Member Reviews

A sham, short-term romantic dalliance in an elite, no-uniform Delhi school assumes serious overtones and flips and flops its way through predictable ups and downs. That is the crux of Nadaaniyan, a passably lively but spectacularly shallow rom-com produced by Dharmatic Entertainment for Netflix. The strictly superficial buoyancy that the film seeks to exude is as affected as the idea that the plot revolves around. Directed by first-timer Shauna Gautam from a script by Riva Razdan Kapoor, Ishita Moitra and Jehan Handa, Nadaaniyan sputters to life only intermittently, banking on the youthful charm and energy of the young lead actors. The film juggles sundry ideas from Karan Johar’s early blockbusters (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, K3G, et al) and updates them, without much originality, for the consumption of Gen Z social media addicts who would rather die than go off the grid.

The film based on real incidents follows the group of friends who decide to bring real cinema to their small town after realising Mumbai is out of their reach. Directed by Reema Kagti, the film focuses on their progress as filmmakers but also their friendship. It keeps the film rounded and about the people which the story is meant to be about than the industry. However, through out the run time, the film does stray from the point long enough for the ending to feel out of place. In the end, it is the performances that win. The film begins with the story of a group of young boys in Malegaon who would drop everything to get a glimpse of the stars on the big screen. While one of them runs a theater, another is part of a wedding video team, one is a writer and more. However, not all of them are working towards their career is films but still are obsessed with the stories just as much. Nasir when asked to buy film reels for the theatre finds out how to make copies and decides to make his own cut of action comedies to show at his theatre. They become an instant hit in his town but are shut down because of piracy.

Crazxy led by Sohum Shah follows after the actor’s biggest hit Tumbbad. While the new release is nothing close to the fantasy horror, it does bring a new and unique concept to the big screen. However, the promotional material from the film does not line up with the real concept nor does it bring the right expectations from the film. The misdirection adds to the mystery but doesn’t last long as the plot turns predictable early one. The film’s climax also leaves much to be desired despite the concept. The film begins with Sohum Shah getting ready with a massive bag on his way to the hospital, getting bombarded with calls about reaching on time. Early on, the makers establish that Sohum’s character Abhimanyu isn’t the good guy. He is set up at the obnoxious ex-husband, a terrible father and a doctor who does not care much for the patients. He is about to settle a big case, and pay for his life with the 5 crore in his car, and move on with his new girlfriend. However, one phone call changes it all.

Daredevil has returned once again to the small screen, making his office debut for his solo series. The show, led by Charlie Cox, will also be following the story of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin aka Fisk. Daredevil’s return to the MCU is after the long-running series and spin-off like Defenders on Netflix. The series was dropped a couple of years ago, but Cox made several appearances in other MCU films and projects including Spider-Man No Way Home, Echo, She-Hulk and more. Moving forward with Kingpin’s Arc through the MCU and Daredevil’s past in the Netflix show, the new series is all set to pit them against each other in a new setting. With Fisk as Mayor of New York, and Murdock hanging up his suit, the city brings out the worst in both of them.

The film based on a short story by Stephen King gives a take of its own but twist of comedy and creativity liberties to cover for a feature film’s run time. Directed by Osgood Perkins known for his recent release Longlegs, has turned for another horror but this time it comes with a comedy twist. The film led by Theo James follows the story of twins, who didn’t get much from their father, but a haunted Monkey toy. But its not a toy, its like an ‘Evil thing’. Everyone is the safest when the monkey isn’t beating the drum it came with, but the amount of gore in the film, nobody is safe. The film begins with Adam Scott aka Petey Shelburn Sr trying his best to return the Monkey to a shop but is unable to as its next victim as soon as it plays the drums, a chain reaction ends up claiming the live of the shop owner. Leaving it behind isn’t enough for Petey and he decides to use a flame thrower to melt it down but years later it safely finds its way to Petey’s twin kids. It is unclear what happened to Petey, but with everything that goes on in the film, it really could have ended any way for him.

Nadaaniyan set to mark the debut of Ibrahim Ali Khan turns out to be a story about high schoolers and their troubles with love and life. However, the film sets off the story without a theme and attempts to use everything woke all at once, while treating its female character like apologetic pick-me-up girls. The film treats the adult actors as teenagers, but they behave like they are in college and are of age while also looking to get into university abroad. The film seems like it was written for US based audience, but forgets to cater to its own market. The film begins with Kushi’s self-indulged introduction about her character Pia Jaisingh, but with each line it gets harder to tell if she is talking about her character or herself. The film attempts to create this self-aware humour of their privilege, but it begins to feel more obnoxious with each scene. After a long summer vacation, Pia returns to Delhi’s most privileged school, which has screens in the cafeteria and hallways so the principal can talk to the students. Her friends are upset with her for not showing up at the bonfire before summer and for talking to a guy who is off limits.

A gossamer-thin romantic comedy that comes across as Karan Johar’s latest home assignment for star kids to pass the Bollywood entrance test, Nadaaniyan doesn’t pass muster. Reflecting the armchair sensibility of the Bandra school of filmmaking, the love story strains credibility and tests patience. Its nebulous ideas on education are irritating, and the cultural context of Delhi-NCR is deeply annoying. Moreover, when a dated plot is ploughed by stock characters, it invariably yields meagre returns. Led by debutant director Shauna Gautam, a troika of writers promises to provide insights into adulting. Set in an elite school, the film follows Pia Jaisingh (Khushi Kapoor) as she hires a middle-class student, Arjun Mehta (Ibrahim Ali Khan), as her boyfriend to secure the trust of her BFFs. As they come close, the pretense gives way to a predictable relationship, leading to cosmetic complexities that weigh a few Instagram-worthy reels.

We get so many spam calls these days that it is hard to figure out which ones are real. Then, while driving the car, you listen to FM stations where prank calls drive the programming. Director Girish Kohli employs this odd everyday reality in this thrilling race against time. On the way to the hospital to settle a crucial deal, doctor Abhimanyu (Sohum Shah) gets a mysterious call telling him that his daughter has been kidnapped, and he has time till sunset to save her life. As Abhimanyu presses the pedal, Kohli drops red herrings on the highway. Gradually, we discover that Abhimanyu is an inadequate surgeon and a flawed father.

Reema Kagti’s Superboys of Malegaon is the kind of film that is called a crowd-pleaser in the festival circuit and a critic-seeker at the box office. Unraveling like an aesthetically charged, culturally muted performative version of Faiza Ahmad Khan’s acclaimed documentary Malegaon Ka Superman (2008), it sets out to celebrate the true story of a mofussil town’s obsession with cinema, where a wedding videographer’s vision spurs a cottage industry of spoofs of Bollywood classics. Reema and screenwriter Varun Grover expand on the hour-long documentary to explore deep-rooted fragile notions of originality, taste, and class in the realm of creativity. Unfortunately, the film suffers from the same issues that it engages with.

A guilt-ridden elderly man Rajendran confesses to a crime he had committed 40 years ago and commits suicide, recording the same on Facebook. A suspended cop Vivek is entrusted with the case which involves the discovery of skeletal remains connected to the disappearance of a young woman from the set of Mammootty’s 1985 film Kathodu Kathoram. Vivek is desperate for answers. Asif Ali is fast cementing his authority as one of the most bankable actors in modern-day Malayalam cinema. Rekhachithram is a worthy follow-up to his other recent thrillers Thalavan and Kishkindha Kaandam. Anaswara Rajan fits perfectly as a Mammootty fan girl, who aspires for a career in films, playing her part with verve, innocence and integrity.