Predictably, the first two days of the week were all about Game of Thrones and Taylor Swift’s new video. Sansa Stark and Taylor Swift left behind their goody two shoes image to emerge fierce and victorious; while Jon Snow still remained clueless.
Read here: When It’s The End Of Season 7, And Jon Snow Still Knows Nothing
The Old Sansa Stark And Taylor Swift Are Both Dead
Meanwhile, Upendra said the usual things and promised to be a winning force in the upcoming election, but a look at the history of the state revealed that things could prove to be problematic for him.
Read here: Kannada Actor Upendra Wants To Make It Big In Politics, But State’s History May Prove Otherwise
Sidharth Malhotra’s tweet about the violence in Haryana (following Ram Rahim’s sentencing) proved that Bollywood was still as insensitive as always to the goings on around it. Meanwhile, the tense standoff between India and China at Doklam did not affect the box office performance of Aamir Khan’s Dangal.
Why ‘Dangal’ Wins & Doklam Doesn’t: Food For Thought For Foreign Policymakers
Due to the controversy surrounding Elamaran’s review of Vivegam, the TFPC- led by Vishal Krishna, began to consider and explore some archaic measures to regulate online reviews.
Read here: Film Fraternity’s Call To Regulate Movie Reviews Is Misplaced And Curtails Freedom Of Expression
In other news, Arjun Reddy continued to thrill and awe audiences across the country. Its director, Sandeep Vanga, told Silverscreen that this was not the reaction he got when he approached producers with the script. In fact, the director revealed that a couple of producers dozed off during the narration.
Read here: Sandeep Vanga Interview: “Arjun Reddy’s Script Was Making Producers Doze Off”
Bhumi Pednekar, meanwhile, confessed that her acting career was a ‘planned’ one and that her entry into Bollywood was no accident. Her Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan co-star Ayushmann Khurrana, on the other hand, talked to us about the film and what it means to be a poster boy for the Indian middle class.
Read here: Bhumi Pednekar Interview: “I’m not an accidental actress”
‘An Actor Lasts forever’: The Ayushmann Khurrana Interview
Finally, with the announcement that Rana Daggubati will star in a web-series, we took a quick look at all the other stars venturing on their own into the digital world.
Read here: Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Bose’ To Saif Ali Khan’s Netflix Show: Web-Series Goes Mainstream
Reviews:
Much was expected of RS Prasanna’s Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan. The film had its moments, but at the end, its lack of an engaging narrative proved to be its downfall.
Balakrishna did his utmost to make Paisa Vasool work, but the film with its predictable storyline and cliched characters turned out to be just another rehash of director Puri Jagannadh’s film repertoire.
Althaaf Salim showed some signs of brilliance here and there in Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela, but the film succumbed to its inability to show the grey shades in life.
Mamootty’s Pullikaaran Staara, on the other hand, was just another star vehicle content to wax poetic about its male lead.
Baadshaaho, with its multi-starrer cast and mega-budget moves, did little to inspire the audience. Some films looks good on paper. This might have too. It has possibilities, but each one of them has been squandered. There’s much scope for a subtle play of emotions, but then, it loses in front of the need for high-strung drama.
Recommended
The real winner was Vidharth’s Kurangu Bommai – a story about extra ordinary coincidences, much in the vein of Maanagaram.
Read the reviews here:
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan Review: A Joy Ride That Limps Towards The End
‘Paisa Vasool’ Review: The One In Which Balakrishna Romances His Fans
Pullikaaran Stara Review: There Is No Starshine In This Tone-Deaf Film
Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela Review: Too Many Desserts Can Spoil Your Dinner
Kurangu Bommai Review: A Thriller With A Quirk
Baadshaho Review: A High-Strung Drama With Some Middling Action