The Long Take

The Kriti Sanon-led Mimi is an improvement on the 2011 Marathi-language original, and still somehow downright terrible. We discuss the disingenuous twists, its unwillingness to confront reality, and director Laxman Utekar’s embrace of tonal imbalance as a defining characteristic. Along the way, we delve into the film’s irresponsible and egregious handling of surrogacy, suicide, bigotry, and other...

Is the politically-charged crime saga Malik —the latest Fahadh Faasil-Mahesh Narayanan collaboration, surprisingly picked up by Amazon Prime Video—an ambitious misfire or a brave success? We discuss the film’s episodic structure, debate if it would’ve been better as a miniseries, analyse its kitchen-sink filmmaking, and list all its influences. Later, we talk about the Emmy nominations, where ever...

Is Black Widow a fitting farewell to Scarlett Johansson or a middling Marvel movie lacking a voice? We discuss the film’s emotional underpinnings, Florence Pugh’s wry-humour character, the perfunctory handling of its themes, and Marvel’s persistent villain problem made large. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our w...

Not content with being a homage to Indian pulp fiction, Haseen Dillruba —the new Netflix movie starring Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey—is also a mix of cringe comedy, ‘90s Bollywood romance, and C.I.D. infused with crime noir. Unsurprisingly, it does none of that well. We discuss why Pannu needs a better director than Vinil Mathew, his inability to handle the motley of genres at play, and what’s...

Not all chapters in Netflix’s new anthology series, Ray —starring Ali Fazal, Manoj Bajpayee, Kay Kay Menon, and Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor—are worth watching. But are any of them actually good? We talk about the uneven quality of the four episodes, how they deviate from Satyajit Ray's short stories on which they’re based, and who among the three directors—Srijit Mukherji, Abhishek Chaubey, and Vasan Ba...

Is director Amit Masurkar’s Sherni —starring Vidya Balan as a forest officer—a worthy follow-up to Newton ? We discuss the film’s ambitious ideas, Masurkar’s commentary on India under the Modi regime, and the film’s many passions, including environmental conservation, gender equality, and native representation. Later, we talk about the behind-the-scenes reshuffle at Netflix India, and what that co...

Is The Family Man season 2 a breezy action series or a racist dog whistle for the far-right? We discuss the indefensible failures of Raj & D.K., the series’ strong points—including those fascinating long takes—and the performances and characterisation of Samantha Akkineni and Manoj Bajpayee. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donatin...

Does Cruella —the latest in the long line of Disney’s live-action reimaginings—earn its edginess? We discuss the campy performances of stars Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, its derivative storytelling and myriad inspirations, and the film’s wall-to-wall soundtrack. Later, we talk about Amazon’s $8.45-billion takeover of MGM, and what that could mean for the James Bond franchise going forward. Chapte...

Martin Prakkat’s Nayattu —our first film from the Malayalam New Wave, streaming on Netflix—is a genre-fluid thriller with grave undertones. We debate the film’s plot holes, discuss its handling of the Dalit struggle, and dive into its broad socio-political themes. Later, we talk about the teaser trailer for Marvel’s Eternals , and wonder why in the world they chose to ignore director Chloé Zhao—an...

Army of the Dead , Zack Snyder’s follow-up to his director’s cut of Justice League , is a bloated, boring mess. We discuss the heist film’s simplistic plot, the lack of imagination in its depiction of zombies, and the thinly written characters. Later, we talk about the state of piracy in India, prompted by Salman Khan’s angry tweet about Radhe . Chapters (00:00) Review: Army of the Dead (23:37) Ne...

The Woman in the Window —led by Amy Adams and directed by Joe Wright—continues Netflix’s streak of acquiring terrible adaptations of bestselling thriller books. We discuss the film’s troubled production, speculate what attracted its A-list cast, and wonder if Wright is overrated. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy o...

Is Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple one of the best films of the year? We discuss its dissection of idolism, the exploration of generational mindsets, Tamhane’s command of the craft, and its commentary on filmmaking as a whole. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work. The Long Take is available on Spotify , Appl...

Searching for Sheela , a new Netflix documentary about Osho’s controversial former aide Ma Anand Sheela, is a sanitised puff piece pretending to be a serious profile. We discuss the superficial, slapdash filmmaking, the tone-deaf treatment of serious themes, and the curious lack of a director in what is a Karan Johar production. Later, we dive into the trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the T...

Neeraj Ghaywan and Kayoze Irani’s films are the only memorable bits about Ajeeb Daastaans , Netflix’s latest collaboration with producer Karan Johar. We dissect the anthology’s four parts, the awful plot-driven nature of the first two, and the terrific acting of Konkona Sensharma and Shefali Shah. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donat...

Abhishek Bachchan was right. The Big Bull isn’t like Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story at all. It’s much worse. Watch him laugh maniacally for what seems like an eternity, cringe as he loiters around tourist hotspots in Delhi, and scratch your head as you try to make sense of Kookie Gulati’s baffling direction. The Big Bull is one of Disney+ Hotstar’s worst “Multiplex” offerings. And that is sayi...

Can Godzilla vs. Kong be criticised for favouring loud action over everything else? We discuss the movie’s indifference towards human characters, its pointless world-building, and how the MonsterVerse has evolved over the years. Godzilla vs. Kong is out on HBO Max and available in cinemas. Later, we talk about Netflix’s industry-buckling bid of $450 million for two Knives Out sequels. — Hosted by...

Is the Sanya Malhotra-starrer Pagglait a rare win for Netflix India? We discuss the film’s place in the new wave of Bollywood small-town dramedies, writer-director Umesh Bist’s eye for detail, and the stacked supporting cast. Later, we talk about the Oscar nominations. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work. Th...

Is Zack Snyder’s Justice League worth its punishing four-hour length for anyone except DC fans? We talk about the social media movement that birthed it, Snyder’s approach to the superhero realm, the differences with the theatrical cut (the good and the bad), and that exasperating epilogue. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if y...

The Russo brothers have cashed in the blank cheque they earned with Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War . But is Tom Holland-starrer Cherry an overambitious epic, or an unmitigated disaster? We discuss the Apple TV+ film’s style-over-substance approach, the Russos’ heavy-handed direction, and the script’s superficial understanding of complex crises. Later, we talk about the pleasantly-surprising an...

There is nothing that writer-director Ribhu Dasgupta can’t ruin by simply pointing a camera at it. With The Girl on the Train , he takes a novel that was adapted into a mediocre Emily Blunt film, and somehow makes it worse. We discuss Parineeti Chopra’s misguided performance, the lack of any internal logic to its godawful narrative, and that Abbas–Mustan-inspired final twist. Later, we talk about...

Is Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland , starring Frances McDormand, really one of the best American movies of the year? We discuss Zhao’s documentary-like approach, its Terrence Malick inspirations, and the film’s narrative (or rather the lack of one). Nomadland is available on Hulu . — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work...

Judas and the Black Messiah —produced by Ryan Coogler, and directed by Shaka King—isn’t just a powerful film, it’s powerfully made too. We discuss the performances of Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, the trumpet-driven score composed by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, its framing of revolutionary politics, and its multi-stage appeal. We also touch upon the lack of similar films in Bollywood—whic...

Tom Hanks might not be too vocal about his politics, as he lets his work do the talking. In his new film News of the World, director Paul Greengrass takes on the fake news media, despotic rulers, and MAGA culture. We also discuss how Greengrass embraces classic Western tropes, the movie’s outstanding gunfight sequence, and the performance of 12-year-old co-lead Helena Zengel. News of the World is...

The Dig —a Netflix film led by Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes—is a small film with big ideas. We discuss Mulligan’s fantastic run, the film’s socio-political subtext, and the trio of creative voices behind its success: director Simon Stone, cinematographer Mike Eley, and composer Stefan Gregory. Later, we dissect the Golden Globes nominations, and the mysterious ways of the Hollywood Foreign Pre...

Tandav —the Amazon original, led by Saif Ali Khan—is offensive, but not for the reasons you might have heard about.  We discuss the Indian series’ idiotic controversies, its reductive politics, the hilarity of its storytelling (or the lack thereof), and how it wastes its ensemble cast. — Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar , The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if...