Spoilers ahead… For about a half-hour, I was in comedy heaven. But these situations are not pushed enough. They are not milked enough for jokes. After a point, the writing becomes super-convenient. In her first film, Kumbalangi Nights, Anna Ben was stuck with a psychotic brother-in-law. Since then, she has been thrown into a freezer […]

Spoilers ahead… It’s refreshing to see the messaging about religious tolerance come right out of the events rather than being put out as preachy dialogues. Very early in Daredevil Musthafa, we see this line: “For the first time, the fans of a writer have produced a film.” The writer is Poornachandra Tejaswi, and the fans […]

By Kartik Iyer The things that stand out about Brian Cox, who plays the character of Logan Roy in Succession, are his nose, jaws, and eyes. The jaws get a helping from the white-grey beard, but his nose and eyes appear as they are: stark, sharp, and cold. Logan has the capacity to unnerve people with […]

Remember that Ealing comedies blog series I started a while ago (and then completely abandoned)? Well, surprise! I’m back! I hope your life’s been well since the last instalment of this series, my review of Whisky Galore! What we have on the menu this time is the masterpiece Kind Hearts and Coronets. Directed by Robert Hamer and based […]

In 1917, the US Government passed a law that set a limit on the total amount of debt that the government can incur – initially set at $11.5bn. However Government debt has increased under every President and now stands at… Continue reading →

Spoilers ahead… Manoj Bajpayee’s performance is both an incarnation as well as an acting lesson on how to mug up a big speech and deliver it as though the words are coming out of your mouth for the very first time. Apoorv Singh Karki’s Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is based on the 2013 child […]

Spoilers ahead… Not all jokes hit the mark, but if you catch the film’s vibe, there’s enough foolishness for a pleasant – if unremarkable – couple of hours. Can you make comedy from “serious social issues” like caste discrimination and patriarchy? Vignesh Shivan proved that you could. In his delightful episode in the Tamil anthology […]

By ​Aman Basha Remembering the man who changed the history and cinema of a state and left an impact on a nation May 28 this year marks a special event for the Telugu states. What has been till now, an annual celebration for the Telugu Desam Party and their cadre, promises to be the grand […]

Why do Indian movies have songs? Well that’s a question that is being increasingly asked now, but it was not the case earlier. Given that Indian movies had their base in the various forms of “stage” or “theatre” traditions, when sound came into movies, songs became integral. For a very long time, songs played a […]

Today, my favourite actor, the iconic James Stewart, would have been 115. Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, on May 20, 1908, he became one of the most well-appreciated figures of classic Hollywood by exploring all sorts of genres, working with top directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra or Anthony Mann (I’m not his biggest fan […]

Spoilers ahead… This film understands that the System is too powerful to be overcome by a few angry young men. The most subversive thought is that, if you want revenge, you have to get it from inside the System. They live in a poramboke area called Jackson Bazaar. They wear yellow shirts and maroon pants. […]

Spoilers ahead… Scene after scene is set up to portray Vijay Antony as a saviour named Anti Bikili. He even gets a fight like a mass-hero. Vijay Antony has co-written, edited, directed, and composed the music for Pichaikkaran 2 – and he appears in a double role in this spiritual sequel to his 2016 hit. […]

Contractionary monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve to keep inflation in-check has impacted African currencies. With higher interest rates in the US and a volatile global environment investors tend to run to the safety of the US dollar and… Continue reading →

Spoilers ahead… Every film has something (or things) going for it, but the standouts are the episodes by Krishnakumar Ramakumar, Akshay Sundher, and Thiagarajan Kumararaja. Modern Love Chennai is easily the best thing to come out of the Tamil OTT space. This is not to say that I liked every single short in this six-episode […]

An interesting podcast from the BBC’s Business Daily looked at why internal airlines prices in Africa are around 45% more expensive than equivalent trips elsewhere. So why are they so expensive and what impact does this have for a lot… Continue reading →