Vaa Vaathiyar ends up being a bland yet fascinating iteration of a masala film funnelled through the prism of a quirky humorist, notes Arjun Menon.
This is also the time when South Indian films started doing well, commercially and critically, on a Pan-India scale.
Then there is Love And War featuring Alia, Ranbir, Vicky...
Over 25 years, societies evolve and tastes change. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is tough.
2025 started with a blockbuster in Chhaava and ended with an even bigger one in Dhurandhar. There have been other Hindi hits too, and we take a look at the Top 10.
The Housemaid makes up for a few hiccups with a series of sharply staged shocks, resulting in a fun and satisfying thriller, notes Mayur Sanap.
January has a rich slate of web series and movies on the OTT platform. Joginder Tuteja gives us a quick look.
In the midst of crime and cop shows all over, a family comedy comes as a relief, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Taapsee has not had a single release in 2025, here is her line-up for 2026.
Sreenivasan could so willingly be 'our little man' because in his heart of hearts he never felt trivial or inconsequential. And to the very end he stayed that way, the shrimp who knew he was a giant. Sreehari Nair doffs his hat to the late legend.
Why did Lifestyle Asia magazine honour these Bollywood personalities?
I once asked him why he hadn't written scripts for his sons Vineeth and Dhyan. 'I made some suggestions about their scripts, and they haven't discussed their scripts with me after that,' he said with his trademark laugh.
In the year gone by, quite a few of the younger actors flexed their acting muscle. Whether the films were blockbusters or not is immaterial, what matters is the effort put in.
Ranveer has shown the right instincts in his choice of roles, which he has played with seeming effortlessness, backed with preparation and understanding.
Men losing money, men turning money into superpower and lots more stranger things on OTT this week. Sukanya Verma lists them out.
Aseem Chhabra ranks the Best of 2025's films that released in theatres, or went directly to OTT platforms.
It's raining sequels on OTT this week, but that's not all. Sukanya Verma lists everything you can watch.
'Finding it on screen because I am not getting it in real life.'
'Audiences are loyal to good content.'
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
It's been a while since Hindi cinema had a zany, well-written comedy, applauds Deepa Gahlot.
'I kept urging Salman to see Pokiri, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see it. Nervously, I waited for Salman's reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word. I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.'
As someone who could not predict a single beat in advance, who was exhilarated by its audacity to throw random elements together and take chances all over the place, Sreehari Nair thinks Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira is one of the best films of the year.
It was a forgettable weekend for Bollywood as the two new releases -- 120 Bahadur and Mastiii 4 -- failed to get audiences.
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
'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.'
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
Today, says Twinkle Khanna, motherhood is very different. "You're like a psychologist, you're their trainer, you're the nutritionist, you're seeing how many carbs they're eating, how many vitamins they're having, you're their chef, you're an educator and you are also their screen monitor. And you still have to make the hair along with that."
'I have always broken my image every time I went on screen. I don't know what it means to be a Greek God but people used to call me one.'
A look at the interesting movie releases lined up for November.
September is going to be an exciting month in theatres.
If he doesn't apologise, we will speak to him in our own style. Shiv Sena won't leave him. We won't tolerate this insult
'It's heartening to see that the festive energy is being driven not only by star-led blockbusters but also by fresh, content-rich films.'
Thamma is mostly entertaining and not grotesquely horror-inducing, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'It is something that he always wanted to do and he has achieved phenomenal success in doing it.'
Dharmendra's oeuvre was so phenomenal that there was never a phase in his professional life when he was in danger of falling into a rut, in terms of either the kind of films he starred in or the sort of co-actors he worked with.
'Nawaz's character was created around Vikram Betaal.' 'Betaal was a little more gimmicky, funny; he would laugh at you, tease you.' 'That's why I made Nawaz very quirky.'
Despite the evolution of cinema toward more refined expressions and aesthetics today, the exaggerated comedic style of Andaz Apna Apna remains endearing and entertaining, reminding us that sometimes, we just need a dose of mindless comedy to unwind, feels Shristi Sahoo.
'I would rather make movies in this universe and build up a loyal fan base over a period.'
'When you miss India, you'll hear it before you see it. That's really where the idea started.' 'If you ever go to your terrace at night in India, you'll hear sounds from everywhere.' 'That feeling of hearing home in your head when you're far away... that's the soul of the show.'
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