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Recent Reviews by Kshitij Rawat
Lifestyle Asia

Kshitij Rawat did not unleash himself to the world as a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. He has been reviewing films and TV shows since 2017. Growing up in different parts of the country, he has been exposed to a variety of cultures, something that informs his criticism. He currently works at Lifestyle Asia.

Films reviewed on this Page

Adolescence
Khakee: The Bengal Chapter
The Electric State
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Adolescence
The haunting ending of Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ explained: Why did Jamie really kill Katie?

Adolescence is a crime drama, yes, but one that isn’t about the crime as much as the boy at its centre, the world that shaped him, and the people left reeling in his wake. If you thought it would be a murder mystery, the idea is put to rest at the ending of the first episode itself (it’s a miniseries and features four episodes) when the said mystery is revealed. It is revealed that (spoiler alert, but not really, for the trailer itself let it slip if one watched it closely) Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) did really kill the victim, Katie. No, Adolescence series is more interested in the motive behind the crime, and it is revealed piecemeal in the rest of the three episodes. Like Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer The Buckingham Murders, Adolescence capably uses its small British town setting to paint a picture of a community simmering with quiet tensions. But while The Buckingham Murders leaned into grief and personal reckoning, Adolescence sharpens its gaze on something far more insidious, which is the slow radicalisation of a young mind through figures like Andrew Tate.

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All 5 reviews of Adolescence here

Khakee: The Bengal Chapter
The Bengal Chapter’ ending explained: Does Arjun Maitra finally bring down Barun?

Neeraj Pandey’s Khakee: The Bengal Chapter is a sequel series to his own Khakee: The Bihar Chapter (2022). As you can undoubtedly guess, the action shifts from Bihar to Kolkata (or Calcutta as it was called then). Across seven episodes, the series tells a pretty focused story about the perils of policing in a volatile sociopolitical environment such as West Bengal, the nexus between politicians and the mafia, and a lot more. Here is everything you need to know about the story and ending of Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’s ending, as well as its release date, cast, and more. The crime thriller series is mostly the story of IPS Arjun Maitra (Jeet) and his struggle against the criminal elements in the city. He is transferred to Kolkata to replace his recently murdered predecessor, Saptarshi Sinha (Parambrata Chatterjee). Now, he is a pretty straightforward cop who deals with crime and its perpetrators as he sees fit, without worrying as to whether the criminal is an offspring of some big-shot politician. However, now he is in Kolkata, where the criminals and politicians are virtually indistinguishable from each other. Is he equipped enough to survive, or will he end up shot dead on the street like Saptarshi?

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All 12 reviews of Khakee: The Bengal Chapter here

The Electric State
What happens to Michelle’s brother?

In the grand tradition of Hollywood throwing mountains of cash at sci-fi epics, The Electric State arrives with a budget so colossal it could fund a small nation — or at least a few more seasons of Stranger Things. Directed by the dynamic duo of Anthony and Joe Russo, the film is based (loosely, because of course it is) on Simon Stålenhag’s hauntingly beautiful 2018 illustrated novel of the same name. It has a cast packed with well-regarded names. But does the star power mean the movie works? Let’s dive into everything we know about The Electric State, including its plot, ending, cast, trailer, and a brief movie review. We mentioned Stranger Things above because this film stars Millie Bobby Brown in the lead. If you are waiting eagerly for the fifth and final (sob) season, this might serve as an amuse-bouche if you are a fan.

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All 3 reviews of The Electric State here

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Who is the real Manjulika?

It has been 17 years since Bhool Bhulaiyaa released and introduced to the world the unforgettable mystery of Manjulika, supposedly a vengeful spirit that wandered around the halls of an ancient palace. But the appeal of the movie lay not in the scares, but the twist at the end: that Avni was not possessed at all and, in fact, there was no ghost, just superstition masking the reality of mental illness. But in the sequel, and now Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Manjulika is no longer a psychological manifestation but a genuine spirit.

In this horror comedy movie, Kartik Aaryan returns as Ruhaan or Rooh Baba, a self-proclaimed ghostbuster. We find him swindling people out of their money by claiming to get rid of evil spirits possessing their family members or haunting their houses. However, his pretty profitable career brings him to a new case in which he comes face to face with something he is not prepared to deal with an actual, honest-to-goodness ghost.

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All 14 reviews of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 here