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Who doesn’t like whodunit murder mysteries? I certainly do. I love watching movies that make me exercise my brain while trying to solve the puzzle parallel with the protagonist/s. So, when Netflix released ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’, I couldn’t have been happier. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a thrilling and intricate addition to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series. Following the first movie’s success, Johnson has brought back Daniel Craig’s character, Benoit Blanc, to take on a new mystery involving tech billionaire Miles Bron and his friends. The all-star cast, including Edward Norton as Bron, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista, add depth and complexity to an already compelling plot. The story takes place on a private island in Greece, where Bron has invited several of his friends and the famous detective Benoit Blanc to participate in a murder mystery game at his mansion, the Glass Onion. However, things take a turn when one of the guests ends up dead for real, and Blanc must use all of his detective skills to uncover the truth behind the murder. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, tech billionaire Bron hosts a murder mystery game at his mansion on a private island in Greece. Invited to the game are five of Miles’s friends—Alpha head scientist Lionel Toussaint, Connecticut governor Claire Debella, fashion designer Birdie Jay, men’s rights streamer Duke Cody, and Alpha co-founder and ousted ex-CEO Cassandra  ‘Andi’ Brand—as well as detective Benoit Blanc, who was not invited but joins the group anyway. Tensions rise as Blanc solves Miles’ pretend murder mystery and one of the guests, Duke, collapses and dies after drinking from Miles’ glass. The group becomes panicked and suspicions turn toward another guest, Andi. Both Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, delve into the dark and deceitful world of the wealthy elite, showcasing their inability to trust even their closest friends and family. However, Glass Onion takes a slightly lighter approach, presenting a group of mischievous friends who all have their grievances with the tech billionaire Bron. But they also rely on his wealth and power to maintain their relevance in their respective industries. This creates a dynamic in which each character is both a suspect and a potential victim, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the movie. Overall, the sequel delivers a clever and thrilling mystery that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery brings back the beloved character of detective Benoit Blanc, this time with a touch more humor and age. Craig, known for his role as James Bond, does a fantastic job portraying an older version of Blanc, nailing his Southern American accent and bringing Blanc’s childlike curiosity and keen observational skills to life. As the master detective tackles a new case involving a tech billionaire and his innermost circle, audiences are treated to a thrilling and clever mystery full of twists and turns. With Craig leading the way, it’s clear that there could be no one better suited to step into the shoes of Benoit Blanc. The movie boasts a complex and twisty plot, with a satisfying reveal at the end that ties everything together. The secluded setting of a private island in Greece enhances the sense of mystery and danger, as the victims have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from the killer. The movie also delves into relevant themes such as corporate greed and the influence of technology on society. Overall, this sequel delivers a thrilling and clever mystery that keeps the audience glued to their seats, unable to peel their eyes from the screen. Who should watch it? With its clever twists and turns, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is sure to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. The movie’s intricate plot and talented cast make it a must-see for mystery fans. Rating: 4 stars Genre: Crime, mystery Actors: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr. Director: Rian Johnson Run time: 2hrs 19mins

The World Cup 2022 final between France and Argentina was quite a thriller. It felt like a scripted movie. But that’s not the only thriller I watched this month. The new series ‘CAT’, Netflix’s first-ever original Punjabi production, comes at par with the World Cup final in terms of thrills, frills, and surprises. Directed and co-written by Balwinder Singh Januja, Rupinder Chahal, and Jimmy Singh, all eight episodes of CAT are equally riveting with stellar acting performances and compact storytelling. Set in Punjab, India, the film highlights the region’s problems, from guns and criminal gangs to drugs and a corrupt system. Gary (Abhishant Rana), a naive Sikh teen, witnesses his parents’ murder during the 90s insurgency. Filled with vengeance, he becomes a police informant codenamed CAT and helps the police encounter the terrorists involved in murdering his parents. After the insurgency is over, Gary’s handler Sehtab Singh (Suvinder Vicky)—a cop—hands him his new identity. Gary then becomes Gurnam Singh (Randeep Hooda), a mechanic who lives frugally and has become a parent figure for his younger siblings. Gurnam is leading an ordinary life, completely away from his past, when his younger brother, Sunny (Danish Sood), is arrested for drug trafficking. This forces Gurnam to seek help from his old acquaintance, Sehtab. Sehtab, now higher in rank in the police force, agrees to help him only if he infiltrates a local drug cartel headed by powerful politician Madam Aulakh (Geeta Agrawal) and helps destroy them. Gurnam has to go undercover again, monitored by police officers Chandan (Pramod Pathak) and Babita (Hasleen Kaur) under Sehtab’s team. Then follows a flurry of adventures, deceptions, guiles, and murders while Gurnam tries to stick to his end of the deal. He then gets on the radar of some dangerous people. The premise of the series—where a retired spy is forced back into action because of his family—is nothing new to the silver screen. The writers of CAT have taken this tried-and-tested formula and incorporated many plot twists and backstories into it to make it a refreshing watch. There is a lot more happening in the storyline than just Gurnam trying to breach into Madam Aulakh’s close-knit drug circle. The series is full of different characters, each with their own backstories, conflicts, and ambitions. This gives CAT the scope to expand from different points of view as the series progresses. Even with Gurnam and Sehtab at the center, there are multiple characters with strong backstories that can lead a whole series on their own if required or if given a chance to do so. The strong writing and direction of CAT are backed by the acting performances. Hooda is brilliant in the lead role. Gurnam’s transformation from an innocent teen to a hardened undercover agent comes with its share of ups and downs. He has his strengths and vulnerabilities. The actor (who I personally feel is criminally underrated in Bollywood) portrays his role with sheer conviction and dexterity. Vicky, a popular Punjabi actor, also makes his mark in the series as Sehtab. Vicky convincingly personifies the ambitious, corrupt, and conniving police officer and has the potential of becoming a formidable enemy of many of the characters in the future. The rest of the cast, including the former Indian beauty queen Hasleen Kaur, have put up convincing performances that match up to the screenplay. In fact, Kaur has de-glamorized herself so much in playing a Punjabi cop that it feels like she is a real-life cop playing herself on screen. This is just an example of how strong the character building is in the series. Who should watch it? ‘CAT’ is a brilliant thriller with more strengths than weaknesses throughout its eight episodes. People who love crime thrillers will definitely enjoy it the most. Even if you’re not so keen on malicious, violent content, you could definitely enjoy CAT for its storytelling, acting performances, and the few peppy Punjabi songs it features. Rating: 4 stars Directors: Balwinder Singh Januja, Rupinder Chahal, Jimmy Singh Actors: Randeep Hooda, Hasleen Kaur, Suvinder Vicky Genre: Crime Thriller Run time: 7hrs (approx.)

Adventure movies based on treasure hunts are not really my thing. You read RL Stevenson’s 1883 classic ‘Treasure Island’ once and you will find most of the bounty hunt movies following the same pattern. Among the numerous treasure hunt movies that Hollywood has produced in the last few decades, the ‘Indiana Jones’ film series, that started in the 80s featuring Harrison Ford in the iconic titular role, has to be the most popular. The reason I’m giving so much context here is because I felt like I was watching another one of those Indiana Jones movies when watching ‘Uncharted’, the latest release on Netflix. Based on the famous video game franchise called ‘Uncharted’, the American action-adventure movie, directed by Ruben Fleischer, features Hollywood stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg on a treasure-finding frenzy. Nate (Tom Holland), an orphan who got separated from his brother Sam 15 years ago, works as a bartender in New York. He’s also a quick-handed pickpocket who steals from the rich people he meets. Then one day, he’s paid a visit by Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), who introduces himself as Sam’s friend. Introducing himself as a fortune hunter, Sully entices Nate to help him steal a golden cross which is the key to finding an enormous treasure. Nate declines at first but when he learns that finding his brother Sam would also be a part of the deal, he agrees to join Sully. The duo manages to steal the golden cross, but they find themselves in trouble with Santiago Moncada, the last descendant of the Moncada family who believes the cross and the treasure are rightfully his, and Jo Braddock, a ruthless mercenary. Then follows a series of adventures, deceptions, shocks, and surprises till the very end. Despite the fact that the writers and the director of Uncharted had to follow the theme of the video game in storytelling, there is a lot of redundancy in the movie. The storyline, the plot, and even the characters have nothing new about them. This lack of freshness in the creation and the unimaginative production makes this star-studded movie a lot less enjoyable than it could have potentially been. The movie had apparently entered development back in 2008 and was delayed for various reasons. Between then and the time the filming actually began in 2015, the movie’s development went through massive changes in its crew and cast. But I guess the filmmakers who actually executed the script might have forgotten to contextualize it for the present times. As a result, Uncharted feels like it was produced and released back in the 90s or early 2000s as one of the last films in a lengthy series of sequels. Actors Holland and Wahlberg have both played some iconic roles in their careers, so famous that they are sometimes recognized by the names of their characters. In Uncharted, both actors had the opportunity to play characters that had already established their names worldwide following the success of the game. But the weak script and direction didn’t let these actors own their roles and make them memorable. Even the legendary desperado Antonio Banderas doesn’t seem to fit in his character of a mighty antagonist. He is supposedly very wealthy and powerful. But his persona does not get a proper build-up and ends up not being credible enough. Nothing against any of the actors though. The uninspiring characters are the result of weak writing and storytelling that makes the movie silly. How the movie earned three times its budget at the box office still beats me. Or perhaps I’m just being a bit too critical here and the majority of the audience is still hungry for treasure hunts. Who should watch it? ‘Uncharted’ is a fast-paced action-adventure movie. Despite its failure to create excitement while watching it, it’s still not boring. People who love action films with death-defying stunts, glorious camerawork, and some CGI will definitely enjoy it in parts. If you want to watch something similar with better storytelling, check out Nicolas Cage’s ‘National Treasure’ (2004). Rating: 2.5 stars Genre: Action/adventure Run time: 1hr 56mins Actors: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas Director: Ruben Fleischer  

‘Goodbye’, a movie that was recently released on Netflix, gives us another reason not to believe in box office collections while judging a movie. Written and directed by Vikas Bahl, the Hindi-language family comedy-drama was a box office disaster. But with its OTT release, I’m hoping the movie, its makers, and all those involved in its production get their due respect and recognition. Why am I showering accolades on a movie at the very beginning of a review? Because the team behind ‘Goodbye’ deserves every bit of praise. Goodbye is a family film that centers around a dysfunctional family and the death of a much-loved matriarch. The movie then goes on to explore the dynamics between the family members and the society they belong to. At the start of the movie, we’re introduced to lawyer Tara Bhalla, who is partying at a club after winning her first-ever case. But when she wakes up to the doorbell the next morning, the news she hears shocks her out of all the joviality. She finds out that her mother has passed and that her father Harish Bhalla (Amitabh Bachchan) has been trying to reach her all night. The first phone conversation between the father and the daughter sets the entire tone of the movie. With the exception of a few moments of light-hearted hilarity in between, Goodbye is a somber movie. Yet, it’s not as dark as its subject could have led it to be. After the news of their mother Gayatri’s (Neena Gupta) death makes it to her children, all of them gather at their old house to console their father and prepare for her funeral. This event becomes a coming-of-age spectacle for the audience where they see each character evolve into a different person as s/he struggles to cope with what is clearly a trying time. One look at writer/director Bahl’s filmography will tell you a lot about his capability of telling stories of very normal people in our society. And here, despite their respective stardom, the legend Amitabh Bachchan and the currently popular Rashmika Mandanna (who plays Tara Bhalla) both play ordinary people with ordinary lives which are relatable and understandable. Out of his four children, Harish’s relationship is the most strained only with his daughter Tara. Harish is a strict father who wants to impose his rules and regulations on the family while Tara is the typical rebel who is always at loggerheads with her father’s decisions. This nagging and bickering between the father-daughter duo create the most interesting moments in the movie. The actors playing the respective roles embody the spirit of their characters and give believable performances. The conversations between them feel real and relatable, with the audience seeing the similarities and differences between their personalities. While Bachchan and Mandanna are powerful performers, the rest of the cast, which consists of quite a few new faces, matches up to them. In whatever little flashbacks she appears in, Gupta, as the mother of four grown children and a loving wife to Harish, is a treat to watch on screen. Also, the guest appearance of comedian Sunil Grover as Pandit ji—a philosophical Hindu priest—is something to watch out for in the movie. The major credit for the movie’s beauty, however, should go to the writer/director Bahl. The writing and direction of the film are just too good. Every character shines and scintillates in its respective aspects. Bahl creates a two-hour-long reel run on the death of an ordinary woman who died of natural causes and still keeps the audience glued to their screens. His writing has multiple layers that touch on individuals’ choices, societal norms, and Hindu myths and traditions. The message of the story stays intact despite dealing with such heavy themes. Bahl’s characters—big or small—have identities of their own and that’s what I love about certain filmmakers. They create multiple unique identities in the movie and make it memorable to the audience instead of just shining the spotlight on one or two main characters. Who should watch it? ‘Goodbye’ is a family drama anyone can enjoy with their family or even alone. The movie has some great moments that people can really relate to. If you are the emotional sort, Goodbye can be a real tear-jerker. Genre: Drama Run time: 2hrs 10mins Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Neena Gupta, Rashmika Mandanna Director: Vikash Bahl Rating: 4 stars

Abhimanyu Singh, Ravi Kishan, Vinay Pathak, Ashutosh Rana, and Anup Soni. For the regular audience of Indian theatrical and OTT productions, these names are enough to start indulging in a series without even knowing anything about the plot. These veteran actors from Indian cinema, whom I feel are yet to receive their dues, join forces in the Netflix’s latest ‘Khakee: The Bihar Chapter.’ Khakee is an Indian crime thriller series created and written by Neeraj Pandey and directed by Bhav Dhulia. As its name suggests, the series is set in the state of Bihar, which has the highest crime rate in India. The series takes its inspiration from Amit Lodha’s book ‘Bihar Diaries: The True Story of How Bihar’s Most Dangerous Criminal was Caught’ and is about the rise and fall of the notorious criminal Chandan Mahto (Pintu Mahto in real life) who terrorized the region for years. The story is set in Bihar around 2005 with some of its backstories told in flashbacks. A young henchman Chandan Mahto (Avinash Tiwary) is seen trying to become a part of an already-established gang. But some altercations with his leader cause him to take a bold decision and from then onwards, he quickly rises to fame in the Bihar criminal circuit. On the other side, IPS Officer Amit Lodha (Karan Tacker)—an IIT Delhi graduate—joins the police force instead of getting a corporate job because of his passion to serve his country and his love for the uniform. The two men, on opposite sides of the clash, are involved in a brutal clash of ego and power while the whole of Bihar is terrorized by kidnappings, assaults, and murder. As the story unfolds, the audience also gets a glimpse of how political power and conflicts of interest affect the policing and even the judiciary system of developing countries. On a wider look, it’s not only these two men clashing with each other. SHO Ranjan Kumar (Abhimanyu Singh), one of those rare honest cops in the region, is adamant in putting Chandan behind bars. Abhyudaya Singh (Ravi Kishan), a powerful politician, wants to use Chandan for his benefit. Mukteshwar Chaubey (Ashutosh Rana), a corrupt IG of Bihar Police, changes sides in the blink of an eye if he feels it will work to his advantage. Dilip Sahu aka Chawanprash Sahu (Jatin Sarna) just wants Chandan to rule, while he himself remains his close aide.  Former CM Ujjiyaar Prasad (Vinay Pathak) wants to topple the government to take back his position of power. Besides the Amit-Chandan protagonist-antagonist duo, Khakee has so many characters of interest. But this becomes a bane for the series instead of a boon. With so many characters raising interests and thus the audience’s expectations, the writing fails to accommodate most of them into the screenplay. This is especially disappointing because Khakee is a seven-episode series, each of which runs for around 45 minutes. So, it had plenty of time to take us into the colorful lives of the different characters in the story. But no, the series focuses mostly on Amit and Chandan. On top of all this, the actors performing these roles are extremely underwhelming. Writer/creator Pandey and director Dhulia bank too much on the lead actors to under-utilize the actual performers of the movie. While Rana is almost magical in his role, the rest of the experienced cast doesn’t get much screen time or a strong presence because of the weak writing. Singh as SHO Ranjan Kumar is a lot more convincing and intense than his superior Amit Lodha. Same can be said for Sarna’s Chawanprash which outshines his gangster boss Chadan Mahto. With its loosely drafted script and lackluster execution, as well as poor acting performances from the supposed lead actors, Khakee feels more like an extended episode of Crime Patrol than a standalone series. Who should watch it? If forced to watch Khakee again, I’d watch it for Ashutosh Rana’s treacherous character and maybe for the fact that it's based on a true story. I also love watching criminal-police dramas where one tries to outfox the other. If you don’t have the same taste, you’re better off not watching Khakee at all. Rating: 2 stars Director: Bhav Dhulia Actors: Karan Tacker, Avinash Tiwary Run time: 5.5 hrs (approx.)

Two things enticed me to watch ‘Dhokha: Round D Corner.’ First, it’s a crime thriller. Second, there’s R. Madhavan in the lead. Directed by Kookie Gulati and produced under the T-Series banner, this 2022 Hindi-language Netflix release also features T-Series’ heiress Khushalii Kumar in her acting debut. Dhokha (betrayal in English) is a suspenseful thriller. The film starts with the montages of Saanchi (Kumar) and Yathaarth (Madhavan) in a romantic relationship. The married couple are seemingly happy and can’t take their eyes (or hands) off each other. But suddenly, the film cuts to Saanchi and Yathaarth fighting for divorce. Their relationship is in shambles. Then one day, when Yathaarth is out for work, he learns from a television news that a terrorist has forced himself into his apartment while Saanchi was alone at home. He rushes home to find out that his apartment complex has already been sealed off by the police, who are trying to negotiate with the terrorist Haq Riyaz Gul (Aparshakti Khurana). Haq had just fled custody and entered the apartment to take Saanchi as a hostage. Yathaarth meets ACP Harishchandra Malik (Darshan Kumar), who is in charge of the rescue efforts and trying to negotiate a deal with Haq. Haq, on the other hand, is adamant with his demands and threatens to kill Saanchi if they aren’t met. A worried Yathaarth requests the ACP to rescue his wife as soon as possible. But it’s on foot only his wife he is worried about. Yathaarth then reveals to the police that his wife has been recently diagnosed with delusional disorder and she could be more dangerous than the terrorist if she does not take her medication on time. Saanchi’s psychiatrist Vidya—who she has time and again accused of being in an illicit relationship with her husband—also backs up Yathaarth’s claim. Inside the house, Saanchi starts talking to Haq. She tells him about her personal life. She accuses her husband of cheating on her with her psychiatrist and giving her illegal medicines to prove to the world that she is mentally ill. Until then, the audience doesn’t know who is lying and who’s telling the truth. Suspenseful, we can call Dhokha, but thrilling, we certainly cannot. There is something oddly loose about the film that doesn’t let it really take off. The plot has a lot of potential but there is no excitement in the film. I figured it’s because the screenplay is all over the place and the direction is, really, directionless. Dhokha might have been a good script but it hasn’t been able to tell the tale on screen. Due to the bad writing and poor execution, even an actor of Madhavan’s caliber doesn’t appeal to the audience. Granted that he doesn’t get a proper backstory and his dialogues aren’t impactful enough for the situations he is in, the actor still feels tired and lacks energy throughout his performance. It’s like he was in a constant hangover all through the movie. Talking about backstories, none of the actors get their fair share of character building, not even Haq whose present conflict is the consequences of his past. And the filmmakers have given him a Kashmiri accent that he is not able to stick to consistently, thus distracting the audience with his dialogue delivery. All the characters are written shabbily and performed in a lazy haze that does nothing to contribute to the already weak production. In her debut, Kumar gives out the most lackluster performance, making the audience wonder how she even got the role. Oh, wait, she’s related to the filmmakers and the family has the habit of pushing their own members to the public as performers and entertainers, which they clearly aren’t. Kumar’s Saanchi is a complicated, layered character with a mental illness. But the only complication she displays is in understanding the script, while the audience is confused about whether she is under- or over-performing. Who should watch it? Watch it if you are a fan of R. Madhavan. Despite all the bashing I did, the actor is the most bearable in the movie. You can also watch it if you’re planning to watch Chiranjeevi’s latest ‘GodFather’. That movie is a bigger disaster. Rating: 1.5 stars Genre: Crime thriller Actors: R. Madhavan, Khushalii Kumar, Aparshakti Khurana

There are times when a film’s name is enough to hook your interest and create expectations. This is what happened to me when I first heard about ‘Monica, O My Darling.’ And it’s no coincidence that the film’s name is inspired by the chorus section of the track ‘Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja’ from the 1971 Bollywood film, Caravan. Adapted from the 1989 Japanese novel ‘Burutasu No Shinzou’ by Keigo Higashino, ‘Monica, O My Darling’ is a vintage-style crime thriller that can also share the label of dark comedy. Vasan Bala directs this neo-noir-themed movie that, despite running like a classic Bollywood whodunit, is refreshing and entertaining to watch. The movie begins with a murder of a worker at the Union factory and we don’t know who the killer is. Then we’re taken six months forward and introduced to Jayant Arkhedkar (Rajkummar Rao) who is being promoted to the board of directors for the company at its 50th-anniversary event. Robotics engineer Jayant, who is a rising star at Unicorn, comes from very humble beginnings but has successfully been able to impress the company CEO Satyanarayana Adhikari and his daughter Nikki Adhikari with whom he is engaged. At the same event, the CEO’s secretary Monica Machado (Huma Qureshi), introduces herself with a seductive cabaret-styled dance routine. We quickly learn that Monica is having an affair with Jayant and is apparently pregnant with his child. She tells Jayant she wants to raise the child and that he should pay for its upbringing if he doesn’t want her to spill the beans, potentially ruining his life. But Jayant is not the only one who is having an affair with and being blackmailed by Monica. Arvind Manivannan, from the accounts department at Unicorn, and Nishikant Adhikari, the son of Satyanarayana, are both being blackmailed by Monica. She has also told them she is pregnant with their child. The three men then get together to plot Monica’s murder and get rid of her to end their troubles. This is when things start getting really interesting in the film. A murder take place but it’s not Monica. And then another murder takes place and all the characters are engulfed by the fear of who’s going to be next. Jayant, as the main character, faces a few assassination attempts, and that only deepens the mystery. And when ACP Vijayashanti Naidu (Radhika Apte) comes into the picture to investigate the murder, the already captivating sequences churn into full-blown entertainment. There are many things to love about ‘Monica, O My Darling’. First, the screenplay is an almost perfect screen adaptation of the mystery novel. To take a piece of literature written in a whole different setting, in a different country, and context and then turn it around to suit your intended audience is a difficult task. The writing and direction of the film are on point. The film has an ensemble cast. These are not necessarily big names of Bollywood but faces that we’ve seen proving themselves time and again in Indian cinema. In this movie too, There are so many things to love about ‘Monica, O My Darling’. First, the screenplay is an almost perfect screen adaptation of the mystery novel. Rao is in his element and delivers yet again but there’s nothing extraordinary about him. Qureshi too looks natural and in sync with what’s happening around her. But it's Apte’s character as ACP Vijayashanti that leaves the audience astonished. As a powerful policewoman in charge of the investigation, she is great in the film, doing full justice to her character. You’ll have to watch the movie to witness the wildness that she unleashes on screen. With its retro Bollywood-ish title, I was expecting the film to be a bit more musical than it actually is. The film has only one title track called ‘Yeh Ek Zindagi’ that tries to emulate the disco/cabaret music of the 70s. The rest of the background score by Achint Thakkar is befitting the film’s theme, but again, expectations can be a cruel thing. Who should watch it? ‘Monica, O My Darling’ is as good as a neo-noir Hindi movie can get—there’s some mystery, some thrill, and a whole lot of style in the film. Anyone who loves a good watch, regardless of the genre or language, will definitely enjoy the movie. Rating: 4 stars Run time: 2hrs 9mins Genre: Thriller, mystery Actors: Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte Director: Vasan Bala  

Tamil films are not always about the ‘heroes’ performing gravity-defying action sequences and the ‘heroines’ dancing around them like they have nothing better to do in life. There’s another side to Tamil films—actually the whole South India film school that focuses on real storytelling more than gimmicks. ‘Buffoon’, a new release on Netflix, is one such film that deserves more than just the passivity you apply to no-brainer blockbusters. Written and directed by Ashok Veerappan, ‘Buffoon’ is a Tamil-language action crime film set in a small coastal town of Tamil Nadu, India. The film revolves around two traditional theater artists—Kumaran (Vaibhav) and his friend Muthaiya (Athangudi Ilayaraja)—who become the victims of a larger political battle in the region. Kumaran and Muthaiya are therukoothu artists who only get to perform seasonally in small villages and towns around their area. The young men are forced to look for some other side gigs as well to make a living. This search lands them a delivery job at a nearby town. They embark happily on the overnight journey, only to find out later that the truck they are carrying contains contraband and they are now unknowingly embroiled in a sinister plot involving local politicians, smugglers, gangsters, and the police. The two men are now fugitives on the run while the determined SP Haridas (Tamilarasan) is intent on tracking them down—more for his own vested interests than to bring them to law. On the other hand, they are also on the wanted list of the dangerous local goon Dhanapalan (Joju George), the owner of the contraband that was caught by the police. With a lot of powerful men trying to track them down to lock them up or even murder them, Kumaran and Muthaiya find help in the form of Ilayaal (Anagha), a Sri Lankan refugee living in Tamil Nadu, who helps them evade the police and tries to smuggle them to Sri Lanka. The movie starts by showing the cultural aspects of Tamil Nadu and then gradually moves on to reflect the darker side of politics, policing, and the refugee crisis. The film’s screenplay, which starts on a light note with humorous and musical moments, also consequently gets darker as the story’s conflicts are revealed. As a writer and first-time director, Ashok Veerappan ticks most of the boxes. His writing is descriptive and the direction makes the film’s setting seem real and relatable. But at the same time, his execution is not completely flawless. One of my complaints is that the powerhouse actor George’s role has been reduced to an extended cameo that doesn’t contribute much. It’s a complete waste of really good talent. Also, the romantic angle between Kumara and Anagha feels forced and implanted just to appease the mainstream audience. Even if so, the conviction and chemistry behind the characters are lacking. Lack of conviction is somewhat seen in character development too. None of the characters get strong backstories to make them memorable. The main characters’ profession as traditional theater artists could have been used for a better narrative function than just aesthetic purposes. No complaints with any of the actors though, they put up decent performances despite the writing not supporting them fully. But what is lost by the writing and direction is more than made up for by the film’s cinematography. Dinesh Purushothaman’s cinematography captures the rural Tamil Nadu without making it look overly dramatic. There’s a realistic approach to how he frames his characters and settings in the film. The excellent cinematography is further supported by Santosh Narayanan’s music. The film’s score is a mix of Tamil folk and modern-day electronic music. Narayanan uses music cleverly in the storytelling to create and resolve tension where needed. Who should watch it? Despite its flaws, ‘Buffoon’ is a gripping thriller that is visually and aurally pleasing. It could be a great watch for anyone interested in the genre. Fair warning though, you have to put up with the subtitles to understand the story. Buffoon Genre: Crime, Drama Rating: 3 stars Run time: 1hr 59mins Actors: Vaibhav, Athangudi Ilayaraja Director: Ashok Veerappan