one time wanderer

I am still not being done majorly creeped out by the Sridevi-NTR pairing. The man literally played her grandfather in a 1972 movie, and now... *vomits* Apart from the major cringe factor, this was also really boring to sit through. I blanked out for at least an hour in the middle, and made Venkatesh gifs on my phone. And honestly, I don't feel like I lost out on much. My favourite parts were Rao Gopal Rao's lengthy monologues, and of course, Sridevi Amma being an A1 comedy queen all the time. Thankfully, I only zoned in for her bits, and had a reasonably good time. As for NTR- no amount of make up and wigs can hide the fact that he was a 56 year old man romancing a 16 year old girl. It was so painfully obvious that I fast-forwarded through all the romance bits, but even then, I felt extremely disturbed by whatever I managed to catch of the 'Aaku Chaatu Pinde Tadise' song *screams* In conclusion, after promising myself that I will try to stay away from trash after watchi...

This could probably have gone down as one of the greatest comedies in TFI history, had they not bothered too much with the romantic plot in the second half. I'm not exaggerating- some of the comedy sequences were so hilarious that I didn't even mind the absence of a coherent plot line keeping it all together. But the romance angle between Venky and Trisha was so insipid, boring and unrealistic that it eventually started getting in the way of me enjoying this thoroughly. It was clearly just there to tick off a box and really didn't add anything at all to the overall effect of the movie; rather, it took away lots from it. Venkatesh, as always, does not disappoint. He keeps you glued to the screen in a way only he can, and it's because of this that I survived without subtitles for about 21 minutes in the beginning. And also because my Telugu is improving (at least, I like to think so). I can never get enough of his loser roles, and this one is as chaotic and memorable as h...

My biggest take-aways from this movie, in decreasing order of how long they stayed in my brain while watching the movie: 1. "Man, what an actor"- in response to every scene starring Mr. Amrish Puri. 2. "I'm not just a thirsty hoe, Pooja Batra is actually an underrated goddess"- while simultaneously breaking down along with her in the scene where she confronts Shakti (Anil Kapoor). 3. "Have I been sleeping on Anil Kapoor all this while? Just like I have done with Madhuri Dixit??"- the first part because I was stunned by how engaging I found his performance, and the second part- well, let's just say that I am a Mads simp on top of everything else now. 4. "HOW CUTE IS TABU? JUST HOW CUTE IS SHE?"- I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. Definitely one of the better 90s movies (train station scenes included), if you can handle the Thakur chest-thumping which is the foundation of this movie- although I must add here that the story does a ...

Despite all my problems with this movie (which we will come to shortly), I fully understand and agree when it's called a "milestone in the history of Indian cinema". I had seen this before as a kid, and comparing my reactions then to my reactions now, I not only see how I have grown as a person, but also appreciate the impact that cinema, especially popular cinema, has on both collective and individual consciousness. Let's start with my complaints: my biggest one is with the blatant Rajput pride that operates as a central talking point in the movie. As realistic as it is (yes, that was shade at the Rajputs' pride and not at the movie), it get tiring after a while. I legit wanted to take a shot everytime someone mentioned their caste, because there was no way I wanted to be sober for such shameless casteist propaganda. The second thing that irked me was that even though Raj & Rashmi's love story was easily the best (and seemingly the most important) part of...

Sometimes, it surprises even me to realise just how big a soft spot I have for early 00s era Rani Mukerji. Despite being theoretically aware that this movie is pure trash, I just cannot bring myself to hate it. And why should I? I didn't come here to watch a good movie, I just came here to zone out and watch Rani serve one look after another, and not only did I get that, but I also got Pooja fuckin' Batra as a bonus treat. If there's one person who deserves the "underrated" tag, it's my girl Pooja. I said what I said. The problem with this movie was that there was way too much of Bhai and Jackie Shroff (who is called Tiger in the movie, just so you know) and WAY too less, CRIMINALLY WAY TOO LESS of Rani and Pooja. Also it should have been shorter. And the songs were pretty forgettable (Himesh simps are quaking). And yes, even though I enjoyed it, it was mostly because I was lowkey reliving my Rani fangirl phase and not bothering about what was actually going o...

Back when I watched Alluda Majaka (1995), I remember lowkey judging myself for liking the movie as much as I did, and also for giving it a high rating on Letterboxd. But now, after having seen Naa Alludu (2005), I see that I was completely valid in appreciating Alluda Majaka the way I did. It was entertaining (I genuinely had a good laugh at many places) and nothing beats Megastar Magic. Naa Alludu  meanwhile rests on Ramya ma'am looking hot. I'm sorry if I sound crude, but I know I'm right. That woman is the only reason I (and I'm suspecting others as well) survived this cringe attack- I mean we watched it for her in the first place anyway.  Apart from that, I really don't know what to say. Now I get it, we're all emotionally attached to certain movies, but I wish the director of Naa Alludu  hadn't paid tribute to # 10YearsOfAlludaMajaka by making it. It's nothing but a bad rip-off, the one that makes you feel thankful beyond words for the OG. I had sim...

The last Suriya movie I saw before this was... Soorarai Pottru . And all I can do after this mind-numbing movie is to thank god for Suriya's glow-up. Not that you can't detect traces of talent here as well (which is why it was a hit, I suppose), but that man has GROWN and it's so beautiful and joyful to witness.  Apart from this proud moment as a fan, this movie was a complete miss for me. I basically skipped through the parallel comedy track. Thank god (again) for phasing those out- when they were good, they were good, but when they were bad, they took the whole movie down with them (like here). Also it was too long, and I don't see for what purpose. Suriya's character, also titled Surya, was selfless and loving to a fault, and the movie revolved around that. The female characters weren't fleshed out at all, but then again, neither was the male lead so... #feminism, I guess. Just kidding, it's lazy writing, plain and simple. Usually I'm a big fan of the...

There never can be another one like Amol Palekar. He has such a special and unique spot in the history of Hindi cinema that I don't see how anyone can come even close. When I think of "simplicity" in context of Bollywood, I invariably think of him- not just in terms of how natural and close-to-home his acting felt, but also the kind of scripts he chose. They feel like a breath of fresh air even today, more than 30 years after they were originally released. And the thing is, they were refreshing back then as well. In an industry dominated by larger-than-life heroes and storylines, Amol Palekar's filmography almost feels like a refuge from all the intense drama and action that was going on elsewhere. You don't even have to look too far to understand the significance of Amol Palekar (and Basu Chatterjee, I suppose, but I haven't really seen more of his movies so I don't think I'm equipped to talk about him)- just compare Chitchor with its atrocious remake...

SPOILER ALERT Let's face it: any movie where Shobana dances, even for 30 seconds, is going to be a good movie. Yes, I have simple tastes and needs in life, what about it? Also, Revathi is top-notch here (not that she isn't everywhere, but this time the script and everything else backs up her massive talent) and her performance is something I honestly wouldn't mind studying academically, it is that good. Even though the initial bits were quite creepy (trigger warning for stalking and other classic "romantic" behaviours), what saved my interest in the movie was Revathi. And I'm glad it happened that way, because the ending...  The ending actually deserves an essay of its own: the last 5 minutes terrified me more than entire "horror" films have. It was the kind of terror that shook the very foundations of the what separates belief from disbelief; even now, days after having seen the movie, and having discussed it with 2 friends, I am still not entirely ...

Let me begin this "review" by acknowledging the biggest push behind me watching this movie: the one and only Victory Venkatesh. I am so convinced this man is a genius and that there is literally nothing that he cannot do. Just knowing that he is in a film is guarantee enough for me that I'll probably end up enjoying it, and I am very pleased to announce that Chintakayala Ravi is no exception. However, that being said, I have to clarify that this movie deserved a lot better than the parade of problematic jokes that were inserted into it, specifically the transphobic sequences involving Ali. What makes it more infuriating is that the movie was a goldmine of good casting- literally every person was hilarious and I can't think of anyone who didn't do their job properly. That's why the entire dilemma regarding the problematic aspects, because as ashamed as I am, I have to admit that I laughed at most of them, even though I hated myself later for it. Not that the en...

The real hero of this movie is A.R. Rahman's music (fun fact: this movie almost didn't have the legendary songs), and I would go so far as to say that it's up there in his top 10 best soundtracks.  My other favourite bits of the movie were Shalini (killing it in one of her best performances ever) and those early romance bits between Shalu and Maddy. Those warmed up my heart so much, and left a huge smile on my face, making me reminisce about how it feels to fall in love in those precious first weeks. The train sequences were superbly done, and really made me root for the couple. I mean, as much as I could, considering that we didn't really know why they fell in love in the first place. What I'm trying to say is that even though the film is weakly written, the technical aspects almost made up for that. Keyword being "almost". The movie really begins to unravel in the second half, with Maddy gaslighting Shalini to the point where I was genuinely scared she w...

Going by what I heard from every Malayali person I know, and a reference to it in Sancharram (2004) (go watch it if you haven't), I thought Aniyathipraavu would be your standard 90s cringe-fest. Something that made you shake your head fondly and wonder what was wrong with everyone back then. But no. Nothing prepared me for just how trashy this was, from start to finish.  I've heard a lot of people comparing this and Niram (1999) (both have the same romantic leads) and bemoaning just how bad both of them are. But let me tell you something: as corny as Niram was, it was still a sweet and believable love story within its own universe. Aniyathipraavu can't even claim that for itself. I mean, yes, the dialogues of Niram were cheesy and unrealistic, yes Indian parents are notoriously orthodox about male-female friendships so the "special friendship" seemed nothing but fake to most of us, and yes, Varsha's (Jomol) treatment was the worst, but my god, it was at least ...

I have been trying to write this "review" for about 2 hours now, and all my brain can come up with is a mental image of Ajith singing "Shalini, oh meri Shalini" in the tune of "Chandni, oh meri Chandni" while shooting for this film. And no, I do not need deconstruction techniques to tell me that that is all because of how good the golden couple looked together in their only film together (yet) (yes, I am very much aware that Shalu has retired from showbiz, but goddamnit I can't stop hoping that one day she'll come back).  In all honesty, I wasn't the biggest fan of the plot- I could see the "big" twist coming from miles away, and Ajith's background story made me fairly nauseated. However, what saved this movie for me were Shalini and Ajith's performances, and the songs, AND both these aspects combined. I would say that the movie is worth watching just to see the "Sattam Illatha" song in full context. The "Unnodu...

It's going to be hard penning down my thoughts about this movie, because it pretty much destroyed my remaining brain cells. Since this is inspired by Just Like Heaven (2005), I think it's only fair to say that please, throw all your plans of watching I See You in the trash, and go watch the OG instead. I know it has been over a decade since I last saw that me, but I will still guarantee that that will turn out to be a more enjoyable movie experience. I mean, it has Reese Witherspoon at her peak, first of all. Who does her role here? Vipasha Agarwal. Who's that, you might be wondering. Rightly so, because she does not have another acting credit on her IMDb page apart from this one. Again, rightly so.  My favourite parts of the movie: 1. The panda soft toys in British Raj's (Arjun Rampal) bedroom 2. Shah Rukh Khan (the only reason I knew about this movie is because I'm an SRK kanni) 3. The fact that it was less than 2 hours long Also, Anniepie's dad played a chara...

The problem with this movie is that it tries to do too many things at once. It wants to draw your attention to the Mumbai vs other Indian cities culture war, the English vs Hindi language war (trigger warning for suicide btw), general traditional Indian sanskaar vs modern values war, the politician-fake media nexus, how evil news channels are because of their TRP hunger, and blah blah blah. They probably tried to cram in other issues too, but you know me. I zoned out as soon as I figured out what was going on, and only zoned back in when Rani came on screen. Speaking of the queen, she was the best part of the movie by a long shot. I was irritated by everyone else even more because of what she brought to the table. Sushmita was wasted, which was an even more glaring mistake for me, considering that I'd just watched Aankhen (2002) earlier in the day. To top it all off, this movie was way too long and I will genuinely be surprised if I ever find someone whose interest in it was sustai...

First of all, the song 'Phatela Jeb' is my jam and I have no choice but to respect this movie for blessing us with it. Secondly, this movie only felt like a thriller in the last 45 minutes or so. Why does Bollywood feel the need to insert songs everywhere? Literally none of the songs (except 'Phatela Jeb' of course) contributed anything to the plot, and made the film more insufferable than it necessarily had to be. To be effective, a thriller must be fast and pacy, which this one is most certainly not. Thirdly, Amitabh Bachchan had such a massive Raichand hangover from K3G (yuck) which had just released a year earlier, and trust me, it gets on your nerves real quick. I also did not appreciate the mental health representation here- early on in the film, it's explicitly stated that Amitabh's character is schizophrenic and a genius and a stickler for rules and my god what follows afterwards is such a tired narrative that you wish you could forget that he is schizop...

After finishing this, all I could think of was what Murali Sharma's character said in Ninnu Kori (2017)- "It's like a Malayalam film. I don't understand anything." I really, genuinely don't know what to say about this movie except that... I didn't get it. And don't get me wrong, I tried my hardest to pay attention and understand more of what was happening because Manisha Koirala looked like a dream and Nayan was serving as per usual, but I just felt so bored and confused that I gave up very soon and zoned out. I wish I had more to say, but at the risk of sounding repetitive, I just have no idea what was going on and how I was supposed to react to it. It's a shame really, because firstly, the subject is something that I have been genuinely fascinated by (and highkey squeamish about) since 12th grade psychology; and secondly, even as a non-intellectual I could tell that everyone was doing a great job with the acting (by everyone I mean Manisha and Na...

Watched this one on the momentous occasion of Lady Superstar Nayanthara's birthday, and also the momentous occasion of me testing positive for COVID-19. Needless to say, Vijay Sethupathi healedTM some of my pain, and now I can't get some scenes of his out of my head. Not that I'm complaining. At all.  Oh, I know the story isn't woke and blah blah blah, but my god, I MELT every single time VJS looks at Nayan. I'm not even exaggerating, he plays the rowdy lover boy character all too well, and that's the reason why I know I'll be revisiting this movie again and again. Also the fact that it's so entertaining in almost every scene- there is literally not a single dull moment to be found. The climax scene is one of my favourites ever, and I have seen it 10 times again already after finishing the movie. In other words, a CLASSIC. In conclusion, I love this movie so much that words are literally not enough. And I love my rowdy baby VJS, and his aashiqui vibes wi...

It's while watching these earliest films from Sridevi's career as the leading lady that I begin processing and understanding the impact that she had for decades. Not that her later films are lesser or something, but she was doing all of this at 13? 13? I wasn't even acting like myself when I was 13, and look at this woman. I know that's an idiotic comparison to make, but I'm sorry, my brain stops thinking clearly when confronted with the magnitude of Sridevi's prowess. Just go and watch the 'Swapnadanam' video on YouTube, and you'll know what I'm talking about. Otherwise, the film is a pretty standard take on the evil urban vs pure rural settings drama that was pretty popular I suppose around this time. It managed to keep my interest till the very end, probably more because of the actors and less because of the story itself, which was pretty predictable on top of being melodramatic. I actually almost fell asleep right at the final scene, and to b...

Hats off to Karisma Kapoor and Tabu for staying true to their craft and not letting a shoddily written script come between them and their acting skills. This movie was probably an hour too long, and I was only really interested towards the end, when Govinda actually starts getting creepy af. But even that was short-lived interest, and well, everything else was terrible, EXCEPT queens Karisma and Tabu. Although Tabu's role should have been written better- my girl did not deserve such a pathetic trajectory- Karisma's part kind of makes up for it. Actually, it doesn't. Tabu deserved better, and had they done justice to her ability to be powerful max, the movie could have been salvaged.  In conclusion, the real shikaar in this movie was me, because I walked into it with zero expectations but was still let down. Really need to up my TCU game soon. 

Can we all just acknowledge Nayanthara's majesty? If there's one woman who deserves the title "Lady Superstar", it's her. Mookuthi Amman is Nayanthara's show all the way, and I can't imagine how ecstatic her die-hard fans must have been after watching this. I'm not implying that the other actors were overshadowed by her or anything- all of them shine through, especially Urvashi ma'am, but my goddess, it's hard to take your eyes off of Nayan (puns intended) when she's on screen. Especially those sarees- I was literally taking screenshots of all of them for future reference.  Coming to the story itself- I feel that this is a must-watch for everyone, considering how relevant it is to contemporary Indian socio-political reality. Or rather, Indian socio-political mess. But yeah, I found it quite an interesting take on the way religion is used and abused in this country. On a personal note, it made me think about my spiritual journey too, especia...

Anurag Basu's Ludo made me realise the meaning of the phrase "the parts are greater than the whole".  This is a film that commands your attention, not only because it has a lot going on, but also because of the thoroughly engaging and brilliant performances of the cast. My favourites are Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Fatima Sana Shaikh- these three lit up every single frame that they were in, and made me that much more invested in the movie. My favourite segment though would have to be the one with Rohit Saraf and Pearle Maaney. I could easily watch a full-length movie based on that storyline.  My biggest problem with the movie is with the Abhishek Bachchan storyline. I feel like it should have been more tightly played out, because it really made my attention wander off quite a bit. That being said, the most powerful moment in the entire movie belongs to Abhishek- his climax scene gave me goosebumps, and filled me with emotions that I didn't know how to handle...

Are you really watching a '90s movie if you don't wish it was just a little bit shorter? Despite Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman 's flaws, and despite me inadvertently zoning out somewhere in the middle, I will still call it a very pleasant experience, mostly because there are few things in the world as adorably wholesome as foetus SRK & Juhi. Their chemistry, both comedic and romantic, is such a delight to watch, which is why I'm more than willing to ignore everything else and just gush about them. And of course, 'Loveria Hua'. It's a shame that we don't celebrate that iconic piece of music enough these days. Society is indeed falling apart at the seams.  Also, I had completely forgotten that Amrita Singh was here too. I really don't have that much to say about her, except that her role was quite interesting, along with the entire SRK-Amrita arc. Don't want to say more, coz spoilers, but I liked how honest it all felt, in spite of still largely fitt...

I grew up with this movie, so what can I say except that it feels like a warm hug everytime I go back to it? Shah Rukh is such a terrific actor, how he manages to be both adorable and borderline asshole in the same scene will never not amaze me and send me down a mini SRK spiral every time I see it (I watched Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman  right after this, so yeah). Also, this is one of the earliest movies I remember watching in its entirety, and also it was released the same year I was born, so I just have a special place for this in my heart and I suppose I always will. That being said, I do wish this was cut a little short. It drags a bit towards the end, and is only saved by a very powerful Juhi Chawla moment. Also, Juhi literally serves one iconic fashion moment after another. There was not a single outfit of hers that I didn't want (and need). SRK isn't too far away in the iconic fashion department either- his ties are... well, at one point he wears a Marilyn Monroe tie, and i...

Brilliant. Not only is this the mass movie that Suriya and his fans deserved, it is also a testament to the fact that in 2020, it's high time we start giving our women directors and writers the credit they deserve. As glorious as Maara (Suriya) is, the real star of the show is Bommi (Aparna Balamurali). From the moment she starts bobbing her head when she sees Maara dancing, to the bit where she goes to him with her business proposal, it is just one long "YAAAAAASSS QUEEEEEEN SLAAAAAYY!!!!" And needless to say, it was so cathartic to watch a strong female MASS HERO in a movie directed by a WOMAN my god I'm sorry if I sound repetitive but you have no idea how long I'd been waiting for this day when I'd see an impactful mass movie directed wonderfully by a woman with strong female characters that wasn't just about women's issues. And yes, I know the woke crowd will be out to destroy me because at the end of the day this movie revolved around a man and hi...

I think it's high time I write a whole essay on my love for '90s romcoms. This one hit all the right spots for me- it was super cheesy, had amazing songs, and was overall quite light-hearted and refreshing. I was actually going through a tough day when I watched it, and truth be told, it helped ease it off quite a lot. And isn't that what we're looking for in cinema, a source of comfort? Especially in this ridiculously godforsaken year when things just go downhill at every turn? Sorry for sounding too depressed, but well, like I said, times are tough. Enough whining though, back to the movie. Kunchacko Boban and Shalini have amazing chemistry, and you end up rooting for their love to win pretty early on. Also, the script doesn't try to be subtle about the two best friends having feelings for each other AT ALL- depending on your mood, you might actually feel frustrated by their inability to see something so obvious. It's full of stuff like "how will I surviv...

I recently came to the very important realisation that at the end of the day, nothing warms up my soul like a good old rom-com from the '90s. There's something so innocent and sincere about them, at least to me, that I am more than willing to overlook their (many) flaws and just appreciate them whole-heartedly. It's also because I grew up watching them, so I guess I subconsciously go back to "simpler times", as they say, when I watch them now as an adult. Taking all of this into account, Thenmavin Kombath is one of the most perfect examples of a 90s rom-com for me. It utilises the "enemies to lovers" exceedingly well, and has amazing characters that elevate the script. I particularly loved Nedumudi Venu's Sreekrishnan- it was a difficult role to pull off, but he does it with so much perfection, it's difficult to have any single emotion about him throughout the movie. Shobana and Mohanlal have great chemistry that lit up the screen, especially all...

The only positive thing I can say about this movie is that it is very aptly titled: while it is always fun to see Venkatesh being Venkatesh, everything else is frustrating as hell. Actually, no. Hell would be less frustrating than this mess of a movie. By the last half hour, I had completely lost track of what the plot was supposed to be, and I think it was the same case with the filmmakers. It was a 90s movie with the late 2010s aesthetics and production values, but also somehow more regressive than a 90s movie because you'd think that by now value systems would have changed. Also, the "Honey is the best!" has intensified my aversion to honey and will probably haunt me till the day I die.  In conclusion, I just fervently hope that the next comedy Venky does has a solid script, and not just him and the other actors trying their hardest but failing because at the end of the day, there's only so much you can do with a goddamn boomer whatsapp joke. 

I don't even remember what I was expecting from this movie, but it was definitely not this all-consuming numbness that intensified with every minute of this movie. Since it's a Sridevi-Kamal Haasan movie, I probably had some vague notion of "cinematic magic" (I blame Vazhvey Maayam for this) but it was more like "cinematic tragic" because even their immense watchability couldn't save me from feeling like I was getting dragged through the entire run time of this movie. Everything was so predictable and felt so stale that I lost interest pretty quick, and to top it all off, Sridevi didn't even have adequate screen time for me to grudgingly try and find a saving grace somewhere. I honestly don't have the energy to hate it, because it literally made me feel nothing at all, except that it was way too long for a movie that had so little to say. I would have talked about the peacock, but like I said, I just don't care anymore. End of "review...

Bollywood really can't do thrillers. Except Sriram Raghavan, of course (Jai Sriram to one man ONLY). But seriously, Hindi filmmakers learnt once that the person most unlikely to do the murder is probably the murderer and they never looked back since. The leaps this movie takes to fulfil this particular trope are baffling, to put it kindly. The final revelation does a complete u-turn on the female lead's personality (I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, Tabu) for no rhyme or reason, and it is even more painful to watch considering that just two scenes ago, the movie had finally started to get interesting. I am, of course, referring to the blind man bit. There is zero nuance in the ending, which leads to zero catharsis and lots of frustration, the two things you most certainly do not want from a mainstream thriller movie. Bah.  The only saving grace is the song "Kiska Chehra" sung by my fav Jagjit Singh and Alka Yagnik, picturised beautifully on Tabu and Mi...

Personally, I was more into the love story between Velu (bday boi Kamal Uncle) and Neela (Saranya, who is fast becoming a favourite, after Vedam and Nani's Gang Leader ). The gangster parts bored me a little, but that's mostly because I am not a fan of such movies anyway. Fans of the genre however seem to be in love with this movie, so if you really love watching intense gangster movies, you'll probably love it too. All that masculinity exhausts me, honestly. However, credits where credits are due- Nayakan does not have token female characters AT ALL. Neela, despite being in some of the most deplorable circumstances, does not give up on her education. And she's not the typical "aggressive" woman you'd associate with that sentence- she's as soft as they come, which adds another layer of nuance to not just her character, but also to the relationship between her and Velu, and to Velu's character as well. Even Velu himself was not just a macho protagon...

No amount of words, or even screaming for that matter, can measure up to the abject hatred I have for this movie. I actually live-reviewed it for my Instagram page, @/nocontexttelugu_ and I very nearly had another Internet meltdown. Literally nothing works in this movie except Rajendra Prasad, and spoiler alert but he dies very early on in the movie for me to consider him a saving grace. I was so numb by the end that I couldn't even react to the final victory for Keerthy's character. I just wanted it to end so that I could go for a long run and then cry in the shower.  Of course, I am the only one to blame. My fault for choosing to watch a movie with such a shaky central premise. Even after my best friend predicted that I'd get a migraine (I still have it, by the way) if I watched it, even though literally every review said that this was a terrible movie by any objective standard, even though I knew about the bikini bit (Jagapathi Babu, the main rival to Keerthy's busin...

Punnami Naagu is definitely one of the better horror movies that I've seen, all thanks to the exceptional abilities of the one and only Megastar. I was more scared by his eyes than I have been my whole-ass "horror movies" in the past.  The script had multiple flaws, and I will go so far as to postulate that had anyone else done this role apart from Chiru, I would have probably laughed my ass off. I found the comedy track quite unnecessary- it ruined all the progress the movie was making in creeping you out. The 80s was a weird decade, that's all I'll say. I did like all the human-animal relationships in the movie though. They were enough of a respite from the main storyline, so yes, the comedy track should have never happened.  I don't even want to comment on all the phallic stuff happening in this movie. It's too much for the literature graduate inside me to process. My take-away was honestly that dicks are poison. That's it. #DicksArePoison. In conc...

I have been trying very hard to come up with something to write about this movie, but really, I just have one question- why does this even exist? Who thought making this was a good idea? Has anyone in the last 34 years even enjoyed this movie? Actually no, I can imagine all the lovely people who would have gotten a major kick out of this movie- Hindu supremacists, from the closeted to the ones out in the open. That's right, this movie is so disgustingly anti-minority that if you like it, you really need to self-reflect. But well, self-reflection is not really Hindu supremacists' strong suit. Moving on though, the movie glorifies Hindu culture and traditions to the point where it actually feels unrealistic, to the point where even suspension of disbelief doesn't work. Why exactly is Miranda (Shobana) so sure that whatever her Hindu family does and believes is right? She even agrees to be referred to as Meera instead of Miranda, just because Miranda is too Christian a name. O...

Meh. That was honestly one of the most underwhelming movies I've ever seen, and I have nothing else to say apart from "meh". Especially because Baradwaj Rangan described Ramya Krishnan's role here as a "proto-Neelambari". And because it's the only movie with legends SRK & Ramya together.  The main problem is how Ramya's character was written, I feel. What it needed was just a tiny fraction of Neelambari's majesty, and the movie could have been saved. Also, the weird incestuous thing that was happening between Naseeruddin Shah & Ramya creeped me out majorly in the beginning itself. Plus, Pooja Bhatt was annoying AND boring- the deadliest of combinations. Sigh. So much potential (SRK, Ramya and Naseeruddin TOGETHER) and all gone to waste.  In conclusion, this one is probably ONLY for die-hard fans. General public do not interact.

This is such a difficult "review" for me to write. Mostly because I feel like I'm betraying Sanjana (Kajol's character in Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha ) (context: both Dongaata and PTHHT  are remakes of French Kiss , a 1995 American movie) (further context: PTHHT  is a childhood favourite of mine). But I'll say it anyway: I think I found Dongaata a better film than PTHHT . Not that I don't love PTHHT . Oh devvuda, why did you have to do this to me?  I think the best part about Dongaata is how well it has been localised- it really doesn't feel like a remake, even after knowing that it is one. I loved how the characters had been fleshed out, and you understood their motivations, which is lacking (understatement) in most 90s rom-coms. Soundarya played the naive village girl so well- usually I hate how innocent and stupid such characters are shown to be, but this time I really just wanted to protect her at all costs. And of course, that chemistry between Jagapathi Bab...

This movie was such a mess. It was some two and a half hours long, but felt more like five. But it's worth it, because it gave us probably the roughest look of Venky ever. I mean, that's literally why I watched it- to stare at Venky, and I was not let down on that front.  Everything else, though- nothing to say except a big fat WHY? The worst part is that it actually had a lot of potential. I was quite invested in the first hour, and was looking forward to seeing how the story turns out. Plus, the comedy looked so promising. Mumtaj was hilarious, and Kalabhavan Mani was one of the most asinine villains of all time. It's a shame that the script couldn't match up to their efforts. Also, the lead actress was doing so much over-acting it made my head hurt. I mean, it's one thing to be a bad actor, but to be a bad actor in front of Venky? No one's gonna miss that (CC: Chaitu in Venky Mama ). The songs were fun though, especially the 'Gemini Gemini' song. Smal...

Spoilers ahead: Let me begin this "review" by talking about the one thing that'll keep me coming back to this masterpiece: the accurate af middle child representation of Varun (Varun Tej). It was so realistic, warm and lovely to experience, which is why I have to say- PROTECT SEKHAR KAMMULA AT ALL COSTS.  No seriously, he is probably the only writer-director I'd trust with heterosexual romances, and also, writing both men and women. I love how everyone has their flaws and they don't necessarily overcome them as a plot point. The plot remains refreshingly simple- two people meet, and we follow them on their journey. The film doesn't spell everything out, which adds to the magic of falling in love and really, makes everything that much more delightful. And the thing is, so much in Fidaa could have gone wrong- they could have added extra messaging to the fact that Varun chooses to stay in India in the end, they could have stretched the anti-caste bit and made it ...