Despite the mediocrity at large, these films had me in raptures for the emotions they evoked within as a cheering audience, critic and cinephile.
In his maiden public speech eight months after announcing the launch of TVK, Vijay said the late veterans MG Ramachandran and NT Ramarao were ridiculed as mere cinema actors when they made their political plunge "but they continue to remain in the hearts of the people" of the respective states, i.e Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The action entertainer Marco is a well shot, gnarly bloodfest that packs some lackluster thrills, notes Arjun Menon.
'The young generation doesn't want to work with old hats like me.' 'They don't understand that we are brighter and wiser because of our experience.' 'We can take them on the right path, but they should keep their ears open.'
The Miranda Brothers is short on humour, romance and real drama, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Hanuma Vihari, part of India's back to back series wins in Australia, reckons the services of veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be be dearly missed when the team aims for a hat-trick Down Under later this year.
'Kamal has surfed and navigated a lot of tidal waves, manoeuvring the peaks and troughs, combining rare intelligence and commonly available intuitions to overcome unimaginable crises all his life.' 'There is no looking back at the past, for his only motto has been 'Tomorrow belongs to us'!'
While super hits like Jawaan are missing this year, it has been filled with a range of medium-range hits such as Crew, Teri Baaton Ne Uljhaa Diya and Guntur Kaaram, observes Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
If approached with minimal expectations, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar offers enough suspense to justify an OTT viewing, observes Sonil Dedhia.
'With him in particular, I've had a lot of chats with him, a lot of conversations to try and make him a better cricketer.'
'It was my job to read out their lines to the actors and make sure they spoke them with the right diction, accent and pronunciation. If you look at my photographs from the Sadma set, you will always find me with a file in hand, even when I am in my costume. While Kamal and Sridevi were diligent about their Hindi dialogue, Silk Smitha, while always respectful, was not too interested in her lines or my instructions.'
Decapitated ghosts, ancient ghosts, devil judges, devious cartoons, angry young women, it's a super flavourful platter of assorted goodies on the OTT menu this week.
'Imagine having a conversation with your parents, where you say, "I want to break up with someone because he's bad in bed".'
Anil Kumble expressed his disappointment with India's humiliating 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand, particularly criticising the team's top-order batting and the questionable pitch preparation.
Good, bad, evil, we saw a gamut of emotions on display in their most stirring form as actors reiterated their worth.
Rehana Sultan was all set to be a path-breaker. The time was right. Hindi cinema had emerged from the 1960s musicals era. But somehow, leading film-makers of the time did not believe Rehana had that cachet. It was Zeenat Aman who ended up being the definitive taboo-trasher of the era. Dinesh Raheja salutes the trendsetter of the 1970s, Rehana Sultan.
The top 10 films of the year may not be great by themselves but they stand out amidst the other OTT releases.
Former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes the onus for the Test series loss to New Zealand rests with the senior Indian players.
Former cricketer Anil Kumble reacted to India's disappointing defeat to New Zealand in the second Test of the series in Pune, stating that India's batting has let the hosts down.
The India meteorological department (IMD) on Wednesday evening issued a red alert for Mumbai and its neighbouring districts, predicting "extremely heavy rainfall".
'My mother puts up with me beating everybody up through the film but before the film comes to an end, she stops it. She is like, "I know what's happening next, I don't want to watch".'
Mithun Chakraborty started from scratch in bit roles and had no Godfather backing him. Yet, remarkably, his career now straddles six decades and he continues to win acclaim, observes Dinesh Raheja.
As Thalapathy Vijay embarks on a career in politics, Arjun Menon looks closer at his glorious filmography.
Angry Young Men gloats in Salim-Javed's well-known attributes yet never gains access into the process or passion behind one of Indian cinema's greatest chemistries at work, observes Sukanya Verma.
'The war ended in 2009 and I believe the new generation of Tamils don't know what was going on there.' 'I felt it was my duty to tell our story.' 'Since 2009, it seems like we are sleeping.'
Sukanya Verma quizzes you to find out just how much you know about the movies.
Amaran is effective as a intimate, well researched piece of storytelling but does not try to break any new ground, observes Arjun Menon.
'You're going to have your own journey and that can be very beautiful.' 'It can also be very terrifying because there is no precedence.'
More than 157 million Indians watched at least one film in the theatre in 2023.
There are few leaders in the Opposition line up who can claim a path to party leadership like Sitaram Yechury and certainly, very few who blended that ascent through student politics with awareness about non-elite real India, urban India and liberal politics, as he did, notes Shyam G Menon.
Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam, with its retro-inspired title song and background score just tries too hard, both with the comedy and the message, feels Deepa Gahlot.
'You become a critic because the job entails watching a 100 films a year, out of which there will be five or six good films.' 'It's really a glutton for punishment, but you're also optimistic and want to see exciting things.'
'I promise you, you've never seen her do anything like this.' 'It is a complete reinvention of Janhvi Kapoor.'
Mehmood and R D Burman shiver, wail and flail when they encounter a stuffed tiger that wags its tail, furniture that moves on its own volition and dancing skeletons and mummies. Dinesh Raheja revisits a must-watch.
Andaz Apna Apna is practically the most quoted film since Sholay, observes Sukanya Verma, as she celebrates 30 years of this cult classic movie.
'When honest, wealthy people come forward to serve India, people should feel proud and welcome them.'
'When you watch Freedom At Midnight, I want you to feel like you are sitting on a ticking time bomb.'
'The weekend advance booking are extremely encouraging for these movies, and the extended break due to Mahashivratri, will provide a significant impetus.'
India's hockey team skipper Harmanpreet Singh and veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh expressed disappointment at not being able to realise their goal of winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but said a bronze will be at least better than returning home empty-handed.
'...without looking into yourself.' 'What matters most is human relationships and the human mind.'
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