Review: Babumoshai Bandookbaaz

Review: Babumoshai Bandookbaaz

It’s not just the title that is alliterative: with bounteous babes, bullets and Biharis– though not necessarily in that order– in good measure, Kushan Nandy’s ‘Babumoshai Bandookbaaz’ can lay claim to being a tolerably worthy, albeit milder successor to Anurag Kashyap’s 2012 ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. Contract killer Babu Bihari (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) has no compunctions about…

Atomic Blonde
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Atomic Blonde

‘Atomic Blonde’ — the title apparently borrowed from the song Blondie by the group Atomic– is an out-and-out one woman show. Its 1989, before the Berlin wall is set to come crumbling down. MI6 undercover agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent to Berlin for a two-fold reason—to probe the death of an MI6 agent…

Review: Gurgaon

Review: Gurgaon

The first few minutes of the film gives you a sneak peak of North Indian culture, real estate wheeler-dealers, gender-bias, sibling rivalry, and more. First-time director Shanker Raman (cinematographer of ‘Peepli Live’, ‘Rocky Handsome’), clearly influenced by the neo-noir films of Anurag Kashyap, has helmed the quizzically titled Gurgaon – showcasing its fanciful malls, buzzing…

Film Review: Naam Shabana

Film Review: Naam Shabana

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…

Film Review: Life

Film Review: Life

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…

Split

Split

‘Split’ has James McAvoy playing Kevin, diagnosed with a dissociative identity disorder and assuming 23 apparent identities — as Barry, as Patricia, or as the lisping 9-year-old Hedwig.  As Dennis, he attacks the father of Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), before driving off with the girl and her two teenaged colleagues Marcia and Casey (Jessica Sula…

Film Review: Kaabil

Film Review: Kaabil

Director Sanjay Gupta has always shown a penchant for adapting, or taking inspiration from foreign films — his first directorial venture Aatish (1994) was based on the Hong Kong film ‘A  Better Tomorrow’ (1986). Eight years later he remade Tarantino’s cult ‘Reservoir Dogs’ into the hugely successful ‘Kaante’. Now comes ‘Kaabil’ — part ‘Blind Fury’…