Sajin Shrijith
The Week·New Indian Express·Cinema Express
Senior Sub-editor, Film critic at THE WEEK magazine
Most Divergent Takes
- Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar (2026)10.0 vs TRM 6.3+3.7
- Dorothy (2026)10.0 vs TRM 6.8+3.2
- Unmadham (2026)9.0 vs TRM 5.9+3.1
- DC (2026)10.0 vs TRM 7.0+3.0
- Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (2026)10.0 vs TRM 7.4+2.6
Khalifa: The Ruler
2026 · The Week
'Khalifa' attempts a grand mass-action film with Shaji Kailas/Joshiy-style ambition, but it ultimately lacks the compelling fire of those legendary Malayalam blockbusters. A mostly dull gangster drama heavily reliant on a rousing last-minute superstar cameo to revive it.
Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar
2026 · The Week
PDK is a film that embodies layers both seen and unseen with the backing of strong emotions, presenting situations far more complicated than 'Drishyam' and standing out as a benchmark-setting experience with impeccable performances, direction, cinematography, and score.
I'm Game
2026 · The Week
Drawing from a familiar supernatural concept, Dulquer Salmaan's 'I'm Game' struggles to balance its creative potential with generic mass entertainer elements, leading to uninspired action sequences and character portrayals
Bethlehem Kudumba Unit
2026 · The Week
Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju deliver their best in a wholesome film. They're directed with impressive finesse by a filmmaker who continues to deliver the goods in a territory he is most comfortable with.
Unmadham
2026 · The Week
'Unmadham' successfully combines crime investigation, personal drama, and supernatural elements, leaving the audience to interpret its ambiguous nature until the very end.
Vaazha 2
2026 · The Week
'Vaazha 2' is funnier than its predecessor, but the narrative feels thinner. However, it remains as essential as the original, capturing genuine emotions about privilege, family dynamics, and personal growth that resonate deeply with its audience.
Dorothy
2026 · The Week
Some films can put you completely at ease even when they occasionally tread dark, disturbing territory because of the filmmaker's complete command of the craft. With "Dorothy", he has made a film that's far braver than what Geetu Mohandas did with "Moothon" or Jeo Baby did with "Kaathal – The Core". Earth-shattering, to say the least.
Jailer 2
2026 · The Week
Far funnier sequel with some of Nelson's best writing, and also his weakest
Thug Life
2025 · The Week
Kamal Haasan's emotionally unfulfilling film suffers from a serious case of identity confusion. In some places, this Mani Ratnam directorial aspires to be 'Nayakan 2.0'; in others, it's split between becoming a 'John Wick', 'Batman Begins' or an 'Indian 1.5'.
Alappuzha Gymkhana
2025 · The Week
'Alappuzha Gymkhana' creates a perfect hangout experience that evokes the vibe of Richard Linklater films, paying as much attention to the way boxing matches are staged and shot as to the central characters and their dynamic.
Thudarum
2025 · The Week
Even during the film's darkest moments, the filmmaker behind 'Operation Java' and 'Saudi Vellakka' doesn't forget to inject us with much-welcome doses of catharsis.
Kalamkaval
2025 · The Week
Mammootty's incredible chameleonic abilities are once again put to great use in a thriller that takes many interesting detours along the way.
Pushpa 2 - The Rule
2024 · The Week
The Allu Arjun-Fahadh Faasil film runs out of ideas and fuel in the final hour, where it takes an exasperating nose dive.
Romancham
2023 · New Indian Express
Romancham is at its funniest when it explores the idiosyncrasies of these characters, particularly after Soubin's character introduces them to the idea of summoning ghosts through an OUIJA board. The film gets to have a lot of fun with the material and gives a fresh twist to the horror-comedy genre, extracting comedy from scenarios that terrify those living in the house but are comical to distant observers like us.
Hridayam
2022 · New Indian Express
Vineeth Sreenivasan has structured Hridayam in a way that makes it seem like you're watching two feel-good films for the price of one. It's the therapeutic quality of Hridayam that I loved the most. It makes you feel less embarrassed about the awkward, foolish things you did in the past. As a coming-of-age drama, Hridayam is to Vineeth Sreenivasan what Premam was to Alphonse Puthren.
Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai
2026 · The Week · Oct 2026
YKYM is a strange film not because it tells a strange story, but because for a film that preaches empathy and compassion, such creative choices dilute whatever message they're trying to convey. Unfortunately, many of them are AI-generated, including a few inconsistent ones. Which, it goes without saying, is quite disappointing to see.
Mirzapur: The Movie
2026 · The Week · Sep 2026
'Mirzapur: The Movie' serves as an engaging, albeit lengthy, cinematic side-quest that enriches the established universe and hints at future developments in the series timeline
DC
2026 · The Week · Aug 2026
“DC” is a perfect demonstration of the principle that a dark, gritty, violent film doesn’t necessarily have to look wholly unpleasant; you don’t need to make it bereft of colours, contrast and lighting.
Jana Nayagan
2026 · The Week · Jul 2026
The Vijay-starrer attempts to blend multiple social messages and political commentary with entertainment, but ultimately falls short due to its excessive length and lack of focus.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge
2026 · The Week · Mar 2026
The few narrative shortcomings aside, "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" offers more in terms of character development and features one of Ranveer Singh's finest performances
Sarvam Maya
2025 · The Week · Dec 2025
The film marks the triumphant return of Nivin Pauly to his beloved charming persona in a feel-good fantasy directed by Akhil Sathyan, who presents a heartwarming 'ghost-as-angel' story, perfect for the holiday season.
Madharaasi
2025 · The Week · Sep 2025
Sivakarthikeyan plays a trauma-riddled yet empowered hero in a film with some neatly done high-octane action sequences, self-aware narrative, and surprising merits that overshadow its minor flaws.
Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira
2025 · The Week · Aug 2025
Many events occur in 'Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira', but little of them makes sense. If the intention was to echo the idiosyncratic vibe of a Korean rom-com or emulate Wes Anderson or Woody Allen, the attempt falls short.
Thalavara
2025 · The Week · Aug 2025
'Thalavara' is a warm hug of a film anchored by Arjun Ashokan's genuinely moving performance. Akhil Anilkumar directs the film with enough subtlety and restraint, a quality that also applies to his actors, all of whom do their bits to make the overall experience endearing and relatable.
Ronth
2025 · The Week · Jun 2025
Ronth marks Shahi Kabir's fifth police thriller and is once again coloured by his real-life experiences as a policeman who has seen all kinds of disquieting events. Shahi Kabir's golden run continues in a spiritual successor to 'Nayattu', with the best from Roshan Mathew and Dileesh Pothan.
Retro
2025 · The Week · May 2025
The film begins to falter in the post-interval portions where the political subtext comes off looking contrived.
L2: Empuraan
2025 · The Week · Mar 2025
The second chapter of 'Lucifer' is too pre-occupied with eyeball-catching visualisation than storytelling prowess, and suffers a little as a result.
Rekhachithram
2025 · The Week · Jan 2025
'Rekhachithram' aims for the cinephile in all of us, and, in doing so, gets you to admire the inventiveness with which director Jofin T Chacko weaves together all the pieces of the puzzle.
Abraham Ozler
2024 · New Indian Express · Jan 2024
Intriguing details camouflage an unaffecting thriller
Neru
2023 · New Indian Express · Dec 2023
Director Jeethu Joseph, with co-writer and actor Shanti Mayadevi, endeavours to make a legal drama of unwavering focus and succeeds. They ensure that Mohanlal's presence doesn't take the limelight away from Anaswara and the issues addressed.
Antony
2023 · New Indian Express · Dec 2023
Overfamiliarity breeds fatigue—that's Antony in a nutshell. It has tropes, themes, situations, characters, and milieu that we have seen way too many times... It's one of those movies that would've probably worked in the 80s or 90s but appears way past its expiry date.
Kaathal - The Core
2023 · Cinema Express · Nov 2023
Kaathal is arguably the most daring attempt from Malayalam cinema so far, mainly owing to one of its biggest superstars spearheading a film that asks some much-needed questions about a complex topic that doesn't have to be so. Kaathal is yet another testament to the fact that Mammootty still carries the ability to stun you in the most unexpected ways.
Kannur Squad
2023 · New Indian Express · Sep 2023
Kannur Squad works much better as a story of resilient police officers than an 'action movie'. It's impressive how Mammootty endeavours to deliver a performance devoid of repetitiveness, and the film manages to find a neat balance between commercial and realistic cinema sensibilities.
Corona Papers
2023 · Cinema Express · Apr 2023
Despite Priyadarshan's interesting modifications to the original story, Corona Papers fails to make one emotionally invested and its inability to find a fittingly logical resolution to all its threads work heavily against it.
Pranaya Vilasam
2023 · New Indian Express · Feb 2023
Despite the slight undercurrent of sadness that pervades the entire story, Pranaya Vilasam is careful not to go so 'dark' as to dampen our spirits. It achieves a neat balance between the light and dark moments by immediately switching to the humour-filled bonding scenes between Arjun and Manoj after a sombre moment.