Vasan Bala's Cinema Marte Dum Tak shines the spotlight on Vinod Talwar, Dilip Gulati, Kishan Shah and J Neelam. All of them are articulate, witty, and expressive -- talking of their passion for films, the rise and fall of their cinema, observes Deepa Gahlot.
We look at the longest Hindi movies through the years, and interestingly, most of them have done well.
Marketed as a Valentine's Day treat, audiences can expect to be mildly entertained by the surface-level intimate scenes in Wuthering Heights that only leave you thirsty for the real, raw passion, notes Divya Nair.
'I've asked them so many times that after going through gruelling shoot sessions for 30-40 years, what keeps your passion alive? I think it's the discipline to show up.'
As India's remarkable chess revolution gathers momentum, teenagers Rishabh Kumar and Adhiraj Mitra are ensuring that the country's future on the 64 squares remains brighter than ever.
Kudos to the makers for attempting to create a meaningful series, Bandwaale, that blends the beauty of music to inspire you to look within, and find your voice, raves Divya Nair.
TVF deserves credit for breaking its mould of picking and sticking to favourable and comfortable genres. Space Gen could serve as a launch pad for more exciting content to come, hopes Divya Nair.
Amazon Prime Video promises big releases coming up this year!
'I don't want to do silly or meaningless work anymore.'
There is nothing new or original about the storyline but loyalists may continue to be swept away by Emily's high-fashion escapades against the sun-drenched backdrops of Rome and postcard-perfect Venice, notes Divya Nair.
The fact that a major studio put out a silent film starring some of the biggest names in the industry in these concerning times for the film business is the one big takeaway from Gandhi Talks, notes Arjun Menon.
The Tamil movie starts off well, but doesn't quite capitalise on its strengths.
'We have come to the point in civilisation where emotion seems to be something you hide or you have to be discreet about, or to be ashamed of.'
Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis tells the story of India's youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was just 21 at the time of the 1971 War.
'Maybe I'm meant to do a few more good films, have some more nice times with family and friends, do some more charity.'
Pathinaru might have plenty of Yuvan's signature tunes, but there are moments of appeal that give some depth to the album, and veer away from his template.
DK congratulated the movie makers on getting the nuances of cricket spot on.
Saiyaara ends up a bland rehash of old ideas served in an older bottle, notes Arjun Menon.
'Here are 25 stories special to me for one reason too many,' says Sukanya Verma who scored 25 years writing about the movies last week.
During the current Ranji Trophy season, a star son has been launched. But for 25-year-old Agni Dev Chopra, he never had the luxury of a re-take that his film-maker father Vidhu Vinod Chopra has had throughout his illustrious career.
It was a year of so many contradictions and contrasts that it became dangerous to talk about movies, people lost their heads discussing Friday releases, psychiatrists began dabbling in film criticism, and film critics turned into psychiatrists, says Sreehari Nair.
'I make films which I think have the possibility of being liked by a majority of people, and you present it with the right emotions.'
'Thanks to Chhaava's success, I now have the creative freedom to pick and choose.'
Sukanya Verma gives us a lowdown on all those wonderful movies she saw and movies you need to see as and when they arrive to a screen or streaming space near you.
His pa is famed film-maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, his ma is celebrated movie commentator Anupama Chopra, but Agni Dev Chopra's passion is not movies, but cricket.
Be it as a source of fire, secret or endgame, everything is seen through the prism of sex and good looks in The Royals, observes Sukanya Verma.
'We want to hide it (by saying) we are too busy in our lives, we have other things to attend to, we have families.' 'But they all had families, including Jyotiba or Mahatma Gandhi, or anybody who challenged the system.'
'Abrar uncle said he had started drinking from the afternoon on that fateful day. And he continued drinking till late at night.' 'Thereafter, he must have consumed some sleeping pills, as was his habit.' 'I think that combination went fatally wrong.'
Chhaava deserves 2 stars for the historically half-baked film that it is, but 4 stars just for its attempt on making a film on Sambhaji, observes Prasanna D Zore.
Varun Tej's committed performance somehow rescues Matka from being a pointless venture with stylish flourishes and interesting ideas, observes Arjun Menon.
'It's a tremendous accomplishment to have a father like Amitabh Bachchan and still be so sorted, to not taste the kind of success that he should have and yet be so balanced.'
'If you just listen to the lyrics, they're so simple. It's definitely a great philosophy to live life by.'
'Both Shahid and Ishaan are over-thinkers and I'm constantly telling them to lighten up, chill.'
After a character and film like this, at least for a while, everything else Vicky Kaushal does will look bland, asserts Deepa Gahlot.
Taapsee, Vikrant, Sunny are a fine fit on their own as well as around each other and prove themselves to be well equipped to survive the air of double dealing. What's missing is sizzle, feels Sukanya Verma..
'The work of a film-maker is going out and making films.' 'And if you are in prison for 15 years, you can't make films.'
'Everything I know about acting and direction I learnt from him.'
Pushpa 2 is a badly misjudged, doubtful sequel that can't capitalise on the wealth of the story world set up in the first film, observes Arjun Menon.
'A struggling actor once came to me and told me there's no work.' 'I said when there's no work, that's when you have a lot of work.' 'He said he didn't understand.' 'I explained that you have to keep reading, watching, writing, traveling.' 'It is like riyaaz for an actor.'
