Ashikha N
MaktoobMedia
Vaazha 2
2026 · MaktoobMedia
Despite its flaws, the film feels genuine in its intentions. It aims to connect with the audience through shared experiences and emotions, and even when uneven, the storytelling carries a sense of honesty. For many who have once been at the receiving end of unchecked authority in school, these figures feel like a form of catharsis.
Thudakkam
2026 · MaktoobMedia
Thudakkam falls short because it does not take its character development far enough. A woman-centred film that still cannot quite escape a male imagination of empowerment, Meenu becomes most visibly powerful when she adopts the physical vocabulary traditionally assigned to male action heroes. The film wants to celebrate a woman who refuses victimhood, yet it cannot fully imagine her outside the binary of victim and fighter.
DC
2026 · MaktoobMedia
DC is at its best when Matheswaran trusts his actors and Anirudh's music to carry the weight of its violence and grief. But beneath all the bloodshed and stylish excess, the film's imagination rarely extends as far as its visual language. It is a striking reimagination of Devdas, though its writing does not always have the imagination to match its craft.