kosingh Posted July 20 Posted July 20 On 7/9/2025 at 10:16 PM, Gollum said: We had an Indian Grand Prix in early 2010s, Buddh international circuit near Noida. Successful also, racers loved the track, huge revenue generation. But then UP govt (SP) decided F1 was not a sport but entertainment, hence subject to entertainment tax, legal issues over that. So yeah, basically politics ruined it via tax disputes, end of story. Not returning any time soon, that entire saga left a bitter taste among F1 higher ups, they really wanted India as a market, Bernie Ecclestone himself was very invested in the project, but 3 years is all it took for it to come crashing down. We had Force India back then (earlier Jordan, Michael Schumacher's first team), couple of Indian drivers, now nada. . ..and corruption. Too many people from top to bottom on the Indian side wanted bribes. F1 wasn't having any of it. Packed up and left. Lord 1
zen Posted July 21 Author Posted July 21 Saiyaara (2025, Hindi) 4/5 Overall, a solid film. If I have to nitpick, maybe the run-time could have been shorter. It is in the mold of Love Story (1970) and Murakami’s Norwegian Wood but with a Bollywood ending. Mariyam 1
zen Posted August 8 Author Posted August 8 (edited) Mahavatar Narsimha (2025, Hindi, 3D version) 5/5 The dawn of the new age of religious animated films where you remain hooked throughout the film. The film makes an emotional impact as well - Narsimha Bhagwan’s entry in the climax gives goosebumps! PS This film should have been done in IMAX format. Edited August 8 by zen
zen Posted August 9 Author Posted August 9 (edited) Guru Dutt Film Festival Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960, Hindi) 4.5/5 To me this is the most rewatchable film starring Guru Dutt. This film inspired Sangam (1964) as well. Waheeda Rahman looks gorgeous on the big screen. Worth a watch just to see how she makes simplicity terribly attractive. Imagine marrying someone without seeing her (in the old times), only to discover it is a beauty like Waheeda Rehman. Added 1/2 a star for her. It has an old fashioned story line but it does hold up relatively well in 2025. Edited August 9 by zen
zen Posted August 14 Author Posted August 14 Coolie (2025, Hindi version) 3/5 This film marks Rajnkant’s 50th year in the film industry. He carries the film on his shoulders to make this relatively ordinary film watchable. The first half is good where it sets up a mystery. But the 2nd half, even though watchable, crashes. It is as if the writer and director thought that if the audiences expect this, let us do that - appearing like “surprises or twists” done for the sake of doing them than on merit. Some of the things are done to create tension but they only make the film falter. For e.g. there is a scene where Ranji is expecting a phone call but the goons attack. When he is fighting the goons, the phone rings. The guy standing next to the phone shouts - your phone call. Ranji is fighting the goons to get to the phone when the guy standing next to the phone could have picked it up and taken the message. And it would still be obvious as to who called as 2 of the 3 people who could have made that phone call were with Ranji. Nagarjuna is lame. Aamir Khan’s cameo is pointless and that “twist” spoils the film further. There is some other guy doing a cameo as well but ends up looking like a statue. If you watch this, watch it with low expectations and for Rajnikant. Mariyam 1
zen Posted August 15 Author Posted August 15 War 2 (2025, Hindi) 3/5 A decent time pass if you are into this genre where style is more important than substance - locations, action, etc. It has issues including CGI but you would not go to watch this expecting it to be a great film anyways. Mariyam 1
zen Posted August 28 Author Posted August 28 (edited) Vash Level 2 (2025, Gujarati) 4.25/5 Cool with its concept. It is focused being more or less to the point. Acting is solid to make the on screen dynamics enjoyable to watch. It could have had more impact if it had a stronger and scarier ending. When the film ends, you feel as if it could have benefitted from a more high stakes act. But it can also be argued that the film by and large already appears like a long last act. Overall, Vash Level 2 could be the most interesting live action Indian film in 2025 so far. PS Vash (2023) was remade as Shaitaan (2024). Edited August 29 by zen Mariyam 1
Mariyam Posted August 31 Posted August 31 (edited) On 8/9/2025 at 9:02 PM, zen said: Guru Dutt Film Festival Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960, Hindi) 4.5/5 To me this is the most rewatchable film starring Guru Dutt. This film inspired Sangam (1964) as well. Waheeda Rahman looks gorgeous on the big screen. Worth a watch just to see how she makes simplicity terribly attractive. Imagine marrying someone without seeing her (in the old times), only to discover it is a beauty like Waheeda Rehman. Added 1/2 a star for her. It has an old fashioned story line but it does hold up relatively well in 2025. It was a difficult topic. Took a lot of gumption on Guru Dutt’s part to go ahead and make such a movie. Where protagonists are the Muslims landed gentry and the theme is societal change and day to day life. Still a boring movie nonetheless. Sangam on the hand, was more frivolous in it’s outlook and thereby more enjoyable. Edited August 31 by Mariyam
zen Posted August 31 Author Posted August 31 3 hours ago, Mariyam said: It was a difficult topic. Took a lot of gumption on Guru Dutt’s part to go ahead and make such a movie. Where protagonists are the Muslims landed gentry and the theme is societal change and day to day life. Still a boring movie nonetheless. Sangam on the hand, was more frivolous in it’s outlook and thereby more enjoyable. I think Guru Dutt may have been looking for a popular hit when he made it. Chaudhvin Ka Chand has a relatively raw feeling while Sangam is a good blend of style and substance. Guru Dutt’s character is written differently in Sangam with Rajendra Kumar playing it. Rahman’s character gets the lady in Sangam with RK bringing depth to the role esp. in the second half. I like both films for their different approaches. Mariyam 1
zen Posted September 5 Author Posted September 5 Baaghi 4 (2025, Hindi) 2/5 Like many films, it had a few moments but overall it did not do much for me. At times, felt pointless.
zen Posted September 12 Author Posted September 12 (edited) Demon Slayer: The Infinity Castle (Japanese, 2025) 4.5/5 I have not seen the previous Demon Slayer series films but I had no issues getting into this one which is supposed to the first film of the Infinity Castle trilogy if I am not wrong. Overall, I had fun. The atmosphere was good with people cheering characters and their signature moves. As a martial arts anime, this one is cool! PS Some folks had shown up wearing Demon Slayer T-shirts as well. PPS btw, I ended up watching this thrice - twice in Japanese and once in English. Edited September 29 by zen
zen Posted October 6 Author Posted October 6 Kantara: Chapter 1 (2025, Hindi dubbed) 4.5/5 A solid film where the last 1/3 is superb for weaving in religious fantasy!
deathmonger Posted October 6 Posted October 6 One Battle After Another - 4/5 PTA is always good but still does not come close to There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights for me zen 1
zen Posted October 8 Author Posted October 8 (edited) Watched Kantara twice in two days. Liked watching the song below on the big screen: Edited October 17 by zen coffee_rules 1
zen Posted October 17 Author Posted October 17 (edited) The Godfather Part II (1974) 4.5/5 A re-release! Never imagined that I would be able to watch a Godfather film in cinemas, but here we go! Overall, the GF II remains a great example of the mafia genre. The Cuba segment continues to serve as a highlight for me, but: a) In terms of “in cinema” experience, it can appear long at times (around 200 minutes run time) esp. due to a few talkative segments. At home, you may not feel its length as you can watch the film in segments (episodic) like in a series. b) You can get reminded about Marlon Brando’s performance in part I to make that aspect be missed in this film despite the cast putting up a good effort. It highlights the power of Brando’s almost mythological presence in part I. c) On occasions, you can miss the hot-blooded energy of James Caan’s Sonny, who let emotions override logic. In Part II, almost all key characters are cold-blooded and calculating, and highly aware of their self interests. Edited October 18 by zen
jf1gp_1 Posted October 18 Posted October 18 On 9/5/2025 at 10:45 PM, zen said: Baaghi 4 (2025, Hindi) 2/5 Like many films, it had a few moments but overall it did not do much for me. At times, felt pointless. you need to watch it again for it to not feel pointless specially given your track record of watching movies multiple times. coffee_rules and zen 2
zen Posted October 18 Author Posted October 18 2 hours ago, jf1gp_1 said: you need to watch it again for it to not feel pointless specially given your track record of watching movies multiple times. Baaghi 4 is not in cinemas anymore (at least in my area). May give it a rewatch when it hits streaming but that would capture a different experience (movies watched at home, not in cinemas).
jf1gp_1 Posted October 18 Posted October 18 8 minutes ago, zen said: Baaghi 4 is not in cinemas anymore (at least in my area). May give it a rewatch when it hits streaming but that would capture a different experience (movies watched at home, not in cinemas). I am amazed by your love for cinema. I couldn't even complete 2min Baaghi 4 trailer and you went to a theatre to watch it. Laaloo, Gollum, zen and 1 other 4
zen Posted November 1 Author Posted November 1 (edited) The Taj Story (2025, Hindi) 2.5/5 A middle of the road film where I was neither disappointed nor impressed. It loses steam as it progresses. Edited November 2 by zen
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