Gandhi Talks
Comedy (Hindi)
A silent black comedy, about the monetary needs of a character & how it impacts the others. A young, unemployed graduate Mahadev’s struggle to land a job through any means possible and crosses paths with a businessman and petty thief. (more…)
Mardaani 3
Action, Crime, Thriller (Hindi)
Officer Shivani Shivaji Roy returns to hunt down those behind the disappearance of young girls, risking everything to bring them back alive. (more…)
Guild Reviews
Sthal
Drama (Marathi)
It chronicles the experiences of a young woman yearning to determine her own future in a world where patriarchal traditions deprive women of agency and arranged marriage is presented as the only option for self-betterment.
Cast:
Nandini Chikte, Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Sandip Somalkar, Sandip Parkhi, Swati Ulmale, Gauri Badki, Mansi Pawar, Sachin Tonge
Director:
Jayant Digambar Somalkar
Writer:
Jayant Digambar Somalkar
A Spotify Review
Sat, February 7 2026
Sthal, the Marathi-language feature from debutante director Jayant Digambar Somalkar, is one of the best films of 2025. It’s a deftly written, confidently shot, and expertly performed psychological drama about the commodification of women. We discuss the anger at the film’s core, its bleak view of Indian society, and the catharsis it provides with an instant-classic climax.
Marathi Film Shining Again
Sun, March 9 2025
(Writing for The Common Man Speaks)
Subtle yet powerful critique of forced arranged marriages of girls
Sun, March 9 2025
India is obsessed with marriages. Weddings take place all over the country in different regions and among different communities and they are celebrated like anything. However, even in today’s times in rural India, the idea of a girl’s forced arranged marriage still exists. Filmmaker Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s Sthal (A Match) boldly highlights this social evil. The movie takes place in a village in Maharashtra named Dongargaon and it revolves around Savita Daulatrao Wandhare (Nandini Chikte). She is in her Final year of Bachelor of Arts course and her specialization subject is Sociology. Her father (Taranath Khiratkar) and mother (Sangita Sonekar) wish to get her married off soon but she wants to study further.
Vadh 2
Crime, Drama, Thriller (Hindi)
A police officer's pursuit of truth in a shocking prison crime intertwines with the lives of a widowed prison guard and a soon to be released inmate, unravelling a web of morality and redemption.
Cast:
Sanjay Mishra, Neena Gupta, Kumud Mishra, Amitt K Singh, Akshay Dogra, Shilpa Shukla, Yogita Bihani, Akanksha Ojha
Director:
Jaspal Singh Sandhu
Writer:
Jaspal Singh Sandhu
Justice on Trial
Sat, February 7 2026
Vadh (2022) came without much fanfare, yet the narrative of a couple battling their circumstances gradually gained recognition as a thriller. Vadh 2 serves as a spiritual sequel to the original film, featuring the same characters, although the storyline is entirely independent of its predecessor. With a runtime of just over 2 hours, the film’s length is reasonable; but even that becomes an uphill task because of the bland screenplay that relies heavily on the final ‘twist’.
A Decent Sequel, A Poignant Crime Drama
Sat, February 7 2026
The opening minutes of Vadh 2 feature a surprisingly tender moment. It’s past midnight in a prison complex in the wilderness of Madhya Pradesh. A wall separates the female and male wards. Manju Singh (Neena Gupta), a senior inmate of 28 years, sits on one side of the wall and chats with Shambunath Mishra (Sanjay Mishra), a long-time constable, from the other side. It’s a ‘blind’ date of sorts; they can’t see each other, but it’s a routine etched from decades of familiarity (he’s the official bootlegger) and friendship (her friends refer to him as her “aashiq”). Under the stars, they discuss each other’s life now. Her term is ending and she doesn’t want to leave; he speaks of loneliness and offers her a bottle on his birthday. You feel for the old ‘couple’: united by shackles, divided by freedom. They could be a film on their own. One of the merits of Vadh 2 is that it never loses sight of this little film. It’s a moment that echoes across a story that keeps expanding: a moment that keeps reclaiming the eyes of companionship from the jaws of a crime thriller.
Neena Gupta, Sanjay Mishra fails to deliver on its promise
Sat, February 7 2026
If you compare the two, the spiritual successor of the 2022 Vadh is better than the original, but as a stand-alone, Vadh 2 stops short on delivering on the promise it begins with. First off, though, props to the way the prison drama gives attention to all its characters, not just to the two main leads: Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra bear the same names, but, in an interesting turn, do not reprise their roles. In the first film, Shambhunath and Manju are middle-aged spouses, done in by the selfishness of an only son. In this one, the former works in Shivpuri prison, the latter is an inmate, serving life imprisonment for a double murder.
Scarlet
Animation, Action, Drama, Science Fiction (Japanese)
After failing to avenge her father's murder, Princess Scarlet, wakes up in the "Land of the Dead." In this world filled with madness, if she does not achieve her revenge against her nemesis and reach the "No End Place," she will become "Void" and cease to exist. Can Scarlet find a way to live at the end of her endless journey?
Cast:
Mana Ashida, Masaki Okada, Yutaka Matsushige, Kotaro Yoshida, Koji Yakusho, Masachika Ichimura, Yuki Saito, Shota Sometani, Munetaka Aoki, Kazuhiro Yamaji
Director:
Mamoru Hosoda
Mamoru Hosada's Ambitious Hamlet Retelling Is Visually Gorgeous But Muddled
Sat, February 7 2026
Mirai director Mamoru Hosada’s newest offering is a genderbeat version of Hamlet. In Scarlet, a pink-haired princess travels through the Otherworld to avenge the death of her father at the hands of her own uncle, the king who has usurped his throne. Battling trials and obstacles, Scarlet has help from an unlikely ally and travels to enter the Infinite Land. Mashing up a new mythology created for his film with the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare, Scarlet is action-filled and visually stunning. However, the Japanese anime feature falters in its message of self-discovery versus revenge.
Mayilaa
Drama (Tamil)
Mayilaa embarks on a journey as a travelling salesperson in Southern India to fulfil her expensive obligations. The only problem: she doesn’t know how to sell. A sharp yet heartwarming tale of a mother-daughter duo finding their feet on the road.
Cast:
Melodi Dorcas, Shudarkodi V, Sathya Maruthani, Geetha Kailasam, Auto Chandran, Janaki Suresh
Director:
Semmalar Annam
(Writing for OTT Play)
Semmalar Annam's Debut Feature Intertwines Work, Faith & Fury
Mon, February 2 2026
If you possess above average knowledge of contemporary Tamil cinema, Semmalar Annam might be familiar. Maybe you cannot place the name, but you will recall the face, a face unfortunately stereotyped by Tamil filmmakers. She is an actor with such ferocious presence that if you give her half a decent role, she will single-handedly lift a film. Films like Leena Manimekalai’s Maadathy and Jaikumar Sedhuraman’s Sennai are a testament to this talent, but my favourite Semmalar performance came in a short film, Arikarasudhan’s Ullangai Nellikkani, an adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s The Woman Who Came at Six o’clock. She has also directed short films, and now her debut directorial feature, Mayilaa, premieres at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this week in the Bright Future section. The 97-minute feature, produced by Newton Cinema and presented by Pa. Ranjith, is quite indicative of the promises in this section full of debutantes.
Mardaani 3
Action, Crime, Thriller (Hindi)
Officer Shivani Shivaji Roy returns to hunt down those behind the disappearance of young girls, risking everything to bring them back alive.
Cast:
Rani Mukerji, Mallika Prasad, Janki Bodiwala, Jisshu Sengupta, Mikhail Yawalkar, Jaipreet Singh, Sachin Negi, Jimpa Sangpo Bhutia, Prajesh Kashyap, Indraneel Bhattacharya
Director:
Abhiraj Minawala
(Writing for The Daily Eye)
RETURNS WITH GRIT AND LIMITS
Mon, February 2 2026
The inherent dilemma of a successful franchise lies in its creative confinement. Once a central premise has been firmly established, subsequent chapters often circle familiar terrain, offering variations rather than reinvention. Mardaani 3 is no exception. Shivani Shivaji Roy returns once more—unyielding, razor-sharp, and morally incandescent—to dispense justice, this time in pursuit of girls who vanish without a trace.
Rani Mukerji-led crime thriller retreats into familiar territory
Mon, February 2 2026
Abhiraj Minawala’s Mardaani 3 begins where the franchise is most comfortable: with a crisis that demands urgency. Two girls are kidnapped from a farmhouse in Bulandshahar. One is the daughter of an Indian diplomat. The other belongs to the domestic worker employed by the family. The distinction is not subtle, and neither is the film’s point. What initially appears to be a mistake quickly escalates into a national-level crisis, exposing the familiar fault lines of power and urgency. Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji), now with the National Investigation Agency in Delhi, is called in to handle the case. She takes charge instantly.
Ungendering the mass action hero
Sat, January 31 2026
Are female cops different from male cops? At least in the way they are shown in commercial films and series? An example of this can be found halfway through Mardaani 3. Top cop Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) is tense in a hospital lobby after her husband was attacked by the antagonist Amma (Mallika Prasad). What should she ideally do as both a woman and an officer? When Shivani receives a tip about the villains, the scene pauses for a microsecond, the camera glances at the emergency room, and then she gets up and walks out. She does so because Shivani is the hero of the franchise, not the heroine. Minutes later, she is seated in the same fashion but outside a morgue. It’s not her husband but somebody else that’s the victim this time, and Shivani has tears in her eyes – something that a Chulbul Pandey (Dabangg) never would.
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi
Comedy (Telugu)
Prashanthi gives up her dreams for love, only to fall into abusive relationships first with her lecturer and later with her husband, Omkar, who pretends to support her but turns violent and manipulative. After enduring trauma, betrayal, and a heartbreaking miscarriage, she secretly strengthens herself, escapes his control, and rebuilds her life by starting a successful business. When Omkar's abuse becomes public and reaches court, she refuses divorce, not out of love, but to ensure no other woman suffers the same fate
Cast:
Eesha Rebba, Tharun Bhascker, Brahmaji, Sivannarayana Naripeddi, Bindu Chandramouli, Goparaju Vijay
Director:
Sajeev AR
Writer:
Vipin Das
Eesha Rebba, Tharun Bhascker shine in this sharp critique of patriarchy
Sun, February 1 2026
The 2022 Malayalam film Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey was not subtle in its take on patriarchy, opting instead for an intentionally over-the-top reversal of power. In adapting the film into Telugu and relocating it to the Godavari region, director A.R. Sajeev stays largely faithful to the original. Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi is a partly fun, partly simmering emotional drama, shouldered by compelling performances from Eesha Rebba and Tharun Bhascker. While it does not always strike the right note, the film effectively captures the many ways patriarchy continues to stifle women, and how both men and women often enable it.
Mayasabha
Fantasy, Thriller (Hindi)
The monsoons have washed Mumbai. RAVARANA has just come out on parole. He is nothing but a security guard in Mumbai. He, along with his sister Zeenat, lives a life in Chawl. Every day is a struggle and existence is hand to mouth. Both are in their late 30s and life seems to be an exercise in defeat.One day they meet a bizarre boy, Vasu.
Cast:
Javed Jaffrey, Veena Jamkar, Deepak Damle, Mohammad Samad
Director:
Rahi Anil Barve
Writer:
Rahi Anil Barve
जावेद जाफरी चमके, पर फिल्म फीकी
Sat, January 31 2026
लोककथा पर आधारित ‘तुम्बाड’ जैसी शानदार पीरियड हॉरर फिल्म के निर्देशक अनिल राही बर्वे करीब 8 साल के लंबे इंतजार बाद लौटे हैं। उनकी इस दूसरी फिल्म का नाम ‘मयसभा: द हॉल ऑफ इल्यूजन’ है। शुक्रवार, 30 जनवरी 2026 को सिनेमाघरों में रिलीज हुई यह फिल्म कुछ मायनों में ‘तुम्बाड’ की यादें भी ताजा करती है, क्योंकि इसकी दुनिया भी सोना और इंसानी लालच के इर्द-गिर्द ही बुनी गई है। हालांकि, बावजूद इसके यह तुम्बाड वाला असर नहीं छोड़ पाती।
An Original But Less-Than-Affecting Psychological Drama
Fri, January 30 2026
In Tumbbad director Rahi Anil Barve’s second film, stories are told in a cinema hall. Quite literally. A few characters reminisce, rage, narrate, perform and lie in a decrepit Mumbai movie theater named Mayasabha; they may be projecting, but the blank screen is witness to the telling and untelling of their stories. The place looks halfway abandoned between suffocating reality and misty mythology: like a penniless single-screen auditorium that gave up on its own allegorical significance (as Mahabharata’s Hall of Illusions). It is also “home” to a once-famous and now-unhinged film producer, Parmeshwar Kumar (Jaaved Jaaferi). He lives in the past but scoffs at history.
Movies as puzzles, brought to you by Rahi Anil Barve.
Fri, January 30 2026
Bridgerton S04 Part 1
Drama (English)
Wealth, lust, and betrayal set in the backdrop of Regency era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.
Cast:
Ruth Gemmell, Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Florence Hunt, Will Tilston, Adjoa Andoh, Julie Andrews, Golda Rosheuvel
Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha's Magical Chemistry Drives Cinderella Story
Sat, January 31 2026
Bridgerton Season 4 turns its attention to the fourth sibling and second son, Benedict (Luke Thompson), who has put off the marriage mart for too long. He finds a mysterious Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball, but she vanishes without leaving her name or address. Based on the romance novels by Julia Quinn, each sibling’s love story follows a different trope. Season 4 is about love at first sight and follows an emotional Cinderella story where the couple has to overcome a few obstacles towards their happily ever after. While the narrative does get a bit overstuffed at times, the central couple sells this season with their magical chemistry.
Shrinking S03
Drama, Comedy (English)
Jimmy is struggling to grieve the loss of his wife while being a dad, friend, and therapist. He decides to try a new approach with everyone in his path: unfiltered, brutal honesty. Will it make things better—or unleash uproarious chaos?
Cast:
Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, Luke Tennie, Michael Urie, Lukita Maxwell, Christa Miller, Ted McGinley
Jason Segel, Harrison Ford's Comedy Gets Personal, Sets Up Endgame
Sat, January 31 2026
The therapists at Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center and their loud and wacky friends are back for a new season of Shrinking. The Apple TV comedy series, created by star Jason Segel and Ted Lasso’s Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, started out about a man coming to terms with his grief after his wife’s death. It has since evolved into a series about found family and friendship when dealing with life issues such as death, illness, and relationships. This season, the makers have amped all these storylines and set up a way for the show to say goodbye and leave fans happy with where we leave them.
Daldal
Drama, Mystery (Hindi)
Haunted by the guilt of her past and dealing with the demons of her present, a newly-appointed DCP, Rita Ferreira, must embark on an investigation of a series of murders that puts her on a collision course with a cold-blooded serial killer.
Cast:
Bhumi Pednekar, Samara Tijori, Aditya Rawal, Geeta Agrawal Sharma, Chinmay Mandlekar, Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, Sandeep Kulkarni, Rahul Bhat, Jaya Bhattacharya
Director:
Amrit Raj Gupta
Writer:
Priya Saggi, Sreekanth Agneeaswaran, Rohan D'Souza
A gloomy ride in and out of Daldal
Sat, January 31 2026
In ‘Bhakshak’, Bhumi Pednekar’s Vaishali Singh busted the wrongdoings in a shelter home. In ‘Daldal’, her character is face to face with a victim-turned-assassin from the same place. Before you accuse us of letting the cat out of the bag, let it be said that the seven-episode crime thriller is not exactly a whodunit. Early on, by Episode 2, we know who the killer is. So, it’s the why and how which is more significant. Suresh Triveni, who gave us the delightful ‘Tumhari Sullu’ and ‘Jalsa’, is the creator of the series.
An emotionally exhausting slog
Fri, January 30 2026
A tale of damaged people caught in a psychological swamp, Daldal is a thriller that is more keen on uncovering the motivations behind the crime than on who committed it. The plot follows DCP Rita Ferreira (Bhumi Pednekar) investigating a series of gruesome murders while confronting her guilt-ridden past and a patriarchal system that projects committed female police officers as mere showpieces.
Samara completely becomes the character she plays in Daldal. The moment she’s on screen, it’s impossible to look away
Fri, January 30 2026
Gandhi Talks
Comedy (Hindi)
A silent black comedy, about the monetary needs of a character & how it impacts the others. A young, unemployed graduate Mahadev’s struggle to land a job through any means possible and crosses paths with a businessman and petty thief. A subject wherein silence speaks much louder than words. Although a work of fiction by the writer, all the characters in the film are sketched out to seem very real and relatable ensuring an enriching journey as well a laugh riot as the cat and mouse guffaws amongst them unfold. Gandhi Talks aims at telling a story by switching off the device of dialogue, which is not only scary but also interesting and challenging.
Cast:
Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swamy, Aditi Rao Hydari, Divay Dhamija, Siddharth Jadhav
Director:
Kishor Pandurang 'Belekar'
Writer:
Kishor Pandurang 'Belekar'
Vijay Sethupathi’s film is silent in form, talkie in soul
Fri, January 30 2026
In many ways, Gandhi Talks feels like a spiritual remake of Kamal Haasan’s Pushpaka Vimana (1987), also released in Tamil as Pesum Padam — a silent film about a struggling, unemployed man who takes a shortcut to wealth and high life before returning to honesty and struggle.
Vijay Sethupathi can’t save this ambitious silent film
Fri, January 30 2026
I went into this film for a couple of reasons. One to see how inventive this silent film was, and the other because I can happily watch Vijay Sethupathi reading a directory. Here’s how it unfolds. Sethupathi plays a Poor Man Living With Usha Nadkarni’s Always Coughing Mother In A Chawl. He is in love with Aditi Rao Hydari’s Beautiful Damsel, who lives Ghar Ke Saamne. Arvind Swamy is a Rich Man Living In A Mansion.
A tender portrait of humanity in a chaotic world
Fri, January 30 2026
A tragicomedy steeped in survival and inner turmoil, this silent film follows Mahadev (Vijay Sethupathi), a Mumbai chawl dweller striving for a better life for himself and his ailing mother in a cluttered metropolis that, despite its chaos, has a big heart. Elsewhere in the city, celebrated builder Boseman (Arvind Swamy) finds himself grappling with personal and professional setbacks that push him to the brink. Both men are victims of corruption and circumstance. When their paths cross, they are unaware that pain neither absolves privilege nor spares poverty.
Send Help
Horror, Thriller, Comedy (English)
Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
Cast:
Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien, Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Emma Raimi, Bruce Campbell
Director:
Sam Raimi
Writer:
Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
(Writing for OTT Play)
A Delicious Send-Up Of Hollywood Survival Thrillers
Fri, January 30 2026
Sam Raimi’s Send Help stars Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle, a disgruntled corporate employee who finds herself stranded on an island with the sexist young CEO of the company after his private jet crashes into the ocean. She’s the better survivalist (Survival is literally her favourite reality series), so the power dynamic is reversed on the island — and she starts to enjoy it a bit too much. Her injured but smug boss, Bradley, begins to rely on her like the volleyball Wilson might have depended on Tom Hanks in Cast Away. She likes his dependence. At some point, the two even threaten to enter romcom territory, what with the days and weeks of cohabiting and building sheds and cooking and hunting together. That’s how it goes: the two enemies fall in love, and their differences are fetishised.