Suchin Mehrotra

At first glance, Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla seems cursed to be more of the same as yet another templated haunted-haveli horror-comedy. Perhaps there is hope, you tell yourself. Perhaps Priyadarshan reuniting with Akshay Kumar after over a decade could mean something. Perhaps this could be the sequel to Bhool Bhulaiya they never got to make, considering Anees Bazmee and Kartik Aaryan took over the franchise in 2022. But, alas, what we get is a nothingburger of the highest order: a horror-comedy that doesn’t land as horror, comedy, or even as a vaguely passable time at the movies.

Toaster—the confused new comedy on Netflix from debut director Vivek Daschaudhary and the first film from actors Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa’s new production house, Kampa Films—wastes a great premise. Meet Ramakant (Rajkummar is never NOT a joy to watch in a comedy) who’s a terrifyingly, debilitatingly cheap. I’m talking ‘argues for a six-rupee refund on his phone bill’ level kanjoos. His way of being includes taking his wife to the local gurdwara for langar to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and sneaking toast from his neighbour every morning to save himself from having to pay for breakfast. That, or attending local political rallies or religious processions for the free food.

Dynamic duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller return to live-action filmmaking after years of giving us some of the most crowd-pleasing animation storytelling in recent memory. You can clearly see the animation-filmmaking fingerprints from the producers, co-writers, and creative engines behind both the Spider-Verse films and Netflix’s terrific The Mitchells Vs The Machines all over the utterly delightful new space saga—Project Hail Mary. Think Interstellar meets Arrival meets The Martian (which is itself based on a book by Andy Weir, whose 2021 book Project Hail Mary this film is adapted from).

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar The Revenge opens with the origin story that was promised. Before dreaded Pakistani gangster—and undercover Indian spy—Hamza Ali Mazari, there was army officer Jaskirat Singh Rangi. In the year 2000, we see a younger Jaskirat (a tremendous Ranveer Singh) buying guns before singlehandedly storming a beastly stronghold in his hometown of Pathankot, maiming and tearing through every man he comes across in search of a family member held captive.

Suresh Triveni’s Subedaar is an odd film. The Amazon Prime Video film, starring Anil Kapoor, wants to be mass in the streets and class in the sheets. The result is a curious, uneven ride. You can see the vision behind Suresh’s film: to subvert, toy with, and use the packaging and trappings of masala action cinema to examine something more raw and primal. But the result risks being neither here nor there, an action drama that struggles to thrill nor mount a moody character study. Subedaar Arjun Maurya (a fierce Anil Kapoor) is a retired army officer who’s recently returned home to an unnamed North Indian town. Arjun is the gruff rebel desperately in search of a cause. The recent passing of his wife (Khushbu Sundar) forces Arjun into retirement after 25 years in the Army. It also forces him to find his footing with Shyama, the daughter he was barely around for (a solid Radhika Madan).