From All We Imagine As Light to Kishkindha Kaandam, these outstanding films deserved National Film Awards far more than several of this year's winners.
From comic-book recreations and Daredevil connections to hints about Silk and the X-Men, here are 15 details you may have missed in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Glory juggles its whodunit goals and estranged father-son equation across a hoard of suspects and unreliable allies. The upshot is uneven yet watchable because of the talent on board, notes Sukanya Verma.
The second season of Beef delves into a new, class-driven conflict at an elite Southern California country club, in a compelling narrative of escalating domestic disputes, blackmail, and corporate intrigue, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour: Live in 3D is packed with moments that are clearly meant to make die-hard fans go 'Aww,' but they don't really give a true look at the person behind the artist, notes Mayur Sanap.
Accused's greatest lure is its queer couple at the centre of storm but by sidestepping their camaraderie for polite affection, the drama does itself immense disservice, observes Sukanya Verma.
Sapne vs Everyone is dark, and often depressing. At the same time, it is not completely hopeless, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Hey Kai Navin? begins to falter, because the show leans too heavily into saccharine sentimentality, often choosing non-fussy conflicts over narrative depth, notes Mayur Sanap.
Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan reunite in Priyadarshan's dark thriller Haiwaan where Kumar portrays a psychopathic villain and Khan a visually impaired hero.
Karuppu begins with a striking idea of God battling a broken justice system, only to turn into a routine Suriya mass spectacle.
The last scene in Hamnet will be seared in movie memory, notes Deepa Gahlot.
When it's not spouting excessive maths jargon -- algorithm alone is uttered a zillion times -- too many characters with too little context crowd the scenes and turn Maa Ka Sum into a slog, observes Sukanya Verma.
From intense gangster epics to tender slice-of-life dramas, these 10 films showcase why Dhanush remains one of Indian cinema's most versatile leading men.
Rediff Movies columnist Dinesh Raheja's second book of poems ... Unfulfilled Desires will release on August 14.
Ashish R Mohan's Daadi Ki Shaadi, starring Neetu Singh and Kapil Sharma, offers an outdated plot that fails to deliver on humour or emotional depth.
Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 is a humourless romcom weighed down by lazy writing and forced emotional conflicts.
Mom-to-be Samantha Ruth Prabhu shares glimpses of her Vietnam holiday with husband Raj Nidimoru, where her baby bump is clearly visible.
If only Pati Patni Aur Woh Do were as funny as its director intended it to be, that would have been reason to celebrate, notes Sreeju Sudhakaran.
Every lead character is nuts in Psycho Saiyaan, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Varun Dhawan has made a significant investment in agricultural farmland, declaring it his 'biggest achievement', highlighting a growing trend among celebrities to embrace organic farming and rural living over urban luxury.
'...Or will we take a positive approach and learn from those mistakes so that it is not repeated in future?'
From Satyameva Jayate to Mastiii 4, Milap Zaveri's films may divide critics, but ranking them can prove to be even more challenging than watching them.
'I worked with Sridevi ma'am on a Malayalam film in the early '90s, which only deepened my admiration for these incredible textiles and the culture they represent as she and I went shopping in Chennai.'
This Mummy is all sound and fury, signifying nothing, discovers Mayur Sanap.
Riz Ahmed's new series Bait delivers a bitingly humorous, and topical commentary on a British-Pakistani actor's audacious journey auditioning for James Bond, challenging traditional casting norms and exploring complex themes of identity and representation.
Make the effort for Boong, Mayur Sanap insists. Watch it, and experience its quietly heart-aching beauty.
Aditya Kripalani's Main Actor Nahin Hoon, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Satarupa, turns 'acting lessons' into an emotional battlefield of loneliness, ego and vulnerability.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day shows that even superheroes need friends, healthy outlets for their emotions and the courage to learn from their mistakes.
How did a melancholic Kishore Kumar classic from 1964, remixed decades later, become the unlikely soundtrack to a Gen Z protest?
From Ikkis to Balan: The Boy, these are the 10 Indian films that truly deserved the loudest applause in the first half of 2026.
Vishnu Aravind's Madhuvidhu is a family entertainer that works in parts but falters when its drama turns unconvincing, observes Sreeju Sudhakaran.
From Khazana to Tumbbad and Dhamaal, Bollywood's treasure-hunt adventures have delivered everything from hidden riches and cursed gold to madcap comedy and even horror.
What works for Lock Upp Season 2: Sach ya Sazaa is the dramatic energy the contestants bring along. Whether they are successful, desperate or struggling in their respective careers, each one seems willing to bare a part/all of themselves on this platform, informs Divya Nair.
'Khatron Ke Khiladi is a show where people get to see a side of me, which is courageous and daring. It was a surprise for me. I got to know what I was capable of.'
Salman Khan is set to host Bigg Boss 20, introducing a new twist 'Extra Jeevan Daan' that promises to revolutionise the game with higher stakes and unexpected challenges for contestants.
As Curry Barker's Obsession arrives on OTT this week, Sreeju Sudhakaran revisits the chilling psychological horror film about the terrifying implications of a man's desire to control a woman's affections.
Tehran's dull treatment of a dry premise never makes us feel the complexity of the ongoing Middle East crisis nor the patriotic fervour in John Abraham's voice, notes Sukanya Verma.
They Will Kill You is the kind of film that works perfectly fine for a casual watch, especially if you are fan of slasher genre, observes Mayur Sanap.
If an OTT series can make a young person curious about the armed forces, make a family understand the sacrifices made by those in uniform, or simply make someone walk up to a veteran and say, "Thank you for your service," then it has achieved something far more important than merely getting its history right, notes Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
The Internet only wants to sell you the winning part. The masterclass, the framework, the seven habits. Nobody sells you the story of losing.
