Author: Praveen Nagda
Marty Supreme may be saturated with table tennis, but calling it a sports film would be stretching the definition faster than a warm-up rally. Basically, this is a study of ruthless ambition. The film tracks how ambition is born, how it swells, and how, with impressive efficiency, it corrodes everything it touches. Marty, played by Timothée Chalamet, is a man utterly convinced he knows what greatness looks like and precisely how to reach it, collateral damage notwithstanding. The narrative patiently dismantles his obsessive, passionate and deeply transactional pursuit of success, moving point by point through the anatomy of obsession. Marty…
A red frame with white text appears every 20 minutes during the film ASSI. It reminds viewers that in India, a rape is reported every 20 minutes, amounting to nearly 30,000 cases a year. This is underscored by the victim in the film, who points out that this number is large enough to fill an entire stadium. Spoken through the voice of the victim, this fact sets the tone for what follows. ASSI is based on the lives of rape survivors and captures their trauma, their struggle to rebuild their lives, the stigma they face, the pain their families go…
The Strangers – Chapter 3 positions itself as the concluding instalment of the rebooted trilogy — a narrative endpoint and psychological reckoning for its lone survivor, Maya (Madelaine Petsch). The opening sequence, flowing directly from the previous chapter, ranks among the film’s most effective passages, immediately immersing the viewer in the raw aftermath of violence. Directed by Renny Harlin, the film resumes precisely where Chapter 2 left off, engaging the audience in the visceral residue of terror. Yet as the narrative unfolds, it gradually yields to explanation-driven storytelling, weakening the very horror it seeks to sustain. Wounded and disoriented, Maya…
Sequels rarely manage to outgrow the shadow of their originals. Almost all of them rely on an extension of the narrative or nostalgia, hoping familiarity will do the job. VADH 2 defies this convention as, instead of leaning on plot continuity, it forges its strength through characters that are reintroduced, recontextualised, and reimagined. In my viewing experience, VADH 2 surpasses its predecessor in cinematic maturity and emotional depth. Written and directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu and produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg under the Luv Films banner, VADH 2 is far more layered than the first chapter. A slow-burning…
Like its earlier chapters, Mardaani 3 once again places police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy at the centre of a battle most societies prefer to ignore. Played with quiet ferocity by Rani Mukerji, Shivani confronts crimes against women that are often normalised, dismissed, or buried under silence and stigma. Directed by Abhiraj Minawala and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner, the film expands the Mardaani universe into a territory that is darker and far more disturbing. It lays bare how violence against women is not accidental but is instead enabled systematically by fear, conditioning, and wilful indifference.…
Avatar: Fire and Ash reaffirms James Cameron’s command of large-scale cinematic storytelling, emerging as a rare sequel that arguably surpasses its predecessor. The film blends breathtaking spectacle with emotionally grounded themes of conflict, legacy, and survival, while significantly expanding the world of Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has fully evolved into a leader, grappling with responsibility and the consequences of past wars. Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) provides the emotional backbone of the film through her ferocity, compassion, and grief. Kiri, Lo’ak, Neteyam, Tuk, and Spider—the younger generation—add depth and continuity to the narrative. Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) introduces a powerful spiritual dimension,…
As 2025 draws to a close, Hollywood delivered a year of striking range and confidence. From audacious franchise conclusions to inventive streaming originals and imaginative reboots, audiences returned to theatres while embracing OTT platforms with equal enthusiasm. The message was unmistakable. Strong characters, assured craft and creative risk-taking still sit at the core of compelling cinema. What follows is a year-ender selection of fifteen releases that came to define 2025. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning brought Ethan Hunt’s journey to a decisive close. Precision stunt choreography, sustained tension and genuine emotional stakes combined to deliver an uncompromising farewell to…
TOP OF THE MONTH Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite is a unique and unconventional thriller that focuses less on explosions and more on the quieter detonation of power, fear, and decision-making under pressure. Stretching nineteen minutes of crisis into one hour and fifty-two minutes of nerve-shredding drama, the film keeps its audience trapped in the war-room claustrophobia of military protocol and a thousand shades of uncertainty. This is the story of a horrifying discovery, an unidentified missile hurtling towards the American Midwest, told from inside the White House’s Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) and U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM). While…
Directed by Renny Harlin, The Strangers: Chapter 2 isn’t just sharper and scarier than its predecessor; it’s the sequel that barges in, locks the door behind you, and throws away the key. It broadens the scope while delivering a relentless flow of tension and terror. Madelaine Petsch plays Maya with fiery intensity, once again stalked by the masked killers who refuse to let her go. The horror spills beyond the isolated cabin into a string of unsettling backdrops: shadowy hospital corridors, a morgue no one should have to visit twice, dripping wet forests, a horse stable straight out of a…
Bob Odenkirk’s return as Hutch Mansell in Nobody 2 proves that lightning really can strike twice. Where the first film surprised audiences by turning a suburban dad into an unlikely action hero, the sequel doubles down on the formula with bigger fights, sharper humour, and just enough emotional weight to stop it from becoming an empty spectacle. This time, Hutch and his family set off on a much-needed vacation—only for trouble to find them before they can enjoy a moment of peace. What begins as a bonding trip quickly unravels into chaos, forcing Hutch to juggle his violent past with…
