Sanjay Ponnappa

in India Today

Overall, Chatha Pacha: The Ring of Rowdies arrived with a lot of anticipation but struggles to match up to it.

in India Today

Whether it manages to replicate that journey remains to be seen, but it certainly has the ingredients to become a crowd favourite.

in India Today

Prathichaya ultimately feels like a film that had an idea but lacked the execution to make it engaging. Despite a few earnest performances and a premise that had the potential to explore the murky intersections of politics and media, the film struggles with a sluggish screenplay, predictable narrative beats, and uneven technical choices. What could have been a gripping political drama ends up being a tedious watch that rarely rises above its cliches. Unless you are a fan of the lead cast or the genre, this one might not justify the time.

in India Today

Vinod Prabhakar delivers a largely effective performance as Balarama.

in India Today

Seena (Vinay Rajkumar) is an ordinary village boy with aspirations of becoming something meaningful in life, but he lacks direction and spends most of his time doing odd jobs with his friends.

in India Today

With beautiful visuals and intriguing ideas, Gurudatta Ganiga's coastal drama, starring Prajwal Devaraj with Raj B Shetty in an extended cameo, offers moments of genuine thrill but ultimately feels incomplete due to its lack of clarity and depth.

in India Today

Korean Kanakaraju movie review The film wastes an amusing premise on shallow writing and exhausting execution Satya039s comedy and Varun Tej039s sincere performance are the only bright spots in an otherwise forgettable horror-comedy

in India Today

Writer-director Jadesh K Hampi’s first attempt at commercial action, Landlord is an engaging film that impresses in the first half, building expectations, only for it to turn typical and underwhelming in the second half. The proceedings throughout the film are fairly standard for the genre, but the build-up of the story, characters, and stakes in the first half is what truly stands out. Jadesh’s talent for writing is evident in the film; however, the same cannot be said about his direction. A messy screenplay, marked by abrupt endings to impactful scenes, jarring cuts, and tonal shifts that do not make sense; random integration of social messages; and, worst of all, the downgrading of strongly written characters solely to elevate the hero — these issues largely point to the director’s vision and its underwhelming execution.

in India Today

The Vijay Raghavendra-starrer sequel offers a slow-burn investigation with strong psychological elements but faces pacing challenges.

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Kunchako Boban's mystery crime thriller, written by Shahi Kabir and directed by debutant Kiran Das, sets up a strong premise but gets lost in direction in all the chaos towards the end.

in India Today

However, these shortcomings do not make the film a tiring watch. Though predictable towards the end, the story throws in occasional twists to keep the audience engaged and holds on to the withering attention. And the big VFX fight at the end will certainly leave one impressed. And yet an afterthought will linger on: such a lost opportunity!

in India Today

Director Arun D Jose effectively used chaos to display a humorous series of events that unfold in the film. The humour in the first half especially lands well and keeps the audience hooked to the screen despite having moments when the screenplay seems a little stretched out. The second half, however, proves to be a slight let down—even though the gags are funny—as the plot loosens and the climax feels rushed.

in India Today

Sanjay Ponnappa of India Today rated it 4 out of 5 and noted the performances of the lead cast and Sumanth Bhat's direction.

in India Today

‘Firefly’, as a film, is an absolutely impressive attempt, but it has its fair share of flaws. With a runtime of only 2 hours and 13 minutes, the film should have felt crisp and to the point – but that is not the case. The film presents a layered version of the seven stages of grief. The first half, representing shock, denial, anger and bargaining, had good pacing, without many loose scenes. The second half, however – dealing with depression, testing and acceptance – felt longer than it actually is. The pacing in the second half, combined with a lack of comic relief to re-establish audience engagement, might be a drawback. With a strong performance from the leading actor and a screenplay that incorporated a little more comedy to appeal to mass pockets, this could have been the perfect entertainer across all age groups.

in India Today

In the end, ‘Full Meals’ is a familiar romantic drama that works in flashes rather than as a whole. There are moments of charm, a few laughs and some earnest performances, but the predictable writing and heavy-handed melodrama hold it back from being innovative and truly memorable. It’s the kind of film you can sit through without much complaint, but not one that stays with you after the credits roll — simply a breezy watch, nothing more, nothing less.

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