Kennith Rosario
The Hindu
Dream Girl
2019 · The Hindu · Sep 2019
Ayushmann Khurrana's knack for social satire is marred by a script and aesthetics more suitable for television than cinema
PM Narendra Modi
2019 · The Hindu · May 2019
Omung Kumar's hagiography on the Hindu nationalist leader makes you wonder if life is a parody of this film
De De Pyaar De
2019 · The Hindu · May 2019
If you look beyond the film's messaging and twisted sexual politics, its aesthetics is meant for television viewing. Constant close-ups, sitcom-y film score and blurred background shots of London make you feel trapped, with very little movement happening. The film's craft adds to its staleness and anachronistic feel. As much as the film wants to be an iconoclast, it reinstates the same conservatism it pretends to take down.
Us
2019 · The Hindu · Apr 2019
Jordan Peele's Us can be read as an allegory, a metaphor or allusion – but in the end is an urgent critique of American ills
The Tashkent Files
2019 · The Hindu · Apr 2019
With no conviction and utter confusion, the film is evidently more drama than reality. But the concern here is one of possibility: what if this was a potent, well-crafted propaganda film that released a day after India went to polls, slipping under the Election Commission radar?
Mary Poppins Returns
2019 · The Hindu · Jan 2019
Mary Poppins Returns is an overdosed saccharine panacea to the cynical times we live in
Bohemian Rhapsody
2018 · The Hindu · Nov 2018
The superficial biopic on Queen refuses to look beyond its heteronormative worldview
Helicopter Eela
2018 · The Hindu · Oct 2018
Helicopter Eela is a loud, tone-deaf mother-son coming-of-age saga that lacks insights and observational humour
Pataakha
2018 · The Hindu · Sep 2018
he rustic tale of sibling enmity provides an abundance of wisecracks Pataakha has everything that makes it a perfect fit in Vishal Bhardwaj's oeuvre: literary adaptation, feisty women, rustic hinterland, unapologetic use of dialect and free-flowing gaalis. Yet, the film doesn't feel contrived or formulaic.
Mitron
2018 · The Hindu · Sep 2018
This coming of age comedy about two opposite personalities is tiresome and repetitive...
Paltan
2018 · The Hindu · Sep 2018
It's difficult to tell if Paltan is a war film or a long-drawn advertisement for the armed forces...
Laila Majnu
2018 · The Hindu · Sep 2018
There's nothing to savour in Laila Majnu, till it goes insane...
The Spy Who Dumped Me
2018 · The Hindu · Aug 2018
The most unexpected aspect of this film, though, is all the violence and point-blank shootings, which one wouldn't typically associate with an otherwise frothy film. Shock value arising from these moments adds an added layer of dark comedy, and that's fundamentally where the problem lies – the film's inability to commit to one genre.
Dhadak
2018 · The Hindu · Jul 2018
With a focus on making the story cinematic, Dhadak loses its heart, wrath and social urgency
Book Club
2018 · The Hindu · May 2018
Despite a tried-and-tested premise, Bill Holderman's directorial debut falls flat. There's a nagging déjà vu telling us that we've seen better tales of female camaraderie before, because we most definitely have.
Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain
2018 · The Hindu · May 2018
Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain is facile instead of an insightful take on arranged marriages
A Quiet Place
2018 · The Hindu · Apr 2018
At the centre of a film as disturbing as this is a tender portrayal of family, parenthood, loss and companionship, proving that there is, in fact, ample space and scope for meaningful horror, like last year's Get Out. But with an apocalyptic premise, there are bound to be several loopholes, which stand out rather starkly.
The Square
2018 · The Hindu · Mar 2018
Despite the censorship, The Square manages to emerge as a rewarding experience. It's quite enriching when an artist, in this case Östlund, pushes the boundaries of cinema to unfamiliarise, and even destroy, known concepts, creating a sense of heightened awareness towards them. Be it towards accepted norms of human behaviour, poverty in a posh Scandinavian city or politics of capitalism, it all ultimately forms the bedrock of strong artistic discourse.
Tomb Raider
2018 · The Hindu · Mar 2018
Despite making big bucks, Angelina Jolie's two-film series are far from being counted among the memorable action films of Hollywood. The emphasis back then was on the fights, which Jolie immortalised as Lara Croft. Vikander brings in a youthful, millennial vibe to the character and the focus sharply – and still – remains on the action sequences, which is tactfully executed, no doubt. But this was a second chance for the film to go beyond and set things right in other departments, but it ends up being a cinematic manifestation of the proverbial saying – old habits, die hard.
Mubarakan
2017 · The Hindu · Jul 2017
If you survive the visual overload of mediocrity, the booming background music playing throughout will leave you with tintinnabulations of dhol, even long after the film is over, constantly reminding you of the torture you've endured.