Anupama Chopra Reviews

The Salman Khan starrer is so free of craft that it hurts. Prabhu Deva delivers yet another loud, numbing, pointless paean to the cult of Salman Khan. Anupama Chopra reviews the film.

Nayattu is a chilling film about the machinations of the system. The title means the hunt in Malayalam. What makes Nayattu brilliant is the way director Martin Prakkat reworks it.

Godzilla vs Kong is the fourth installment in a franchise called the MonsterVerse. But even if you haven’t seen those films, you won’t have any trouble connecting the dots in this one.

Meel Patthar, which means milestone, is far from a road movie, which romanticises the journey and the learnings from it.

How do you repurpose a powerful and gripping story about women into an over-the-top star vehicle in which the hero towers above everything else? Vakeel Saab   provides a masterclass.

The Disciple is a meditative character study of a Hindustani classical vocalist named Sharad Nerulkar. The film might be set in the esoteric world of Indian classical music but its concerns are universal.

Without Remorse is an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s bestselling 1993 novel. The film attempts to speak to the reality of contemporary polarised America but the plot is too formulaic and the commentary too thin to underpin the high-octane thriller with gravitas.

Sheela might be frail and mellow but she still knows how to deliver a memorable sound byte. Searching for Sheela is a minor companion piece to the mesmerising Wild Wild Country.

The dastaan in Ajeeb Daastaans is plural. There are plenty of ajeebs here, but what stayed with me was the expression in Bharti’s eyes in the last shot of Geeli Pucchi.

Jathi Ratnalu starring Naveen Polishetty, Rahul Ramakrishna & Priyadarshi, is the infusion of good cheer you need right now. Writer-director Anudeep K.V. stitches together a sparkling comedy that is cheerfully silly without being lazy.

Hello Charlie on Amazon Prime Video India starring Jackie Shroff, Aadar Jain & Shlokka Pandit, is one of those films that defies reviews. Because I’m not sure I can properly explain how excruciating it is to watch.

Joji is a reworking of Macbeth and while these words might suggest a period setting, Shakespeare’s tragedy has been reimagined in contemporary times, on a sprawling rubber plantation in Kerala. But Joji, the youngest of three brothers, is very much a subject of his father’s kingdom.

The Big Bull, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Ileana Cruz, Sohum Shah, and directed by Kookie Gulati, is contrived in the old-school Bollywood way. Props to Abhishek Bachchan for sincerely trying to hold the fractured screenplay together.

Director Chloé Zhao constructs Nomadland like a mournful, sublime poem. The film stars Oscar-winning actor Frances McDormand who acts alongside real-life nomads who were featured in Bruder’s book, who play themselves. Listen to the full review to know more about this globally-acclaimed film.

The film Pagglait, starring Sanya Malhotra among others, reminds us of the many ways in which society and men control women. The word becomes an aspirational state, suggesting a woman crazy enough to break the rules and take on the world. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review to know more.

In the film Saina, starring Parineeti Chopra, writer-director Amole Gupte hits each of the usual sports film beats but also bungs in woman empowerment. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review to know more.

Mumbai Saga is apparently inspired by true events. I think there is a compelling story here of how the contours and conscience of the city shifted in 1996 and what was lost when Bombay became Mumbai. But Sanjay isn’t really interested in that. Listen to Anupama Chopra's full review to know more.

Be warned that Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, starring Parineeti Chopra & Arjun Kapoor in titular roles, doesn’t have the pacing that you might expect in a chase film. But ultimately, filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee steers it to a climax that is both stinging and satisfying. Listen to Anupama Chopra's full review to know more.

The film Roohi tries to continue in the tradition of feminist horror forged by films like Pari, Stree and Bulbbul. Director Hardik Mehta and writers Mrighdeep Singh Lamba & Gautam Mehra use Roohi’s story to deliver a message of self-acceptance and finding your inner strength.

MeToo, menopause, menstruation, motherhood, sex, adultery – it’s all here in Netflix India's Bombay Begums. These women, played by Pooja Bhatt, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur & Aadhya Anand, lead fabulously messy lives filled with compromises and regrets. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of the series, to know more.

The Mohanlal starrer Drishyam 2: The Resumption on Amazon Prime Video India​ directed by Jeethu Joseph, is a genuine sequel as opposed to the ones in which characters or worlds continue with minimal connection to the earlier work. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of the film.

The strength of Unfinished is that it’s in Priyanka Chopra’s voice. At one point, she writes: "I get to choose what I share and when I share it." Of course she does, but there are several places in which you wish the curation had been less sharp. Here's Anupama Chopra's take on the memoir.

Debutant director Karishma Dube’s film Bittu is inspired by an infamous poisoning accident that took place in a government school in Bihar in 2013. Watch Anupama Chopra’s review to learn more about the film that has been shortlisted in the top 10 list in the Short Film in Live Action category for the 93rd Academy Awards.

Don’t go into the film expecting a retread of Slumdog Millionaire. In fact, the film positions itself as anti-Slumdog. Here's Anupama Chopra's full review of Ramin Bahrani's The White Tiger on Netflix India, starring Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas & Rajkummar Rao.

Ali Abbas Zafar's Tandav, starring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub among others, has too much Bollywood masala in its DNA. Which makes it intermittently entertaining but also shallow and not very smart.