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…

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Music has no mortality

“Given the omnipresence of songs, is it a surprise at all that when someone like SP Balasubrahmanyam, whose vocal signature is stamped across our film music, passes away, it feels like the loss of a family member?”