Karthik Gandhi

Paranthu Po – A Disappointing Misfire from a Talented Director I really wanted to like Paranthu Po, especially given the promising name of director Ram, but sadly, this film falls far short of expectations. The story centers on Anbu, a studious boy whose erratic behavior is neither convincingly explained nor sympathetic. Unlike the nuanced child characters in Ram’s earlier works, Anbu’s annoying mannerisms and stilted English-Tamil dialogues alienate rather than engage. While actors Shiva and Grace deliver decent performances, most other characters feel one-dimensional and plastic, making it hard to connect emotionally. The leading family’s struggles lack depth and logic—plot points like Grace losing money to her assistant come across as painfully naive rather than believable. Shiva’s parenting style also strains credibility, blending passive acceptance with folly rather than care. The film’s narrative flow is uneven at best, and the overly idealistic portrayal of every character’s innocence feels unrealistic. Only a few characters, notably Aju Varghese’s Kumar family and an auto driver in Coimbatore, provide genuine charm. The one redeeming touch of Ram’s screenplay magic is sadly limited to these small moments. Another major drawback is the incessant background music and songs, inserted roughly every five minutes, which quickly become a grating distraction rather than an emotional enhancer. Overall, with such a talented director and high hopes pinned on this movie, Paranthu Po turns out to be a frustrating disappointment—a film that doesn’t quite take flight despite its potential.

This may be the most boring but yet rivating tale I have seen that I hate so much than I like it. The toxic relationship between a self focussed useless mother and his kid over the ages forms the theme but there is nothing to prove why this mother is worthy of her kid's love when all she does is drink, get laid and fool around for money. Not sure what was the intent to show this kind of story but I agree it exits in reality. But past 30 minutes, it gets so routine and mundane and the more you watch, you want to hate the mother character who shouldnt be even mother in first place. Long story short not for me as it neither got drama nor experimentation of emotions.

Paper Lives is a heartwarming tale of redemption and the power of human connection. The film follows the journey of a man who, despite his own struggles, finds solace in helping street children. With its poignant storytelling and stellar performances, this Turkish drama is a must-watch for those seeking a touching and inspiring cinematic experience.

Lolo and the Kid is a Filipino film that fails to deliver on its emotional potential. Its lack of credibility, inconsistent narrative, and underwhelming dramatic moments make it a forgettable viewing experience. While the film may have intended to touch the hearts of its audience, it ultimately falls short in its execution. ★★

in the name of modern film making this series really tested my patience and moved at a snail's pace. Except for the Revathi-Nithya Menon episode, it doesn't express love as it needs to be celebrated. This is a low-budget series just to make a series. I will def recommend to skip it and save 2-3 hours time

Madhuram is one of those movies which doesn't make any false promises of entertainment from start to end but portrays a pure love story (stories should I say) in a rather unusual backdrop of the hospital which was completely new to me. From performances, Joju George as Sabu and Indrans as Ravi score perfect scores while equally supported by Arjun Ashokan, Shruthi Ramachandran, and Nikhila Vimal. The scene between Joju and Indrans where they share their love stories is pure magic and makes you cry from your soul. Not many scenes in recent movies achieve 10% of this. BGM and music by Hesham and Govinda give soul to every scene in a way it emotes itself. Madhuram is a sweet treat for romantic story lovers and LOVE cannot be boring when felt right and this movie is 2021's testimony for it. A definite tear-jerker for me

Lijo Jose Pellissery - This name has engraved himself in India movie making that he will settle for nothing less than ordinary and not regular run around the mill story. To spin a story like this and make it more of a movie itself needs guts and not falling into any cinematic liberties or formalities, it's beyond belief for a movie maker and LJP does it with ease. What starts as a slow snail-paced journey to Churuli by two spy cops played brilliantly by Vinay Forrt and Chemban Vinod Jose takes 4th gear drive suddenly as the jeep crosses the broken road and it doesn't stop till the climax. Be ready for cuss words every minute and sometimes your ears plead for mercy but that's the tonal quality of the characters there that test your morality. But everything plays well to keep the mood till the last minute. While the climax is left to your interpretation, the first 10 minutes of story is to be closely followed else this movie might not be understood. Two off camera heroes - cinematography by Madhu Neelakandan and music by Sreerag Saji. Definitely award worthy <3

This movie comes as a pleasant surprise after I watched it based on friend's recommendation. The lead cast of Arvind Iyer, Achyuth Kumar,Priyanka and Aarohi definitely do a splendid acting. Mainly Arvind Iyer is so convincing as Latheesha. Special credits goes to the kid who acted as younger Valli. BGM & Location are definitely a huge plus and integrating food into the theme made it all the more interesting. Midway through I felt it was too dragging and unwanted songs added to the length but climax was justified and made this one not to regret to watch it till end. Easily 30 mins could have been trimmed but a good experimental movie with a good twist,

Amidst the craze or in the name of movie making all we see is mindless action - pointless romance and logicless stories and rack up money for the stars and truly losing the respect for ART OF MOVING MAKING. And then comes these hidden gems like Aakashavaani which I stumbled upon in SonyLiv reco and watched it today. Movie starts with like a average kind of movie in its own world and you feel what is the direction planning to present . Slowly the movie tone sets and in the interval you do know this movie is not for the whistlers but hustlers of real drama. A movie that walks n the thin line between science - belief - spiritualism - innocence - realism - god and what not. If it goes a tad above it would stupidity and a tad below would make it a mockery. The movie goes in a perfect balance and the ending which ties all the knots from the start to the end is sheer brilliance of the director. Kudos and huge respect for Samudrakani to act in such movies where its not about the role but about the subjects. Flawless and realistic acting by the cast makes this one of the best telugu movies I have watched. Amidst the BAHUBALIS which make you go AWWWW , this one will definitely make your heart warm in the end and is all about TRUE CINEMA

Malayalam drama has this power to get you into it no matter whats the premises as the cast - story - plot - emotions are tuned to definitely touch your heart. This one out of the blue came in my radar and I watched it right away only to realize Suraj Venjaramoodu may have given his best of his career in a very restricted, tight lipped dad who loses his daughter only to come with his own plan of investigating while on other side Tovino Thomas plays this nervous , broken down guilty character and unable to express it out. Both characters beautiful integrates into the central plot which does give u a predicable shock but what follows rest is the beauty of the screenplay. Though the final song and rushed climax feels a bit artificial, it ends on a very emotional note . Aishwarya Lekshmi plays a very matured yet simple girl in this case and impresses in subtle acting. A beautiful simple story with some mystery behind it and well handled in a way which many might not agree but plays well. Definitely recommendable watch