‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ is a maze of missed opportunities
The most positive aspect of “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” (2024) is its unpredictability. While the climactic twist is audacious and unique, the film suffers from clumsy execution, falling short of evoking the intended emotions. It's a fine thought, albeit underwritten, and it deserved a bit more complexity than the film's chaotic momentum allows. Nonetheless, I have to say that I did not see it coming.
1w ago
‘Call Me Bae’: Funny and endearing Ananya excels in this heiress-to-hustler story
“Call Me Bae," created by Ishita Moitra with co-writers Samina Motlekar and Rohit Nair, follows the story of poor little rich girl Bella Chowdhary, affectionately known as Bae, played by Ananya Panday. For those who may not be familiar with generational slang, 'Bae' is a term of endearment used to refer to someone's sweetheart.
2m ago
How long can Emily possibly stay in Paris?
The success of “Emily in Paris” reveals that there's room for both highbrow, thought-provoking TV and light, unchallenging fare. While there are plenty of complex, intellectually stimulating shows, there are times when we just want something easy and predictable—shows like “Suits”, “The Office”, and “Friends” continue to top streaming charts long after their original air dates for precisely this reason. There's comfort in knowing what to expect and in watching a storyline wrap up neatly within 30 minutes.
2m ago
‘My Lady Jane’ shakes up British history with unapologetic romance and whimsy
With the guidance of writer and showrunner Gemma Burgess, "My Lady Jane" translates well into an eight-episode Prime Video series that confirms that history is a lot more fun and watchable when approached with an unapologetically tongue-in-cheek attitude.
4m ago
Evil never looked this good
Even without a full-blown sympathetic backstory, a villain’s motivations can be complex.
6m ago
‘Crew’ flies high with the delightful chemistry of its cast
“Crew” serves as a great example of how a light-hearted comedy can successfully blend entertainment with relevance by maintaining an air of levity while addressing timely topics.
7m ago
Percy Jackson finally gets the adaptation he deserves
The 2010 and 2013 Percy Jackson films, despite Logan Lerman's charismatic lead performance, fell short of expectations, drawing criticism for creative decisions like omitting significant book sequences and ageing Percy prematurely to 16.
10m ago
‘Dunki’ takes a heartfelt but bumpy road with illegal migrants
“Dunki” is about the shocking ways in which people try to illegally migrate to the UK or any other developed Western country. Called the ‘donkey route’, it involves unscrupulous agents, tough border controls, corrupt officials, and lots of money.
11m ago
October 16, 2021
No Time to Die: A fitting farewell to Daniel Craig’s James Bond
For me, 2006’s “Casino Royale” brought James Bond, the iconic British spy with an eye for the ladies, fast cars, and cool gadgets, firmly into the 21st century. Above all else, Daniel Craig’s first film as Bond was a tragic love story, as the spy met and fell for Vesper Lynd, a woman who showed herself to be very much his equal. Her eventual betrayal and death was the catalyst that transformed Bond into the cynical, hard-edged agent we know and love.
September 25, 2021
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ shines with an emotional origin story
Marvel Studios’ latest superhero offering, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, is the movie that brought me, masked up and sanitised, back to the theatres — and as a longtime Marvel fan, I am glad it did.
July 11, 2021
Leesa Gazi’s ‘Baarir Naam Shahana’ sheds light on a woman’s courage
British-Bangladeshi writer, director, actor and playwright, Leesa Gazi has dedicated her career to presenting powerful stories told from a woman's perspective via theatre and film. Her documentary film, "Rising Silence", memorialising accounts of Birangona women of the 1971 Liberation War, won several accolades across the world, including Best Feature Documentary at Moondance International Film Festival (USA), Asian Media Award for Best Investigation 2019 (UK), Best Feature Documentary at the PSVI Film Competition by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK. Since 2017, Gazi started working with Global Survivors Network, SEMA, established by Nobel Laureate Dr Denis Mukegwege's Foundation. The first-ever International public address by two Birangona women...
July 8, 2021
Revisiting Dilip Kumar’s stellar performances
As the world woke up to the news of legendary actor Dilip Kumar passing away yesterday (July 7), an era in Bollywood came to a sudden end. In a career span of nearly six decades, the star gave several unforgettable movies and moments that have been forever etched in the minds of his fans.
June 26, 2021
Adnan Al Rajeev on his first web project, 'YouTumor'
Adnan Al Rajeev is a renowned name in the television industry, with numerous commercials and tele-fictions to his credit. His production house, Runout Films, is one of the major production companies in Bangladesh. The talented director is now gearing up for the release of his much-anticipated project, “YouTumor”.
June 26, 2021
Shamol Mawla talks ‘Mohanagar’
“Mohanagar” depicts the events of a fateful night in a police station in Dhaka, where paths of criminals, an eminent industrialist, the general public, and members of the press, intertwine in the aftermath of a road accident, for a period of seven hours. The series, produced by Shopnoghuri Productions, features Mosharraf Karim as O C Harun, Zakia Bari Mamo as Shahana Huda, Shamol Mawla as Afnan Chowdhury, Mostafizur Noor Imran as Moloy Kumar, and Khairul Basar as Abir Hasan, among others.
June 19, 2021
Books to read if you miss travelling this summer
I know it’s hard when you want to travel, but life, owing in no small part to COVID-19, has other plans. If you are anything like me, then you are probably avoiding spending too much time watching the news right now. One way I found to cope with these strange times is to escape into books, especially those that transport me to wonderful locations. Here are five such books to read if you miss travelling.
May 28, 2021
‘Friends’ Reunion: The one where everyone gets nostalgic
“Friends” was a show I watched with my grown-up cousins in the evenings on Star World. I was young – too young to watch Monica and Chandler kiss, or to understand what it actually meant when an enraged Rachel asks Ross about the girl at the copy machine, “how was she?” Yet, I learned to love the show before I even really watched it.
May 25, 2021
Meet the Eternals, Marvel’s group of immortal heroes
Marvel Studios released the first trailer of the much-anticipated “Eternals” recently, in which audiences saw a new band of superheroes. The introduction of these new characters is a keystone in the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
May 24, 2021
Bob Dylan at 80: Revisiting his memorable songs
Few artistes have been significant for as long as Bob Dylan. Throughout the years, he has remained one of rock music’s most influential and striking figures. Although his importance in the world of music can be talked about for days on end, we take a look at some of his most memorable songs, marking his 80th birthday.
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