysseus to Athena: Who’s who in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film banks heavily on Matt Damon and his performance. It is, after all, a film on his character Odysseus. Damon plays the just, brave king with utmost conviction. The man who has time and again marvelled us with performances in iconic films humanises Odysseus. A man who fought and won a war, who dared death and tried to bring his army home, Odysseus is a man who has seen it all and lived to tell the tale. Damon makes the man human, who is flawed but is also eager for redemption.</p>

The Odyssey

<p>&nbsp;</p><h2>Nolan’s writing</h2><p>While the film is technically flawless, for me, The Odyssey wins for its brilliant messaging. Adapted for screen by Nolan, the film shows the flipside of war. Trojan War is a tale that we are all aware of. For centuries, the bravado of the men who fought the war has been talked about; it has been part of the folklore. But the film talks of the redemption of Odysseus, of a man whose valour and greatness were celebrated, but Nolan talks of how he felt guilty of violating what was sacred in Troy. A scene near the climax shows Odysseus talking of how he destroyed so much just to win a war, how he had repentance for the men who died along the way, for the destruction that was caused in Troy, for the fall of priestess Athena, who eventually became his guiding light back home. Those moments are so beautifully written than makes you emotional, poignant and question the current times where war and violence dominate headlines more than news of peace.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/don-t-know-what-the-odyssey-is-here-s-the-ancient-greek-myth-explained-simply-1783770575969"><strong>Don't know what The Odyssey is? Here's the ancient Greek myth explained simply</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The director also talks of men and the evil side of loot and how, often, it's the women who are at the receiving end. As men plunder and loot, they violate women, those who resist and are quickly termed as witches. When men go to war, their wives are supposed to wait and hold the fort and even prove their loyalty years later when their husband make their way back home. The Odyssey is a story of not just Odysseus alone but of Penelope’s as well, who single-handedly brought up their son, took care of a failing kingdom, and never lost hope for her husband. It is also a tale of Circe, the witch and goddess from the island of Aeaea, who had to turn her sister into a crow just to keep her safe from prying, wandering men of the sea. It is a story of the young Sinon, who was wronged and sent to war as a kid, and also the story of Telemachus, a young man who grew up only on stories of his father but has never met him and yet has to protect his honour</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Cast of The Odyssey

<p>.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>The Odyssey is 172 minutes long but has no dull moment. Christopher Nolan weaves a magical tale of mythical islands, of forbidden forests, of treacherous voyages and of a King desperate to go back home. At the same time, The Odyssey is a story of redemption, of penance, of loyalty, of learning from mistakes. Above all, it talks of the futility of war and that perhaps should be a good enough reason to watch this film.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If there is any film that you need to watch this weekend, it should be The Odyssey.</p>

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey lives up to its expectations and more. It's a moving tale of a man wanting to return home after winning a war and the lessons he learns during his long journey back home. The film has top performances by Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson and others. 

Trust Christopher Nolan to deliver a strong message on the futility of war through an age-old story based on Greek mythology. Nolan, one of the greatest auteurs of our time, weaves the most beautiful and poignant story of homecoming and redemption in his latest, The Odyssey. Based on Homer’s age-old poem, the Odyssey, which is set after the Trojan War as King Odysseus and his men make their way back home, Nolan’s film looks beyond the mythology and delivers a story that astounds you from the word go. It is a story that may have its origin in Greek mythology, but its relevance to the present times is hard to miss. The release of the film feels timely as the world is engulfed in one war or the other. The Odyssey is not just about Odysseus' long journey back home but of realisation, of coming of age, of being just and fair - qualities that make a true leader stand out from the herd. The story is also about men and their lofty egos and ambition, which lead to mayhem and blind them to reality. What is the plot of The Odyssey? It's been 20 years since Odysseus (Matt Damon) set out with his army for Troy. His kingdom, Ithaca, is now in shambles with suitors lining up and feasting every night, eyeing to marry his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway). The kingdom knows about Odysseus’ victory at Troy, but he is now presumed dead as most of his men have made their way back home. Only Penelope, their son Telemachus (Tom Holland) and the blind Eumaeus(John Leguizamo), a trusted aide of Odysseus, still believe he's alive. The film relies on a non-linear format, where Odysseus, now living with nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), is slowly getting his memory back. The film then goes back in time, where Odysseus slowly recalls the Trojan War and events that followed as he and his men made a long journey back home. Also read: The Odyssey: Who is Argos? The bond between King Odysseus and his dog explained Meanwhile, tired of waiting, Telemachus sets out to Sparta to meet its king, Menelaus, who had served as a commander for Odysseus in the Trojan War, to seek answers about his father, whom he has never met. Back home, his mother Penelope continues to ward off suitors, including the conniving Antinous (Robert Pattinson), hoping that Odysseus will keep his promise and make his way back home. The Odyssey’s larger-than-life scale Touted as one of Nolan’s most expensive films to date and shot entirely on IMAX cameras, The Odyssey is set on a grand scale. To put together a long journey of Odysseus and his men, where he encounters gods, monsters, witches and cursed lands, is not an easy task. While many are familiar with Homer’s poem, which has dominated folklore and influenced cultures all over the world, it is still no mean feat to create that world and with such conviction. Nolan gathers some of the most well-known faces from British and American cinema to create the mythical world. The sets, the characters, and the vastness of the sea overwhelm you at times just the way it is intended to.

<p>Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey lives up to its expectations and more. It's a moving tale of a man wanting to return home after winning a war and the lessons he learns during his long journey back home. The film has top performances by Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson and others.&nbsp;</p>

The Odyssey movie review: Christopher Nolan crafts a visual masterpiece that strips the glory from war

<p>Sunny Deol and Tilottama Shome playing opposing lawyers in a very commercial thriller is a promising premise for an engaging watch. In Siddharth P Malhotra’s Ikka, Deol plays a hot-shot successful lawyer Arjun Mehra defending a murder accussed Shauryaman Gaur, played by Akshaye Khanna, while Shome plays the prosecutor of the case. The two come from very different schools of cinema, and thus, seeing them share screen space in a film holds a lot of promise. But does Ikka, a Netflix film, deliver? Let’s find out.</p><h2>What’s the plot of Ikka</h2><p>A young woman in a semi-conscious state is thrown out of a black car in the middle of the night, and Shouryaman Gaur (Khanna) is arrested on charges of attempted murder. The woman was last seen exiting a nightclub with Shourya and all evidence, as well as eyewitnesses, indicates that he is the culprit. Hotshot lawyer Arjun Mehra is hired to defend Shourya. Arjun is a man known to crack the toughest of cases, but is also very righteous. Mehra, initially reluctant to take up Shourya’s case, ends up defending him in court due to some personal reasons.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While he is defending a criminal in court, he is also battling personal issues at home. He and his wife (Dia Mirza) have to cope with their daughter’s terminal illness, which needs urgent treatment. Shourya, a manipulative man, compels Arjun to fight his case, knowing very well about Arjun’s personal crisis.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Meanwhile, public prosecutor Madhura Banerj (Shome) is aware of the public pressure the case carries. Having admired Arjun Mehra from a distance all her career, she is nervous to be fighting the case against him but also curious to understand the motive behind his taking up an open-and-shut case.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Arjun, known as ‘Ikka’ for his sharp mind and his ability to twist an obvious case, has to not only defend a man who he knows is wrong but also win a case that seems impossible to turn around. He also has to fight morality and what he deems to be right because he has a family to protect.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Siddharth P Malhotra, who has made films like Maharaj and Hichki in the past, is known to present layered stories. His films are social, delivering strong messages. His characters have backstories and layers which enrich the narrative.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In Ikka too, the principal characters all have backstories, which made them the way they are. A working wife is struggling to strike a balance between home and work, being the sole earning member of the family. Her husband has lost his job in Covid and at home, struggling to keep the house running. Another woman has to bury a traumatic past and a toxic relationship to build a safe future. Ikka’s characters are all dealing with personal demons, making the plot more twisted and compelling.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Writers Althea Kaushal and Mayank Tewari build a compelling premise, where a successful lawyer has to ignore the foundation of morality on which he has built his career just to protect his family and defend a man he loathes. It's complicated, but he must deliver just for his daughter. The plot thickens when the prosecution presents one credible witness after another, yet Arjun has to fight the truth and nail it to prove the case otherwise.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Tilottama Shome plays the nervous Madhura Banerjee to a T. She is awestruck in the presence of Deol’s Arjun Mathur and has to constantly struggle to keep her act together. No false note of Madhura at any point.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Khanna, who has been rediscovered by the nation after Dhurandhar, plays a mean, manipulative, entitled brat to perfection. But in many scenes, Khanna is just existing, in the court, sitting quietly with not much to do.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film is centred around Deol, who is part convincing as Arjun Mathur. The actor resorts to theatrics at some moments, which is synonymous with the actor. Those moments, where he is angrily banging on tables and other hard surfaces, seem rather out of place. But it is still refreshing to see him playing an ordinary man and not an angry soldier defending his motherland for a change.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Since it is intended to be a hardcore commercial masala thriller, logic sometimes takes flight and melodrama seeps in. At one point near the climax, Shome is seen rampwalking down with an entourage of policemen, just to arrest a man. Unnecessary and overdramatic.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Then Deol’s dynamics with his wife, Dia Mirza and his daughter seem half-baked. You are showing the man going great lengths in order to save his daughter, yet there is zero chemistry between the father and daughter on screen. The film promises to be a courtroom drama, but the makers take ample liberty and make Ikka more a story of complex relationships.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>Ikka is not as engaging as a courtroom drama should be. It is sans any peak moment of revelations or twists. However, the film isn’t a snooze fest either. I wish the actors were better utilised with a better screenplay in place, but Ikka has its moments, with the last 30 minutes of the film being the most engaging.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Ikka is now streaming on Netflix.</p>

Ikka film review: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Tillotama Shome starrer courtroom drama isn't all quiet perfect and thrilling but the film isn't a snooze fest either. It lacks the legal sparkle and concentrates more on the drama. 

Sunny Deol and Tilottama Shome playing opposing lawyers in a very commercial thriller is a promising premise for an engaging watch. In Siddharth P Malhotra’s Ikka, Deol plays a hot-shot successful lawyer Arjun Mehra defending a murder accussed Shauryaman Gaur, played by Akshaye Khanna, while Shome plays the prosecutor of the case. The two come from very different schools of cinema, and thus, seeing them share screen space in a film holds a lot of promise. But does Ikka, a Netflix film, deliver? Let’s find out. What’s the plot of Ikka A young woman in a semi-conscious state is thrown out of a black car in the middle of the night, and Shouryaman Gaur (Khanna) is arrested on charges of attempted murder. The woman was last seen exiting a nightclub with Shourya and all evidence, as well as eyewitnesses, indicates that he is the culprit. Hotshot lawyer Arjun Mehra is hired to defend Shourya. Arjun is a man known to crack the toughest of cases, but is also very righteous. Mehra, initially reluctant to take up Shourya’s case, ends up defending him in court due to some personal reasons. While he is defending a criminal in court, he is also battling personal issues at home. He and his wife (Dia Mirza) have to cope with their daughter’s terminal illness, which needs urgent treatment. Shourya, a manipulative man, compels Arjun to fight his case, knowing very well about Arjun’s personal crisis. Meanwhile, public prosecutor Madhura Banerj (Shome) is aware of the public pressure the case carries. Having admired Arjun Mehra from a distance all her career, she is nervous to be fighting the case against him but also curious to understand the motive behind his taking up an open-and-shut case. Arjun, known as ‘Ikka’ for his sharp mind and his ability to twist an obvious case, has to not only defend a man who he knows is wrong but also win a case that seems impossible to turn around. He also has to fight morality and what he deems to be right because he has a family to protect. What works and what does not Siddharth P Malhotra, who has made films like Maharaj and Hichki in the past, is known to present layered stories. His films are social, delivering strong messages. His characters have backstories and layers which enrich the narrative. In Ikka too, the principal characters all have backstories, which made them the way they are. A working wife is struggling to strike a balance between home and work, being the sole earning member of the family. Her husband has lost his job in Covid and at home, struggling to keep the house running. Another woman has to bury a traumatic past and a toxic relationship to build a safe future. Ikka’s characters are all dealing with personal demons, making the plot more twisted and compelling. Writers Althea Kaushal and Mayank Tewari build a compelling premise, where a successful lawyer has to ignore the foundation of morality on which he has built his career just to protect his family and defend a man he loathes. It's complicated, but he must deliver just for his daughter. The plot thickens when the prosecution presents one credible witness after another, yet Arjun has to fight the truth and nail it to prove the case otherwise. Tilottama Shome plays the nervous Madhura Banerjee to a T. She is awestruck in the presence of Deol’s Arjun Mathur and has to constantly struggle to keep her act together. No false note of Madhura at any point. Khanna, who has been rediscovered by the nation after Dhurandhar, plays a mean, manipulative, entitled brat to perfection. But in many scenes, Khanna is just existing, in the court, sitting quietly with not much to do. The film is centred around Deol, who is part convincing as Arjun Mathur. The actor resorts to theatrics at some moments, which is synonymous with the actor. Those moments, where he is angrily banging on tables and other hard surfaces, seem rather out of place. But it is still refreshing to see him playing an ordinary man and not an angry soldier defending his motherland for a change. Since it is intended to be a hardcore commercial masala thriller, logic sometimes takes flight and melodrama seeps in. At one point near the climax, Shome is seen rampwalking down with an entourage of policemen, just to arrest a man. Unnecessary and overdramatic. Then Deol’s dynamics with his wife, Dia Mirza and his daughter seem half-baked. You are showing the man going great lengths in order to save his daughter, yet there is zero chemistry between the father and daughter on screen. The film promises to be a courtroom drama, but the makers take ample liberty and make Ikka more a story of complex relationships. Final Verdict Ikka is not as engaging as a courtroom drama should be. It is sans any peak moment of revelations or twists. However, the film isn’t a snooze fest either. I wish the actors were better utilised with a better screenplay in place, but Ikka has its moments, with the last 30 minutes of the film being the most engaging. Ikka is now streaming on Netflix.

<p>Ikka film review: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Tillotama Shome starrer courtroom drama isn't all quiet perfect and thrilling but the film isn't a snooze fest either. It lacks the legal sparkle and concentrates more on the drama.&nbsp;</p>

Ikka movie review: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna's film lacks real legal spark, delivers drama instead

<p>First things first. Alia Bhatt is no Lara Croft and YRF is no Marvel. The studio’s latest release, Alpha, projects Alia Bhatt as a deadly assassin, treated like a lab rat since her birth, who goes rogue and turns against her mentor, played by Bobby Deol. On paper, the film may have felt like a brilliant idea. After all, YRF pitches two heroines as the lead, flexing muscles, killing bad guys without any male superstar. However, the film's execution is shoddy and stereotypical, making Alpha a slow-paced, cleaner reverse of Dhurandhar. Confused? Let me explain</p><h2>Plot of Alpha</h2><p>Alia Bhatt is estranged from her biological father, Colonel Luthra (Anil Kapoor) right at her birth. Kidnapped by Lt Colonel Fateh Singh Shekhawat (Bobby Deol), Sita grows up in a run-down oil refinery where she is weekly tested for Shekhawat’s secret mission called Project Alpha. Alpha was a life-changing serum developed to help soldiers heal quickly. The secret mission was carried out under Luthra’s leadership soon after the Kargil war to create a special task force. Sita, being the only human on whom the serum had worked, is trained by Shekhawat to be a deadly assassin, but at the cost of being completely isolated from her family, unaware of her father and a twin sister, Durga (Sharvari).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>20 years later, Sita turns rogue and decides to eliminate the man whom she fondly called Baba all her life. On the way, she reconnects with family, sister and dad, who is now the R&amp;AW chief, and together they have to eliminate Shekhawat and his army of masked men. Shekhawat is not who he seems to be. Let's just say he is Ranveer Singh from Dhurandhar, but reverse. Get it?</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Helmed by Shiv Rawail and written by Soumil Shukla and Shridhar Raghavan, ALpha sets out to be a story of personal vendetta but somewhere along the way becomes a spy thriller. It is a known fact that Alia Bhatt has great screen presence and is a good actor. Give her any role, and she delivers. In Alpha, we see her in a very different avatar, that of a cold-blooded assassin who kills before talking. While she kicks and punches with utmost conviction, Alia still feels out of place in most of the action sequences. Call it conditioning of one’s mind, but somehow a petite Alia does not really fit the bill of a deadly spy who takes on men double her size with complete nonchalance.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There is Sharvari, who is introduced in a completely unncesary song sequence which looks like a long advertorial of Puma or Nike or a similar brand. Sharvari , who impressed one and all with her performance in Main Vaapas Aaunga a few weeks back, plays the chirpy counterpart of Sita in Alpha. The scenes of the two women, exploring the wilderness of what we are told is Kashmir, while on the run, are nice even though limited. Wish they had shown the two actresses learning and discovering more about each other, reconnecting after being separated at birth. But writers spent too much time establishing how deadly Shekhawat is and a very convoluted Project Alpha and thus skipped the good parts.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When you have good actors on board, the makers waste them in mind-numbing action sequences and random skin show. At one point, the two sisters jump off a cliff but first strip to funky swimwear and then dive in. On the run, with limited means and food, the girls somehow manage to keep changing their outfits throughout- all very stylish tank tops and cargos. But logic and continuity are not Alpha’s strong points.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Hrithik Roshan pops up in between, doing a mandala in a monastery quietly. While the sequence is well choreographed, it is completely forced.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>By the time the interval happens, the film has nose-dived into an illogical mess. At some point, Sharvari is shot and is recuperating in Leh. In the next scene, she is leading a group of Indian commandos in Cherapunji to eliminate Shekhawat and his boys. The climax is just a lot of action sequence which make no sense. What begins as Sita’s journey slowly becomes a story of saving India and India’s honour. The country is even described as the ‘best boss’ in the world!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol are there to flex their muscles. Both play father figures to Alia, but their roles are so badly written that you don't feel any emotion for them- not even for the villain. Deol mostly speaks slowly, in a low baritone, which only makes one sleepy.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>I am all for an all-women team of spies, killing, hitting and eliminating bad men. It is a different high to witness a film that has women taking charge and doing the heavy lifting. But Alpha messes up from the word go. Its execution is poor, its plot is wafer-thin. It bores you more than it thrills you. Alpha tries to use the same template that it had for the Tiger series and Pathaan, making the film feel jaded. It's an utter mess.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Two years back, audiences world over had felt superhero fatigue thanks to the multiple films and series that were being churned out by Marvel and DC. I am now suffering from Spy thriller fatigue. These high-octane action thrillers are all looking the same. YRF should give its spies some rest.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Alpha is out in cinemas worldwide.</p>

Alpha movie review: Alia Bhatt and Sharvari are not bad in YRF's spy thriller, but the film's wafer-thin plot and terrible screenplay make it a dull movie. YRF really should give their spies some rest. 

First things first. Alia Bhatt is no Lara Croft and YRF is no Marvel. The studio’s latest release, Alpha, projects Alia Bhatt as a deadly assassin, treated like a lab rat since her birth, who goes rogue and turns against her mentor, played by Bobby Deol. On paper, the film may have felt like a brilliant idea. After all, YRF pitches two heroines as the lead, flexing muscles, killing bad guys without any male superstar. However, the film's execution is shoddy and stereotypical, making Alpha a slow-paced, cleaner reverse of Dhurandhar. Confused? Let me explain Plot of Alpha Alia Bhatt is estranged from her biological father, Colonel Luthra (Anil Kapoor) right at her birth. Kidnapped by Lt Colonel Fateh Singh Shekhawat (Bobby Deol), Sita grows up in a run-down oil refinery where she is weekly tested for Shekhawat’s secret mission called Project Alpha. Alpha was a life-changing serum developed to help soldiers heal quickly. The secret mission was carried out under Luthra’s leadership soon after the Kargil war to create a special task force. Sita, being the only human on whom the serum had worked, is trained by Shekhawat to be a deadly assassin, but at the cost of being completely isolated from her family, unaware of her father and a twin sister, Durga (Sharvari). 20 years later, Sita turns rogue and decides to eliminate the man whom she fondly called Baba all her life. On the way, she reconnects with family, sister and dad, who is now the R&AW chief, and together they have to eliminate Shekhawat and his army of masked men. Shekhawat is not who he seems to be. Let's just say he is Ranveer Singh from Dhurandhar, but reverse. Get it? What works and what does not Helmed by Shiv Rawail and written by Soumil Shukla and Shridhar Raghavan, ALpha sets out to be a story of personal vendetta but somewhere along the way becomes a spy thriller. It is a known fact that Alia Bhatt has great screen presence and is a good actor. Give her any role, and she delivers. In Alpha, we see her in a very different avatar, that of a cold-blooded assassin who kills before talking. While she kicks and punches with utmost conviction, Alia still feels out of place in most of the action sequences. Call it conditioning of one’s mind, but somehow a petite Alia does not really fit the bill of a deadly spy who takes on men double her size with complete nonchalance. There is Sharvari, who is introduced in a completely unncesary song sequence which looks like a long advertorial of Puma or Nike or a similar brand. Sharvari , who impressed one and all with her performance in Main Vaapas Aaunga a few weeks back, plays the chirpy counterpart of Sita in Alpha. The scenes of the two women, exploring the wilderness of what we are told is Kashmir, while on the run, are nice even though limited. Wish they had shown the two actresses learning and discovering more about each other, reconnecting after being separated at birth. But writers spent too much time establishing how deadly Shekhawat is and a very convoluted Project Alpha and thus skipped the good parts. When you have good actors on board, the makers waste them in mind-numbing action sequences and random skin show. At one point, the two sisters jump off a cliff but first strip to funky swimwear and then dive in. On the run, with limited means and food, the girls somehow manage to keep changing their outfits throughout- all very stylish tank tops and cargos. But logic and continuity are not Alpha’s strong points. Hrithik Roshan pops up in between, doing a mandala in a monastery quietly. While the sequence is well choreographed, it is completely forced. By the time the interval happens, the film has nose-dived into an illogical mess. At some point, Sharvari is shot and is recuperating in Leh. In the next scene, she is leading a group of Indian commandos in Cherapunji to eliminate Shekhawat and his boys. The climax is just a lot of action sequence which make no sense. What begins as Sita’s journey slowly becomes a story of saving India and India’s honour. The country is even described as the ‘best boss’ in the world! Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol are there to flex their muscles. Both play father figures to Alia, but their roles are so badly written that you don't feel any emotion for them- not even for the villain. Deol mostly speaks slowly, in a low baritone, which only makes one sleepy. Final verdict I am all for an all-women team of spies, killing, hitting and eliminating bad men. It is a different high to witness a film that has women taking charge and doing the heavy lifting. But Alpha messes up from the word go. Its execution is poor, its plot is wafer-thin. It bores you more than it thrills you. Alpha tries to use the same template that it had for the Tiger series and Pathaan, making the film feel jaded. It's an utter mess. Two years back, audiences world over had felt superhero fatigue thanks to the multiple films and series that were being churned out by Marvel and DC. I am now suffering from Spy thriller fatigue. These high-octane action thrillers are all looking the same. YRF should give its spies some rest. Alpha is out in cinemas worldwide.

<p>Alpha movie review: Alia Bhatt and Sharvari are not bad in YRF's spy thriller, but the film's wafer-thin plot and terrible screenplay make it a dull movie. YRF really should give their spies some rest.&nbsp;</p>

Alpha movie review: Alia Bhatt, Sharvari's film is a flat, tedious addition to the spy universe

<p>There is a certain uneasiness inside you after you finish watching the Voice of Hind Rajab. The voice of five-year-old Hind Rajab, or Hanood as she was called fondly, continues to echo in your ears hours after the film is over. Directed by Kaouther Ben Henia, the docu-feature blends reality and fiction to deliver a heartwrenching account of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab and her urgent pleas on calls to Red Crescent volunteers to rescue her after her family was ambushed by the Israeli forces in January 2024. The Voice Of Hind Rajab is a film that is a testament to the times we live in. And while the semi-fictional semi-real film makes you uncomfortable, angry, emotional and ultimately numb, &nbsp;it is an important watch.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What’s the story of Voice of Hind Rajab?</h2><p>Five of her family members, including her uncle, aunt and three cousins, were killed as the vehicle in which the family was fleeing Gaza city was shelled. Hind and her 15-year-old cousin Layan survived the first ambush and it was Layan who first made the call to Omar of Red Crescent, pleading for help. The brief call ends abruptly as Layan is shot dead, leaving Omar on the other side of the call, stunned at what he has heard. Minutes later, the Red Crescent gets a tip that there is still a survivor inside the car, hiding from the army, desperately in need of help. Hind, a five-year-old, calls for help, pleading constantly as “I'm so scared, please come. Come take me. Please, will you come?” even as Omar and his supervisor Rana try to soothe her and assure her that help is on the way.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Much like Omar and Rana, you find yourself feeling frustrated at the bureaucratic incompetence as their supervisor Mahdi, insists on following protocols to assure a safe route for the ambulance that is set to rescue Hind.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>‘They are all dead’</h2><p>Some moments are heartbreaking. Henia uses actual audio clippings from the incident and then uses actors to reimagine that day. At one point, Rana tries to soothe the frightened girl that the people next to her in the car, her family members, are all just sleeping because they are tired. Hind cries and blurts out, “They are all dead,” making her rescuers realise that the girl has grown up in a matter of minutes, understanding the gravity of the situation more than anyone could imagine.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Some may find the usage of actual audio clippings to re-tell the incident problematic. Why milk a tragedy as grave as this? But the film is a raw retelling of the war that has ravaged Palestine and left so many innocent people dead. The conflict did not spare the children, which was deeply criticised by the media world over. By using actual audio clips, Henia lays bare the situation for the audience and gives the film more gravitas.</p><h2>The bureaucratic delay</h2><p>At the centre of the story are lead actors Saja Kilani as Rana, Motaz Malhees as Omar, and Amer Hlehel as Mahdi, part of the Red Crescent, who are in constant touch with Hind. While Rana and Omar are shown to be deeply involved in getting the little girl out, Mahdi is shown as a man who tries a more practical approach, not wanting to jeopardise the lives of the ambulance drivers who have to get Hind out. While their ambulance is just 8 minutes away from the little girl, Mahdi insists on getting a green channel from the Red Cross and the Israeli army, which had ambushed the car in the first place. The complexity of the situation is grave and with every minute passing, everyone gets more and more anxious of Hind's safety.</p><h2>Why you should watch The Voice of Hind Rajab</h2><p>I am mostly conflicted about films that are based on real-life tragedies. While they help to reach out to a wider audience and make them aware of a said incident, it also feels uncomfortable to go witness it on screen. Yet, I would urge readers to step out to watch this film. It will make you tear up, it will make you angry and anxious, but such emotions are needed to understand the unending atrocities that the war has created in Gaza, where human lives have lost their value, schools, hospitals, homes and ambulances are ambushed, and children are killed.</p><p>Voice of Hind Rajab serves as a wake-up call to the world and forces you to sit up and take note of countless other children like Hind, who perhaps pleaded for help minutes before they were killed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Voice of Hind Rajab has a limited release in India this Friday. Do not miss it.</p>

Based on an actual incident that took place in January 2024, The Voice of Hind Rajab bares open the atrocities that have ravaged Palestine due to the war. The docu-drama uses actual audio recordings of the five year old Hind Rajab, which makes the film all the more authentic and raw. 

There is a certain uneasiness inside you after you finish watching the Voice of Hind Rajab. The voice of five-year-old Hind Rajab, or Hanood as she was called fondly, continues to echo in your ears hours after the film is over. Directed by Kaouther Ben Henia, the docu-feature blends reality and fiction to deliver a heartwrenching account of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab and her urgent pleas on calls to Red Crescent volunteers to rescue her after her family was ambushed by the Israeli forces in January 2024. The Voice Of Hind Rajab is a film that is a testament to the times we live in. And while the semi-fictional semi-real film makes you uncomfortable, angry, emotional and ultimately numb, it is an important watch. What’s the story of Voice of Hind Rajab? Five of her family members, including her uncle, aunt and three cousins, were killed as the vehicle in which the family was fleeing Gaza city was shelled. Hind and her 15-year-old cousin Layan survived the first ambush and it was Layan who first made the call to Omar of Red Crescent, pleading for help. The brief call ends abruptly as Layan is shot dead, leaving Omar on the other side of the call, stunned at what he has heard. Minutes later, the Red Crescent gets a tip that there is still a survivor inside the car, hiding from the army, desperately in need of help. Hind, a five-year-old, calls for help, pleading constantly as “I'm so scared, please come. Come take me. Please, will you come?” even as Omar and his supervisor Rana try to soothe her and assure her that help is on the way. Much like Omar and Rana, you find yourself feeling frustrated at the bureaucratic incompetence as their supervisor Mahdi, insists on following protocols to assure a safe route for the ambulance that is set to rescue Hind.

<p>Based on an actual incident that took place in January 2024, The Voice of Hind Rajab bares open the atrocities that have ravaged Palestine due to the war. The docu-drama uses actual audio recordings of the five year old Hind Rajab, which makes the film all the more authentic and raw.&nbsp;</p>

The Voice Of Hind Rajab review: Kaouther Ben Henia’s heartwrenching film is an uncomfortable, vital wake-up call

<p>The 2012 film Cocktail, directed by Homi Adajania, received mixed responses from critics as well as at the box office on its release. The film’s story was termed problematic by some, where a man-child first has a passionate romance with a short-skirt-wearing, trouble-maker modern girl and then falls deeply in love with a homely girl, whom his mother approves of. Over the years, a certain age group gave the film a cult status. While Cocktail wasn’t anything great to write home about, it should be credited for giving great music, by Pritam, and presenting Deepika Padukone in a completely different avatar. Deepika was splendid in the film as the problematic Veronica, who has a heart of gold, even though she puts up an act of nonchalance all the time. In most scenes, Deepika shone more than her co-stars, Saif Ali Khan and debutant Diana Penty. More than a decade later, Adajania is back with a spiritual sequel, Cocktail 2, which also centres around three individuals entangled in love and complications. The original Cocktail was middling in any case, but the sequel makes the original look superior in terms of storytelling.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The first film was written by Imtiaz Ali, who is known to present women as strong individuals, as saviours of problematic men. Cocktail 2 has Luv Ranjan and Tarun Jain as writers. Ranjan usually presents women as selfish, controlling and conniving and men as the henpecked, innocent beings. So you can easily understand how Cocktail 2 pans out.</p><h2>What’s the plot of Cocktail 2</h2><p>Diya (Rashmika Mandanna) and Kunal (Shahid Kapoor) have been together for over a decade. Successful and comfortable with each other as live-in partners, they don't want to take the plunge and marry just because society wants a label on their relationship. As the marriage season dons upon Delhi, the two decide to escape questions about their plans to marry and head to Italy for a long vacation. There, they meet Ally(Kriti Sanon), Diya’s old friend from Uni days, who decides to be the third wheel in the relationship and show them around Italy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Ally is a person who gets bored easily, we are told. She is also constantly dressed for the beach and is very self-aware of her hotness. At one point, she admits that no man can ever resist her advances. That makes her friend, the mildly suspicious and very controlling Diya, hatch a plan to test her man and his loyalty for her. She asks Ally to seduce him to check his response. Ally mentions that the plan is risky, but Diya insists on it. What follows is a bizarre, long-drawn process of the two women pushing the man to the brink, just to test his loyalty to his longtime partner.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Things obviously get complicated as love happens by chance amid all the flirting and seducing, but relationships and friendships get complicated.</p>

<h2>What works</h2><p>Shot in parts of Italy, Cocktail 2 is visually stunning. Shot by cinematographer Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran, who, with his frames, sets the vibe of Italian summer well. A large part of the film has Kunal and Ally soaking in the sun on the beach, conversing and getting to know each other. Sicily comes alive in each frame where the story is set in the first half. Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, the film has the leads looking stunning, especially Kriti Sanon.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Much like the first film, Cocktail 2 is beutiful songs by Pritam, including a love ballad by Arijit Singh.</p><h2>What does not work</h2><p>The plot is wafer-thin and stretched over 150 minutes. It some point, one gets impatient at their trio’s first-world problems of infertility and relationship issues. The film labels the women, like most Luv Ranjan-written films do. The bohemian, hot girl falls for the man while seducing him just for fun. So much so that she is ready to break his marriage. The girlfriend is bossy and controlling everything, and constantly doubting her man, even though he hasn’t given her any reasons to feel that way. The man is shown to be henpecked, behaving like a doormat to his girlfriend. From the first glimpse of the three characters, you know their character traits.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Among the actors, Kriti Sanon gets the maximum scope to perform. It's not a very well-written script in any case, but Sanon delivers her flawed character of Ally in most parts of the film. The other parts, she is busy imitating Deepika from the original film. Rashmika’s strong accent gets in the way of her delivering a solid performance. Among the three leads, Shahid Kapoor is perhaps the most talented and seasoned. But the makers hardly make him perform to his best. In the greater part of the film, Shahid is shown to be a quiet observer who silently obeys his lady love. When you have an actor of Shahid’s calibre in the film, why waste him playing someone so quiet?</p>

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<h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>Cocktail 2 aims to cater to the younger generation. Perhaps the problems and complexities shown in the film are more identifiable to the young audience. Unfortunately, the writer of this review does not belong to that age group. While the film attempts to highlight modern dar friendships and relationships, in times of social media, it fails to connect with a very poorly written story. The actors are all good, perform to their parts and look stunning on screen, but that doesn't alleviate a very mediocre film.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When the first teaser of Cocktail 2 had come out, there were rumours that the story would have Rashmika cheating on Shahid with Kriti. Had they actually explored that angle, that plot would have worked better.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Cocktail 2 is running in theatres across the country.</p>

Cocktail 2, directed by Homi Adajania, has Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna playing bossy women to a very henpecked Shahid Kapoor. The film's wafer thin plot dampens the performances by the leads.

The 2012 film Cocktail, directed by Homi Adajania, received mixed responses from critics as well as at the box office on its release. The film’s story was termed problematic by some, where a man-child first has a passionate romance with a short-skirt-wearing, trouble-maker modern girl and then falls deeply in love with a homely girl, whom his mother approves of. Over the years, a certain age group gave the film a cult status. While Cocktail wasn’t anything great to write home about, it should be credited for giving great music, by Pritam, and presenting Deepika Padukone in a completely different avatar. Deepika was splendid in the film as the problematic Veronica, who has a heart of gold, even though she puts up an act of nonchalance all the time. In most scenes, Deepika shone more than her co-stars, Saif Ali Khan and debutant Diana Penty. More than a decade later, Adajania is back with a spiritual sequel, Cocktail 2, which also centres around three individuals entangled in love and complications. The original Cocktail was middling in any case, but the sequel makes the original look superior in terms of storytelling. The first film was written by Imtiaz Ali, who is known to present women as strong individuals, as saviours of problematic men. Cocktail 2 has Luv Ranjan and Tarun Jain as writers. Ranjan usually presents women as selfish, controlling and conniving and men as the henpecked, innocent beings. So you can easily understand how Cocktail 2 pans out. What’s the plot of Cocktail 2 Diya (Rashmika Mandanna) and Kunal (Shahid Kapoor) have been together for over a decade. Successful and comfortable with each other as live-in partners, they don't want to take the plunge and marry just because society wants a label on their relationship. As the marriage season dons upon Delhi, the two decide to escape questions about their plans to marry and head to Italy for a long vacation. There, they meet Ally(Kriti Sanon), Diya’s old friend from Uni days, who decides to be the third wheel in the relationship and show them around Italy. Ally is a person who gets bored easily, we are told. She is also constantly dressed for the beach and is very self-aware of her hotness. At one point, she admits that no man can ever resist her advances. That makes her friend, the mildly suspicious and very controlling Diya, hatch a plan to test her man and his loyalty for her. She asks Ally to seduce him to check his response. Ally mentions that the plan is risky, but Diya insists on it. What follows is a bizarre, long-drawn process of the two women pushing the man to the brink, just to test his loyalty to his longtime partner. Things obviously get complicated as love happens by chance amid all the flirting and seducing, but relationships and friendships get complicated.

<p>Cocktail 2, directed by Homi Adajania, has Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna playing bossy women to a very henpecked Shahid Kapoor. The film's wafer thin plot dampens the performances by the leads.</p>

Cocktail 2 movie review: Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna’s glossy vacation drama is dragged down by a wafer-thin plot

<p>No one depicts love and longing as beautifully as Imtiaz Ali does. His coming-of-age dramas like Rockstar, Cocktail, Jab We Met, and even Jab Harry Met Sejal have had these two as central themes in the plot. In Amar Singh Chamkeela, Ali’s most political film to date, love made the two lead characters brave even as they longed to belong. His latest, Main Vapas Aaunga, is based on a similar theme, but Ali goes a step forward and talks of man-made borders, refugee crisis world over and how no particular community should be held responsible for the trauma that came with the partition of India in 1947. Featuring a stellar cast comprising Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina, Rajat Kapoor, and Sharvari, Main Vaapas Aaunga speaks the language of love in a polarised world.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Main Vaapas Aaunga marks Dosanjh’s second collaboration with Imtiaz Ali, and while the actor is effortlessly charming as Nirvair Grewal, a man who has commitment phobia but is a sensitive man deeply connected to his grandfather, Main Vaapas Aaunga belongs to the veteran Naseeruddin Shah, who is stunning in the film as the ailing man yearning to go back to the land that he called his home, at the fag end of his life.</p><h2>What’s the story of Main Vapas Aaunga</h2><p>Shah plays 95-year-old Ishar Singh Grewal, who is desperate to go to Sargodha. His age and health have made him delirious and he has forgotten that now Sargodha, where he grew up, and Chandigarh, where he now lives with his family, are separated by international borders. As he slips in and out of consciousness and is restricted to a hospital bed, he keeps wanting to go to Sargodha to meet someone. He is incoherent, and only his UK-returned grandson, Dosanjh, can understand his language.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>What many deem as gibberish turns out to be a story from the past involving the family’s migration to India, facing rioters on the way, losing their loved ones and leaving behind home and love. The narrative flip-flops from past and present and depicts an inter-religion love story featuring Vedang Raina (as the young Ishar) and Sharvari, a spirited young Afsana or Jiya, who are well aware of the growing tensions between the two communities but keep wanting to be together. Their story is juxtaposed with Niravir’s on-and-off relationship with his girlfriend (Banita Sandhu), a stark contrast from other love stories.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As Nirvair makes his way home, he realises he is unknown to a lot of family secrets and his father (Rajat Kapoor) is not willing to tell the full story. Kapoor’s character is shown to have a lot of resentment towards his own father (Shah), who has been a completely different man post partition, a phase that is not only mentioned but never shown on screen.</p><h2>What works</h2><p>The film is hauntingly beautiful. Written by Ali and Nayanika Mehtani, Main Vaapas Aaunga takes an interfaith love story to tell a story about belonging and about homecoming. It comes at a time when headlines all over are dominated by news of conflict and war. &nbsp;But the film, instead of pointing fingers at a community in particular, tries to look at the larger picture of loved lost, of passing on trauma through generations due to one tragic incident and blaming circumstances over the community.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film’s cast is superb. Actors like Sanjay Suri, Dolly Ahluwalia, Vinod Nagpal, Mashhoor Amrohi and Manish Chaudhary play important characters which have limited screen time. You almost cannot recognise half of them, because they are there on screen but never in focus untill the climax. Dosanjh has always been easy on the eyes and likeable with his effortless charm and acting skills. It is always a treat to watch him on screen and this one is no different.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As Niravair, Dosanjh plays a sensitive man who can never settle and only finds answers when he starts digging deep into his grandfather’s history. Young on-screen pair Vedang Raina and Sharvari deliver to their part well. Sharvari, with her character, lights up the screen with grace and the right amount of naivety that her character requires. Raina, on the other hand, truly comes on his own. He shares screen space with some veteran faces but never slips and holds his own as the shy, loyal lover who is foolish to believe he will come back to take his love with him and in later years is riddled by guilt when he is unable to.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The star of the film, however, is Naseeruddin Shah, who is stunning as the ageing, delirious old man desperate to go back to Sargodha one last time. Shah balances his performance, as a man often speaking gibberish, but never overdoes it, making his performance truly stand out.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>AR Rahman and Imtiaz Ali, along with Irshad Kamil, are known for creating splendid musicals in the past, and this one is no different.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What does not work</h2><p>The film hints at subplots but never gets into the details, leaving them slightly unfinished. There is a portion where Dosnajh is shown to help build something that can help the farmers, giving a hat tip to the actor’s personal support to the farmers’ movement in the past, but there is only one scene that shows him working on a technology to support them, but it doesn't dig deeper. I wish they had explored Rajat Kapoor and Shah’s strained relationship a bit more or given a conclusion to Dosanjh and Banita Sandhu’s relationship. The film is also uneven, and drags especially when Ali goes too much into detail to describe Shah’s outlandish descriptions.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>Main Vaapas Aaunga, despite its slightly uneven narrative, delivers and tugs at one’s heartstrings. It makes you wonder if the trauma of partition would ever go away because the generation which faced it buried it in their conscience and lived silently with trauma. And then later passed it on to the next generation. The hatred towards a certain community stems from the same incident. And thus, it is rather bold for Imtiaz Ali to talk of peace, healing and love on both sides of the border in a year like 2026 when the biggest hit has been based on anti-Pakistan views.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Main Vaapas Aaunga makes you tear up and reflect. It makes you believe in forever love in the age of dating apps and quick swipes and makes you yearn to go home.</p>

Main Vaapas Aunga, Imtiaz Ali's latest film, tells a beautiful love story based in the troubled times of India's partition. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah delivers a masterclass in acting as an ageing man longing to go back to his motherland and meet the love of his life. 

No one depicts love and longing as beautifully as Imtiaz Ali does. His coming-of-age dramas like Rockstar, Cocktail, Jab We Met, and even Jab Harry Met Sejal have had these two as central themes in the plot. In Amar Singh Chamkeela, Ali’s most political film to date, love made the two lead characters brave even as they longed to belong. His latest, Main Vapas Aaunga, is based on a similar theme, but Ali goes a step forward and talks of man-made borders, refugee crisis world over and how no particular community should be held responsible for the trauma that came with the partition of India in 1947. Featuring a stellar cast comprising Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina, Rajat Kapoor, and Sharvari, Main Vaapas Aaunga speaks the language of love in a polarised world. Main Vaapas Aaunga marks Dosanjh’s second collaboration with Imtiaz Ali, and while the actor is effortlessly charming as Nirvair Grewal, a man who has commitment phobia but is a sensitive man deeply connected to his grandfather, Main Vaapas Aaunga belongs to the veteran Naseeruddin Shah, who is stunning in the film as the ailing man yearning to go back to the land that he called his home, at the fag end of his life. What’s the story of Main Vapas Aaunga Shah plays 95-year-old Ishar Singh Grewal, who is desperate to go to Sargodha. His age and health have made him delirious and he has forgotten that now Sargodha, where he grew up, and Chandigarh, where he now lives with his family, are separated by international borders. As he slips in and out of consciousness and is restricted to a hospital bed, he keeps wanting to go to Sargodha to meet someone. He is incoherent, and only his UK-returned grandson, Dosanjh, can understand his language. What many deem as gibberish turns out to be a story from the past involving the family’s migration to India, facing rioters on the way, losing their loved ones and leaving behind home and love. The narrative flip-flops from past and present and depicts an inter-religion love story featuring Vedang Raina (as the young Ishar) and Sharvari, a spirited young Afsana or Jiya, who are well aware of the growing tensions between the two communities but keep wanting to be together. Their story is juxtaposed with Niravir’s on-and-off relationship with his girlfriend (Banita Sandhu), a stark contrast from other love stories. As Nirvair makes his way home, he realises he is unknown to a lot of family secrets and his father (Rajat Kapoor) is not willing to tell the full story. Kapoor’s character is shown to have a lot of resentment towards his own father (Shah), who has been a completely different man post partition, a phase that is not only mentioned but never shown on screen. What works The film is hauntingly beautiful. Written by Ali and Nayanika Mehtani, Main Vaapas Aaunga takes an interfaith love story to tell a story about belonging and about homecoming. It comes at a time when headlines all over are dominated by news of conflict and war. But the film, instead of pointing fingers at a community in particular, tries to look at the larger picture of loved lost, of passing on trauma through generations due to one tragic incident and blaming circumstances over the community. The film’s cast is superb. Actors like Sanjay Suri, Dolly Ahluwalia, Vinod Nagpal, Mashhoor Amrohi and Manish Chaudhary play important characters which have limited screen time. You almost cannot recognise half of them, because they are there on screen but never in focus untill the climax. Dosanjh has always been easy on the eyes and likeable with his effortless charm and acting skills. It is always a treat to watch him on screen and this one is no different. As Niravair, Dosanjh plays a sensitive man who can never settle and only finds answers when he starts digging deep into his grandfather’s history. Young on-screen pair Vedang Raina and Sharvari deliver to their part well. Sharvari, with her character, lights up the screen with grace and the right amount of naivety that her character requires. Raina, on the other hand, truly comes on his own. He shares screen space with some veteran faces but never slips and holds his own as the shy, loyal lover who is foolish to believe he will come back to take his love with him and in later years is riddled by guilt when he is unable to. The star of the film, however, is Naseeruddin Shah, who is stunning as the ageing, delirious old man desperate to go back to Sargodha one last time. Shah balances his performance, as a man often speaking gibberish, but never overdoes it, making his performance truly stand out. AR Rahman and Imtiaz Ali, along with Irshad Kamil, are known for creating splendid musicals in the past, and this one is no different. What does not work The film hints at subplots but never gets into the details, leaving them slightly unfinished. There is a portion where Dosnajh is shown to help build something that can help the farmers, giving a hat tip to the actor’s personal support to the farmers’ movement in the past, but there is only one scene that shows him working on a technology to support them, but it doesn't dig deeper. I wish they had explored Rajat Kapoor and Shah’s strained relationship a bit more or given a conclusion to Dosanjh and Banita Sandhu’s relationship. The film is also uneven, and drags especially when Ali goes too much into detail to describe Shah’s outlandish descriptions. Final Verdict Main Vaapas Aaunga, despite its slightly uneven narrative, delivers and tugs at one’s heartstrings. It makes you wonder if the trauma of partition would ever go away because the generation which faced it buried it in their conscience and lived silently with trauma. And then later passed it on to the next generation. The hatred towards a certain community stems from the same incident. And thus, it is rather bold for Imtiaz Ali to talk of peace, healing and love on both sides of the border in a year like 2026 when the biggest hit has been based on anti-Pakistan views. Main Vaapas Aaunga makes you tear up and reflect. It makes you believe in forever love in the age of dating apps and quick swipes and makes you yearn to go home.

<p>Main Vaapas Aaunga, Imtiaz Ali's latest film, tells a beautiful love story based in the troubled times of India's partition. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah delivers a masterclass in acting as an ageing man longing to go back to his motherland and meet the love of his life.&nbsp;</p>

Main Vaapas Aaunga review: Imtiaz Ali crafts a hauntingly beautiful tale of partition trauma, love, and longing

<p>First and foremost, it's great that Anurag Kashyap is back directing a film. Kashyap has, in the past, delivered some of the most iconic films of our time, which have been lauded for being gritty and real. The man has, in the last few years, forayed into acting (he is earning praises in that department, too) and has publicly admitted that he is disillusioned with Bollywood and its ways. Which is why his latest directorial venture, Bandar, featuring Bobby Deol in the lead, is a special film. The film has been written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, the men behind web series like Pataal Lok 2 and Kohhra. &nbsp;Expectations, thus, were high from Bandar. But does it live up to those expectations? Here’s what I thought.</p><h2>What's the plot of Bandar?</h2><p>Deol plays a has-been TV star, Samar Mehra. Much like his career, his finances and personal life are dwindling. He is falsely accussed of rape by a jilted ex (Sapna Pabbi) and taken into police custody at the middle of the night. And while his current girlfriend Khushi (Saba Azad), sister (Sanya Malhotra) and lawyer (Riddhi Sen) run pillar to post to get him out, Samar is put behind bars with other under-trial accused men.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Samar is a complicated man who is aware of his fading career but is too entitled to admit he needs to work hard and do better. He also has high self-esteem, so he doesn't want to ask his parents for help. He hates the idea of marriage and is on a dating app where he mostly swipes right to women much younger than him. All personality traits come to bite him as he is locked up in jail with some of the most hardened criminals. While initially he is at a loss and constantly harps that he is innocent, he eventually finds his way to survive, even as he waits to get bail.</p><h2>What works</h2><p>Much like Kashyap’s other films, there is a sly humour amid all the grim, intense thriller. Kashyap, along with writers Sharma and Banerjee, manages to find humour amid everyday mundanity. Casting couch is mispronounced at the heat of the moment as couch potato, a police officer gets into the nitty-gritty of swiping right or left, and a frustrated lawyer curses in Bengali under his breath.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Special compliments to the casting director of Bandar as the film not only features known faces from Bollywood but also has well-known actors from regional cinema playing key roles. There is Malayalam actor Indrajit Sukumaran playing gang leader Lijo who takes Samar in his gang, Kannada actor director Raj B Shetty as the inamte lizard man, theatre star Sukant Goel as another inmate, Marathi actor Jitendra Joshi as head cop and Bengali actor Riddhi Sen as Samar’s lawyer.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film, however, centres on Deol, who delivers a fine performance as a delusional, entitled actor whose days of glory are in the past. Deol exudes the right amount of madness and vulnerability for Samar and plays an ageing man who refuses to accept his prime days are over.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/bobby-deol-s-radical-2026-lineup-from-yrf-s-alpha-to-anurag-kashyap-s-dark-drama-bandar-1780627803823">Bobby Deol’s radical 2026 lineup: From YRF’s Alpha to dark drama Bandar</a></p>

<p>The women in the film -Sapna Pabbi, Sanya Malhotra, and Saba Azad- are equally good, but their characters are there only to enable the lead character of Deol.</p><h2>What does not work</h2><p>The film begins with a lot of promise. It has an engaging narrative that jumps right into the plot. However, it lacks a clear stance. It is a prison drama which also looks at the problematic judiciary that delays justice for those who deserve it. It also gives a perspective of the other side of the #MeToo movement, the men who have unnecessarily been vilified. But the messaging is sketchy. At some point, you also feel Samar is an entitled prick who deserves the treatment in jail for not respecting the women in his life.</p>

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<p> </p><p>Bandar also suffers from the curse of the second half, where the story shifts to the jail and its way. Too many shots of the soiled toilets is also not appealing. I understand the intent but it is overtly shown far too many times.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>Bandar delivers in parts. Bobby Deol and other actors are in good form. Deol in particular plays the flawed Samar with perfection. The narrative also raises pertinent questions about perception around rape accussed and how easily society puts a label on them without knowing the full story. But Bandar’s lack of clarity in the second half dampens an otherwise good narrative. Bandar, ultimately, is a middling affair.</p><p> </p><p>Bandar is running in theatres across the country.</p>

Bandar review: Good news is that Anurag Kashyap is back directing a film. Bad news is that Bandar is not Kashyap's finest. The film though, has Bobby Deol delivering a solid performance along with other cast members. 

First and foremost, it's great that Anurag Kashyap is back directing a film. Kashyap has, in the past, delivered some of the most iconic films of our time, which have been lauded for being gritty and real. The man has, in the last few years, forayed into acting (he is earning praises in that department, too) and has publicly admitted that he is disillusioned with Bollywood and its ways. Which is why his latest directorial venture, Bandar, featuring Bobby Deol in the lead, is a special film. The film has been written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, the men behind web series like Pataal Lok 2 and Kohhra. Expectations, thus, were high from Bandar. But does it live up to those expectations? Here’s what I thought. What's the plot of Bandar? Deol plays a has-been TV star, Samar Mehra. Much like his career, his finances and personal life are dwindling. He is falsely accussed of rape by a jilted ex (Sapna Pabbi) and taken into police custody at the middle of the night. And while his current girlfriend Khushi (Saba Azad), sister (Sanya Malhotra) and lawyer (Riddhi Sen) run pillar to post to get him out, Samar is put behind bars with other under-trial accused men. Samar is a complicated man who is aware of his fading career but is too entitled to admit he needs to work hard and do better. He also has high self-esteem, so he doesn't want to ask his parents for help. He hates the idea of marriage and is on a dating app where he mostly swipes right to women much younger than him. All personality traits come to bite him as he is locked up in jail with some of the most hardened criminals. While initially he is at a loss and constantly harps that he is innocent, he eventually finds his way to survive, even as he waits to get bail. What works Much like Kashyap’s other films, there is a sly humour amid all the grim, intense thriller. Kashyap, along with writers Sharma and Banerjee, manages to find humour amid everyday mundanity. Casting couch is mispronounced at the heat of the moment as couch potato, a police officer gets into the nitty-gritty of swiping right or left, and a frustrated lawyer curses in Bengali under his breath. Special compliments to the casting director of Bandar as the film not only features known faces from Bollywood but also has well-known actors from regional cinema playing key roles. There is Malayalam actor Indrajit Sukumaran playing gang leader Lijo who takes Samar in his gang, Kannada actor director Raj B Shetty as the inamte lizard man, theatre star Sukant Goel as another inmate, Marathi actor Jitendra Joshi as head cop and Bengali actor Riddhi Sen as Samar’s lawyer. The film, however, centres on Deol, who delivers a fine performance as a delusional, entitled actor whose days of glory are in the past. Deol exudes the right amount of madness and vulnerability for Samar and plays an ageing man who refuses to accept his prime days are over. Also read: Bobby Deol’s radical 2026 lineup: From YRF’s Alpha to dark drama Bandar

<p>Bandar review: Good news is that Anurag Kashyap is back directing a film. Bad news is that Bandar is not Kashyap's finest. The film though, has Bobby Deol delivering a solid performance along with other cast members.&nbsp;</p>

Bandar movie review: Bobby Deol’s prison drama fizzles out after the intermission

<p>Things fall quite easily in the lap of public prosecutor Neha Rajvansh (Sonakshi Sinha) in Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s new film System. Neha may be working to get the underprivileged justice in the Delhi court as a public prosecutor, but she comes from a position of privilege. While she is out there to prove a point to her successful father, she is also aware of her limitations and thus takes the help of courtroom stenographer Satika Rawat (Jyotika). Two women headlining a courtroom drama in Bollywood is novel, even though the premise is a known one. But does Iyer Tiwari’s film deliver a sharp courtroom drama? Only in parts.</p><h2>What’s the plot of System?</h2><p>Sonakshi plays a public prosecutor, who is just waiting to fulfil her dad’s challenge of winning 10 cases on her own steam before she is inducted into the family law firm as a partner. Her father, Ravi Rajvansh (Ashutosh Gowarikar) is one of the most successful lawyers of the city, but wants his daughter to go through the grind of being a government lawyer in the court to value what she is born into. Neha is initially reluctant, but later takes it up as a challenge just to prove her father wrong. A shared ride to the court one morning leads Neha to Sarika Rawat, the court stenographer who is just a degree short of being a lawyer herself. Diligent and hardworking, Sarika seems to know and understand legal cases better than Neha.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Sonakshi Sinha plays Neha Rajvansh

<p> </p><p>When a passing tip helps Neha to win a case, she convinces Sarika to help her with her future cases, and Sarika agrees for the extra cash. Neha and Sarika win 9 cases smoothly, but it's the 10th case that becomes a turning point in their career. Neha has to face her father in court in a suspected murder case of an influencer. The accussed happens to be Ravi’s old client, real estate giant Vikram Bajral. Considering she is up against the invincible dad, who is ruthless in the courtroom, the odds are all against Neha and proving Bajral guilty seems like a herculean task. Will she be able to crack the final case as a public prosecutor and fulfil her dad’s wish for the rest of the story.</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Written by Harman Baweja and Akshat Ghildial, the film begins on a promising note. The screenplay is detailed and shows Neha as a privileged, frivolous soul who would rather scroll reels and check out new restaurant reccos in her free time than research. Then there is Sarika, a woman who is working double shifts to make ends meet and help her daughter get a good education and care for her paralysed husband. The two women come from strikingly different backgrounds, and it is Sarika who helps Neha get a foothold in the city as she steps out of her mansion after an argument with her father. Neha comes from privilege but is constantly mollycodled by father, brother or boyfriend. It is only the women who cheer for her, first the mother and then Sarika.</p><p> </p><p>Iyer Tiwari’s films have usually had very strong female leads. From Panga, to Bareilly Ki Barfi, to Nil Battey Sannata, all films have shown women coming of age and becoming independent individuals. System is no different, Sarika acts as an agent of change for Neha, who is initially in the game to win and prove her father wrong, not fighting for justice.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The casting of Sonakshi feels meta (nepo baby playing legal nepo baby), and the actress cake walks through the role of Neha Rajvansh. She is your regular entitled heiress, who only grows a spine in the latter half of the film. There is Ashutosh Gowarikar playing a self-assured, slightly arrogant Ravi Rajvansh who seems preachy, always ready with a lesson or two for his children. Gowarikar and Sonakshi’s scenes, especially, the underlying tension between the two feels mechanical- as if both actors are only reading out the part and not feeling the emotions.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Jyotika, on the other hand, plays the observant, silent and calculative Sarika well. She has been wronged by society, but is always keen to work hard to build a comfortable life for her family. Jyotika, much like the character she plays on screen, seems earnest in her role.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Jyotika plays Sarika Rawat

<p> </p><p>While the film begins on a promising note, it ends in a whimper. You almost know who the killer is somewhere in the middle of the film. The narrative is clumpy and states the obvious things. Even the climax feels underwhelming because the film never builds a premise well for any of the characters. Instead, it takes too much time to establish the class divide. Things feel too easy for Neha right from the word go, but while the viewers get it, Neha takes a long time to understand that a lot of it is being served on a platter to her.</p><p> </p><p>I wish the makers had invested more in highlighting the performances of the two women. Iyer Tiwari’s films always have memorable moments and characters, but sadly, in the case of System, every character seems passable and forgettable after a point.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>System is well-intended but has too many flaws to leave a lasting impression. It begins with so much promise, it has two strong women cheering each other and helping each other in a man-eat-man world and the two actors even deliver credible performances. Yet, System never fully adds up. You are invested in the story, you wait for the punchlines or a major plot twist, but nothing overwhelms or shocks you by the end of it.</p><p> </p><p>System is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.</p>

System movie review: Ashwini Iyer Tiwari's latest film is a courtroom drama featuring Sonakshi Sinha, Jyotika and Ashutosh Gowarikar in key roles. While the film boasts of good performances from the leads, the narrative fails to create a lasting impression.

Things fall quite easily in the lap of public prosecutor Neha Rajvansh (Sonakshi Sinha) in Ashwini Iyer Tiwari’s new film System. Neha may be working to get the underprivileged justice in the Delhi court as a public prosecutor, but she comes from a position of privilege. While she is out there to prove a point to her successful father, she is also aware of her limitations and thus takes the help of courtroom stenographer Satika Rawat (Jyotika). Two women headlining a courtroom drama in Bollywood is novel, even though the premise is a known one. But does Iyer Tiwari’s film deliver a sharp courtroom drama? Only in parts. What’s the plot of System? Sonakshi plays a public prosecutor, who is just waiting to fulfil her dad’s challenge of winning 10 cases on her own steam before she is inducted into the family law firm as a partner. Her father, Ravi Rajvansh (Ashutosh Gowarikar) is one of the most successful lawyers of the city, but wants his daughter to go through the grind of being a government lawyer in the court to value what she is born into. Neha is initially reluctant, but later takes it up as a challenge just to prove her father wrong. A shared ride to the court one morning leads Neha to Sarika Rawat, the court stenographer who is just a degree short of being a lawyer herself. Diligent and hardworking, Sarika seems to know and understand legal cases better than Neha.

<p><strong>System movie review:</strong> Ashwini Iyer Tiwari's latest film is a courtroom drama featuring Sonakshi Sinha, Jyotika and Ashutosh Gowarikar in key roles. While the film boasts of good performances from the leads, the narrative fails to create a lasting impression.</p>

System movie review: Sonakshi Sinha, Jyotika’s courtroom drama begins on a promising note, then falters

<p>An entire generation has grown up watching, loving and taking inspiration from <i>The Devil Wears Prada.</i> The film, released in 2006, went on to achieve cult status in subsequent years. And so, when the sequel, <i>The Devil Wears Prada 2, </i>was announced, the news was welcomed with excitement and scepticism from ardent fans of the original. It is never easy to match up to a classic with sequels. The fact that the makers managed to bring back the majority of the original cast and crew - including the lead cast, director and writer- back on board for the sequel helped to keep the continuity. But the burden of expectation was huge right from the time the filming of <i>The Devil Wears Prada 2 </i>began, with social media flooding with BTS sequences from the film set. Some felt overexposure would kill the excitement way before the film even released, but instead, the images and some aggressive marketing before the film’s release have only piqued everyone’s curiosity about the film. The good news is that <i>The Devil Wears Prada 2 </i>delivers to a great extent. But if you channel your inner Miranda Preistly, part 2 of the iconic film is not ‘groundbreaking’.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If the first film gave a sneak peek into the world of fashion and publishing, the second part talks of the evolution of the press in the time of social media. Publishing in 20 years has taken a hit, and <i>The Devil Wears Prada 2 </i>is conscious of that fact and thus brilliantly incorporates the nitty-gritty details that come along the way while running a magazine in today’s world of digitisation.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/the-devil-wears-prada-2-a-quick-recap-of-the-original-film-s-most-unforgettable-moments-1777444841503">The Devil Wears Prada 2: Recap of the original film’s most unforgettable moments</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

The Devil Wears Prada 2

<p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What’s the story of The Devil Wears Prada 2</h2><p>Andy Sachs is now a well-known, award-winning journalist who writes human interest stories. An unexpected layoff and fiery speech post about corporates and profitability during an awards night by Andy goes viral. Meanwhile, Runway magazine has been firefighting after promoting a fake brand in its magazine. To regain their credibility, the owner of the magazine hires Andy back, this time as a features editor, to write ‘serious’ articles that can add more credibility to the fashion magazine. Of course, Miranda is not convinced that Andy is fit for the job, but in the two decades since the two worked together, a lot has changed. Miranda still has the sass, but now is more open to adapting to the changing times (she even hangs her own court). Andy finds herself in a familiar territory yet uncomfortable under Miranda’s (in)famous icy gaze. Nigel still remains an important figure at Runway, almost like a second in command to Miranda. Meanwhile, Emily has now moved to Dior as the communication head, who calls the shots about what should go and not go in the magazine as a primary advertiser.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The magazine is evidently struggling to stay relevant and sell at a time when digital media has slowly permeated the collective consciousness of humans. Will Andy be able to change Runway’s course and save her and others' jobs, while reinstating the magazine’s reputation, forms the rest of the story.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/london-shines-in-style-best-dressed-looks-at-the-devil-wears-prada-2-london-premiere-1776939173294">Best-dressed looks from The Devil Wears Prada 2 London premiere</a></p><h2>What works</h2><p>Writer Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel throw in references from the original into the new film and merge them into the present scenario. Since the film has the original actors reprising their roles in the sequel, there is a sense of relatability for the viewers. Andy is now more confident, yet nervous around Miranda. Miranda is more conscious of what to say and what not to say, yet her sarcasm and sass remain intact. Nigel, too, remains brutal with his takes. And the actor too slip into their roles seamlessly, almost as if not a single day has gone by since the first film came out. Anne Hathaway is charming as Andy, someone you can walk up to and share your problems with. After the first film, one would have wanted Andy to evolve into this confident woman who is charming and strong-willed. Who is easily approachable but also someone who seeks validation secretly. And Andy is just that in part 2. Meryl Streep continues to play the steel, frosty editor to perfection.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The scenes involving the two ‘Emilys’ - Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway- are such a joy to watch. They are limited, of course, but Blunt and Hathaway have an easy chemistry on screen, and it's always a delight to watch them perform together.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I do wish the two had more scenes together and as a trio along with Miranda.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/anne-hathaway-was-the-9th-choice-for-devil-wears-prada-the-behind-the-scenes-history-of-the-film-ahead-of-its-sequel-1776860069356"><strong>Anne Hathaway was the 9th choice for The Devil Wears Prada? The behind-the-scenes history of the film ahead of its sequel</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i>The Devil Wears Prada 2</i> very effectively talks about the changing times in the media. Gen Z is now part of the workforce, and millennials are finding it hard to stay in touch with the changing times. Boomers, meanwhile, are struggling with social media. The film brilliantly highlights the pains of keeping print and human interest stories relevant at a time when the average human's attention is limited to a reel on social media.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As a journalist, I had a lot to resonate with. The fleeting triumph of writing a meaningful, original piece—only to see it buried by a lack of clicks—is a struggle shared by both Andy and every journalist who aspires to be more than a content creator. The film beautifully highlights the imposing threat of AI, talks of the growing authority of influencers, the perennial urge of the management to cut costs, the hunger for more views and traffic on the website and keeping fashion writing and journalism alive amid viral gimmicks.</p>

<p> </p><p>Look out for the cameos, including that of Lady Gaga's- some very prominent names from the world of fashion, casually stroll around across the screen adding more heft to the star studded film.</p><h2>What does not work</h2><p>While the film gives an inside view of how media houses are functioning, adapting and making desperate attempts to stay relevant in today’s time, it's a theme that perhaps may not resonate with all. As a journalist, I could relate to a lot of aspects, but the film in totality may not leave a defining impact on the audience at large.</p><p> </p><p>Andy's romance track with Peter (Patrick Brammall) seems unnecessary to the plot. Justin Theroux, as the maverick billionaire, seems too loud in the world of couture and almost like a caricature.</p>

<p> </p><p>The film is also more in-depth and goes easy on humour. Much like Miranda, the makers are conscious of what is politically correct and what’s not.</p><p> </p><p>The plot too isn’t very ‘groundbreaking’, and the narrative too moves ‘at a glacial pace’ - at least in the first twenty minutes.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>Despite the flaws, <i>The Devil Wears Prada 2</i> works primarily because of its actors. They, once again, make you privy to the world of fashion, media and the complexities that come along. Of course, the first part was fresh and one of a kind and hence iconic. Expectations have doubled up since then, and perhaps that’s why the sequel isn’t as fun as one would think it to be. Yet, it manages to strike a chord, for it adapts to present times and gives a fresh perspective into the world of publishing.</p>

The Devil Wears Prada 2 looks beyond fashion and offers a nostalgic yet grounded look at how much the media landscape has shifted in the two decades since the original. The film still has the sass courtesy Merly Streep and charm, thanks to Anne Hathaway. 

An entire generation has grown up watching, loving and taking inspiration from The Devil Wears Prada. The film, released in 2006, went on to achieve cult status in subsequent years. And so, when the sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2, was announced, the news was welcomed with excitement and scepticism from ardent fans of the original. It is never easy to match up to a classic with sequels. The fact that the makers managed to bring back the majority of the original cast and crew - including the lead cast, director and writer- back on board for the sequel helped to keep the continuity. But the burden of expectation was huge right from the time the filming of The Devil Wears Prada 2 began, with social media flooding with BTS sequences from the film set. Some felt overexposure would kill the excitement way before the film even released, but instead, the images and some aggressive marketing before the film’s release have only piqued everyone’s curiosity about the film. The good news is that The Devil Wears Prada 2 delivers to a great extent. But if you channel your inner Miranda Preistly, part 2 of the iconic film is not ‘groundbreaking’. If the first film gave a sneak peek into the world of fashion and publishing, the second part talks of the evolution of the press in the time of social media. Publishing in 20 years has taken a hit, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 is conscious of that fact and thus brilliantly incorporates the nitty-gritty details that come along the way while running a magazine in today’s world of digitisation. Also read: The Devil Wears Prada 2: Recap of the original film’s most unforgettable moments

<p>The Devil Wears Prada 2 looks beyond fashion and offers a nostalgic yet grounded look at how much the media landscape has shifted in the two decades since the original. The film still has the sass courtesy Merly Streep and charm, thanks to Anne Hathaway.&nbsp;</p>

The Devil Wears Prada 2 movie review: A worthy, if not ‘groundbreaking,’ sequel to a classic

<p>To understand the hysteria that once surrounded the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, one must be from that era. The pop legend’s biopic <i>Michael</i> comes nearly two decades after his passing. The man who had, in the later years, withdrawn himself from the public owing to a spate of controversies, was a conflicting personality. One that would amuse, shock and entertain in equal measure. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the biopic, which marks the acting debut of the late singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, presents a very sanitised version of Michael Jackson and his rise to stardom. The film is backed by the late singer’s family and close aides, and perhaps that’s the reason that the film is so one-dimensional in its approach.</p><h2>Plot of Michael</h2><p>The film begins in Gary, Indiana, where Michael is a 10-year-old (Juliano Krude Valdi) practising with his brothers as part of Jackson 5. The family band was managed by the authoritarian patriarch of the family, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo), who ran a tight rein on the boys, particularly on the young MJ. The senior Jackson wanted a way out from the ordinary life he provided his family and thus trained his gifted sons to become one of the most popular bands of the 1960s. As Michael grows up, it is obvious that he is the most talented in the family. He breaks out as a solo artist, much to the discomfort of his father.</p>

A still from the film Michael

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film also highlights Michael Jackson’s rise to stardom in the 1970s as a solo artist and his superstardom post the mamoth success of Thriller, his comeback after a life-threatening accident during the Victory Tour in 1984.</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>If you have followed the journey of Michael Jackson, the artist, right from his early days as part of the Jackson 5 to his early career as an independent black artist breaking the glass ceiling and emerging as a prominent name in the music world, <i>Michael</i> offers a good dollop of nostalgia. Jackson’s early hits have been used in dollops and the film also shows the story behind Thriller and how Michael pushed for its broadcast on MTV, breaking the white supremacy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film is led by debutant actor Jaafar Jackson, who nails his late uncle's mannerisms to the T, at least in the stage performances. Jaafar has an uncanny similarity with MJ, and with the help of prosthetics, looks like a young singer who had the entire world swooning over his dance moves and beats.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackon

<p> </p><p>Jaafar shines as Michael and makes the concert scenes come alive. I watched the film on IMAX and felt like I was watching a live concert. Playing MJ on the big screen is no mean feat, irrespective of the fact that you are related to him. But the young actor gets the voice modulations, the moon walk, and his break dancing skills accurately.</p><p> </p><p>The other star who shines is child actor Juliano Krude Valdi, who plays the young MJ. The young actor is particularly good in the scenes where he is reprimanded and hit with a belt by his onscreen father. Valdi shows fear and hurt through his eyes in those scenes, which makes your heart go out for the little guy.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>While performances are top-notch, the film is choppy and not well-written. It talks in great detail about Michael’s early years as part of the Jackson 5. The first half an hour of the film is a drag and fails to hold one’s attention despite Valdi’s credible performance. The second half also skims through a lot of MJ’s life and doesn't properly highlight any of the milestones well.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The biggest issue with the film is that it never addresses the controversies that haunted a greater part of MJ’s life. Neverland is shown as a magical place, he is shown as the messiah who loves and helps ailing kids by spending time with them and buying them toys, and one cannot overlook that scene without thinking of the charges of child molestation that the singer had to face. He created his Neverland, which many feel, in later years, was the hub of all notoriety. But in the film, it's a magical place, where he finds happiness.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i>Michael</i>, ultimately, is a homage to a talented brother by his siblings. It's a personal film, perhaps for the family, which projects the father as the main villain in Michael’s life and no one else. The biopic whitewashes Michael’s image to a large extent. The film also fails to establish well why he became the King of Pop, why there was so much hysteria around him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/michael-jackson-biopic-lesser-known-facts-about-the-king-of-pop-ahead-of-release-1776865591366"><strong>Michael Jackson biopic: Lesser-known facts about the King of Pop ahead of release</strong></a></p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>A man who broke boundaries with his music and moves deserved a biopic long ago. Perhaps because of the controversies around him, people may have shied from making a film. <i>Michael </i>comes decades after MJ’s death and caters to an audience which never grew up to his music and has only heard about his greatness and dark deeds from older siblings or parents. The film thus fails to connect with the audience, with the screenplay stating the obvious and never exploring deeper into his life or the craze around his voice.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i>Michael </i>ends with a hint of part two, and one can be hopeful that in the next part, perhaps, the writing will dig deeper into the enigma that MJ was and also address some of the controversies around him and his personal life. Go and watch <i>Michael</i> if you are a fan of his music, like me. Or go and witness a young actor like Jaafar Jackson own the screen with his performance. But be warned, the film does not leave a lasting impression like MJ’s music has done for decades.</p>

Michael movie: Nearly two decades after his death, Michael Jackson's family brings the King Of Pop's story to the big screen. The film has MJ's nephew playing the lead role and talks of the eary years of the singer. 

To understand the hysteria that once surrounded the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, one must be from that era. The pop legend’s biopic Michael comes nearly two decades after his passing. The man who had, in the later years, withdrawn himself from the public owing to a spate of controversies, was a conflicting personality. One that would amuse, shock and entertain in equal measure. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the biopic, which marks the acting debut of the late singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, presents a very sanitised version of Michael Jackson and his rise to stardom. The film is backed by the late singer’s family and close aides, and perhaps that’s the reason that the film is so one-dimensional in its approach. Plot of Michael The film begins in Gary, Indiana, where Michael is a 10-year-old (Juliano Krude Valdi) practising with his brothers as part of Jackson 5. The family band was managed by the authoritarian patriarch of the family, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo), who ran a tight rein on the boys, particularly on the young MJ. The senior Jackson wanted a way out from the ordinary life he provided his family and thus trained his gifted sons to become one of the most popular bands of the 1960s. As Michael grows up, it is obvious that he is the most talented in the family. He breaks out as a solo artist, much to the discomfort of his father.

<p>Michael movie: Nearly two decades after his death, Michael Jackson's family brings the King of Pop's story to the big screen. The film has MJ's nephew playing the lead role and talks of the early years of the singer.&nbsp;</p>

Michael movie review: Jaafar Jackson's stunning performance as MJ can’t hide this biopic’s biggest flaw

<p>It’s been a while since we watched a good Bollywood comedy. And perhaps longer since a director has used the perfect comic timing of Rajkummar Rao in a movie script. Rao, who has featured in a spate of mostly unforgettable films in recent years, perhaps got bored with the repeated roles that were being offered to him year after year and decided to back a genuinely funny film called Toaster. Released on Netflix directly, it's the kind of film that makes you laugh out loud at mundanity, the everyday chaos that the Indian middle-class balances in life. Directed by Vivek Daschaudhary and produced by Rao’s wife, Patralekha, Toaster feels refreshing amid the heavy-duty pan-India action films that filmmakers are constantly feeding us.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What’s the story of Toaster?</h2><p>Toaster is based on a story by Parveez Shaikh and with a screenplay by Shaikh, Akshat Ghildial and Anagh Mukerjee. The film has Rao playing Ramakant, a chronic miser who finds himself in a sticky situation after a series of deaths in his neighbourhood leads the police and his crime-news-obsessed wife, Shilpa (Sanya Malhotra), to become suspicious about a missing toaster. Everyone is eyeing the aforementioned toaster, from Ramakant, who wants a refund for it, to a budding politician, to a cop wanting to save his job, to the manager of an orphanage (Farah Khan in a delightful cameo). Everyone has a vested interest in the toaster, which Ramakant keeps harping on as his.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The series of deaths leads to more chaos and jeopardises Ramakant’s relationship with Shilpa. He also has to navigate a few older women who seem to be fixated on him.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Farah Khan in Toaster

<h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>A comedy of mishaps and errors has to have impactful dialogues that land well and a tight screenplay. Thankfully, Toaster works in the two departments as Parveez Shaikh, Akshat Ghildial, and Anagh Mukherjee build the perfect premise for the film. The laughs are in plenty, and I particularly enjoyed a scene featuring a very high Abhishek Banerjee hallucinating his dead mother as he spots Rao dressed in a burqa. The scene is silly, but the two actors elevate it to a level that one can’t help but laugh out loud. The two actors have proven their perfect comic timing in the Stree franchise before and in Toaster too, compliment each other well. It's pure delight to watch Banerjee and Rao on screen doing silly things so convincingly.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Toaster

<p> </p><p> </p><p>While the writing is good, the actors are also well cast, each delivering to their abilities. Rao, as the chronic miser who is also a pathological liar, leads the comedy with his sheer talent and perfect comic timing. I prefer Rao’s comedic performances over his serious films. Make no mistake, he is good in almost all his films, but comedy is tough, and Rao excels in well-written comedies like Bareilly Ki Barfi and Stree. Giving him company are equally talented actors like Sanya Malhotra, Upendra Limaye, Seema Pahwa, Abhishek Banerjee, Farah Khan and Archana Puran Singh.</p><p> </p>

Archana Puran Singh in Toaster

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Malhotra, who has time and again proved her mettle in various films and performances, plays Shilpa effortlessly.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Puran’s character is crucial to the film. Her character arc in the film is interesting, showcasing a refreshing take on older women and their desires. And Singh plays the character well. However, not all scenes land in her case. But that’s a negligible flaw in an overall enjoyable film.</p>

<h2>Final verdict</h2><p>A suspension of disbelief is required while watching Toaster, a comedy that is feel-good and not necessarily logical, but it is still a thoroughly enjoyable film. Most importantly, it breaks the clutter of action films which are high on testosterone. Toaster is easy- breezy and keeps you smiling till the end.</p>

Toaster movie review: Rajkummar Rao and his wife Patralekha turn producers for this delightful comedy of errors and mishaps. Rao features as the chronic miser whose life takes a 360-degree turn after he buys a toaster. 

It’s been a while since we watched a good Bollywood comedy. And perhaps longer since a director has used the perfect comic timing of Rajkummar Rao in a movie script. Rao, who has featured in a spate of mostly unforgettable films in recent years, perhaps got bored with the repeated roles that were being offered to him year after year and decided to back a genuinely funny film called Toaster. Released on Netflix directly, it's the kind of film that makes you laugh out loud at mundanity, the everyday chaos that the Indian middle-class balances in life. Directed by Vivek Daschaudhary and produced by Rao’s wife, Patralekha, Toaster feels refreshing amid the heavy-duty pan-India action films that filmmakers are constantly feeding us. What’s the story of Toaster? Toaster is based on a story by Parveez Shaikh and with a screenplay by Shaikh, Akshat Ghildial and Anagh Mukerjee. The film has Rao playing Ramakant, a chronic miser who finds himself in a sticky situation after a series of deaths in his neighbourhood leads the police and his crime-news-obsessed wife, Shilpa (Sanya Malhotra), to become suspicious about a missing toaster. Everyone is eyeing the aforementioned toaster, from Ramakant, who wants a refund for it, to a budding politician, to a cop wanting to save his job, to the manager of an orphanage (Farah Khan in a delightful cameo). Everyone has a vested interest in the toaster, which Ramakant keeps harping on as his. The series of deaths leads to more chaos and jeopardises Ramakant’s relationship with Shilpa. He also has to navigate a few older women who seem to be fixated on him.

<p>Toaster movie review: Rajkummar Rao and his wife Patralekha turn producers for this delightful comedy of errors and mishaps. Rao features as the chronic miser whose life takes a 360-degree turn after he buys a toaster.&nbsp;</p>

Toaster movie review: Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra's film is pure, unadulterated fun

<p>Modern-day romance is complex. Gone are the days when boy-meets-girl and they fall in love form the ideal rom-com in Hollywood. An entire generation may have grown up on light frothy rom-coms that Hollywood used to churn out in a dozen back in the day. But that very generation has now grown up and is navigating complexities in life. And thus, Kristoffer Borgli's latest dramedy, The Drama, may resonate with many of its viewers. Featuring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in the lead, Borgli’s film explores love in the time of violence, accessibility and wokeness.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It gives a deep inside view of how relationships undergo evolution. Love is not blind anymore. In The Drama, love makes you reassess, reconsider and restart from time to time.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What’s the plot of The Drama</h2><p>Emma and Charles are madly in love. Two years after they first met at a coffee shop, they are now set to get married. A week or ten days before the wedding, a confession from Emma leads to complexities that they both never thought would come their way.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>During a drunken night with their best friends, everyone is asked to share the worst thing they have ever done in their lives. Everyone has a back story which others laugh about and judge untill its Emma’s turn, who admits that as a teenager she had considered gunning down her school, but eventually backed out days before due to a firing incident in another school, which left a lot of her schoolmates devastated. She instead found a group of friends and a calling in life, and became an activist against gun violence.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The revelation leaves everyone in the room stunned. Charles is now not sure if he knows his bride-to-be and the revelation obviously puts a strain on their relationship days ahead of their wedding.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>The writing is solid</h2><p>Written by Kristoffer Borgli, the film depends heavily on long drawn scenes of conversations juxtaposed with flashbacks. The screenplay is non-linear and it takes a while to understand the narrative, but once you are in it, you enjoy the chaos that unfolds on screen. The climax, particularly when all hell breaks loose, is brilliantly written and executed.</p><h2>Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in top form</h2><p>Since the film is about everyday people and their lives, the performance is not supposed to be theatrical in any way. The leads, Zendaya and Pattinson, are both equally good and complement each other well. They share a great chemistry on screen (something that needs to be tapped by other filmmakers) and play two very flawed characters. Zendaya’s Emma is a bookstore clerk with a complex past, but someone who has come of age with time. While she is ready to move past the issues and make her relationship work, it is Charles, played by Pattinson, who is unable to move on from her past.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>However much the two try to work things out, the drunken admission that fateful night keeps coming back. Pattinson’s Charles is a Brit in America, working as a director at a museum. Ideally, he should be more confident. But Pattinson downplays the character, making everyone love Charles (At least initially). He is nervous and very smitten by his ladylove, despite her flaws. But he is also a man who sits and ponders a lot about how things should have been.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Deeply complex individuals, Emma and Charles want the marriage to work but are also not sure how it would, as past stumbles out of the closet.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>The Drama is a welcome change in a cinematic world heavy with actioners and big budget thriller. It rests easily on the eyes and sensibilities. It skims through the conversation of gun violence a bit, infuses humour to show the lead in a certain way, but still makes for a good watch.</p><p>The Drama is now running in theatres across.</p>

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya play complex individuals, deeply in love in The Drama. A dramedy, the film highlights the complexities of modern-love stories. It has been directed by Kristoffer Borgli.

Modern-day romance is complex. Gone are the days when boy-meets-girl and they fall in love form the ideal rom-com in Hollywood. An entire generation may have grown up on light frothy rom-coms that Hollywood used to churn out in a dozen back in the day. But that very generation has now grown up and is navigating complexities in life. And thus, Kristoffer Borgli's latest dramedy, The Drama, may resonate with many of its viewers. Featuring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in the lead, Borgli’s film explores love in the time of violence, accessibility and wokeness. It gives a deep inside view of how relationships undergo evolution. Love is not blind anymore. In The Drama, love makes you reassess, reconsider and restart from time to time. What’s the plot of The Drama Emma and Charles are madly in love. Two years after they first met at a coffee shop, they are now set to get married. A week or ten days before the wedding, a confession from Emma leads to complexities that they both never thought would come their way. During a drunken night with their best friends, everyone is asked to share the worst thing they have ever done in their lives. Everyone has a back story which others laugh about and judge untill its Emma’s turn, who admits that as a teenager she had considered gunning down her school, but eventually backed out days before due to a firing incident in another school, which left a lot of her schoolmates devastated. She instead found a group of friends and a calling in life, and became an activist against gun violence. The revelation leaves everyone in the room stunned. Charles is now not sure if he knows his bride-to-be and the revelation obviously puts a strain on their relationship days ahead of their wedding. The writing is solid Written by Kristoffer Borgli, the film depends heavily on long drawn scenes of conversations juxtaposed with flashbacks. The screenplay is non-linear and it takes a while to understand the narrative, but once you are in it, you enjoy the chaos that unfolds on screen. The climax, particularly when all hell breaks loose, is brilliantly written and executed. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in top form Since the film is about everyday people and their lives, the performance is not supposed to be theatrical in any way. The leads, Zendaya and Pattinson, are both equally good and complement each other well. They share a great chemistry on screen (something that needs to be tapped by other filmmakers) and play two very flawed characters. Zendaya’s Emma is a bookstore clerk with a complex past, but someone who has come of age with time. While she is ready to move past the issues and make her relationship work, it is Charles, played by Pattinson, who is unable to move on from her past. However much the two try to work things out, the drunken admission that fateful night keeps coming back. Pattinson’s Charles is a Brit in America, working as a director at a museum. Ideally, he should be more confident. But Pattinson downplays the character, making everyone love Charles (At least initially). He is nervous and very smitten by his ladylove, despite her flaws. But he is also a man who sits and ponders a lot about how things should have been. Deeply complex individuals, Emma and Charles want the marriage to work but are also not sure how it would, as past stumbles out of the closet. Final verdict The Drama is a welcome change in a cinematic world heavy with actioners and big budget thriller. It rests easily on the eyes and sensibilities. It skims through the conversation of gun violence a bit, infuses humour to show the lead in a certain way, but still makes for a good watch. The Drama is now running in theatres across.

<p>Robert Pattinson and Zendaya play complex individuals, deeply in love in The Drama. A dramedy, the film highlights the complexities of modern-love stories. It has been directed by Kristoffer Borgli.</p>

The Drama movie review: Zendaya-Robert Pattinson shine in a complex dramedy

<p><i>Maa Ka Sum</i> is that one maths problem that refuses to be solved, leaving you confused about the value of X.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>OTT has become a space where there is freedom to experiment with scripts, the transformation of the creative landscape is endless. While it has opened doors for diverse stories that one can feel connected with, this freedom has also led to some shows that make you wonder why they were even needed. Amazon’s <i>Maa Ka Sum </i>is out, and it’s one of those series that shows so much, covers so much, and tells so much, but in the end gets entangled in the ‘so much’ stuff that it presents, leaving you questioning the need and motive of this story.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Mona Singh is on a roll in her career and has been delivering back-to-back hits, or if not hits, then performances that have made her the talk of social media. In this new show, she plays the role of an ultra-cool mother, Vinita, aka Vinnie, who lives with her 19-year-old son, Agastya, aka Gast (Mihir Ahuja). With the story of a mother-son bond taking the centre stage, the show becomes too heavy on maths and ends up confusing itself in its own formula.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/blake-lively-and-justin-baldoni-legal-dispute-judge-dismisses-multiple-claims-against-it-ends-with-us-director-1775185340354">Blake Lively vsJustin Baldoni: Judge dismisses multiple claims against actor</a></p><h2>Maa Ka Sum: What’s the story</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Set in the capital of India, New Delhi, the show revolves around Vinita, a super-cool mother living with her 19-year-old son, Agastya, whom everyone lovingly calls Gast. He is a self-proclaimed maths genius, and everything in his life runs on formulas. Both are living with the trauma of how Vinita’s husband and Gast’s father left one day, abandoning them. Twelve years after he walked out, they have built a life for themselves where they share everything with each other. Vinita is on dating apps and goes on random dates to find a partner, and Gast, who goes to college and has a fun life with his friends, wants to build a dating app that helps his mother find the perfect match.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>To crack that equation, he works on multiple algorithms and is pretty confident that he can find the perfect match for his mom using his calculations and data. How will he be able to do it? It's totally on him. Apart from finding that one perfect man for his single mother, Gast also has a group of friends and a maths teacher who help him understand the complex bonds of humans, something that doesn’t really need an algorithm to solve.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/meryl-streep-wears-andy-sachs-iconic-cerulean-blue-sweater-as-she-promotes-the-devil-wears-prada-2-internet-reacts-1775191020312">Meryl Streep dons iconic cerulean sweater to promote The Devil Wears Prada 2</a></p><h2>Maa Ka Sum: The maths lingo that refuses to be solved</h2><p>The eight-episode drama explores a variety of themes, including a modern mother-son bond, trauma, relationships, love, and anger. But the makers try to solve everything like a maths problem that refuses to end, confusing you at every step.</p>

Still from Maa Ka Sum

<p>Directed by Nicholas Kharkongar, the series, in the simplest terms, is a comment on how human emotions cannot be cracked with any sort of algorithm in this technological and data-driven world, especially when AI is the next big thing that humans have to deal with.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The show starts with a fun and happy bond between the son and mother, who are not like any usual parent-child duo. There is nothing hidden from each other; they go on random outings, deeply involved in each other’s lives, they have arguments, they have differences, but like modern things, they understand each other. It all, in the beginning, feels fresh and entertaining and enjoyable too. But soon, when Gast’s obsession with maths to solve that one algorithm takes over, it starts to feel irritating and tough to understand where the story is heading.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In attempting to cover too much, the show loses clarity. Along with this, the side narratives, like Gast and his Gen Z pals, feel like a set-up without offering anything natural.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I did like how casually the writers have touched upon unprotected sex and the risk of abortion. Also, Gast’s bond with his foreign return maths teacher, Ira, played by Angira Dhar, who is equally a maths fanatic, never quite impresses. Their long, maths-infused conversations make you want to skip ahead, often leaving you distracted.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The story might get confusing with each episode, but the characters are fairly well-formed. The women in the show stand out, they are clear about what they want. Mona Singh, who rarely disappoints, plays the role of a young mother convincingly. The way she balances her protective side while hiding her vulnerability. I also enjoyed her scenes with Ranveer Brar, who plays a cool investor. Angira Dhar, as the modern, foreign-return teacher, is effective in parts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mihir Ahuja also delivers a strong performance as a young boy dealing with trauma and his passion for maths.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As the story progresses, it becomes overcomplicated, especially with the heavy use of maths and algorithms in every dialogue, which is very hard to understand. The parallel plots don’t feel organic. With three different generations colliding in a world dominated by Gen Z culture and the ultra-modern side of Delhi, some moments felt amusing, like a mother telling her son he’s only allowed to drink more than two beers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Maa Ka Sum is a story that breathes, lives, and eats maths with the entertainment only in parts.&nbsp;</p>

Directed by Maa Ka Sum, the show starring, Mona Singh and Mihir Ahuja, is a family drama that feels promising in the start. But it is executed in an inconsistent way. Scroll to read the review.  

Maa Ka Sum is that one maths problem that refuses to be solved, leaving you confused about the value of X. OTT has become a space where there is freedom to experiment with scripts, the transformation of the creative landscape is endless. While it has opened doors for diverse stories that one can feel connected with, this freedom has also led to some shows that make you wonder why they were even needed. Amazon’s Maa Ka Sum is out, and it’s one of those series that shows so much, covers so much, and tells so much, but in the end gets entangled in the ‘so much’ stuff that it presents, leaving you questioning the need and motive of this story. Mona Singh is on a roll in her career and has been delivering back-to-back hits, or if not hits, then performances that have made her the talk of social media. In this new show, she plays the role of an ultra-cool mother, Vinita, aka Vinnie, who lives with her 19-year-old son, Agastya, aka Gast (Mihir Ahuja). With the story of a mother-son bond taking the centre stage, the show becomes too heavy on maths and ends up confusing itself in its own formula. Also read: Blake Lively vsJustin Baldoni: Judge dismisses multiple claims against actor Maa Ka Sum: What’s the story Set in the capital of India, New Delhi, the show revolves around Vinita, a super-cool mother living with her 19-year-old son, Agastya, whom everyone lovingly calls Gast. He is a self-proclaimed maths genius, and everything in his life runs on formulas. Both are living with the trauma of how Vinita’s husband and Gast’s father left one day, abandoning them. Twelve years after he walked out, they have built a life for themselves where they share everything with each other. Vinita is on dating apps and goes on random dates to find a partner, and Gast, who goes to college and has a fun life with his friends, wants to build a dating app that helps his mother find the perfect match. To crack that equation, he works on multiple algorithms and is pretty confident that he can find the perfect match for his mom using his calculations and data. How will he be able to do it? It's totally on him. Apart from finding that one perfect man for his single mother, Gast also has a group of friends and a maths teacher who help him understand the complex bonds of humans, something that doesn’t really need an algorithm to solve. Also read: Meryl Streep dons iconic cerulean sweater to promote The Devil Wears Prada 2 Maa Ka Sum: The maths lingo that refuses to be solved The eight-episode drama explores a variety of themes, including a modern mother-son bond, trauma, relationships, love, and anger. But the makers try to solve everything like a maths problem that refuses to end, confusing you at every step.

<p>Directed by Maa Ka Sum, the show starring, Mona Singh and Mihir Ahuja, is a family drama that feels promising in the start. But it is executed in an inconsistent way.&nbsp;Scroll to read the review. &nbsp;</p>

Maa Ka Sum Review: Mona Singh and Mihir Ahuja’s show gets lost between algorithm and emotion

<p>Lawlessness and hooliganism rule this town in the fictitious town of Mahapradesh. In Amazon Prime Video’s latest film, Subedaar, apart from Subedaar Arjun Maurya, played by Anil Kapoor, no one seems to be on the right side of the law. Directed by Suresh Triveni, who is best known for his film Tumhaari Sulu, Subedaar is a rugged, rustic revenge drama that starts on a promising note and presents Anil Kapoor in a strikingly different avatar-an angsty old man who talks less and punches more. But is Anil Kapoor’s powerful performance enough to make Subedar and an engaging watch? Let’s find out.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A personal tragedy brings Subedaar back to his hometown, which is ruled by Badi Didi (Mona Singh), who runs the sand mining mafia from the confines of jail. Outside, her step-brother Prince( Aditya Rawal) runs terror and wields force to get things done his way. Badi Didi’s illegal businesses are taken care of by Softy (Faisal Malik). It’s a chaotic town where only hooligans and rowdies get to wield power.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Haunted by the death of his wife, who was mowed down by a sand truck, Maurya is now grappling to live a civilian’s life. There is guilt and frustration, and his strained relationship with daughter &nbsp;Shyama (Radhika Madan). His friend, Prabhakar (Saurabh Shukla), gets him a job as a Prince’s bodyguard. Prince sets his eyes on Subedaar’s red gypsy and wants it by hook or crook. Subedaar is not willing to part with the car, which has a connection to his late wife, who had booked the car days before her death.</p>

Subedaar stills

<p> </p><p>When Prince mocks his driving skills and vandalises his new car, the hostility between the two becomes personal.</p><p>Now, its a battle of egos and self-respect. One on the right side of the law but alone, and then the other, a rule breaker with state and police on his side.</p><h2>What works and what doesn't</h2><p>It is always a delight to watch Anil Kapoor on screen. The man has time and again reinvented himself and delivered class acts in numerous films and series. In Subedaar, Kapoor delivers a very restrained performance. His character is a man who abides by the law even though no one around him does. He has anger issues and is guilty of his wife’s death, or that he did not spend enough time with his daughter. Kapoor plays his role with conviction, and deftly performs scenes which have him performing with expressions and eyes and a few words. It's a strong act and Kapoor looms large over the film’s narrative.</p><p> </p><p>Aditya Rawal, who has proved his mettle in films like Faraaz before, delivers a solid performance as the menacing, irratic and rowdy Prince. It's not easy to match up to a veteran like Anil Kapoor, who has such a strong screen presence, but Rawal ably performs in his role.</p><p> </p>

Aditya Rawal

<p> </p><p> </p><p>The performances of all actors are, in fact, top-notch. Be it Mona Singh, the Mafia queen who is running a nexus from jail, Faisal Malik, who plays an ex gangster and now an administrator or Radhika Madan, the fesity daughter who doesn’t need a man to protect her- all performances are stunning.</p><p> </p><p>The film’s screenplay relies heavily on landscape and ambience, which sets the tone well. But while the tonality is good, the story eventually loses steam. Nearing the climax, the film completely loses its plot and tries to create unnecessary drama, which doesn't land well all the time. The film starts with great potential, but ends with a whimper, with Prime hinting at a possible remake.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>Subedaar is only watchable for its actors. The mood and ambience of the film, which the makers have painstakingly put together to create a land of disorder, is unable to support weak writing. It could have been an intense film but the film’s second half runs a predictable course and drags too much.</p>

Suresh Triveni's film Subedaar starts on a promising note, but a weak screenplay lets down the film and its good performances by Anil Kapoor, Aditya Rawal and Radhika Madan. Subedaar heavily depends on mood and ambience to tell a story of lawlessness. 

Lawlessness and hooliganism rule this town in the fictitious town of Mahapradesh. In Amazon Prime Video’s latest film, Subedaar, apart from Subedaar Arjun Maurya, played by Anil Kapoor, no one seems to be on the right side of the law. Directed by Suresh Triveni, who is best known for his film Tumhaari Sulu, Subedaar is a rugged, rustic revenge drama that starts on a promising note and presents Anil Kapoor in a strikingly different avatar-an angsty old man who talks less and punches more. But is Anil Kapoor’s powerful performance enough to make Subedar and an engaging watch? Let’s find out. A personal tragedy brings Subedaar back to his hometown, which is ruled by Badi Didi (Mona Singh), who runs the sand mining mafia from the confines of jail. Outside, her step-brother Prince( Aditya Rawal) runs terror and wields force to get things done his way. Badi Didi’s illegal businesses are taken care of by Softy (Faisal Malik). It’s a chaotic town where only hooligans and rowdies get to wield power. Haunted by the death of his wife, who was mowed down by a sand truck, Maurya is now grappling to live a civilian’s life. There is guilt and frustration, and his strained relationship with daughter Shyama (Radhika Madan). His friend, Prabhakar (Saurabh Shukla), gets him a job as a Prince’s bodyguard. Prince sets his eyes on Subedaar’s red gypsy and wants it by hook or crook. Subedaar is not willing to part with the car, which has a connection to his late wife, who had booked the car days before her death.

<p>Suresh Triveni's film Subedaar starts on a promising note, but a weak screenplay lets down the film and its good performances by Anil Kapoor, Aditya Rawal and Radhika Madan. Subedaar heavily depends on mood and ambience to tell a story of lawlessness.&nbsp;</p>

Subedaar review: Anil Kapoor and Aditya Rawal deliver to their part, the story does not

<p>At the onset, filmmaker Anubhuti Kashyap’s latest film Accused, featuring Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Rannta as a queer couple in London, feels like a smart thriller that attempts to tell a strikingly new story. Sexual harassment at work and power dynamics in a marriage where both partners are ambitious are tropes well known. Urban romances mostly revolve around two individuals attempting to strike a balance between romance and the regular humdrum of life. However, Kashyap’s film Accused takes the familiar trope but gives it a unique twist. It has a queer couple in focus, with one of them dealing with charges of sexually harassing colleagues at her workplace. Strikingly new plot for Bollywood for sure.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Propelled by great performances by Konkana Sen Sharma, Pratibha Rannta and the rest of the cast and taught screenplay, Accused had me hooked from the first scene itself. But the film is not devoid of flaws.</p><h2>Plot of Accussed</h2><p>Konkona Sen Sharma plays Dr Geetika Sen, a top gynaecologist at a city hospital in London. Married to child specialist Dr Meera (Rannta) Sen is on the verge of being promoted to the position of Dead in the hospital. The couple are also aiming to adopt a baby together. Life seems perfect for Geetika and Meera until an anonymous complaint lands in the hospital’s mailbox,accusing Dr Sen of sexual harassment.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Complaints against Geetika aren’t new, we are told. Because of her bossy and authoritarian nature, Geetika’s behaviour has often been reported to the management. However, as complaints of sexual harassment keep mounting, cracks appear in Geetika and Mira’s marriage. While Mira gets suspicious of Geetika, the senior doctor who has always been in charge of things, suddenly finds her control over things slipping away.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It doesn’t help that the hospital board hires former journalist Bhargav (Mashhoor Amrohi) to investigate the case . Basheer comes with a bag full of prejudices and is almost convinced that Geetika is guilty. But has she really committed the crimes? Will the board’s verdict change her relationship with Mira?</p><h2>What works and what doesn’t</h2><p>The premise of the film felt promising right when the first trailer dropped. We don’t get to see a story of a queer couple grappling with &nbsp;a crisis like #MeToo, where no man is involved, where the predator is a woman, as is the victim. The plot of Accussed felt refreshing and different. Written by Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani, the film begins as a sharp tale about predatory behaviour by top bosses at work place. In most cases, it is assumed that it's a man who is at fault, but in this case, it's a queer woman who is on the dock.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Konkona Sen Sharma, as Dr Geetika Sen, is fantastic. A woman who is powerful and always in control finds herself in a complex situation, and instead of lying low as is directed to her, goes out more aggressively to prove her innocence, making her so-called ‘victims’ more uncomfortable. Konkona plays the complex character to the hilt, making you realise how predators and people in authority function espcially when they know they have the power to make or break a career.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Complimenting Konkona in every frame is actress Pratibha Rannta. Last seen in Laapataa Ladies, Ranta plays a more compassionate, younger and more emotional partner to Konkona’s Geetika. Someone who is willing to see the good in her partner even when the world is telling her otherwise.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Some of the best scenes involve Konkona and Pratibha- both complementing each other well on screen, playing their parts with conviction. Their scenes as a couple, first trying to fight the crisis together and slowly drifting apart and accusing each other, come out naturally. Geetika gaslights and escapes tough conversations, and Meera doubts herself as her love and loyalty are put to the test.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While the film begins on a sharp, compelling note, the second act of the film lets down. It tackles #MeToo only at the surface level, and when it approaches the thriller route, the story loses steam. The climax is underwhelming, and the film ultimately steers past #MeToo and only talks about abuse of power.</p><h2>Final Verdict</h2><p>It could have been a great film that steers clear of stereotypes. With a great premise and solid performances from Konkona, Pratibha and other supporting actors- Accussed stands out mostly but it crumbles in the second half due to its attempt at oversimplifying complex issues.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Nevertheless, Accused is still refreshingly new and worth your time.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Accussed is streaming on Netflix.</p>

Accused, directed by Anubhuti Kashyap, is a smart thriller with queer love-story at its core. The film only scratches the surface of a complex issue like #MeToo. However, it boasts of credible performances by Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Rannta. 

At the onset, filmmaker Anubhuti Kashyap’s latest film Accused, featuring Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Rannta as a queer couple in London, feels like a smart thriller that attempts to tell a strikingly new story. Sexual harassment at work and power dynamics in a marriage where both partners are ambitious are tropes well known. Urban romances mostly revolve around two individuals attempting to strike a balance between romance and the regular humdrum of life. However, Kashyap’s film Accused takes the familiar trope but gives it a unique twist. It has a queer couple in focus, with one of them dealing with charges of sexually harassing colleagues at her workplace. Strikingly new plot for Bollywood for sure. Propelled by great performances by Konkana Sen Sharma, Pratibha Rannta and the rest of the cast and taught screenplay, Accused had me hooked from the first scene itself. But the film is not devoid of flaws. Plot of Accussed Konkona Sen Sharma plays Dr Geetika Sen, a top gynaecologist at a city hospital in London. Married to child specialist Dr Meera (Rannta) Sen is on the verge of being promoted to the position of Dead in the hospital. The couple are also aiming to adopt a baby together. Life seems perfect for Geetika and Meera until an anonymous complaint lands in the hospital’s mailbox,accusing Dr Sen of sexual harassment. Complaints against Geetika aren’t new, we are told. Because of her bossy and authoritarian nature, Geetika’s behaviour has often been reported to the management. However, as complaints of sexual harassment keep mounting, cracks appear in Geetika and Mira’s marriage. While Mira gets suspicious of Geetika, the senior doctor who has always been in charge of things, suddenly finds her control over things slipping away. It doesn’t help that the hospital board hires former journalist Bhargav (Mashhoor Amrohi) to investigate the case . Basheer comes with a bag full of prejudices and is almost convinced that Geetika is guilty. But has she really committed the crimes? Will the board’s verdict change her relationship with Mira? What works and what doesn’t The premise of the film felt promising right when the first trailer dropped. We don’t get to see a story of a queer couple grappling with a crisis like #MeToo, where no man is involved, where the predator is a woman, as is the victim. The plot of Accussed felt refreshing and different. Written by Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani, the film begins as a sharp tale about predatory behaviour by top bosses at work place. In most cases, it is assumed that it's a man who is at fault, but in this case, it's a queer woman who is on the dock. Konkona Sen Sharma, as Dr Geetika Sen, is fantastic. A woman who is powerful and always in control finds herself in a complex situation, and instead of lying low as is directed to her, goes out more aggressively to prove her innocence, making her so-called ‘victims’ more uncomfortable. Konkona plays the complex character to the hilt, making you realise how predators and people in authority function espcially when they know they have the power to make or break a career. Complimenting Konkona in every frame is actress Pratibha Rannta. Last seen in Laapataa Ladies, Ranta plays a more compassionate, younger and more emotional partner to Konkona’s Geetika. Someone who is willing to see the good in her partner even when the world is telling her otherwise. Some of the best scenes involve Konkona and Pratibha- both complementing each other well on screen, playing their parts with conviction. Their scenes as a couple, first trying to fight the crisis together and slowly drifting apart and accusing each other, come out naturally. Geetika gaslights and escapes tough conversations, and Meera doubts herself as her love and loyalty are put to the test. While the film begins on a sharp, compelling note, the second act of the film lets down. It tackles #MeToo only at the surface level, and when it approaches the thriller route, the story loses steam. The climax is underwhelming, and the film ultimately steers past #MeToo and only talks about abuse of power. Final Verdict It could have been a great film that steers clear of stereotypes. With a great premise and solid performances from Konkona, Pratibha and other supporting actors- Accussed stands out mostly but it crumbles in the second half due to its attempt at oversimplifying complex issues. Nevertheless, Accused is still refreshingly new and worth your time. Accussed is streaming on Netflix.

<p>Accused, directed by Anubhuti Kashyap, is a smart thriller with queer love-story at its core. The film only scratches the surface of a complex issue like #MeToo. However, it boasts of credible performances by Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Rannta.&nbsp;</p>

Accused movie review: Konkona Sen Sharma, Pratibha Rannta headline a gripping thriller that only skims the surface of #MeToo

<p>Writer-director Sudip Sharma had opened up a new world when he created the procedural drama <i>Kohrra</i> in 2023. The web series, mostly in Punjabi, unusually showcased the state of Punjab, sans all the bonhomie and colour that films often associate the state with. Much like its plot, a murder mystery, the drama had muted colours, with heavy fog shrouding the lives of those involved in the case. Sharma returns with <i>Kohrra</i> season 2, with a new mystery and a new set of complications, but keeps the same aesthetics and mood of the first season. Just like the first season, a heavy fog remains on the lives of the police officers investigating the case, the identity of the killer, the victim’s family and societal prejudices.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Actor Barun Sobti returns as Assistant Sub-Inspector Garundi in season 2 of <i>Kohrra</i>, which shifts the story to Jagrana, a small town in Punjab. Garundi has a new wife and a new boss and has to maintain a fine balance between professional and personal life. &nbsp;As a woman is found dead in the barn of her brother’s home, Garundi and his boss, Assistant-Inspector Dhanwant Kaur (Mona Singh), are given charge of the case. As the two officer get cracking on the case, they have to also face demons of their own past and strike a balance between personal and professional at all times.</p><h2>What’s the plot of Kohrra 2</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When a woman (Pooja Bhamrrah) is found dead in her brother’s (Anurag Arora) barn, everyone is a suspect. Her NRI husband (Rannvijay Singha), a new possible love interest with whom she intended to start a dance studio and the brother himself. &nbsp;At the onset, the case seems like an open-and-shut case, with the cops finding bloodied footprints of the murderer all over the crime scene. But as Garundi and Dhanwant start investigating, the case becomes murky, with past issues of each suspect spilling out in the open. Dhanwant, who has been reappointed to her post and given charge of the case, is battling a dark past of her own. Garundi, newly married, wants to leave his past and start afresh with his wife, but the familial burden keeps pulling him down.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While the cops investigate the case, more murders pile up. Meanwhile, a young labourer from Jharkhand comes to the same town looking for his father, who had come to Jagrana town about twenty years ago as a labourer but has been missing for over a year. Dhanwant and her team have her hands full and pressure from the top, along with domestic issues of her own; the Sub-Inspector has a lot at stake and a lot to prove her worth.</p>

<h2>What works and what doesn’t</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Director Sudip Sharma, who also serves as a co-writer with Gunjit Chopra and Diggi Sisodia, keeps the template of the first season but makes this season darker. There, love defined the lives of each of the characters; here, it is the societal structure that sets the story. Primarily in Punjabi, the fog of mystery, of guilt and of societal norms hang heavy over the plot, making <i>Kohrra 2</i> more compelling. The writing is solid, and one is hooked to the story from the first frame. The compelling plot is backed by powerful performances. While Suvinder Vicky had led the series in the first season, in <i>Kohrra 2</i>, it's Mona Singh and Barun Sobti who steer the narrative well.</p>

Kohrra 2

<p> </p><p>Singh plays a troubled Dhanwant Kaur, who is a diligent officer but has too much burden of the past that tends to pull her back. It's a restraint perfromance and one in which Singh shines. Pradyuman Singh plays her alcoholic husband and delivers a fine performance.</p><p>Barun Sobti, a man who has been a star on television and someone who has reinvented himself in the OTT space, plays Garundi well. The character has now evolved but is conscious of his background. Sobti brings earnestness to his performance and makes it look effortless, making Garundi a very likeable man. His scenes with a constable called Aujla stand out for their natural chemistry and humour.</p><p> </p><p>There is also a young actor, Prayrak Mehta, who plays Arun, a migrant worker from Jharkhand who comes to Punjab in search of his father. Mehta, a relatively new face, steals the show in the scenes he features in. Your heart goes out to his character, a desperate man looking for his father, whom he has never met and who is constantly failed by the system. Mehta’s track is important to the story and very well written. The young actor does justice to the writing, delivering a stunning performance, one that stays with you long after the show is over.</p>

A still from Kohrra 2

<p>&nbsp;</p><p>While the series, with its layered and dark story, is engaging, it does become a tad sluggish somewhere in the middle, when Garundi and Dhanwant are unable to crack the case and get tied down due to their personal issues.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>However, the show picks up pace in the fifth and sixth (final) episodes, delaying the revelation of the killer till the end. It’s not something that you expect (which is a good thing) and one that makes you ponder over power dynamics and class divides that exist in our society.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>Kohrra 2 is equally riveting as the first season, with stunning performances from its cast. It is layered and dark, with engaging subplots that seamlessly merge with the main story. Sharma, who had also created <i>Paatal Lok</i> 1 and 2, manages to elevate a mystery thriller into a commentary on societal privileges and prejudices. The result is a series that is compelling and one that stays with you for a long time.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i>Kohrra 2</i> is streaming on Netflix.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Netflix's procedural drama Kohrra returns with season 2. Creator Sudip Sharma weaves an intricate story of revenge, greed and societal prejudices in the second season which has top performances from Barun Sobti, Manu Singh and others. 

Writer-director Sudip Sharma had opened up a new world when he created the procedural drama Kohrra in 2023. The web series, mostly in Punjabi, unusually showcased the state of Punjab, sans all the bonhomie and colour that films often associate the state with. Much like its plot, a murder mystery, the drama had muted colours, with heavy fog shrouding the lives of those involved in the case. Sharma returns with Kohrra season 2, with a new mystery and a new set of complications, but keeps the same aesthetics and mood of the first season. Just like the first season, a heavy fog remains on the lives of the police officers investigating the case, the identity of the killer, the victim’s family and societal prejudices. Actor Barun Sobti returns as Assistant Sub-Inspector Garundi in season 2 of Kohrra, which shifts the story to Jagrana, a small town in Punjab. Garundi has a new wife and a new boss and has to maintain a fine balance between professional and personal life. As a woman is found dead in the barn of her brother’s home, Garundi and his boss, Assistant-Inspector Dhanwant Kaur (Mona Singh), are given charge of the case. As the two officer get cracking on the case, they have to also face demons of their own past and strike a balance between personal and professional at all times. What’s the plot of Kohrra 2 When a woman (Pooja Bhamrrah) is found dead in her brother’s (Anurag Arora) barn, everyone is a suspect. Her NRI husband (Rannvijay Singha), a new possible love interest with whom she intended to start a dance studio and the brother himself. At the onset, the case seems like an open-and-shut case, with the cops finding bloodied footprints of the murderer all over the crime scene. But as Garundi and Dhanwant start investigating, the case becomes murky, with past issues of each suspect spilling out in the open. Dhanwant, who has been reappointed to her post and given charge of the case, is battling a dark past of her own. Garundi, newly married, wants to leave his past and start afresh with his wife, but the familial burden keeps pulling him down. While the cops investigate the case, more murders pile up. Meanwhile, a young labourer from Jharkhand comes to the same town looking for his father, who had come to Jagrana town about twenty years ago as a labourer but has been missing for over a year. Dhanwant and her team have her hands full and pressure from the top, along with domestic issues of her own; the Sub-Inspector has a lot at stake and a lot to prove her worth.

<p>Netflix's procedural drama Kohrra returns with season 2. Creator Sudip Sharma weaves an intricate story of revenge, greed and societal prejudices in the second season which has top performances from Barun Sobti, Manu Singh and others.&nbsp;</p>

Kohrra 2 review: Barun Sobti and Mona Singh's web series is not just a regular mystery thriller

<p>Rani Mukerji's latest offering, Mardaani 3, presents her in a larger-than-life, no-nonsense, gritty cop- a role that she has played well in the previous two instalments in the franchise. &nbsp;While the actress delivers well to her part, the film sticks to the basics and familiar template, giving a sense of déjà vu to the viewers. Mardaani 3 feels like a replica of its predecessor films, with just a few minor changes and an all-encompassing heroine taking charge before anyone can even step in to offer help.</p><p>Directed by Abhiraj Minawala, Mardaani 3 is written by Aayush Gupta, Deepak Kingrani and Baljeet Singh Marwah. While it does try to give social messages on women's empowerment and class demarcation, the messages are somehow muffled amid Rani Mukerji’s historics on screen.</p><h2>What’s the plot of Mardaani 3?</h2><p>A new human trafficer Amma (Mallika Prasad), has kidnapped over 90 pre puberscent gilrs in the last month. Most from underprivileged backgrounds and missing cases have gone unnoticed. When a diplomat's daughter gets kidnapped along with their caretaker’s daughter, top cop Shivani Shivaji Roy (Mukerji) is called in to investigate the case and bring back the lost child.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Investigation takes her on a wild-goose chase across Delhi, with her team in tow, including a new lady constable (Janki Bodiwala) who is more than eager to be useful instead of just serving tea at her station thana, which is dominated by male cops. Her search for Amma also leads her to NGO head Ramanujan (Prajesh Kashyap), whose past has now made him a crusader for kids who are victims of the nexus.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When she is almost close to solving the case, Shivani discovers that the human trafficking nexus is far deeper and murkier than it seems. Medical testing, greed of pharma companies, human testing and lab inventions- are all thrown into the mix.</p><h2>What works and what doesn’t</h2><p>It is Rani Mukerji's show all the way. From beating goons double her size, to landing up at the crime scene much before backup arrives, to even delivering monologues about stree shakti - the writers give Rani ample opportunity to shine, and she delivers. There’s never been any doubt about the star’s acting prowess. Time and again, she has proved that she can deliver the most mundane characters with elegance and charm. Mardaani was always tailor-made to show Rani in an action-hero avatar, who would be at par with the Singhams of the world, and the actress truly shines throughout. There are scenes which seem rather over the top, the monologues slightly jaded for the times we live in, but Rani Mukerji makes it convincing.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The previous two films in the Mardaani franchise had also given us two memorable antagonists. Tahir Raj Bhasin, a sophisticated human trafficer and Vishal Jethwa, as the psycho-serial-killer and abductor, had delivered stunning performances, complementing Rani’s heroic act with their evil, malicious ways. In Mardaani 3, while Mallika Prasad is menacing, the trope is now a familiar one and something that we have already seen in Delhi Crimes Season 3. There it was, Huma Qureshi, a victim herself, who turns menacing and trades young girls; here, Mallika Prasad, forced to beg early in her life, turns it into a nexus.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There is also Janaki Bodiwala, playing a newbie cop whose potential as a performer is not fully tapped. Actor Prajesh Kashyap also delivers to his part. As a man who seems right but definitely has a dark past.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Watch out for the crucial twist right before the film’s interval- certainly one of the high points of the story.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I wish more scenes would highlight the other actors in the film. A lot of time has been spent making Shivani Shivaji Roy a gritty cop, but not much thought has been given to the other key characters in the film.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It also isn’t the most technically and aesthetically sound film, with several issues of continuity.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>Mardaani 3 delivers well. If you have liked the previous two films of the franchise, Mardaani 3 will also provide the same thrills. The writers waste no time and jump right in on the case, keeping the pace steady and thrilling throughout. Its predictability is an advantage as well as a disadvantage. While Mardaani 3 doesn’t offer anything new, it sticks to the basics and plays it safe, thereby delivering an engaging thriller.</p><p>Mardaani 3 is now running in theatres all across.</p>

Rani Mukerji returns as tough-cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in the third instalment of Mardaani. The film sticks to the same template that the two previous films of the franchise were based on and presents Rani in a larger-than-life avatar. 

Rani Mukerji's latest offering, Mardaani 3, presents her in a larger-than-life, no-nonsense, gritty cop- a role that she has played well in the previous two instalments in the franchise. While the actress delivers well to her part, the film sticks to the basics and familiar template, giving a sense of déjà vu to the viewers. Mardaani 3 feels like a replica of its predecessor films, with just a few minor changes and an all-encompassing heroine taking charge before anyone can even step in to offer help. Directed by Abhiraj Minawala, Mardaani 3 is written by Aayush Gupta, Deepak Kingrani and Baljeet Singh Marwah. While it does try to give social messages on women's empowerment and class demarcation, the messages are somehow muffled amid Rani Mukerji’s historics on screen. What’s the plot of Mardaani 3? A new human trafficer Amma (Mallika Prasad), has kidnapped over 90 pre puberscent gilrs in the last month. Most from underprivileged backgrounds and missing cases have gone unnoticed. When a diplomat's daughter gets kidnapped along with their caretaker’s daughter, top cop Shivani Shivaji Roy (Mukerji) is called in to investigate the case and bring back the lost child. Investigation takes her on a wild-goose chase across Delhi, with her team in tow, including a new lady constable (Janki Bodiwala) who is more than eager to be useful instead of just serving tea at her station thana, which is dominated by male cops. Her search for Amma also leads her to NGO head Ramanujan (Prajesh Kashyap), whose past has now made him a crusader for kids who are victims of the nexus. When she is almost close to solving the case, Shivani discovers that the human trafficking nexus is far deeper and murkier than it seems. Medical testing, greed of pharma companies, human testing and lab inventions- are all thrown into the mix. What works and what doesn’t It is Rani Mukerji's show all the way. From beating goons double her size, to landing up at the crime scene much before backup arrives, to even delivering monologues about stree shakti - the writers give Rani ample opportunity to shine, and she delivers. There’s never been any doubt about the star’s acting prowess. Time and again, she has proved that she can deliver the most mundane characters with elegance and charm. Mardaani was always tailor-made to show Rani in an action-hero avatar, who would be at par with the Singhams of the world, and the actress truly shines throughout. There are scenes which seem rather over the top, the monologues slightly jaded for the times we live in, but Rani Mukerji makes it convincing. The previous two films in the Mardaani franchise had also given us two memorable antagonists. Tahir Raj Bhasin, a sophisticated human trafficer and Vishal Jethwa, as the psycho-serial-killer and abductor, had delivered stunning performances, complementing Rani’s heroic act with their evil, malicious ways. In Mardaani 3, while Mallika Prasad is menacing, the trope is now a familiar one and something that we have already seen in Delhi Crimes Season 3. There it was, Huma Qureshi, a victim herself, who turns menacing and trades young girls; here, Mallika Prasad, forced to beg early in her life, turns it into a nexus. There is also Janaki Bodiwala, playing a newbie cop whose potential as a performer is not fully tapped. Actor Prajesh Kashyap also delivers to his part. As a man who seems right but definitely has a dark past. Watch out for the crucial twist right before the film’s interval- certainly one of the high points of the story. I wish more scenes would highlight the other actors in the film. A lot of time has been spent making Shivani Shivaji Roy a gritty cop, but not much thought has been given to the other key characters in the film. It also isn’t the most technically and aesthetically sound film, with several issues of continuity. Final verdict Mardaani 3 delivers well. If you have liked the previous two films of the franchise, Mardaani 3 will also provide the same thrills. The writers waste no time and jump right in on the case, keeping the pace steady and thrilling throughout. Its predictability is an advantage as well as a disadvantage. While Mardaani 3 doesn’t offer anything new, it sticks to the basics and plays it safe, thereby delivering an engaging thriller. Mardaani 3 is now running in theatres all across.

<p>Rani Mukerji returns as tough-cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in the third instalment of Mardaani. The film sticks to the same template that the two previous films of the franchise were based on and presents Rani in a larger-than-life avatar.&nbsp;</p>

Mardaani 3 movie review: It’s a Rani Mukerji show all the way

<p>It's been nearly three decades since JP Dutta’s war classic Border was released in theatres. The film was set in 1971 and highlighted the Indian Army's brave defence at the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pak war. The film, over the years, earned cult status and to date is remembered for its memorable dialogues, performances and soulful music. Border also set a template for future such war films. All mounted at a big scale, all speaking of patriotism and glorifying the valour of our Armed forces. Some worked, others were mere copies, including Dutta’s film on Kargil, called LOC. 29 years on, JP Dutta returns with Border 2, this time as a producer along with his daughter Nidhi Dutta and lets Anurag Singh direct the sequel. But is Border 2 as impactful as Border? Let’s find out.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Border 2, starring Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahaan Shetty and others, is a multi-front war drama. Just like the prequel, Border 2 is also set in 1971, but while the first film concentrated on the Battle of Longewala, this film highlights multiple historical flashpoints like the Battle of Basantar, the Battle of Poonch, and the poignant sinking of the INS Khukri. At the onset, Border 2 is a war film, highlighting the valour of the armed forces, but director Anurag Singh gives detailed back stories of the lead actors, thus making the film a long-drawn drama.</p><h2>What's Border 2 about?</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya (Varun Dhawna) is stationed in the Jammu-Pathakot area with his battalion. A star cadet during his time in the military academy, he is now waiting for orders to go to the battlefield even as war has begun elsewhere. His batchmates and best friends are also now officers of the defence force. Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon(Diljit Dosanjh) is now a daredevil fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force in Srinagar base, never too shy to take on the enemy single-handedly. Meanwhile, MS Rawat(Ahaan Shetty), the third friend of the group, is now a Navy officer guarding the borders at sea. All three of them have trained in the same academy under the guidance of Lt Col Fateh Singh Kaler (Sunny Deol), who is now stationed with his troops in Kashmir.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The three friends’ reunion at Sekhon’s wedding is cut short as India goes to war with Pakistan in 1971, with each heading to their respective stations to prepare for the impending war.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>What works and what does not</h2><p>Comparisons are inevitable between the two films, considering both films are set around the same war and even has Sunny Deol in common. Deol obviously gets the most impactful monologues to deliver, and he does it in his quintessential style - dramatic, firm and strong. Director Anurag Singh is able to capture the flavours of patriotism right without going overboard. The men shown are brave, courageous soldiers but with a heart of gold, who also know how to treat the enemy respectfully.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Much like Border, this one too does not want to take sides. There, a young officer played by Akshaye Khanna, had dived right in to save a Koran, here a Sikh soldier doesn't let a lamp dim its light inside an abandoned dargah- because of a promise to a Kashmiri muslim man. In another instance, Varun Dhawan’s character places a family member’s photograph next to a slain Pakistani soldier’s dead body, giving him the dignity he deserves in death.</p><p>One of the most poignant scenes features two jawans exchanging notes after letters from their respective homes arrive. One is elated to become a father to a baby girl, but suppresses his joy on seeing his colleague mourn the news of his mother’s death, who quickly brightens up on hearing the arrival of the newborn.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film also goes back in time to showcase the brotherhood of the three leading men, and even gives a proper backstory to Sunny Deol’s character, featuring Mona Singh, who plays his wife.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Border 2 humanises the soldiers to a great extent, which was lacking mostly in the first part.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>However, the fight sequences in the second half of the film feel choppy and the VFX is not the most convincing. Deol’s aura remains, but he is now an aged man and one can see the instances where the body double has been used to perform tricky stunts.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The second half of the course plays to the gallery and has a few lines which feel over the top and dramatic. A lot of the action sequences feel very staged and the sense of realism is lacking.</p><h2>Diljit Dosanjh shines</h2><p>Among the actors, it is Diljit Dosanjh who shines the most. He plays a man who hates to lose but also a loyal friend who opens up his home and family to his lonely, introverted friend. Dosanjh plays his character with grace and charm, making his scenes the most enjoyable. Watch out for the scene involving him and Dhawan as students in the academy trying to outwit each other at every given opportunity. The camaraderie between the two actors is visible and both Dhawan and Dosanjh execute the scenes well, Shetty on the other hand, gets overshadowed by these two actors and their natural charm.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I loved how the music of Border 2 brought back nostalgia.<i> Sandese Aate Hai,</i> now rechristened as <i>Ghar Kab Aaoge, </i>still remains one of the best war movie songs, highlighting the pain of the family as a soldier goes out to protect the motherland.</p><h2>The woman of Border 2</h2><p>There isn’t much scope for women in this film, considering it only documents the 1971 war, when women in the armed forces was abysmall. Here, the women play the supportive wives to the soldiers. Mona Singh beautifully portrays the pain of a mother who has lost her son in the battlefield. New actress Medha Rana is equally good as the wife of Hoshair Singh. Sonam Bajwa and Anya Singh get limited screen time.</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>Border 2 comes at a time when the hostility between the two nations is heightened. At some point, it does play to the gallery and talks of how Hindustan takes a united stand against the enemy state, to rouse nationalistic emotions within the viewers, but overall, Border 2 manages to look at the human side of the soldiers. It tries to focus not just on the battlefield but also on how war affects relations, friendships and loved ones.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sure, it's not as memorable as the original and awfully long with bad VFX, but Border 2 has got its heart at the right place and manages to entertain.&nbsp;</p>

While comparisons are inevitable with the 1997 film Border, the new film Border 2 manages to hold its own and bring a sense of patriotism among viewers. The film has Sunny Deol in his elements and has Diljit Dosanjh and Varun Dhawan delivering credible performances. 

It's been nearly three decades since JP Dutta’s war classic Border was released in theatres. The film was set in 1971 and highlighted the Indian Army's brave defence at the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pak war. The film, over the years, earned cult status and to date is remembered for its memorable dialogues, performances and soulful music. Border also set a template for future such war films. All mounted at a big scale, all speaking of patriotism and glorifying the valour of our Armed forces. Some worked, others were mere copies, including Dutta’s film on Kargil, called LOC. 29 years on, JP Dutta returns with Border 2, this time as a producer along with his daughter Nidhi Dutta and lets Anurag Singh direct the sequel. But is Border 2 as impactful as Border? Let’s find out. Border 2, starring Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahaan Shetty and others, is a multi-front war drama. Just like the prequel, Border 2 is also set in 1971, but while the first film concentrated on the Battle of Longewala, this film highlights multiple historical flashpoints like the Battle of Basantar, the Battle of Poonch, and the poignant sinking of the INS Khukri. At the onset, Border 2 is a war film, highlighting the valour of the armed forces, but director Anurag Singh gives detailed back stories of the lead actors, thus making the film a long-drawn drama. What's Border 2 about? Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya (Varun Dhawna) is stationed in the Jammu-Pathakot area with his battalion. A star cadet during his time in the military academy, he is now waiting for orders to go to the battlefield even as war has begun elsewhere. His batchmates and best friends are also now officers of the defence force. Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon(Diljit Dosanjh) is now a daredevil fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force in Srinagar base, never too shy to take on the enemy single-handedly. Meanwhile, MS Rawat(Ahaan Shetty), the third friend of the group, is now a Navy officer guarding the borders at sea. All three of them have trained in the same academy under the guidance of Lt Col Fateh Singh Kaler (Sunny Deol), who is now stationed with his troops in Kashmir. The three friends’ reunion at Sekhon’s wedding is cut short as India goes to war with Pakistan in 1971, with each heading to their respective stations to prepare for the impending war. What works and what does not Comparisons are inevitable between the two films, considering both films are set around the same war and even has Sunny Deol in common. Deol obviously gets the most impactful monologues to deliver, and he does it in his quintessential style - dramatic, firm and strong. Director Anurag Singh is able to capture the flavours of patriotism right without going overboard. The men shown are brave, courageous soldiers but with a heart of gold, who also know how to treat the enemy respectfully. Much like Border, this one too does not want to take sides. There, a young officer played by Akshaye Khanna, had dived right in to save a Koran, here a Sikh soldier doesn't let a lamp dim its light inside an abandoned dargah- because of a promise to a Kashmiri muslim man. In another instance, Varun Dhawan’s character places a family member’s photograph next to a slain Pakistani soldier’s dead body, giving him the dignity he deserves in death. One of the most poignant scenes features two jawans exchanging notes after letters from their respective homes arrive. One is elated to become a father to a baby girl, but suppresses his joy on seeing his colleague mourn the news of his mother’s death, who quickly brightens up on hearing the arrival of the newborn. The film also goes back in time to showcase the brotherhood of the three leading men, and even gives a proper backstory to Sunny Deol’s character, featuring Mona Singh, who plays his wife. Border 2 humanises the soldiers to a great extent, which was lacking mostly in the first part. However, the fight sequences in the second half of the film feel choppy and the VFX is not the most convincing. Deol’s aura remains, but he is now an aged man and one can see the instances where the body double has been used to perform tricky stunts. The second half of the course plays to the gallery and has a few lines which feel over the top and dramatic. A lot of the action sequences feel very staged and the sense of realism is lacking. Diljit Dosanjh shines Among the actors, it is Diljit Dosanjh who shines the most. He plays a man who hates to lose but also a loyal friend who opens up his home and family to his lonely, introverted friend. Dosanjh plays his character with grace and charm, making his scenes the most enjoyable. Watch out for the scene involving him and Dhawan as students in the academy trying to outwit each other at every given opportunity. The camaraderie between the two actors is visible and both Dhawan and Dosanjh execute the scenes well, Shetty on the other hand, gets overshadowed by these two actors and their natural charm. I loved how the music of Border 2 brought back nostalgia. Sandese Aate Hai, now rechristened as Ghar Kab Aaoge, still remains one of the best war movie songs, highlighting the pain of the family as a soldier goes out to protect the motherland. The woman of Border 2 There isn’t much scope for women in this film, considering it only documents the 1971 war, when women in the armed forces was abysmall. Here, the women play the supportive wives to the soldiers. Mona Singh beautifully portrays the pain of a mother who has lost her son in the battlefield. New actress Medha Rana is equally good as the wife of Hoshair Singh. Sonam Bajwa and Anya Singh get limited screen time. Final verdict Border 2 comes at a time when the hostility between the two nations is heightened. At some point, it does play to the gallery and talks of how Hindustan takes a united stand against the enemy state, to rouse nationalistic emotions within the viewers, but overall, Border 2 manages to look at the human side of the soldiers. It tries to focus not just on the battlefield but also on how war affects relations, friendships and loved ones. Sure, it's not as memorable as the original and awfully long with bad VFX, but Border 2 has got its heart at the right place and manages to entertain.

<p>While comparisons are inevitable with the 1997 film Border, the new film Border 2 manages to hold its own and bring a sense of patriotism among viewers. The film has Sunny Deol in his elements and has Diljit Dosanjh and Varun Dhawan delivering credible performances.&nbsp;</p>

Border 2 movie review: Diljit Dosanjh steals the show in this high-octane patriotic spectacle

<p>Ikkis is not your typical Sriram Raghavan film, yet you can still find the master storyteller’s signature style throughout the film. Raghavan, who is known for his mystery thrillers and neo-noir films, moves out of genre to make a war drama based on a real-life incident. The result is a beautiful film that not only highlights the valour of Second Lieutenant Arun Kehtarpal during a crucial operation at the fag end of the Indo-Pak war in 1971, but also goes beyond the conversation of war and talks of humanity. &nbsp;The film, starring Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat and Agastya Nanda, revisits a time when hatred was a common emotion between Indian and Pakistan but Raghavan, in his own way, talks about the futility of war and highlights the human side of soldiers on both sides of the border.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>While the theme is pertinent in today’s time and Raghavan’s story is an important one, Ikkis is also special because it is Dharmendra’s last film. The legendary actor, who passed away in November 2025, delivers a restrained performance as a father grieving his young son’s death in the film. The star’s performance leaves a heavy lump in the throat.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>Plot of Ikkis</h2><p>Set in two different years, one in 1971, as India goes to war with Pakistan, and the other in 2001, two years after the Kargil war, the film beautifully connects the characters and two plots into one single story. Second Lieutenant&nbsp;Arun Khetarpal gets the news that his course at NDA is being cut short as India is at war with Pakistan. Arun, as part of the Poona Horse regiment, was first trained to man the tank and then was later part of the troop that fought at the&nbsp; Battle of Basantar.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Arun was martyred and received the Paramveer Chakra posthumously. 30 years after the 1971 war, his father, retired Birgadier ML Khetarpal (Dharmendra) visits Pakistan for his college reunion in Lahore and is hosted by one Brigadier Nisaar (Jaideep Ahlawat) at his home during his stay. The retired Brigadier was part of the Pakistan army during the 1971 war and was linked to Arun, a fact that ML Khetarpal is not aware of initially.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>A former Army officer himself, the senior Khetarpal is aware of the futility of war. A victim of partition, he travels back to his home and college in Pakistan, to relive his childhood years once again, unaware that Nisaar wants to confess to him something related to his martyred son.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film keeps moving between the two stories. One that highlights Arun’s days at NDA, him being the righteous young boy who wants to become a brave Army officer just like his father. The days in training show Arun meeting and falling in love with Kiran(debutant Simar Bhatia), who pushes him to do better.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The other story focuses on ML Khetarpal’s visit to Pakistan, first to Lahore and then to Sargodha, his ancestral home, in 2001, when India and Pakistan, fresh out of the Kargil war, were sceptical of each other even as they were trying to rebuild their bond as two neighbouring states. The film also focuses on the beautiful bond that General Nisaar and ML Khetarpal form over the course of a few days.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>The futility of war is highlighted in Ikkis</h2><p>The beauty of Ikkis lies in its poignant moments. The time when ML Khetarpal visits his ancestral home and is warmly hosted by the new occupants of the house. The moments when Arun and Kiran spend together while dating. Arun’s eagerness to prove his worth and be accepted into the army. The moments that Nisar and ML spend in Pakistan- all these add up for a beautiful, insightful story that Ikkis is.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>Antidote to Dhurandhar</h2><p>Ikkis comes at a time when the nation, fueled by Dhurandhar's success, is high on emotions of patriotism and hyper masculinity. Ikkis serves as an antidote to all the gore and violence that Dhurandhar propagates.&nbsp;</p><p>It is unfair to compare Raghavan to the director Aditya Dhar. Raghavan is a seasoned filmmaker, known for his gripping, detailed mystery thrillers. Dhar, on the other hand, is relatively new, with just one film in his kitty before Dhurandhar. But both Ikkis and Dhurandhar are similar in theme of patriotism. Both films have Indians fighting against Pakistan. Yet, Ikkis is far superior in its messaging.&nbsp;</p><h2>Ikkis goes beyond war</h2><p>Ikkis goes beyond war and enmity and taps into the emotions of those who suffer post-war. An injured soldier, a grieving father of a martyr, a brave officer who has witnessed gore and death too closely- the aftermath of war is far more grievous and tragic on both sides of the border- and Raghavan’s film highlights these emotions well.&nbsp;</p><p>At one point, Dharmendra tells Ahlawat that it is upon us to stop the war and the hatred across the two nations. And it comes from a man who has lost his young son at the age of 21 to war, killed defending his country. It comes from a man who has had to move out of his home and rebuild a life in a different city from scratch. Hatred should come easily to him, yet he chooses peace.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;</p><h2>Performances</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film boasts of earnest performances from its actors. Debutant Agastya Nanda plays his part with honesty and brings in the right amount of enthusiasm that's needed for the character. Jaideep Ahlawat plays a kind Pakistani officer who is righteous and wants to make amends. There are Sikander Kher, Vivaan Shah and Rahul Dev who deliver their parts well. Simar Bhatia holds promise.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The film, however, belongs to Dharmendra, who delivers a restrained, emotional performance of a man who has seen too much in life and yet has not given up being hopeful. His scenes with Ahlawat are high on emotions but also the best scenes in the film.&nbsp;</p><h2>Final verdict</h2><p>While Ikkis leave with bitter-sweet feelings about Pakistan, war and enmity, its release is timely. It comes when Bollywood’s sense of patriotism and revenge is more jingoistic than solution-driven. It comes at a time when shouting out loud your love for the country and hatred for Pakistan is considered normal. In such an environment, Ikkis feels like soothing balm. It celebrates the Indian army and its valour, talks of an important chapter in history and yet never sounds jingoistic.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Watch Ikkis for its story, for Raghavan’s cool references to war films and war books of the 1970s, for Agastya Nanda’s earnest performance and Dharmendra’s heartfelt act.&nbsp;</p>

Dharmendra delivers a class act in Sriram Raghavan's latest film, Ikkis, that goes beyond a war and talks of the aftermath of the 1971 war and how people suffer on both sides. It also has newcomer Agastya Nanda delivering an earnest performance as a young, brave army officer.

Ikkis is not your typical Sriram Raghavan film, yet you can still find the master storyteller’s signature style throughout the film. Raghavan, who is known for his mystery thrillers and neo-noir films, moves out of genre to make a war drama based on a real-life incident. The result is a beautiful film that not only highlights the valour of Second Lieutenant Arun Kehtarpal during a crucial operation at the fag end of the Indo-Pak war in 1971, but also goes beyond the conversation of war and talks of humanity. The film, starring Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat and Agastya Nanda, revisits a time when hatred was a common emotion between Indian and Pakistan but Raghavan, in his own way, talks about the futility of war and highlights the human side of soldiers on both sides of the border. While the theme is pertinent in today’s time and Raghavan’s story is an important one, Ikkis is also special because it is Dharmendra’s last film. The legendary actor, who passed away in November 2025, delivers a restrained performance as a father grieving his young son’s death in the film. The star’s performance leaves a heavy lump in the throat. Plot of Ikkis Set in two different years, one in 1971, as India goes to war with Pakistan, and the other in 2001, two years after the Kargil war, the film beautifully connects the characters and two plots into one single story. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal gets the news that his course at NDA is being cut short as India is at war with Pakistan. Arun, as part of the Poona Horse regiment, was first trained to man the tank and then was later part of the troop that fought at the Battle of Basantar. Arun was martyred and received the Paramveer Chakra posthumously. 30 years after the 1971 war, his father, retired Birgadier ML Khetarpal (Dharmendra) visits Pakistan for his college reunion in Lahore and is hosted by one Brigadier Nisaar (Jaideep Ahlawat) at his home during his stay. The retired Brigadier was part of the Pakistan army during the 1971 war and was linked to Arun, a fact that ML Khetarpal is not aware of initially. A former Army officer himself, the senior Khetarpal is aware of the futility of war. A victim of partition, he travels back to his home and college in Pakistan, to relive his childhood years once again, unaware that Nisaar wants to confess to him something related to his martyred son. The film keeps moving between the two stories. One that highlights Arun’s days at NDA, him being the righteous young boy who wants to become a brave Army officer just like his father. The days in training show Arun meeting and falling in love with Kiran(debutant Simar Bhatia), who pushes him to do better. The other story focuses on ML Khetarpal’s visit to Pakistan, first to Lahore and then to Sargodha, his ancestral home, in 2001, when India and Pakistan, fresh out of the Kargil war, were sceptical of each other even as they were trying to rebuild their bond as two neighbouring states. The film also focuses on the beautiful bond that General Nisaar and ML Khetarpal form over the course of a few days. The futility of war is highlighted in Ikkis The beauty of Ikkis lies in its poignant moments. The time when ML Khetarpal visits his ancestral home and is warmly hosted by the new occupants of the house. The moments when Arun and Kiran spend together while dating. Arun’s eagerness to prove his worth and be accepted into the army. The moments that Nisar and ML spend in Pakistan- all these add up for a beautiful, insightful story that Ikkis is. Antidote to Dhurandhar Ikkis comes at a time when the nation, fueled by Dhurandhar's success, is high on emotions of patriotism and hyper masculinity. Ikkis serves as an antidote to all the gore and violence that Dhurandhar propagates. It is unfair to compare Raghavan to the director Aditya Dhar. Raghavan is a seasoned filmmaker, known for his gripping, detailed mystery thrillers. Dhar, on the other hand, is relatively new, with just one film in his kitty before Dhurandhar. But both Ikkis and Dhurandhar are similar in theme of patriotism. Both films have Indians fighting against Pakistan. Yet, Ikkis is far superior in its messaging. Ikkis goes beyond war Ikkis goes beyond war and enmity and taps into the emotions of those who suffer post-war. An injured soldier, a grieving father of a martyr, a brave officer who has witnessed gore and death too closely- the aftermath of war is far more grievous and tragic on both sides of the border- and Raghavan’s film highlights these emotions well. At one point, Dharmendra tells Ahlawat that it is upon us to stop the war and the hatred across the two nations. And it comes from a man who has lost his young son at the age of 21 to war, killed defending his country. It comes from a man who has had to move out of his home and rebuild a life in a different city from scratch. Hatred should come easily to him, yet he chooses peace. Performances The film boasts of earnest performances from its actors. Debutant Agastya Nanda plays his part with honesty and brings in the right amount of enthusiasm that's needed for the character. Jaideep Ahlawat plays a kind Pakistani officer who is righteous and wants to make amends. There are Sikander Kher, Vivaan Shah and Rahul Dev who deliver their parts well. Simar Bhatia holds promise. The film, however, belongs to Dharmendra, who delivers a restrained, emotional performance of a man who has seen too much in life and yet has not given up being hopeful. His scenes with Ahlawat are high on emotions but also the best scenes in the film. Final verdict While Ikkis leave with bitter-sweet feelings about Pakistan, war and enmity, its release is timely. It comes when Bollywood’s sense of patriotism and revenge is more jingoistic than solution-driven. It comes at a time when shouting out loud your love for the country and hatred for Pakistan is considered normal. In such an environment, Ikkis feels like soothing balm. It celebrates the Indian army and its valour, talks of an important chapter in history and yet never sounds jingoistic. Watch Ikkis for its story, for Raghavan’s cool references to war films and war books of the 1970s, for Agastya Nanda’s earnest performance and Dharmendra’s heartfelt act.

<p>Dharmendra delivers a class act in Sriram Raghavan's latest film, Ikkis, that goes beyond a war and talks of the aftermath of the 1971 war and how people suffer on both sides. It also has newcomer Agastya Nanda delivering an earnest performance as a young, brave army officer.</p>

Ikkis movie review: Dharmendra and Agastya Nanda's film delivers a thoughtful antidote to Dhurandhar

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Ikkis review: Dharmendra's film delivers a thoughtful antidote to Dhurandhar