Haseen Dillruba Marries a Problematic Narrative with an Engrossing Plot to Mixed Results
I was randomly scouring through Netflix when I came across a trailer with Aditya Srivastava wearing a police uniform. It instantly took me back to the CID days. That’s when I decided that I’ll be watching Haseen Dillruba the moment that…
Pagglait Reflects on 13 Days of Grief, Self-Discovery and Rebirth
Pagglait packs the classic elements of a Bollywood funeral into one story-- the going-ons beyond the mourning in the form of gossip, financial uncertainties and personal tensions, all camouflaged under awkward remembrance of the dear departee. Yet the movie distinguishes…
Bombay Begums is An Incomplete Tale of Unconventional Women
Through a 13-year-old’s voiceover (Shai, played by Aadhya Anand), directors and screenwriters Alankrita Shrivastava and Bornila Chatterjee underline the narrative of Bombay Begums placing Rani (Pooja Bhatt), the newly appointed CEO of the fictional Royal Bank of Bombay in the…
Bombay Rose tells A Nostalgic Tale of Ancient Love
“The warmth still lingers today from the comfort that left me yesterday.” AsI finished watching Bombay Rose, this line from the 2018 anime anthology, Flavors of Youth kept running circles through my brain. I cannot help but get overwhelmed by feelings…
The White Tiger Takes on Class Dynamics, and One Man’s Determination to Rise Above Them
“The story of a poor man’s life is written on his body, in a sharp pen.” Directed by Ramin Bahrani, Netflix's The White Tiger is a gripping adaptation of Arvind Adiga's Booker Prize winning novel of the same name. Apart…
Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors Tackles Important Issues, Set under the Backdrop of a Murder Case
Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors is the second season of the Criminal Justice series, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t accessible to viewers who haven’t watched the first season. Following on the footsteps of the original series on BBC, Behind…
Tandav is a Slow-Paced Political Thriller That Squanders its Strong Acting Performances
If you saw Tandav’s trailer, you might have already seen the warning signs. Sure, the show boasts a stellar cast and a director (Ali Abbas Zafar) who is known for directing Salman Khan blockbusters, but its story is overblown and…
AK vs AK is a Clever, Meta-Take on the Age-Old Clash Between Bollywood Royalty and Outsiders
AK vs AK has an ingenious concept at the heart of its narrative: a meta-story about the quintessential clash between a star and a director driven up to eleven. If you are into Bollywood’s dynasties and lineages, you might be…
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story takes an In-Depth (and Addictive) Look into the Rise and Fall of a Charming Huckster
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story has made waves since it was released on Sony Liv in October. The web series chronicles the rise and fall of Harshad Mehta, labelled by financial publications as the “Raging Bull’ and “Big Bull”…
Ludo is an Entertaining Black Comedy that Blends Four Different Narratives to Great Effect
Ludo has all the hallmarks of a signature Anurag Basu production: loud color palettes, a almost whimsical brand of dark comedy and multiple intersecting narratives. This is Basu’s first film after Jagga Jasoos, which met mixed reactions. Over the course…
- Fargo Delivers a Compelling Fifth Season, Driven by a Standout Lead Performance 9
- Dune: Part Two – A Massive, Visually Transcendent Sci-Fi Achievement 9
- Jaane Jaan: Spectacular Kareena Kapoor, Vijay Varma, and Jaideep Ahlawat convey a wide range of emotions in the mystery thriller. 8
- Blue Eye Samurai: Netflix’s best-animated series in 2023 8
- True Detective: Night Country – A Flawed But Intriguing Return to Form 6
- Napoleon is a Flawed Historical Epic that Offers a Contrarian but Uninteresting Take on the French Emperor 7
- “Unveiling the Tragedy: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Exposes the Chilling Intersection of Greed and Genocide in 1920s Oklahoma 8
