Poulomi Das
Succession finale review: One of the best shows about sibling warfare
The enthralling Succession finale made one thing clear: corporate violence is the only love-language that Kendall, Roman, and Siobhan Roy know and understand.
In Netflix’s Something Special, Hannah Gadsby returns to shattering people’s expectations
If Nanette, a show that tracked Gadsby’s journey as a queer person, egged on the audience to question the power dynamics of a laugh, then in Something Special, it’s as if Gadsby reclaims the power of laughter itself.
Netflix's Indian Matchmaking Season 3 makes mediocre Indian men great again
The third season of Indian Matchmaking has really no reason to exist besides reminding us that mediocre men need to feel great as well. They too, have rights even when they might not have personalities or hobbies.
In Mumbai, Daniel Sloss delivers a crowd-pleasing and cathartic show
In the Scottish comedian’s first appearance in India, he delivered a 90-minute sold-out show in which the signature edginess of his material accommodated a refreshing degree of introspection.
The Underbug review: Ali Fazal delivers a career-best performance in politically-charged psychological horror
Shujat Saudagar’s film is an achievement of remarkable proportions, at once a tightly-wound chamber drama, an urgent psychological thriller, a nerve-wracking body-horror, and a minutely-observed character study.
Sundance 2023: Nocturnal Burger is a hyper-stylistic peek into the fractured female psyche
Reema Maya returns to Sundance with Nocturnal Burger, a beguiling short film that adeptly displays the filmmaker’s voice and personality.
The Elephant Whisperers review: A moving love story about the power of community
Set in the Theppakadu Elephant Camp in Tamil Nadu, the Oscar-shortlisted documentary short is an affecting portrait of a human-elephant blended family
Moving In With Malaika reduces Bollywood’s most desirable woman to a cliché
Moving In With Malaika undermines the pluck of Malaika Arora by offering a tacky peek at her inner life. It feels like such a wasted opportunity simply because of how rare it is for women in Bollywood to have the opportunity to set their own narratives.
In Tathastu, Zakir Khan offers a masterclass in winning over his audience
Unfolding over 90 minutes, Zakir Khan’s new comedy is a striking ode to the lives of two artists and three generations of a family.
Mismatched Season 2 review: Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli’s Netflix rom-com series continues to be a wasted opportunity
The proceedings are so synthetic that the storytelling ends up coming last, which means that the second season of Mismatched unfolds without any semblance of depth or character development that isn’t pure melodrama.
In Little Big Boy, Nick Kroll unleashes the potential of his own weird, eccentric voice
In Nick Kroll’s first stand-up special after a decade, the comedian dials up his fascination for fart jokes and doing exaggerated impressions of himself.
In The King’s Jester, Hasan Minhaj proves that there is no better storyteller than him
Every Hasan Minhaj comedy special ultimately is theater — an immersive dance that upends rules of vulnerability, laughter, masculinity, and perspective. In his second Netflix special, the comedian underlines that once again.
How Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer succeeds in dissecting the making of a criminal in an unjust society
Unlike most Indian true-crime outings, the Netflix show doesn’t jump to conclusions, believing instead in spotlighting every perspective possible. The result is an accomplished piece of journalistic work that joins the dots between an oppressive society and a violent serial killer.
Sam Morril tones down his sharpness in new Netflix comedy special
Same Time Tomorrow is the kind of special that is befitting of a comedian still trying to find a voice. It’s not worthy of a comedian like Morril who already possesses a voice but chooses to instead tone it down.
In its second season, The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives becomes a masterclass in satisfying reality TV
In its second season, The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives perfects its cocktail of cringe and voyeurism, making a solid case for Bollywood wives as both, a subject of entertainment and a victim of their own entertainment.
Delhi Crime season 2 review: Shefali Shah holds her own in a scattered, clumsy police procedural
The second season of Delhi Crime fails to connect the dots between personal and political, reducing the series into a templated police and criminal chase.
Indian Matchmaking Season 2 proves that India is no country for unmarried women
In the moments that Sima Taparia drops the veneer of equality, the second season of Indian Matchmaking becomes telling of whom India considers the ultimate villain: single women.
A Holy Conspiracy review: Uneven, verbose drama gives courtroom dramas a bad name
Given that A Holy Conspiracy stars a magnetic pairing — the late Soumitra Chatterjee pitted against the great Naseeruddin Shah — it feels like a missed opportunity that the film lacks voice, style, or even a clear direction.
A Holy Conspiracy review: Uneven, verbose drama gives courtroom dramas a bad name
Given that A Holy Conspiracy stars a magnetic pairing — the late Soumitra Chatterjee pitted against the great Naseeruddin Shah — it feels like a missed opportunity that the film lacks voice, style, or even a clear direction.
Why Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera holds the key to the future of Yash Raj Films
After the massive debacles of Thugs of Hindostan and Samrat Prithviraj, there’s a lot riding on Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera, a period action thriller set in pre-independent India. If the films fail, it could signal the end of the YRF period film.