The Long Take

In Superboys of Malegaon, director Reema Kagti unites three talented male actors in an inspiring story about ambition and friendship. But was she the ideal person for the job?

We discuss the film’s sanitised storytelling, its formulaic narrative, and writer Varun Grover seemingly playing it safe.

We also talk about the abundance of characters and the visible difficulty that Kagti has in fleshing them out.

Along the way, we also discus...

IsMrs., the Hindi-language remake of the acclaimed Malayalam filmThe Great Indian Kitchen, a better exploration of the same ideas?

We discuss the ways in whichMrs. improves upon the original and the ways in which it falls short.

We also praise Sanya Malhotra’s central performance and highlight the flourishes that director Arati Kadav brings to her version. But the film’s ending—as with the original—remains a sticking point.

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Ahead of the Oscar nominations, we discuss one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, writer-director Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light.

We talk about the film’s bittersweet exploration of urban loneliness and the migrant experience, its depiction of Mumbai, and Kapadia’s command over tone. We also talk about the bold mid-movie pivot and how it affects the narrative.

Later, we discuss the film’s Oscars omission and the disrespe...

Jigra, the new film by Vasan Bala, combines his trademark cine-literate sensibilities with mainstream Bollywood tropes.

The odd combination makes for an interesting discourse about the film’s broad sentimentality, its genre credentials, and storytelling that is both contrived and confident.

We discuss Bala’s balancing act and whether it works. Along the way, we talk about Alia Bhatt’s strong central performance, the action set-piec...

Deadpool & Wolverine, the only Marvel Cinematic Universe movie this year, levels up in terms of budget but isn't bothered about evolving emotionally.

We discuss the film’s relentless humour, the ugly CGI, and the confusingly complicated plot. There’s time for self-reference, but not for self-reflection in the Deadpool films, as Ryan Reynolds continues to overwhelm every aspect of them.

We also talk about where the film stands i...

Stree 2 is an overlong, unfunny, and ultimately unnecessary sequel that has no idea how to deliver scares or laughs.

Every scene in the film goes on for too long, the jokes are repeated to the point of redundancy, and some of the diversions are baffling to behold. Why is Akshay Kumar in this? How old is Tamannaah Bhatia’s character? Why are there no rules to this universe?

We discuss the film’s flawed feminism, its boring tone, and...

Vikramaditya Motwane’s fascination with genre cinema continues. But his latest film, CTRL, isn't exactly going to win him any new fans.

We discuss the film’s mess of a script, which tries to cram in way too many ideas than it needed to. We also talk about its elaborate conspiracy thriller section and its melancholic third act.

Along the way, we praise Ananya Panday for bringing nuance to a string of performances that could be misin...

Kottukkaali, writer-director P.S. Vinothraj’s follow-up to the acclaimed Koozhangal, divided us down the middle.

We speak about the techniques Vinothraj uses to tell an ever-evolving, odyssey-like story about a group of people accompanying a young woman to her exorcism.

We discuss the brief bursts of horror and comedy and talk about the larger points that Vinothraj is trying to make about a deeply rotten society.

We also debate the...

Sector 36 is a gratuitously grisly dramatisation of the gruesome Nithari serial murders from around two decades ago. But because it unfolds with zero nuance, the movie mines cheap thrills out of a real-life horror story.

We talk about the strange arcs that Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal’s characters have been given, the haphazard narrative structure, and seemingly missing sequences that could’ve helped make the story smoother.

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Kill might be one of the rare movies that actually benefit from a remake—that’s how royally it fumbles both its action and revenge plot.

We discuss the film’s indecipherable approach to close combat, the lead actor Lakshya’s wooden performance, and the lack of inventiveness in the story.

We also talk about the unearned John Wick and The Raid comparisons, and wonder why international audiences seemed to appreciate the film.

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The year’s biggest Indian hit, Kalki 2898 AD, is just as irredeemable as Prabhas’ other recent films.

But unlike those movies, this one barely features Prabhas at all and drags on for three hours without offering a single character you can latch on to. We talk about the film’s poor construction, subpar world-building, and superficial writing.

We also discuss its shameless sequel-bait of a climax and wonder why people weren’t up in ...

Angry Young Men, the three-part documentary about writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s partnership, is a massive missed opportunity.

We discuss the show’s cagey approach to its legendary subjects, the overwhelming feeling of self-satisfaction, and the unearned points it tries to score for highlighting the plight of writers in the film business.

We also discuss the superficial filmmaking, the lack of insight provided by everybody i...

Chandu Champion finds director Kabir Khan returning to 83 territory, for better or worse.

We talk about the film’s shoddy storytelling structure, its complete lack of interest in developing its protagonist, and its over-reliance on crutches like music and contrivances.

We also discuss Khan’s tendency to underestimate his audiences’ intellect and his inherent insecurity about his subject’s genuine achievements. Chandu Champion is an...

In Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey return as the murderous couple of hell who were introduced in 2021’s Haseen Dillruba.

The sequel boasts an entirely different visual aesthetic and its romantic-thriller tone stands in contrast to the tongue-in-cheek pulpiness of the first film.

We discuss what a huge mistake this is, while also trying to wrap our heads around the film’s illogical non-linear plot.

We al...

Longlegs is the rare psychological horror movie that truly gets under your skin.

Featuring an instantly iconic performance by Nicolas Cage, the movie creates an ominous atmosphere with the help of a measured pace and an unsettling reliance on silence.

We discuss the film’s grounded first act and its rapid descent into full-blown supernatural horror. We also talk about director Osgood Perkins’ immersive framing and the film’s themes...

They might as well have called Maharaj “Junaid Khan’s Launch Vehicle” because naming it after the villain makes even less sense.

We discuss the film’s many irredeemable flaws, which include shaming the victim of sexual abuse, projecting a red flag male character as the protagonist, and resorting to the problematic trope of “fridging.”

We also talk about the film’s obvious technical inadequacies, like flat visuals, a haphazard tone,...

In its third and potentially final season, Kota Factory seems to be responding to past criticism.

We discuss the show’s sudden bout of self-reflection, and the confused manner in which it examines the harsh realities of towns like Kota and the industries they service. We also talk about its aversion to human moments, and why the handful of them this season stand out.

Later in the episode, we wonder why the show remains watchable on...

Dibakar Banerjee is going to have to make two good movies to compensate for whatever hellish assault on the senses Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 was.

We discuss the film’s muddled social commentary, the frustration oozing out of every frame, and the general incoherence of the arguments.

We also compare LSD2’s aesthetic and thematic shortfalls, especially when compared to Banerjee’s past work, while wondering why he couldn’t find room for a...

Crew, the new heist movie starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon, effectively weaponises middle-class angst against corporate overlords.

We praise the film’s dedication to punching up, the instant relatability that it is able to generate for its characters, and its tightly constructed first half.

But we also criticise its endless product placement, and the relatively disappointing second hour, which asks the audience t...