'I might in the future step out of a Dileesh Pothan movie not completely satisfied, but content I'll be in the knowledge that our greatest living film-maker had failed striving to be something more than just an auteur,' notes Sreehari Nair.
Sacred Games 2 is an upgrade, and is shaping up to be one of India's great cultural events, feels Sreehari Nair.
'It's also a movie-crazed kid's idea of a great time,' discovers Sreehari Nair.
The world according to Neeraj Pandey. Observed by Sreehari Nair.
A serial killer may be insane; a show about a serial killer need not be a celebration of his insanity.
'What guides Monsoon Wedding through and through is Mira Nair's openness as a film-maker,' observes Sreehari Nair.
If you think the film is gutsy, you are simply being blind to the truth that the whole men-are-worthless slant is saleable right now, argues Sreehari Nair.
What holds It's Not That Simple together is the cast; performers who frequently rise above their stodgy lines to bring something personal to the table, notes Sreehari Nair.
'If questioning and dethroning hierarchies is your primary motive, why not put an end to the practice of announcing your shining star, your box office draw, in big flaming letters and mentioning everyone else's name in small font at the bottom of the screen?' asks Sreehari Nair.
These videos are like butterflies in a case, says Sreehari Nair. They have neither aged badly nor grown over-familiar.
Looking at Shah Rukh Khan's unusual onscreen professions.
With Joji, Dileesh Pothan has found a way, once more, to use everything he has learnt to further push the boundaries of his art, observes Sreehari Nair.
... And sometimes, that's enough, says Sreehari Nair.
'A big reason for its low recall value is that Rangbaaz's colourful characters are all essentially punks,' feels Sreehari Nair.
It is the two women directors in Shuruaat Ka Twist who end up making the best films, feels Sreehari Nair.
To an award show that's famous for honouring artists belatedly, we have sent as our official entry one of our major film-makers's weakest work yet, feels Sreehari Nair.
The curse of stardom, especially in a country like India -- which wants its Gods to be tidy and punctilious -- is that stardom forces you to stop exploring the frozen sea inside you, and instead inspires you more and more to perform out of a small puddle, observes Sreehari Nair.
Movies, like all forms of great art, are not meant to tell us how we ought to be, but honestly document how are.
All through Moothon, you can sense Mohandas trying hard to empathise with her characters; I just wish she was interested in them, declares Sreehari Nair.
This is a film where random storylines are padded together with obscure Internet facts, observes Sreehari Nair.
Sreehari Nair presents his Top 20 movies of the decade.
'Since Piku, Irrfan seemed content in delighting us with his finesse than striking a nerve.' 'Now, why was this so?' 'Why did our No 1 soul-searching actor suddenly decide that he'd rather be a heart-warmer?' 'Did those journeys take too much out of him?' asks Sreehari Nair.
Beneath its dazzling veneer, this emperor has no clothes, says J Jagannath.
Parasite's razor-sharp characterisations ensure that the picture is thoroughly entertaining though it falls short of greatness, declares Sreehari Nair.
'In Udaan and in Lootera, the initial sensations that drove Vikramaditya Motwane to make those pictures never quite travelled beyond the walls that contained them.' 'Here, in Trapped, this sensations-strangled-by-the-walls feeling becomes the movie's real tune,' says Sreehari Nair.
'What seemed missing in Tumbbad was that screwiness, that kinkiness, which shades so many of our best parables,' observes Sreehari Nair.
'What we have is 'masala redeemed' as opposed to just 'masala resurrected',' argues Sreehari Nair.
'It's a performance that puts the Bachchan hysteria to shame,' observes Sreehari Nair.
Though it is a little too neat and a little too light, Rubaru Roshni is important because it is telling us stories of people who have experienced an 'Inner Migration' in their lives, notes Sreehari Nair.
...A hate letter to our system, feels Sreehari Nair.
'I felt a constant gag in my throat, and emerged from the movie somewhat mugged,' confesses Sreehari Nair.
Sreehari Nair reviews Ayyappanum Koshiyum.
'Made in Heaven plays well as a busy show; when it's hip, but without being hopeless,' feels Sreehari Nair.
Half a dozen reasons why Sridevi is to the camera born. Sreehari Nair lists them out.
'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is a step backward for the portrayal of female camaraderie in our movies,' argues Sreehari Nair.
Ittefaq has a gagster attitude, plenty of light touches, and it announces Abhay Chopra as a mainstream talent to watch out for, says Sreehari Nair.
After 20 plus years of threatening to offer us new sensations, Nagesh Kukunoor has finally let it rip, raves Sreehari Nair.
20 years ago this week, India and Australia played one of the greatest Test matches in cricket history. Sreehari Nair relives the sound and the fury of that unforgettable game at the Eden Gardens.
Sreehari Nair lists some movies, documentaries, recorded-performance films, and literature and music suggestions that might help.
'By ruffling dignified feathers, and by polarising its audience, Kabir Singh has put movies and art back into our public discourse,' says Sreehari Nair.