- Mardaani 3 - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: An intense issue. A gripping telling. A tad dramatized. A slump in the climax. But a worthy watch, even if on OTT. Review Human life is invaluable or human life has no value—depending on where and to whom you are born. This is the nasty truth that Mardaani 3 takes a stab at. Of course, there are other systemic issues it battles through its righteous cop protagonist, Shivani Shivaji Roy. It attac…
- 8 days ago 30 Jan 26, 4:58pm -
- Border 2 - Review
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?) quick review: What you expect is what you get in Border 2. Border (1) again. The warfare seems unending, just like the film. The same laboured lines with forced energy and brief, cursory, and measured attempts at balance.Streaming Partner: Netflix Review Border 2 is an ode to its brand. Not even war films, in general, it is an homage to the first episode. What's more, it is set in the same…
- 15 days ago 23 Jan 26, 7:37pm -
- Ikkis - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: A Hindi war film that points to the futility of war and doesn’t spend all its time glamorising it is a win, even if this one isn’t among the best war films out there.Streaming partner: Amazon Prime Review I have become wary of Hindi war films because of the chest-thumping and the full-throated endorsement of war. Of course, it is valiant, what our defence forces do for us. But that we ought t…
- 36 days ago 2 Jan 26, 12:37pm -
- Dhurandhar - Review
wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?) quick review: Carries a disconcerting undercurrent of provocation, propaganda and victimhood, even though it is a well-made film that engages through its 3.5-hour-long runtime.Streaming partner: Netflix Review This wannabe Gangs of Wasseypur might not match up to its aspirations, but it has enough meat in its story to keep you engaged for one watch. Yet it reeks of performative national…
- 64 days ago 5 Dec 25, 5:34pm -
- De De Pyaar De 2 - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: An unexpectedly mature take on a difficult dilemma faced by parents. It'd have been nice, though, if the makers were as secure about their story as its protagonist is about himself. Yes, the silly humour is arguably unnecessary. Streaming Partner: Netflix Review As an educated, progressive, modern parent, I have always wondered what curveball my kids would throw at me. Where would I draw the lin…
- 85 days ago 14 Nov 25, 6:11pm -
- Thamma - Review
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?) quick review: No effort to create anything of substance. Some attempt at world-building. But why would a hollow universe interest anyone?Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime Review It was really nice to watch a fantasy world created with consistent rules and some thought. Unfortunately, the world doesn't really hook. It didn't capture my interest as I found myself drifting out of its realm a li…
- 99 days ago 31 Oct 25, 5:00pm -
- Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: Love is fickle—that's my takeaway from this boring romance. The only highlights are some song and dance sequences. Streaming Partner: Netflix Review I admire how quickly and easily this film's characters fall in and out of love. Of course, story-wise, we all know that their initial "true love" existed only so that it could fall apart. Which also means to begin with, we don't believe that Sunny Sansk…
- 3 Oct 25, 6:01pm -
- Homebound - Review
wogma rating: Add to 'must watch' list (?) quick review: Homebound touches you because it's intentionally unsettling. A no-frills look at society, with simple-AND-powerful storytelling and grounded, heartfelt performances.Streaming Partner: Netflix Review We are in a world where a family can own smartphones, yet live under a kutcha roof. And the irony is that we, the audience in air-conditioned theatres, know that world is real. Throughout Homeb…
- 26 Sep 25, 3:21pm -
- Jolly LLB 3 - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: A topic that should be part of every living room conversation plays out as a predictable yet meaningful courtroom drama. The strongest film in the series so far, but still weighed down by unnecessary, slapstick flab.(Streaming Partner: Netflix) Review Jolly LLB must be one of those rare series that is getting better with every episode. Not by a lot, though. And considering the first one was barel…
- 19 Sep 25, 7:01pm -
- Baaghi 4 - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: It's so bloated that every thump in the music, each fight sequence, nearly every song, every attempt at comic relief seems like a huge, stinky burp. Review Usually, for sequels, I don't go back and read the reviews I wrote of the earlier instalments. But, this time, I couldn't resist the temptation because the fourth edition felt way too much like more-of-the-same. I had to double-check if I was rememb…
- 5 Sep 25, 5:09pm -
- Param Sundari - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: Using 2020s' slang can't hide the jadedness of the girl-meets-boy plot. Dropping Shah Rukh Khan and Sri Devi references only highlight the story's age-old, simplistic "What if?" Even these icons, four decades ago, knew they had to reimagine the genre.Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime Review The saving grace is…yes, there is so much to gripe about that I will begin with the sort-a kind-a redeeming qual…
- 29 Aug 25, 6:48pm -
- War 2 - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: Reasonably decent conceptualisation of fight sequences with tacky execution. The rest—patriotism, plot, etc—is anyway only padding around the cool-on-paper action. Review For starters, it is not about war. And no, that is not giving the movie away. At best, it is giving the title away. The good news then is, if you are looking for aggrandisation of war, you won't find it here. What is it about then…
- 14 Aug 25, 7:08pm -
- Metro…In Dino - Review
wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?) quick review: What a quick dive this one took from being chique and warm to annoying and infuriating! Just like the relationships it uses to give you the "boys will be boys" vibe. Review If Metro…In Dino were to be believed, sex was at the crux of any meaningful romantic relationship. The other main point it takes a jab at is that the natural progression of questions society asks peopl…
- 4 Jul 25, 6:00pm -
- Sitaare Zameen Par - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: A film that could've been a warm hug misses the chance by being way too preachy, pushy, and Aamir-Khaney. Such golden intent gets lost because it is enamoured by itself. Review I'll go for the low-hanging fruit. There's a scene in which the coach of a differently-abled basketball team, Gulshan (Aamir Khan), is yelling instructions at a player, asking him to focus hard. After having had enough, the…
- 20 Jun 25, 8:11pm -
- Bhool Chuk Maaf - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: Two elements exist. The time-loop concept and the "moral of the story." Whichever came to the makers first, the other feels terribly forced. In either case, what's the case for the loud story-telling, the stretched-out pacing, the thoughtlessness of it all?(Streaming Partner: Amazon Prime) Review I have so many questions, all of which can be summed up with, "What were they thinking?"Why is Titli (Wami…
- 23 May 25, 3:43pm -
- Raid 2 - Review
wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list (?) quick review: Repeat performance of Raid. Raid 2 = 2x the drama and associated pain. 2x the slack writing. About 1x the fun of watching corrupt politicians get their due—fair and square, without involving police brutality.(Streaming Partner: Netflix) Review Despite all the tiring and unnecessary drama, the first half creates intrigue. A cold face-off between two smart people—you kno…
- 1 May 25, 6:18pm -
- Phule - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: What an inspiring story. What an uninspiring, episodic, loud, and dramatic treatment. And yet, better watch this one because it's unlikely to be made again. And there's never harm in knowing the oppression we are capable of as humans and the fight we can give if we set our minds to it. Review It's a shame that, well over a century later, even making a film on the fight against caste oppression has…
- 25 Apr 25, 6:56pm -
- Kesari Chapter 2 - Review
wogma rating: Watch but no rush (?) quick review: It's gut-wrenching. It's hair-raising. Goosebumps rose. But that's the story. The movie unabashedly dramatises it, shining the spotlight on the star instead of the character, luring more with form than content. Review "Indians don't know how hard a lawyer fought for justice on behalf of those who died in the Jalianwala Bagh massacre." That's a reasonably fair claim. And it is a shame, too, conside…
- 18 Apr 25, 6:29pm -
- Sikandar - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: What is worse? A film that wants you to leave your brain at home while watching it? Or one that is under the impression that it follows logic and has a heart, but is in reality a mess of a film? Sikandar might pass muster for both failing to engage or entertain. Review The first few minutes of Sikandar fool you into believing that you might actually get something more than the low bar you have set for…
- 30 Mar 25, 5:20pm -
- Pintu Ki Pappi - Review
wogma rating: Don't bother (?) quick review: A collection of one bad scene jerkily stitched to another, adding up to a mess of a film. An intriguing plot—kiss-as-a-service—but you can't help being wary because of the potential to be sleazy. Indeed, it is borderline creepy and goes full throttle into boring you. Review What if your superpower was that your cheek-kiss gets the kissee married to another person in the next week? What if you made…
- 22 Mar 25, 12:26pm -
