Recent Reviews by Sanyukta Thakare
Mashable India
Sanyukta Thakare is a film journalist & critic turned content creator who discusses the cultural and social impacts of cinema. Currently, she works at Mashable India, and also covers anime, Korean drama and other Western content. Previously, she has worked for The Free Press Journal and DNA.
Films reviewed on this Page
Singham Again
Citadel: Honey Bunny
Do Patti
The Shameless
Santosh
Girls Will Be Girls
The Apprentice
The Wild Robot
Citadel Diana
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
Singham Again
Ajay Devgn’s Film Entertains, Enough For All Fandoms
Ranveer Singh saves the second half!
Singham Again made quite the impression with its short film for a trailer. It also led to the perception that the film won’t have much to offer after everything was revealed in the teasers and trailers. And yet the film surprises with its comedy and its Ramayan connective direction. Rohit Shetty does warn his audience and the religious critics that the film is not meant to disrespect anyone’s faith or any religion with a two-minute long disclaimer and what follows is a cameo-filled film with a run time of 144 minutes.
All 13 reviews of Singham Again here
Citadel: Honey Bunny
Varun Dhawan- Samantha Ruth Prabhu Show Makes Priyanka Chopra’s Series Even Better
Kay Kay Menon has the biggest impact
The show fits right into the style of Raj and DK sans the comedy, the rawness and the drama will keep you hooked for a while. Set in the 90s and early 2000s it focuses on the lack of technology and old-school espionage. Its sequences set in the 90s will remind audiences of old movies like the action remains grounded to today’s time. The makers find a good mix of old aesthetics, cinematography and modern writing for spy thrillers. The show has ups and downs, but performances like that of Kay Kay Menon will bring you back to the story.
All 10 reviews of Citadel: Honey Bunny here
Do Patti
Kriti Sanon, Kanika Dhillon Film Sounds Good Only On Paper
Not much to offer
Co produced by Kriti Sanon and Kanika Dhillon the film suffers from lack of consistency possibly from the writing stage. The film aims to spread awareness about women and domestic abuse, it attempts to express the turmoils of abuse trauma, its generational history but fails to do it through out the run time. The film tries hard to be It Suspect X (Jaane Jaan), It Ends With Us, Gone Girl and The Girl In The Train all at once with a crime thriller genre — it ends up being none of them.
All 17 reviews of Do Patti here
The Shameless
Cannes Winner Comes With Radical Performances And Bleak Status Of Indian Women
Performances are worth it
The Shameless became highly recognizable after its Cannes 2024 victory. The film’s leading star Anasuya Sengupta made history and became the first Indian actor to win the Best Actress Award at Cannes. The film explores the story of two polar women stuck in the world of prostitution finding hope in each other, but the bleakness and grim reality of the world is always just around the corner to take it away. The film though dramatic and dark has much appreciative theatrical performances with wit of Sengupta’s abrasive character. Devi and Renuka keep the story balanced but the outcome is left for the audience to endure.
Santosh
Shahana Goswami’s Film Is One Of The Finest Police Dramas
It comes with a grim reality check
Santosh which has been making rounds in the top film festivals including Cannes is by the British-Indian director Sandhya Suri. Focusing on the state of rural India through the eyes of a young femal cop, the film is is Suri’s first fiction feature, which can be seen in its rawness and sincerity. The film is led by Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar as cops on the other side of the law, and their performances are unforgettable.
All 2 reviews of Santosh here
Girls Will Be Girls
Richa Chadha Backed Film Is Where Independent Cinema Meets Commerical
Complex but rewarding Mother-Daughter story
Girls Will Be Girls is helmed by first time feature film director Suchi Talati. It follows the story of a high school top student in a coming of age story. But the story isn’t just about Mira played by Preeti Panigrahi but also about her mom Anila played by Kani Kusruti. Their complex relationship amid Mira’s rebellious romance with NRI boy Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), the tense environment in strict school. The film offers a change for millennials to live through some of their most embarrassing and traumatizing memories but also gives a chance to many more in building a better and more nutriting relationship with their mothers.
All 3 reviews of Girls Will Be Girls here
The Apprentice
Sebastian Stan As Donald Trump Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg
Jeremy Strong steals the show
The Apprentice is one of the film that no one asked for but now that its here you can’t look away from it. The direction, cinematography, lighting, sets and most of all the performances all are worth praising but the film majorly avoids taking sides. For first half it makes you like Trump and for the other the pre-existing hate returns, so it doesn’t really add to his public narrative, the reason for its existence left questioning. But the film is worth the watch for its art.
All 2 reviews of The Apprentice here
The Wild Robot
Best Animated Film Of The Year
Unmissable big screen experience
The Wild Robot was one of the most anticipated films since its first teaser dropped with the song ‘What a Wonderful World’ and the film has lived up to its hype. Not only does it offer an adorable story for kids to watch but it also comes with heavy context and geological subtext that is enough to keep the adults engaged. The film unexpectedly also offers much humour and some emotional moments but best yet has been the artwork throughout the run time. From birds taking flight and colouring the sky, to the moving leaves that breathe life into the art, the film comes with a great re-watch value ready to turn it into a classic.
All 4 reviews of The Wild Robot here
Citadel Diana
Is It Better Than Priyanka Chopra's OG Show?
Intense drama with suspense that doesn't bring the usual thrills
Citadel Diana is one of the many spin-offs set around the American Citadel led by Priyanka Chopra. The series explores the world of a covet organisation across the globe trying to take down the world’s most evil organisation Manticore. While Citadel carried the story more straightforward, Citadel vs Manticore, we get to see a different side in Diana. The Italian show led by Matilda De Angelis, Lorenzo Cervasio and Maurizio Lombardi explores more on the side of how things are done at Manticore. Released in Italian, with few dialogues in English, the show is expected to have a stronger opening than Citadel.
All 2 reviews of Citadel Diana here
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri’s Parody Can’t Be Saved From Itself
Burn it so we can have a better chance as covering this concept
Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri’s latest release Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video is a social comedy that focuses on the length of the story more than logic. With a shorter, more crisp story the film would have managed to give the very serious and important message it wishes to. The film is a cautionary tale in the 1990s but the fear is very relevant and still prevalent given the growing use of AI, instead of finding a way to incorporate the fear throughout, the story focuses a bit too much on the comedy punch lines and hopes a long monologue will make up for the rest. But it doesn’t.