The phenomenal success of the 2015 Neeraj Pandey directed ‘Baby’ (oh yes, it was Akshay Kumar’s baby back then) undoubtedly inspired him to write ‘Naam Shabana’, a prequel to explain the female protagonist’s entry into the faceless agency that looks after the country’s security. Shabana, a martial arts champion, lives with her mother Farida (Natasha […]
Adapted from W. Bruce Cameron’s 2010 novel — with a few changes — A Dog’s Purpose is a charming, and at times, sentimental tale of a dog’s life and his purpose on earth, vis-à-vis humans. Narrated by the dog Bailey (voice of Josh Gad) the film starts off with a young Red Retriever being adopted […]
At 13 years, one is just about old enough to learn about the Himalayas, notably its tallest peak Mount Everest. On 25 May 2014, Malavath Poorna, the impoverished daughter of poor and illiterate Adivasi village-folk in Telengana, became the youngest female to ascend the famed peak. In his second directorial effort (Everybody Says I’m Fine, […]
Phillauri is the story of a friendly but confused ghost and age-old traditions, peppered quite liberally with Punjabi folk songs. Kannan (Suraj Sharma – Life of Pi) is a Canada-returned Punjabi boy due to marry his childhood sweetheart Anu (a comely Mehreen Kaur Pirzada in her first Hindi film). But as the disinterested Kannan is […]
Coming exactly 60 years after the iconic women-centric Mother India, Anarkali of Aarah – starring Swara Bhaskar – tells the story of a rural folk dancer Anar(kali) of Aarah village in Bihar. Anarkali (Bhaskar) is the feisty and plucky lead singer of a troupe which specialises in entertaining locals with bawdy folk songs. Though the […]
Two kinds of exploration have always intrigued and baffled humans: the mysteries of the deep (oceans) and the secrets of space. Director Daniel Espinosa has helmed this outer-space sci-fi horror thriller of six scientists and astronauts attempting to collect data from Mars. It’s a motley group consisting of hot-headed technician Roy Adams (Ryan Reynolds), the […]
‘1944. Somewhere over the South Pacific’ says the film’s opening title card as the viewer is shown a couple of pilots marooned on one of the islands. The original 1933 black-and-white classic ‘King Kong’ had set the template for a number of films on the great ape – the 1976 and Peter Jackson’s 2005 versions […]
Sequels have their own quirky way of exacting interest from potential viewers, especially if the earlier film has been more than a moderate success. Three years after Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania starring Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan hit the screen, comes the second in the franchise, though not a sequel with the lead pair unchanged. […]
It’s not everyday that you beat an Olympian—and that too at a National level tournament. Not every player gets to consistently bag top-spot in the state in all three age categories — juniors, youth and women! A good half-century after the likes of Farokh Khodaiji and his wife Katy brought laurels to the community and […]
Largely based on the graphic novel ‘Old Man Logan’ by Mark Millar and ‘X-23: Innocence Lost’ by Craig Kyle, Logan is the tenth and final instalment of the X-Men series, which premiered in 2000. It is also the last of the three Wolverine films which debuted in 2009. Set in 2029, barely a dozen years […]
Three hours into the race and thirty minutes into the film, a series of explosions rocked the site (near the finish line) of Boston Marathon on 15 April, 2013 — the third Monday of the month — traditionally celebrated as Patriots Day in that part of the US. Mark Wahlberg is Sgt. Tommy Saunders of […]