Miss India Movie Review: A woman sells tea in the US at the expense of us

“This film that tries to mean well for women has its central character, Manasa Samyuktha (Keerthy Suresh), telling a date that should a woman say that she’s thinking about a decision, it means it’s a yes, and that should she say yes, then she shouldn’t be thought of as a woman at all. To borrow a modern idiom, the mind really boggles.”

‘I like that we have made good Telugu content from Chennai’

…says writer-director Siva Ananth, as he joins directors Sarjun and Barath Neelakantan and actor Prasanna for a chat about their recent Aha anthology, Addham Aha’s new anthology, Addham, is made up of three short films, Crossroads (directed by Barath Neelakantan), The Unwhisperable Secret (Siva Ananth), and The Road That Never Ends (Sarjun). All the stories speak of flawed judgments and centre on moral conundrums….

Putham Pudhu Kaalai Review: Sudha Kongara stars in an anthology that evokes mixed feelings

“It’s also fascinating to note that old people are integral parts of this new anthology. It’s a welcome development, is it not, that liberated from the rules surrounding feature films and star-centric cinema, these filmmakers are able to talk about an important section of society that’s damagingly stereotyped, even in the off-chance that they get depicted at all?”

Varmaa Movie Review: A listless, lifeless remake of Arjun Reddy

“The Arjun Reddy universe is Bala’s backyard. It’s pretty much his debut film, Sethu. The one-liner is the same: A misanthropic, alpha male forces a meek woman to submit to his ‘pure love’, and when it all goes to hell, he becomes deranged. Given the inherent melancholy and madness in this subject—Bala’s playthings—the question was, how would he reinterpret this story that is right up his alley?”

Nishabdham Review: A convoluted screenplay fails to mask fundamental flaws

Nishabdham begins with a bag of horror clichés. There’s a flashback. We see a villa in 1920s America. The camera’s already peeking from behind a curtain and letting out menacing whispers. You know the rest. The residents see strange activity, descend into the cellar, and get themselves offed by you-don’t-know-who. The man is found crucified on…