Movie Reviews

                The day I become more important to you than cricket, Vijay Deverakonda tells Rashmika at a key moment in Bharat Kamma's Dear Comrade. At the time of viewing, the scene just seems like an aside, a minor cog in the narration. However, Bharat Kamma carefully weaves his narration to circle back to this underlying message — no woman should give up their passion for love. Dear Comrade has drama, anger and loads of passion but the storytelling is elevated by the lead cast and some brilliant cinematography that ensures the film stays with you for long after you leave the theatre.  When Bobby (Vijay Deverakonda) meets Lilly (Rashmika Mandanna) for the first time, he's a brash, hot-headed student union leader. Inspired by his grandfather, Bobby and his gang of friends call each other Comrade, which we are means a person who stay with you through thick and thin. If Bobby finds anything remotely unjust, he's ready to bash people ...

            Female-centric movies with engaging and progressive content have been getting their due of late. Aadai manages to tick several boxes and joins the list, thanks to various factors which work in its favour. Its story revolves around how Kamini (Amala Paul), a bold and care-free girl, deals with the shock of finding herself in a naked state in an abandoned building, following a party, which turns everything topsy-turvy. It is a delight to watch Amala Paul pull off the character of an unapologetically tomboyish and adventurous girl who works in a TV channel. Her mother (Sriranjini) is worried about her daring nature, but she’s confident of taking care of herself. A sudden birthday party, which her colleagues organise for her in their company’s old building, goes wild, after which a series of intriguing episodes take place. The intense making of the movie coupled with the actress’ convincing performance provide ample edge-of-the-seat m...

           It isn't fair to expect logic in an unabashedly made comedy movie - director Johnson seems to aware of it while working on many sequences in A1. The introduction scene of the hero, Santhanam (who plays Saravanan, another happy-go-lucky guy role), reminds us of a Rohit Shetty film, and an absurd, but not boring scene with the female lead (Tara Alisha, who plays Divya) which follows, give us a hint about what we have in store.   Divya, who dreams of sharing her life with a goon, however, is quite choosy when it comes to her partner's caste. She is particular about finding someone from her own community, but little does she realise that Saravanan, with whom she falls in love in their first meeting, is from a different caste. Though their love blossoms eventually, her father, Ramanathan (Yatin Karyekar), a do-gooder, expresses his disinterest in their relationship. How Saravanan and his friends decide to face Divya's father forms the rest...

              Tales that take one back in time, especially to the formative years of school days, can almost always be a winner. But, to make it a movie-long memorable affair, it takes enough of clever, relatable fun elements and smart storytelling. Thanneermathan Dinangal is a story that succeeded in presenting them all, for most parts. Jaison (Mathew Thomas) likes his classmate Keerthy (Anaswara Rajan), but despises how she admires Ravi sir (Vineeth Sreenivasan), who always takes a dig at him. The youngster works towards winning Keerthy’s heart, but it isn’t easy. A stirring movie strengthened by the ensemble of young, talented actors who sure have what it takes to be stars in future, Thanneermathan Dinangal is a fun watch. One can’t help but give maximum credit to its actors, who commit to their roles well by presenting the adolescent crushes, relationships and more with utmost naturality.  Mathew Thomas in particular is extremely likeab...

                 Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is still reeling after the massive showdown in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, which claimed the life of his mentor, Tony Stark. It’s only natural that he chooses to take a break from apocalyptic threats, and that comes in the form of an overseas school trip, along with his mates. Although, he’s a bonafide Avenger now, which means he has great responsibilities that he can’t escape, no matter where is. Peril soon catches up to him when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up and gives him his next big mission. But is Peter up to the task?  One of the biggest tasks the film must tackle is picking up after the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) world-altering ‘Endgame’. It does this by taking us into Peter's head, and the frame of mind Spider-Man is in. It makes a compelling angle; Peter is struggling with who he is – a school going teenager who really likes his classmate MJ (Zendaya), and who he is mea...

                  eniors, students Arjun (Mohammed Ali Mir) and Baadal (Shaan Grover) call all the shots at their boarding school, Mount Noble High. There is a strict code of seniority and the junior students almost always toe the line, barely defying the school bullies despite a strict watch by the House teachers and the Head Master. Because no one wants to be called a ‘rat’ or a snitch, which is perceived to be worse than bullying by the students.   When a shy and sensitive Shay (Ali Haji) is picked by his drama teacher, Murali (Kunal Kapoor) for the role of Bassanio in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, the play to be performed for the school’s 50th Founders Day, the bullying just gets worse for him. All because Baadal, son of a movie star thinks he fits the role better. And when Murali makes him Shay’s under study for the role, all he has to do is get Shay to refuse the part. But when Shay’s quiet determination to play his c...

                     Supernatural thrillers tend to follow a similar pattern. The protagonists seem normal, but find themselves in unusually spooky circumstances and everything around them seems to be haunted. In  Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene ( NVNN ), director Caarthik Raju brings in several quirks and twists to keep the audience interested but often flirts with a dangerous line between inventive and predictable. He does succeed, but not always.  NVNN  opens in 2035 (A detail that's irrelevant to the film) and we see a veteran psychiatrist (Murali Sharma) who helps a young group of students with their thesis on supernatural elements. He tells them about a case that was specially close to him, the story of Rishi (Sundeep Kishan) and Dia (Anya Singh), a young married couple who go on a road trip and get involved in a major accident. They find themselves in a deserted area and walk towards a cemetery. They somehow m...

                Dorasaani  is not just the tale of two lovers; it’s also the tale of a village head, a dora, who is scared of the slowly rising communist movement in his village. It’s the story of a communist head who is moved by a love story so idealistic that despite knowing better, he hopes the world is a better place than it is, just so such a love would survive. It’s the story of numerous villagers who know the feudal system they reel under is unjust and yet, have no choice but to view their dora as nothing less than god. It’s also the story of a dasi, who in a telling moment realises that no matter what class, a woman’s place in the world she lives in is not one of authority but of obedience.  Raju (Anand Deverakonda) is the son of a poor man who paints temples and houses for a living. Despite their deprived state, his parents aim to educate him and give him a better life. Home for the holidays, Raju visits the dora’s (Vina...

                Diamond Ratna Babu, who has previously written for films like  Gayatri  and  Luck Unnodu  makes his directorial debut with  Burra Katha  which sees the tale of a man with two brains. No, he doesn't suffer from the theoretical neuroscience concept of dual consciousness or actual split brain, but has two literal brains that somehow magically fit in his regular sized head. That little flaw in logic is just the beginning of a film that is filled with nothing but illogical scenes.  Abhi and Ram are always at war with each other – with one wanting to live life king size, even if it means not being someone who’s remotely nice and the other wanting to dedicate his life to studies and bachelorhood. Both believe they have lost much in life due to the other side of them and treat each other with disdain, leaving hate-filled video messages for each other. In walks into their life Happy (Mishti Chakrabo...

                  Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu 2 is set in the late 80s, but the filmmaking feels even older. The writer-director, Selvashekaran, spends the entire first half on a set-up that could have been condensed into an effective flashback portion.  The story revolves around Saravanan (Vikranth Santhosh, who tries to act), who learns that his seemingly irresponsible father, Saamy (Pasupathy, the film’s lone bright spark) was actually a terrific kabbadi player who had to move out of his village and give up the sport that was his life under questionable circumstances. So, Saravanan decides to bring his father the glory that eluded him. But under Selvashekaran's treatment, what should have been an inspiring tale of redemption and an emotional drama about the father-son bond turns into a rarely engaging film with an idiotic romantic track, irritating comedy and ineffective writing.  That Susienthiran, who made the original film, w...