Movie Reviews

  A wise man once said that innocence is thought charming because it offers delightful possibilities for exploitation. Why Cheat India, is based on the education system of India, where gullible students and their desperate parents fall into the trap of cheating, to secure a seat in their desired college. An opportunistic Rakesh Singh aka Rocky (Emraan) sweet talks impressionable students and lures them to a world of crime with money. He uses academic achievers to write papers on behalf of other students (the supposedly lesser smart ones) and exploits several other loopholes at the college examination level. He’s the classic anti-hero and his story of crime and corruption highlights a plethora of problems and malpractices that currently plague our education system. Director Soumik Sen’s scathing look at the exam paper mafia and the mind-set of Indian parents often treating their children as ‘investments for the future’ is relevant, but the way he tells this gritty story, doesn’t

:  Unable to bear the pangs of hunger, a young Jaswant Singh Rawat (Avinash Dhyani), helming from a remote hamlet situated in the northern part of the country, joins the Indian Army to serve his nation. But, just days after the completion of his training period, he is deployed to the war-torn region of Arunachal Pradesh. The story is about how one soldier braves extreme weather conditions and fights against all odds to protect Indian borders from its international enemies. The director and protagonist of the film – Avinash Dhyani – has successfully managed to capture the essence of North-East India, especially the mountainous regions of Arunachal Pradesh. If it were not for the post credits, it would have been hard to tell that this period drama was actually shot in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand and not the North-East. ‘72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died’ starts off on a high note, but gradually becomes one long dialogue about a soldier and his determination to protect the Indian

The trailers of 'Neeyum Njanum' that released way in advance suggested a love story set in Malabar, a narrative told quite often. But, 'Neeyum Njanum' is a pleasant departure from the suspected narrative. Yakub Muhammad, a special branch officer, falls in love with Hashmi while tailing her as a person of interest in an investigation. He pursues her enough that they end up a happily-married couple. But life has far more hurdles in store for them, including a stranger from her past that could shake her marriage to its core. 'Neeyum Njanum' is a love story, alright. But the plot goes beyond the realms of a conventional love story. It's a love story neatly packed in layers of thrill and comedy. With Sharaf U Dheen and Vishnu Unnikrishnan in the cast one is to expect comedy, no doubt. But given Sharaf U Dheen is the leading man here, his humour is quite subtle, honest and believable.  Given her recent performances, Anu Sithara, as Hashmi, is as good as one

  There’s a ‘The Great Father’ like flavour sprinkled all over Mikhael - both of which are directed by Haneef Adeni. The trigger of all things that make up the story is school kids. The non-linear narration, the family member who decides to handle out justice thanks to an unhelpful and ineffective law and order system and more, though Nivin Pauly’s Micheal John isn’t George Ninan. The film, right from the outset, is conscious that it is supposed to give Nivin Pauly that Don’t-mess-with-me hero appeal at every turn and tries to be a launch vehicle for his likeable action hero status in Malayalam.  Gangster-businessman George (Siddique)’s son Gerard (Parava fame Amal) challenges one of his schoolmates, a girl, for a karate spar. Things don’t go as planned and the issue spirals beyond their control and the walls of the schools, children’s egos and parents’ worries.  Just as in Adeni’s previous film, swanky cars, hoodie-wearing characters, suave get-ups, slow-motion sequences, sungla

  Is one really free in this current society? Tara Anuradha, a successful writer and an independent woman is in a solo journey to find the meaning of freedom. The writer, who challenges fundamentalists and hesitates to take police protection after publishing her controversial book Music of Freedom, accidentally reads a news about a haunted house in the highlands. Brave and adventurous, Tara (enacted by Nithya Menen), who has been craving for a break, chooses to live in that house. She begins her stay by fixing three cameras in the drawing room to record the happenings in the house and also to find out if ghosts really exist. The single-character movie progresses as she starts questioning the idea of freedom and intolerance in the society. The concept of a movie with one character immediately triggers curiosity as it is always interesting to figure out how one person can effectively manage to hold the attention of the audience for the duration of the film. For that, the movie wil

Commercial potboilers are never expected to be believable, because the joy in watching them is their larger than life nature. And there's a certain pattern to ensuring that high for a viewer. Boyapati Srinu as a filmmaker has time and again excelled at building a perfect emotional context to his action sequences in films starring top stars. However, in the process of doing that, he's repeated himself way often and the tipping point comes in  Vinaya Vidheya Rama , where Boyapati becomes a pale shadow of himself as a storyteller. The problem with  Vinaya Vidheya Rama  isn't the deja vu factor but the fact that the filmmaker takes the audiences and cinematic liberties for granted. Starring a confident and a fit Ram Charan in the lead role, the premise of  Vinaya Vidheya Rama  is as old as the hills. Five orphans, the youngest of them being Ram (Ram Charan), are raised by a doctor in Visakhapatnam. Ram is so fond of his extended family that he gives up his schooling

  When it comes to humour, there’s not one kind of it that’ll tickle everyone’s funny bone. Some like it subtle, some slapstick, and then there are those who like it situational, while others prefer roasts. But, there’s also the category who love to laugh their sorrows away with cliché funny message forwards about how difficult marital life really is. That is the category Anil Ravipudi is presumably looking to tap into with this film, which is filled with dialogues that truly do sound like finely tuned forwards.  Venky (Venkatesh) is an orphan looking for marriage proposals and is found suitable by Harika (Tamannaah) because she’s not looking to marry into a family. Varun (Varun Tej) is a carefree Telangana youth who is head-over-heels in love with Harika’s sister, the multi-talented Honey (Mehreen Pirzada) for a whole whopping month before her family decides to get them engaged and married soon after. However, it’s not soon before the Cobras (co-brother-in-laws) decide they’re

Ma Ka Pa’s previous film Panchumittai was a one-of its-kind magical realism, which unfortunately, had a terrible screenplay. With Maanik, too, he has attempted a different genre which has ample fantasy and spoof elements. Many ladies come in the life of Maanik (Ma K Pa) though it is Keerthi (Suza) who loves him sincerely. Maanik is cursed by a fate that the father of any girl whom he proposes passes away. One day, he and his friend get kidnapped by a dreaded goon (Aruldoss) in town, and are asked by the latter to indulge in criminal activities. How both of them escape from his clutches forms the story. The film has an intriguing plot which is let down by a below average screenplay. Though the logical loopholes are justified by the film’s genre, there are instances that are unconvincing. At the same time, there are certain dialogues that evince laughter, but such instances rare. Ma Ka Pa’s performance as a confused youngster who falls frequently into troubles is apt for the role,

 The last few years have been unkind to a Rajini fan. After Endhiran, at the turn of the decade, the Superstar did Kochadaiiyaan, a motion capture animation film; Lingaa was a commercial film that turned formula into a parody; and of course, Pa Ranjith's Kabali and Kaala, which brought back the actor in him, couldn't decide if they wanted to be a Superstar film or a director's film. Even 2.0 didn't feel like a Rajini film. True, Rajinikanth is a fabulous actor in a certain kind of role, like the ones he played in Mullum Malarum or Aarilirunthu Arupathu Varai, but come on, let's be honest, they are not what made him THE Superstar. It was the films like Murattu Kaalai, Moondru Mugam, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Annamalai, Baashha, and Padayappa... where he was an entertainer first that put in a league of his own.  Karthik Subbaraj, a self-confessed, die-hard fan, understands this. And that is why Petta works. The basic plot is a reinvention of the Superstar's bi