In my review of part 1 of season 1 of the new Dharmatic series for Hotstar, Showtime, I mentioned that even in self-criticism, Bollywood lacks nuances. Part 2 has now been released, and there are only three episodes. Well, the story goes through a predictable set of dramatic shifts in equations, and what you eventually… Continue reading Showtime Part 2 Review | Bollywood’s Shallow Self-Reproach Feels More Like a Glorified Daily Soap
Tag: Hotstar
Patna Shuklla Review | An Excessively Melodramatic Legal Drama That Lacks Compelling Arguments
There is a terrific revelation happening in the last quarter of the new Hotstar film Patna Shuklla, starring Raveena Tandon. This twist was so good that I felt extremely disappointed that everything else in this legal drama was just loud melodrama rather than a logical legal struggle. If you can manipulate your own mind to… Continue reading Patna Shuklla Review | An Excessively Melodramatic Legal Drama That Lacks Compelling Arguments
Showtime Review | Even in Self-Criticism, Bollywood Lacks Nuances
On paper, Showtime, the new Hotstar series produced by Dharma Productions digital wing Dharmatic Entertainment, looks like an extremely bold move. Bollywood, which is going through a patchy phase in terms of content and many other controversial topics including nepotism, doing a self-critique, that too produced by Karan Johar felt like a sign of acknowledgement.… Continue reading Showtime Review | Even in Self-Criticism, Bollywood Lacks Nuances
Karmma Calling Review | A Flat Thriller That Feels More Like a Glorified Daily Soap
The new Hotstar original Karmma Calling, directed by Ruchi Narain, based on the ABC original Revenge, feels more like a daily soap you see on these main TV channels rather than a nuanced thriller that can captivate you with its plot development. With almost every character being so unreal on screen, this blend of posh… Continue reading Karmma Calling Review | A Flat Thriller That Feels More Like a Glorified Daily Soap
Masterpeace Review | A Loud Woke Comedy That Works in Parts Because of the Relatability
The new Hotstar original Masterpeace, a comedy starring Nithya Menen and Sharaf U Dheen as the central characters, is an eccentric comedy that works to an extent primarily due to the relatability of the content on a thematic level. Set mainly in a single location, Sreejith N’s 5 episode series is deliberately loud, sometimes making… Continue reading Masterpeace Review | A Loud Woke Comedy That Works in Parts Because of the Relatability
Kaala Review | A Consistently Engaging Thriller With an Impressive Character Pool
Kaala, the new series from Bejoy Nambiar, is dealing with the enormous task of presenting a story that has happened over multiple decades. It is an ambitious attempt to pull off a subject that needs to have conviction. In totality, I was really impressed by the way Bejoy and his team of writers managed to… Continue reading Kaala Review | A Consistently Engaging Thriller With an Impressive Character Pool
Mathagam Part 1 Review | A Discretely Promising Thriller That Shouldn’t Have Got Split
Let me begin by saying I have an issue with the Part 1-Part 2 releasing strategy of some of the Hotstar specials. The problem is that it almost feels like the projector got damaged at the interval of a seemingly exciting thriller, and you will have to wait for months to know what happened after… Continue reading Mathagam Part 1 Review | A Discretely Promising Thriller That Shouldn’t Have Got Split
The Night Manager: Part 2 Review | A Tidier Screenplay and Tillotama Shome Make the Finale Fairly Engaging
It’s kind of weird to review a series that has only one season with 7 episodes and got split into two parts over a span of almost 5 months. In my review for Part 1 back in February 2023, I mentioned that it felt like watching a thriller inside a theater, and the projector guy… Continue reading The Night Manager: Part 2 Review | A Tidier Screenplay and Tillotama Shome Make the Finale Fairly Engaging