KA (TELUGU) (2024)

Set in the 70s in a quaint and remote village, the story kicks off with Vasudev, the village postman getting abducted by masked men to an unknown location. He is interrogated about his past using a machine that has hypnotizing powers. Apparently, Vasudev has been secretly reading letters addressed to others which has unexpected consequences.

Who are these masked men who seem to have no connection to the village ..? What is their interest in Vasudev..?

Debutant director duo - brothers Sujith and Sandeep - have crafted a unique thriller that builds gradually on its simple setting to culminate in an ending that is unexpected and exceptional.

Not saying much else, lest I might tread into spoiler territory.

AN ENGROSSING WATCH !

RATING - 3/5

PS - Streaming on Amazon Prime

L2 - EMPURAAN (MALYALAM) (2025)

As a sequel to a blockbuster, this is definitely grander - perhaps, twice as larger in scale - spanning several locations across multiple continents much like a Bond or Bourne movie, even as it builds on the basic narrative arc set in the politics of God's own country.

One can decipher multiple influences from home and abroad, as in the action set pieces - inspired from the universe of Prashant Neel or Telugu / Tamil flicks with generous dose of blood as well as Hollywood-esque heavy duty armaments with mighty explosions. All these elements are assembled to serve a reasonably coherent narrative arc with occasional goosebumps moments for the fans.

Mohanlal shines through as the titular dark angel as he looms over the entire film casting an oversized shadow on every frame. The rest of the ensemble cast including Manju Warrier, Tovino and others put in their best despite their limited character arcs.

Prithviraj continues to make his mark as a director as he handles the scale hitherto unseen in Malayalam movies. He delivers a pretty good masala flick which does not bore you despite its three hour long runtime.

Alas, bigger is not synonymous to better and the grander scale does not deliver the emotional beats of the first installment. Nevertheless, this is a commendable sequel that sets the tone for a fitting finale to cap the trilogy.

A SPECTACLE MOVIE (best enjoyed on a BIG screen) !

RATING - 3/5

NARAYANEENTE MOONNAANMAKKAL (MALAYALAM) (2025)

Three estranged brothers reunite with their families after decades in their ancestral home as their mother is drawing her final breaths. Beneath the courteous efforts to forge forgotten connections, unforgotten and unforgiven tensions from the past simmer. Could the siblings succeed in overcoming their differences..? How does the gen-next of the family, in their impressionable years and meeting for the first time connect..?

This is a movie that manages to achieve a difficult balancing act of being subtle and sensitive to the subjects being depicted without being judgmental on any of the characters who are all flawed at some level, as humans tend to be.

Director Sharan Venugopal displays remarkable restraint throughout as he skillfully steers his narrative away from the usual desi pitfalls of getting lewd (exploitative or exposing to titillate) or loud (melodramatic or emotionally manipulative). This is no small achievement in itself and to achieve all this within a crisp running time of less than two hours is a mark of his brilliance.

While the two young leads playing next generation of the family (especially, Garggi Ananthan, playing Athira) are perfectly cast for their respective roles, the seniors - Joju, Suraj & Lopez - are excellent too, carrying all their shades without hitting a wrong note.

The music by Rahul Raj - songs as well as the score - is another highlight.

Overall, it is yet another lovely addition to the ever-growing pantheon of Malayalam cinema that continues to excel in exploring the oft-overlooked dimensions of our collective human coexistence.

A SUBTLE & SENSITIVE MASTERPIECE !

RATING - 4/5

GAME CHANGER (TELUGU) (2025)

A sort of return to form for Director Shankar who stumbled badly and delivered a disaster in Indian sequel which was his previous outing. The story from director Karthik Subbaraj pits an upright and dynamic bureaucrat against a power hungry politician buttressed by a corrupt system.

The writing and execution follows Shankar's familiar template with some contemporary updates. Yet, it largely works and delivers the wares for a commercial potboiler, thanks largely to Ram Charan firing on all cylinders and powering it through a double role. He gets able support from an ensemble cast including SJ Suryah as a menacing antagonist, a goofy Jayaram, Srikanth, Samuthirakani, Anjali, and Kiara Advani besides several others who appear in a blink-n-miss minor roles like Achyuth Kumar, Vennela Kishore, and Brahmanandam.

Shankar has continued to splurge on the making including songs mounted on grandiose scale with eye popping colours that saturate the large screen from edge to edge. Ditto for his mandatory emotional flashback stretch which is at best average and is utterly predictable despite dramatic gravitas of Ram Charan and Anjali trying their best. Nevertheless, the cat and mouse game between the leads has enough drama and punchy twists to sustain momentum and interest.

While Shankar has upped his game from his previous debacle, this is still a far cry from his yesteryear blockbusters which find several echoes through the movie. If you keep your expectations limited, this is a fairly engaging game.

WORTH A ONE TIME WATCH !

RATING - 3/5

KISHKINDHA KAANDAM (MALAYALAM) (2024)

Ajay (Asif Ali), a forest officer, lives with his father Appu Pillai (Vijayaraghavan), a retired army officer, in their family villa deep in the verdant jungles of Wayanad. The movie begins with hints of a missing pistol belonging to Appu Pillai that is required to be surrendered in the police station due to the forthcoming elections. This is intercut with the scene of Ajay getting married to Aparna (Aparna Balamurali) in a simple court marriage where the couple appear to be going through the motions unemotionally.

As the search for the missing gun intensifies, Aparna and us - the viewers - are hooked to the the gently unpeeling layers of this household including details about Ajay's earlier marriage, his deceased wife who succumbed to cancer, their 10-year old son who has been missing for 3 years, as well as the apparent eccentricities of Appu Pillai. What happens to the missing gun and the missing son ? The narrative adopts a gentle and measured pace that nevertheless, keeps us engaged till its culmination in an emotional and gripping finale. Even the dramatic reveals of the climax are delivered with a measured tone which ironically land like a sucker punch.

Director Dinjith Ayyathan along with the cinematographer Bahul Ramesh who has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues have crafted a narrative that builds gradually to a crescendo without resorting to any gimmickry or loud melodrama. It is like watching a blank canvas coming alive at the hands of a brilliant artist who transforms into a masterpiece - one assured brushstroke after another - all the while keeping us guessing till the very end.

The narrative expertly focusses on the nature of memories which are central to our survival and existence as they are the basic building blocks of our life. Our memories are the filter through which we see and understand the world. We perceive and live our everyday experience of reality through what we have remembered thus far. Yet, our memories remain fallible as they are seldom an accurate record of events and also continue to diminish as we age. Nevertheless, we continue our valiant, albeit vain, efforts to clutch at the straws of this fast-fading scaffolding that is central to our constructs of self as well as our social connections.

The writer-director duo weave their storyline to explore these dimensions without missing out on the mystery that captivates our attention as we continuously search for answers. The central cast comprising of Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, and Vijayaraghavan ace their respective parts with just the right dose of pathos, mystery, curiosity, madness and vulnerability. The score by Mujeeb Majeed subtly underlines the unfolding drama without drawing too much attention to itself.

The movie serves a perfect cocktail of an intelligent drama dense with emotions and multi-faceted mystery that lingers with you long after the viewing.

ANOTHER GEM FROM GOD'S OWN COUNTRY !

RATING - 4.5/5

PS - Streaming on Disney+HotStar

AMARAN (TAMIL) (2024)

Biopics, especially of army veterans, are an unexplored genre in Tamil cinema. Director Rajkumar Periasamy takes this road less traveled as he narrates the story of Major Mukund Varadarajan who was martyred in Kashmir shortly after celebrating his 31st birthday. 

The unusual casting of leads - Siva Karthikeyan (SK) and Sai Pallavi - has worked exceptionally well as both provide stellar performances. SK undergoes a spectacular transformation in his muscular physicality as well as a controlled performance that is as distant from his usual casual self as snowy Kashmir is from sunny shores of Kanyakumari. Sai Pallavi is once again phenomenal as the emotional anchor to this film. 

Amaran is a fine attempt as it blends the personal life comprising of an affecting love story along with a valorous life of a professional army man with exemplary leadership skills. The director deserves credit for steering clear of the usual pitfalls of loud jingoism and teary melodrama that mire most movies of this genre. 

RATING - 3.5/5

A VERY GOOD WATCH !

PS - Streaming on Netflix

RIFLE CLUB (MALAYALAM) (2024)

Two love birds on the run from predatory gangsters seek refuge in a rifle club nestled in the verdant Western ghats. The club traces its lineage to Tipu and colonials with its proud members transcending age or gender stereotypes. When the gangsters in pursuit land at the gates of the club, all hell breaks loose.

Director Ashiq Abu orchestrates a mayhem manufactured in malevolent Malyali gunslinger heaven set to a thumping score from Rex Vijayan.

The stellar cast including Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, Varni Vishwanath, Vijaya Raghavan, Surabhi Lakshmi, Dharshana Rajendran and many more hit the bulls-eye delivering their roles with comic panache.

Overall, this is a stylish thriller mounted on a wafer thin premise where the count of bullets matter much more than the body count.

A DOUBLE-BARRELLED DELIGHT !

RATING - 3.5/5