Movie Reviews

It's a war-torn village Kommaddi, where heads fly faster than the words that its residents mouth. Two warring groups lead by Narapareddy and Basireddy too prefer to speak through their swords than words. Even a game of cards in this backdrop is addressed as 'five rupee worth faction'. In comes the son of the soil, Veeraraghava Reddy, the only sign of hope to instill some sense amidst this menace. Featuring an actor like Jr NTR known for his action potboilers, Trivikram utilises his presence and a commercial backdrop to drive home an important signal of peace, like the pigeon that accompanies the title card in the opening frame.  Though the plot outline makes this seem like a  Mirchi  equivalent for Jr NTR - the cocktail of intensity, entertainment, efficient dialogue-baazi, all in measured amounts, keeps the film ticking along neatly. Trivikram masters the judicious balance of pandering to the masses and being a sane voice in the time of need.  Aravinda Sameth...

Riding on monumental expectations and hype, Kayamkulam Kochunni has landed amidst viewers who have grown up hearing tales about him at bedtime and watching series about him. This time, the makers couldn't afford to compromise on the research or execution, with the kind of scale and star cast with which his life story was attempted to be narrated on the big screen. As you leave the movie hall after the 2 hour 50 minute long film, you can't but credit the creators of Kochunni, for making a movie in which the content and presentation have been beautifully married to each other. Rosshan Andrrews' Kayamkulam Kochunni narrates the highwayman's tale right from his childhood. It shows what pushed a father and his son into thieving, the casteist social order of the day and how Kochunni’s mind was set on helping the poor. The film also touches on how his many aides later betrayed him and how he managed to ride into our legends and hearts, generation after generation. The mak...

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an intrepid journalist, who doesn’t know when to hold back, and this costs him dearly when he loses his job and more. His mistake? Taking on Carlton Drake – a businessman who considers himself to be a visionary, albeit with sketchy morals. Not to be outdone, Brock tries to probe into Drake’s shady activities when he encounters a mind-reading extra-terrestrial being that fuses with him giving him extraordinary powers. Brock is now left to choose how he uses his newfound abilities. If there was any doubt that Tom Hardy was best suited to take on the dual personalities of Venom/ Eddie Brock, they quickly dissipate once the interplay between the two begins. Hardy has handled roles that require him to juggle between personas, and he demonstrates all his prior experience here. Once ‘possessed’, Hardy infuses a playful yet dark aura to Brock that works well to bring some frenetic vigour to the film.  But the screenplay doesn’t allow us more insight into t...

Down the decades - from the time of  Anmol Ghadi, Andaz and Sangam  to the era of Saajan,  DDLJ  and  Parineeta  - grand pianos  have stirred great emotions in Hindi film song situations . Euphoric, romantic, playful, plaintive, gloomy, et al: they've traversed a wide gamut. In Sriram Raghavan's sly, smart thriller  AndhaDhun , which is a tip of the hat to Vividh Bharti's  Chhaya Geet  and Doordarshan's  Chitrahaar , the musical instrument for all seasons gets an all-new portentous ring. AndhaDhun  unfolds primarily in three distinct spaces in Pune - a middle-class bachelor's pad on Prabhat Road, an upscale Magarpatta City apartment of a former movie star, and a popular watering hole frequented by the well-heeled. Each of these locations has a grand piano. The instrument gives the film a lush soundscape all right but, in keeping with the spirit of the twisted tale, the sensations it triggers, underscores or accompanie...

Quite often, dons are portrayed in a comical way in our films. In several cases, they are reduced to caricaturish roles (when they are not the antagonist). In some cases, they're given a human touch and made the lead ( Munnabhai MBBS  comes to mind). Director Sriram Adittya sidesteps the stereotypes and manages to give his character a unique twist in his latest comic caper  Devadas . With some cracking humour and well written dialogues, the film is thoroughly entertaining for most part of it. A tighter screenplay, less melodrama and a better climax — and this film could've been one for the ages. But for most part of it,  Devadas  is jolly good fun.  We are introduced to Deva (Akkineni Nagarjuna), a dreaded gangster who's is baying for blood after his mentor is brutally killed by a rival gang. Being the most wanted criminal, the cops are determined to catch Deva. While on the run from the cops, an injured Deva stumbles into a clinic run by Dr Das (Nani), a ...