scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Saturday, November 8, 2025
HomeFeaturesReel Take

Reel Take

Avatar 2 lifts VFX bar to highest ever. Saldana, Worthington’s Na’vi family steal the show

James Cameron has placed his interest in nature and the environment at the core of Avatar: The Way of Water. But the fight in Pandora is personal now.

Hotstar’s Govinda Mera Naam gives a vibe of the 2000s but script falls flat

What costs the film’s enjoyment is the predictability of the murder mystery trope. You might know what transpires, it is not exactly a good whodunnit.

‘The gays are trying to murder me’—Jennifer Coolidge shines in season 2 of The White Lotus

Behind the farce and humour of The White Lotus is a grim message on the futility of relationships.

‘Emancipation’ is no ‘12 Years A Slave’ but watch it for Will Smith’s performance

Instead of committing to an action film, Fuqua appears to be traversing both lines of sensitive history and his signature one-man action hero output.

Decision to Leave won’t let you leave your couch—top performances, impeccable direction

The film, boosted by its overarching theme of male entitlement and mid-life crisis comes across beautifully, thanks to the brilliant cinematography.

With Blurr, Taapsee has found her space in thrillers. Zee5 film is a huge win for Bollywood

The movie shows Bollywood is finally learning how to produce fantastic thrillers with solo female leads.

Revathi’s Salaam Venky a celebration of human spirit. Kajol-Vishal Jethwa pairing unmissable

After the critically acclaimed Phir Milenge in 2004, Revathi takes the road less travelled once again by documenting legal battles tied to medical issues.

Vadh brings Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra together. The result is pure brilliance

Directors Sandhu and Barnwal lucked out in the casting department, as two veterans–Gupta and Mishra–shine through each scene.

Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Gold is a one-man show. Nothing else glitters here

Murugesan's music and Sukumaran’s acting are the good parts, but they do little to save the day. There's nothing much that stays with you as you leave the theatre.

With Hotstar’s Freddy, Kartik Aaryan’s slasher is more contrived than thrilling

Kartik Aaryan gives a committed performance as socially inept Parsi dentist Freddy Ginwala but his descent into incel madness is more cringe than horror.

On Camera

Trump’s unpredictability is not the absence of strategy—it works on everyone but China

The Italian term sprezzatura—a studied nonchalance that conceals intention—best captures the spirit of Trump’s foreign policy so far. The pattern is unpredictability, transactionalism, and disruption as diplomacy.

Asia’s ‘weakest’ link: Yunus on a tightrope as Bangladesh tries to fix banks without breaking economy

With 20.2 percent of its total loans in default by the end of last year, Bangladesh had the weakest banking system in Asia. Despite reforms, it will take time to recover.

‘Let them see’: Putin says new nuclear-powered missiles in the making, in message to Washington

At a ceremony felicitating Russian military engineers, Putin highlights Moscow’s 'parity' in defence technologies for the next century.

Bihar is where politics moves, and everything else stands still

Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.