Once Upon a Time in Mangaladevi A tree’s strength lies in its roots. The strength of the recently released Kannada movie Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV) also lies in its roots—Mangaladevi. So much so that Mangaladevi is like a character holding its own throughout the movie. For the uninitiated, the coastal city of Mangaluru derives … Continue reading
Latest Entries
Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021) and Alpha (2018)
How Language Can Make or Break a Film Language (or the absence of it) is a very crucial element for storytelling. During the silent era, masters like Charlie Chaplin communicated with their acting, body language, and screenplay. But once Talkies (movies with dialogues) entered the fray everything changed and there was no looking back. Apart … Continue reading
Joji (2021)
What Motivates This Macbeth? Warning: Extreme Spoilers Ahead. Yes, we all know Fahadh Faasil’s eyes speak volumes. Even in a state of paralysis he acts with nothing but his eyes. Joji, interestingly, is more about Joji, the character, and not just yet another feather in Fahad Faasil’s acting cap. What immediately grasps you when watching … Continue reading
A Suitable Boy (2020)
A Not So Suitable ‘Suitable Boy’ Vikram Seth’s magnum opus novel, A Suitable Boy, opens with a dedication in verse, followed briskly by the contents page, again in a rhyming couplet for each chapter. No such luck with the mini-series of the same novel. It opens with a lame placard: When India became independent in … Continue reading
My Favorite Films of 2019
I know I’m a bit late. But, better late than never. Let’s bid farewell to the noughties (2010-2019) and welcome the twenty-twenties (2020s) with my personal favorite movies of 2019. I’ve based this list on a combination of factors like popularity, filmmaking, style, substance, direction, music, and storytelling. But most importantly, this is my personal … Continue reading
talking talkies 