Subbu S

“Ayyana Mane” marks a milestone as the first Kannada web series backed by a major OTT platform, offering storytellers a global stage to showcase their talent. First things first — the earnest attempt at creating a whodunit murder mystery set against a vintage backdrop is highly commendable. The series beautifully captures the essence of a bygone era with impressive cinematography, meticulous art direction, and high production values. The ensemble cast delivers solid performances, drawing from a mix of silver screen actors and daily soap regulars. The initial episodes succeed in hooking the audience, setting up an intriguing premise where you’re left guessing: is it divine curse, a devil’s wrath, or man-made evil? The climax manages to stay unpredictable — a definite plus — but the lead-up feels stretched and a tad too convenient. The sequence of deaths eventually becomes repetitive, causing some loss of momentum. While the final twist redeems the series to an extent, it also feels like an afterthought rather than a well-planned reveal, making it surprising but not particularly thrilling. Another noticeable aspect is the continuous introduction of new characters mid-way, which, while adding layers, also tends to dilute the focus from the central mystery at times. That said, the sincere effort by the makers deserves recognition — especially the attempt to blend traditional storytelling with modern production techniques like VFX. In summary, Ayyana Mane is a laudable step forward, setting the stage for more regional stories, folklore, and hidden gems from across Karnataka to find a place on global OTT platforms. It is heartening to see such ventures taking shape, and one can only hope this is the beginning of many more to come.

A well made rural sports drama keeping the tone light but hitting the right messages! Raj Kummar Rao is a hoot! 👏🏻👏🏻

I watched the 11 pm show on Nov 21 at Vox Cinemas, Dubai. This was possibly the first public show across the globe. Hence was one of the privileged few who managed to watch Frozen 2 ahead of others :-) Although Frozen (Part 1) never really ended with a scope for a sequel, the makers wanted to capitalize on the humongous super hit of 2013 by coming up with the story idea for a sequel this year in 2019. Thus, Frozen 2 begins with a flashback portion when Elsa & Anna are small young kids, joyfully playing with snow & ice in the castle of Arendelle. Their parents, the King and the Queen, narrate them a bedtime story about an enchanted forest, the residents who had magical powers and about mysterious river which holds answers to all the secrets of one’s past. Cut to present and we are shown Queen Elsa looking lost and confused, questioning herself if she’s doing the right thing by being in Arendelle or should she retrieve her freedom by embracing her magical powers to the fullest extent? On other hand, Princess Anna is busy with effervescent Olaf pacifying him that “somethings don’t change”. Kristoff has still not proposed to Anna, and hence he’s seen rehearsing how to propose with the help of his reindeer Sven. When mysterious voices call out to Elsa, she decides that it’s time to embark on her adventure “into the unknown”. However this time, Anna doesn’t let her go alone. Kristoff, Olaf, Sven join Elsa & Anna on this journey to the enchanted forest which is now engulfed in a thick blanket of mist and to seek answers to the secrets of the past. What follows rest is how the adventure unfolds and how the two sisters jointly uncover the secrets while also saving the Kingdom of Arendelle from imminent dangers. In terms of making, Frozen 2 is several notches up Frozen part 1 in the technical department. Animation & special effects are brilliant. While the team has focused more on this part, they might have just compromised a little bit on leaving out the emotional tug in the story which was the core of the movie. Nonetheless, Frozen 2 does make an interesting watch. Kids favorite snowman Olaf steals the show his superb comic timings. Watch out for the scene where he gives a synopsis of Part 1, which is sure to bring the roof down! Elsa & Anna have equal screen space and have been given equal importance in the screenplay. Kristoff is cute and affable, and so is his reindeer Sven. There are individual songs for almost all of the lead characters and all of them are hummable, repeat worthy. However, it will be the “into the unknown” that will be most popular and perhaps become the next anthem similar to “let it go”. In nutshell, do & catch the new Frozen (part 2) at the cinema halls near you along with your friends & family, and venture on an adventure “into the unknown” which will be well worth your money!