As a local bus carrying commuters arrives at a lush green terrain, one of the lead characters of 'Perumani' attempts to unload his luggage from the roof of the bus. Suddenly, a stranger, initially presumed to be dead, wakes up and stands atop the roof. This unexpected arrival of a migrant, assumed to be from Bengal, sets the ball rolling for an otherwise tranquil village, leading to a series of absurd events. The film begins with a fable, presented in an animated format. Narrated through well-dr

The release of 'Ramana Avatara' was notably delayed but, over the last four years it had been in the making, the makers kept promising to present a modern twist on the classic tale of the Ramayana in a lighthearted manner. Vikas Pampapathys vision of the film examines the values of the Ramayana, primarily focusing on Rama (Rishi), affectionately called Gentleman Rama by his villagers. He finds himself unjustly displaced from his village and ends up in Mangalore, where he encounters Pranitha Subh

KRISHNAMMA Cast: Satyadev, Athira Raj, Nanda Gopal, Laxman Meesala, Krishna Burugala Director: V V Gopala Krishna Rating: 2/5 At one point in 'Krishnamma', Bhadra (Satyadev) questions the flawed yardsticks on which society anoints its gatekeepers. He ponders how empathy and humanity become the least-important factors in decisions made by the upholders of law when they deal with fellow humans. This moment arrives rather late in the film. By now, we have witnessed the smouldering anger and frustra

SRIKANTH Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Jyothika, Sharad Kelkar, Alaya F Director: Tushar Hiranandani Rating: 2/5 Its night. A man is haphazardly trying to find his way on a busy street. A speeding car almost hits him. The driver shouts the should-be T-shirt slogan of road ragers everywhere: Ae andha hai kya? (Dude, are you blind?). What are the odds? The man actually is. Lets pull back to a previous scene. This man is an infant now, in the arms of his father, on whom realisation is dawning. I am Srikanth

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Cast: Lydia Peckham, Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, William H Macy, Eka Darville, Freya Allan Director: Wes Ball Rating: 2.5/5 The pleasure of watching the Planet of the Apes franchise lies in discovering the sheer gravitas that its voice actors bring to its characters. This was most evident in Dawn of the 'Planet of the Apes' (2014), where Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell stole the show as Caesar and Koba, respectively, bringing plenty of emotional heft to the story wh

'Marivillin Gopurangal' is essentially about two couples and their contrasting approaches to love, life, and everything in between. Shinto (Indrajith Sukumaran) is an aspiring filmmaker, who currently writes scripts for a kids show, and his wife Sherin (Shruti Ramachandran) is an entrepreneur running a plant boutique. Despite societal pressure, the two prefer being career-oriented and attaining financial stability before planning for a baby. On the contrary, Shintos brother Rony (Sarjano Khalid)

CHENNAI: I thought of 'Vaaranam Aayiram' many times while watching Star. Its not just because of Kavins early looks, as Kalai, or his dance moves. Theres more. Theres a phone call he makes from an alien city, as he breaks down and shares his loss with his parents. Here, the death is not of a person; its of a dream. Here too, the story feels rather personal, almost autobiographical; here too, one romantic relationship ends, and another begins, and here too, the new girl helps heal the protagonist

CHENNAI : Santhakumars latest film, 'Rasavathi', takes its name from the term alchemist, denoting someone who seeks to transmute base metal into gold, formulate the elixir of immortality, or create a cure-all medicine. In this case, the protagonist, Sadhasiva Pandian (Arjun Das), embodies the third aspect as a Siddha doctor crafting remedies for various ailments. However, as the narrative unfolds, it becomes evident that the title holds a more profound significance, symbolising the protagonists

CHENNAI: There is a scene in 'Uyir Thamizhukku' where Imaan Annachis character snatches the microphone away from Ameers character and advises him not to make a three-week-long speech where three minutes would suffice. We wish the film internalised this advice. 'Uyir Thamizhukku' follows the peak and valley pattern, it alternates between highs and lows. However, we soon realise that the film meanders through the low points more than we expected and that it has been quite some time since the film

Most horror film characters have scant regard for advice. They disregard obvious advice such as Do not go near the window or Stay where you are, even if it is common sense that would have saved them. In Jang Jae-Hyuns Exhuma, too, such disregard for advice happens but it is used in a unique way. An affluent Korean-American family has their grandfathers remains exhumed through a shaman (Kim Go-eun), against the caveat of a diviner (Choi Min-sik). The film uses the act of exhumation as a metaphor