The Long Take

After producing two movies about a hyper-masculine cop who literally lynches people, Nikkhil Advani has attached himself as an executive producer to Stolen, the new survival thriller on Prime Video.

In addition to Advani, the movie needed the support of heavy hitters such as Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, and Vikramaditya Motwane in order to get a release after a festival run that began in 2023. Fortunately, it did, because it’s one of the better-made Hindi features of the year.

We talk about the film’s many layers, and how director Karan Tejpal weaves them into a tight narrative. We also discuss the film’s larger commentary about contemporary India, and some of the writing missteps that it makes.

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning may or may not be Tom Cruise’s final time playing IMF agent Ethan Hunt, but the movie is certainly not worthy of taking on sendoff responsibilities.

We discuss its two standout action set pieces, convoluted plot, and how it compares to its predecessor, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.

We also talk about Cruise’s portrayal as a mythic god and the movie’s over-reliance on exposition.

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No diplomacy takes place in the new John Abraham film The Diplomat, which is now streaming on Netflix after a theatrical run earlier this year.

While Abraham doesn’t throw any punches in the film, The Diplomat is hardly a toned-down drama for adults.

We discuss the film’s odd narrative choices, unnecessary non-linear writing, and the absolute miscasting of Abraham. We also talk about the film’s problematic perspective, which reduces the female protagonist to a side character in her own story.

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Weeks after Nadaaniyan that starred his son, Saif Ali Khan’s Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins—inexplicably—further lowers the bar for Netflix India. 

We struggle to talk meaningfully about the heist movie and instead find ourselves discussing Netflix’s terrible track record in India.

We wonder why an actor of Jaideep Ahlawat’s talent would put himself through this, and eventually get around to poking holes in the film’s plot and questioning the intelligence of its characters.

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The United Nations should probably intervene and impose sanctions on streamers for wasting over $300 million on movies like The Electric State.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo—the guys behind Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War—the film somehow lowers the bar for them even further, after the one-two punch of The Gray Man and Citadel.

It’s remarkable how little spark Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown have in this film, which also disrespects Stanley Tucci, Ke Huy Quan and Giancarlo Esposito by isolating them in separate corners of the movie.

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In Superboys of Malegaon, director Reema Kagti unites three talented male actors in an inspiring story about ambition and friendship. But was she the ideal person for the job?

We discuss the film’s sanitised storytelling, its formulaic narrative, and writer Varun Grover seemingly playing it safe.

We also talk about the abundance of characters and the visible difficulty that Kagti has in fleshing them out.

Along the way, we also discuss the broader points that the movie is trying to make about the business of films and how success impacts fragile human beings.

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IsMrs., the Hindi-language remake of the acclaimed Malayalam filmThe Great Indian Kitchen, a better exploration of the same ideas?

We discuss the ways in whichMrs. improves upon the original and the ways in which it falls short.

We also praise Sanya Malhotra’s central performance and highlight the flourishes that director Arati Kadav brings to her version. But the film’s ending—as with the original—remains a sticking point.

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Ahead of the Oscar nominations, we discuss one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, writer-director Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light.

We talk about the film’s bittersweet exploration of urban loneliness and the migrant experience, its depiction of Mumbai, and Kapadia’s command over tone. We also talk about the bold mid-movie pivot and how it affects the narrative.

Later, we discuss the film’s Oscars omission and the disrespect that it has been shown by the Film Federation of India.

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Jigra, the new film by Vasan Bala, combines his trademark cine-literate sensibilities with mainstream Bollywood tropes.

The odd combination makes for an interesting discourse about the film’s broad sentimentality, its genre credentials, and storytelling that is both contrived and confident.

We discuss Bala’s balancing act and whether it works. Along the way, we talk about Alia Bhatt’s strong central performance, the action set-pieces, and the film’s emotional core.

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Deadpool & Wolverine, the only Marvel Cinematic Universe movie this year, levels up in terms of budget but isn't bothered about evolving emotionally.

We discuss the film’s relentless humour, the ugly CGI, and the confusingly complicated plot. There’s time for self-reference, but not for self-reflection in the Deadpool films, as Ryan Reynolds continues to overwhelm every aspect of them.

We also talk about where the film stands in the ever-expanding MCU, and whether it would even work five years down the line.

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Stree 2 is an overlong, unfunny, and ultimately unnecessary sequel that has no idea how to deliver scares or laughs.

Every scene in the film goes on for too long, the jokes are repeated to the point of redundancy, and some of the diversions are baffling to behold. Why is Akshay Kumar in this? How old is Tamannaah Bhatia’s character? Why are there no rules to this universe?

We discuss the film’s flawed feminism, its boring tone, and that CGI-fuelled climax that goes on forever.

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Vikramaditya Motwane’s fascination with genre cinema continues. But his latest film, CTRL, isn't exactly going to win him any new fans.

We discuss the film’s mess of a script, which tries to cram in way too many ideas than it needed to. We also talk about its elaborate conspiracy thriller section and its melancholic third act.

Along the way, we praise Ananya Panday for bringing nuance to a string of performances that could be misinterpreted as belonging to the same category.

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Kottukkaali, writer-director P.S. Vinothraj’s follow-up to the acclaimed Koozhangal, divided us down the middle.

We speak about the techniques Vinothraj uses to tell an ever-evolving, odyssey-like story about a group of people accompanying a young woman to her exorcism.

We discuss the brief bursts of horror and comedy and talk about the larger points that Vinothraj is trying to make about a deeply rotten society.

We also debate the film’s ambiguous ending and wonder why the filmmaker wants to put us in the shoes of a monstrous male character.

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Sector 36 is a gratuitously grisly dramatisation of the gruesome Nithari serial murders from around two decades ago. But because it unfolds with zero nuance, the movie mines cheap thrills out of a real-life horror story.

We talk about the strange arcs that Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal’s characters have been given, the haphazard narrative structure, and seemingly missing sequences that could’ve helped make the story smoother.

We also talk about Massey’s performance in the interrogation scene and the filmmakers’ odd decision to set the movie in Delhi and not Noida, where the actual crimes took place.

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Kill might be one of the rare movies that actually benefit from a remake—that’s how royally it fumbles both its action and revenge plot.

We discuss the film’s indecipherable approach to close combat, the lead actor Lakshya’s wooden performance, and the lack of inventiveness in the story.

We also talk about the unearned John Wick and The Raid comparisons, and wonder why international audiences seemed to appreciate the film.

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The year’s biggest Indian hit, Kalki 2898 AD, is just as irredeemable as Prabhas’ other recent films.

But unlike those movies, this one barely features Prabhas at all and drags on for three hours without offering a single character you can latch on to. We talk about the film’s poor construction, subpar world-building, and superficial writing.

We also discuss its shameless sequel-bait of a climax and wonder why people weren’t up in arms about being short-changed by writer-director Nag Ashwin.

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Angry Young Men, the three-part documentary about writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s partnership, is a massive missed opportunity.

We discuss the show’s cagey approach to its legendary subjects, the overwhelming feeling of self-satisfaction, and the unearned points it tries to score for highlighting the plight of writers in the film business.

We also discuss the superficial filmmaking, the lack of insight provided by everybody involved, and more than anything else, express our shock at the creative decision not to put Salim-Javed in the same room together.

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Longlegs is the rare psychological horror movie that truly gets under your skin.

Featuring an instantly iconic performance by Nicolas Cage, the movie creates an ominous atmosphere with the help of a measured pace and an unsettling reliance on silence.

We discuss the film’s grounded first act and its rapid descent into full-blown supernatural horror. We also talk about director Osgood Perkins’ immersive framing and the film’s themes of parenting and childhood trauma.

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They might as well have called Maharaj “Junaid Khan’s Launch Vehicle” because naming it after the villain makes even less sense.

We discuss the film’s many irredeemable flaws, which include shaming the victim of sexual abuse, projecting a red flag male character as the protagonist, and resorting to the problematic trope of “fridging.”

We also talk about the film’s obvious technical inadequacies, like flat visuals, a haphazard tone, and one-note acting performances.

Later in the episode, we discuss why Netflix avoided promoting it, and has essentially dumped it in the hope that nobody notices.

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In its third and potentially final season, Kota Factory seems to be responding to past criticism.

We discuss the show’s sudden bout of self-reflection, and the confused manner in which it examines the harsh realities of towns like Kota and the industries they service. We also talk about its aversion to human moments, and why the handful of them this season stand out.

Later in the episode, we wonder why the show remains watchable on a very fundamental level, even though it often makes the same storytelling mistakes that it used to.

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Dibakar Banerjee is going to have to make two good movies to compensate for whatever hellish assault on the senses Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 was.

We discuss the film’s muddled social commentary, the frustration oozing out of every frame, and the general incoherence of the arguments.

We also compare LSD2’s aesthetic and thematic shortfalls, especially when compared to Banerjee’s past work, while wondering why he couldn’t find room for any self-reflection.

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Crew, the new heist movie starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Kriti Sanon, effectively weaponises middle-class angst against corporate overlords.

We praise the film’s dedication to punching up, the instant relatability that it is able to generate for its characters, and its tightly constructed first half.

But we also criticise its endless product placement, and the relatively disappointing second hour, which asks the audience to re-engage with the film through a whole new lens.

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Writer-director Kunal Kemmu’s Madgaon Express smartly avoids taking the sleazy route and mostly succeeds in finding the soul of its cartoonish characters.

We talk about the film’s familiar set-up, and how it transports a Hangover-like premise to India.

We also discuss the performances of Divyenndu, Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary, while noting the tightrope walk actors have to pull off in absurd films like this.

We praise Kemmu’s handling of the climax, his gag-a-minute narrative, and his self-awareness, but also note flaws in the film’s central action sequence.

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Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s big-budget streaming debut, is yet another high-profile Netflix failure.

A summation and culmination of Bhansali’s lifelong ambitions, the show represents everything that is wrong with his sensibilities and style-over-substance storytelling.

We discuss the show’s flawed understanding of feminism, aestheticisation of female suffering, and haphazard structure.

We also talk about why the immaculate visuals and costumes that Bhansali is known for don’t contribute to his narratives.

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In addition to being a thought-provoking movie about how close we are to disintegrating as a society, Alex Garland’s Civil War is a rollicking cinematic experience.

We discuss the film’s affection for journalism, the intricate character work that Garland is able to accomplish via action sequences, and the film’s stand-out moments.

One of them involves a scene-stealing cameo by Jesse Plemons, and the other is an extended climactic action sequence that works viscerally and emotionally.

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Is Amar Singh Chamkila a long-awaited return to form for director Imtiaz Ali, or is it another let-down from the once-promising filmmaker?

We discuss the film’s inventive approach to the music biopic genre, if not narratively then at least formally. We also talk about Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra’s central performances as the slain husband-wife folk singer duo and address the ‘Hindi gaze’ that Ali brings to this inherently Punjabi tale.

Along the way, we also discuss the nature of high and low art and the film’s many defences of Chamkila’s controversial music.

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Aattam, the latest Malayalam-language gem that further solidifies the industry’s artistic stronghold on the cinema landscape of the country, offers an inventive spin on the whodunnit genre.

We discuss the film’s gripping narrative, ambitious social commentary, and director Anand Ekarshi’s bold voice.

We also talk about the many moral quandaries that the movie puts its characters in, and how willingly it invites audiences to gaze inward and participate in the proceedings.

Is Fighter another in the long and increasingly problematic line of hyper-nationalistic Indian action movies, or is its biggest problem that it can’t look beyond star Hrithik Roshan?

Murder Mubarak lowers the bar even further for Netflix India, and feels like a particularly annoying missed opportunity.

We talk about the inept filmmaking, the strange structure, and the over-the-top performances of its ensemble cast.

We also wonder how the finished film can look like something that was snatched away from director Homi Adajania and handed over to editors who’ve never met him.

And for the second time in two weeks, we find ourselves noting missing scenes from a big-budget movie featuring major Bollywood names.

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Merry Christmas, director Sriram Raghavan’s follow-up to the critical and commercial hit Andhadhun, is nothing to celebrate.

We discuss the film’s lack of discernible aesthetic, the complete absence of any spark between stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, and its baffling climax.

Along the way, we discuss the decision to reduce an important child character to a plot device, and the increasingly illogical behaviour displayed by both central characters.

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Dune: Part Two is being called one of the greatest sequels ever made. It isn’t.

All India Rank, the feature directorial debut of Varun Grover, is a refreshing change of pace for Bollywood, but still not as good as it could have been.

Joram, the fourth feature film from director Devashish Makhija, juggles multiple tones and narratives. But is it successful at it?

We discuss Manoj Bajpayee’s mostly silent central performance as a displaced tribal man running for his life, and the film’s heavy handed socio-political commentary.

We also wonder if the movie would’ve worked better as a tight 90-minute thriller, and point out a worryingly regressive trend in Makhija’s films.

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Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, is hardly as offensive as director Sandeep Reddy Vanga probably intended it to be, but it’s aggravating on many levels nonetheless.

We discuss the film’s infantile approach to its themes and Vanga’s dedication to being edgy at the expense of storytelling and character development.

We also talk about the film’s unbearable length, inconsequential subplots, and the odd decision to not introduce Bobby Deol’s villain sooner.

Along the way, we also talk about the numerous petulant attacks that Vanga has made on critics and how his neediness is reflected in the film.

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Is Salaar the worst movie we’ve covered on the podcast? It might be.

We discuss the incomprehensible plotting, Prashanth Neel’s overwhelming direction, and debate about the film’s three major action set-pieces.

Shockingly, Tiger 3—the fifth overall instalment in the YRF Spy Universe—isn’t entirely unwatchable.

But the movie could’ve been so much better with just about any other star in the lead role instead of Salman Khan, who not only struggles to emote but also seems pained to move physically.

Is 12th Fail actually one of the best Hindi movies of 2023 or is it massively overrated?

We find ourselves wondering why writer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s latest film is getting rave reviews, because all we could see was a deeply problematic, all too simplistic story about a young man let down by society.

We also talk about Vikrant Massey’s performance, and the egregious brown-face makeup that he’s been coated with.

Along the way, we discuss the film’s flawed perspective and disinterest in examining the more complex aspects of what is an undoubtedly stirring true story.

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Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, the new film from the team behind The Archies, is a rare Bollywood movie about millennial malaise.

But like its characters, it’s too distracted by social media and the desire to say something about our addiction to it.

We talk about the performances of its three leads—Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Adarsh Gourav—and discuss the many ways in which it honours and undermines their experiences.

We also admire the effort that writer-director Arjun Varain Singh has gone through to ground the movie in a recognisable reality, as opposed to most Hindi movies of its kind.

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Rebel Moon is the worst film of Zack Snyder’s career, and that’s saying something.

We talk about the director’s uninspired homage to the works of Akira Kurosawa and George Lucas, his unusually bland visuals, and the film’s wooden writing.

We also wonder why the project looks so cheap, seeing as it comes from a streamer that is often willing to invest $200 million on less-deserving movies, and why Snyder has cast seemingly his second and third choices for most roles.

We also discuss Netflix’s cynical approach to fashioning a franchise, and reverse-engineering a director’s cut movement, all at the cost of producing a cohesive cinematic experience.

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Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla is the antithesis of Baz Luhrmann’s terrible Elvis movie.

We discuss Coppola’s sad-core storytelling, her determination never to leave Priscilla’s side, and her absolutely damning portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll.

We also talk about Cailee Spaeny’s central performance as Priscilla, Jacob Elordi’s menacing turn as Elvis, and the movie’s delicate handling of their very complex relationship.

But we also wonder if Coppola’s emotionally distant direction might have made the stirring true-life story a little unaffecting.

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In The Archies, writer-director Zoya Akhtar disguises her politics behind teen romance.

But does this diffuse the impact of what she’s trying to say? We talk about the film’s coming-of-age themes, how each character is given definitive traits, and whether it’s successful in capturing teen angst.

We also discuss the cast of newcomers, and wonder if the movie will be offensive to certain sections of the audience.

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Kaathal – The Core, directed by Jeo Baby, is shaping up to be a real word-of-mouth hit, purely on the strength of its sheer quality.

We speak about the many reasons why the new Malayalam-language drama left us so moved, and highlight the two central performances by Mammootty and Jyotika.

We appreciate director Baby’s command over visual storytelling, and how effectively he uses silences to convey volumes about his characters.

We also discuss the delicate tonal balance that the film strikes, making sure to not paint anybody as the “villain”.

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Leo, the new Tamil-language blockbuster starring “Thalapathy” Vijay, is now on Netflix.

We discuss the film’s abysmal storytelling, the charmless central performance, and poorly designed action sequences. We also talk about the larger Lokesh Cinematic Universe and how shoehorned-in the references to the franchise feel.

Along the way, we attempt to dissect the Inception-level flashback sequence and discuss the strange decision to cast Sanjay Dutt as the villain, only to dub over his original voice and reduce his character to a motiveless henchman.

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Watching The Railway Men is like taking an express train back to Netflix India circa 2019 when the bottom of the barrel would be scraped week after week.

Almost unwatchable at even four episodes long, the new YRF-produced series is so inept that it makes you lose faith in the art of storytelling as a whole.

We discuss the show’s bizarre approach to a real-life tragedy, its wafer-thin characters, countless contrivances, and unintentionally hilarious plot devices.

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Is The Killer one of David Fincher’s most inconsequential movies?

We discuss the film’s subversive approach to the conventions of assassin cinema, Fincher’s clinical treatment of the subject matter, and the odd bursts of humour that he peppers through the two-hour narrative.

We also talk about Michael Fassbender’s statue-esque performance, and spend a considerable amount of time trying to decipher the meaning behind the meaninglessness.

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Is Killers of the Flower Moon a culmination of what director Martin Scorsese has been trying to achieve his entire career, or is it an overlong, overindulgent slog that general audiences will turn their backs on?

We discuss the film’s simmering tone, the epic tragedy at its core, and the performances of its central cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.

We also talk about the film’s memorable ending, which recontextualises not only everything that has come before, but also Scorsese’s own career.

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