Survi

Ever heard about 'Big Bear Hug"? In India we refer to it as "Drutharastra Kowgili". You feel the warmth of a hug at first but it slowly starts to suffocate and leave you into pieces. #Obsession is a clever piece of commentary on modern loneliness in a gripping indie style. You may wish for paradise, but you cannot force create it, as it ends up suffocating you in a well disguised prison with no escape. Bear tries to achieve a change in his life, but as it is never internal, Nikki ends up pushing him deeper into the lonely pit that he desperately wanted to climb out of. A well made film that should not be missed and if our industries can learn a thing or two about how creative and grounded low budget films can be, then it is an icing on the cake. #IndeNavarrette 🫶 Currently, it's playing without subs in Hyderabad.

I had the opportunity to dive into the ocean and experience the underwater pressure, it's beauty and watch the carols. I can't really flaunt about how deep or how long but it was the experience of a lifetime. Why am I sharing this personal story? Well, I received an entirely opposite and completely terrifying feeling watching #Whalefall teaser. Each sound bite is designed to immerse the audience, each frame works hard to keep it real and each moment is built to increase the blood pressure, yes, not just tension. With just the teaser they made this film an experience not to be missed. Hope it passes the Indian censors in its true form and takes us into deep waters and maybe even into the whale's guts too, as the makers truly intend. Hopefully, it will be an Honest Celebration Of Craftsmanship 😊🤞 Use your best headphones to listen to intricate details. 😊 youtu.be/67ho3OxCmmM?si…

Maate Mantramu... Arey Emaindi... these songs are still alive even today on many playlists. Yes, that's the greatness of Ilaiyaraaja, but the man who inspired Raja to compose them, is another Raja of Indian Cinema, #Bharathiraja. He is fearless in attempting any genre, but rural cinema has become his identity. When no one believed #ARRahman could compose for a rural film, he made it possible. When no one thought of giving #KamalHaasan de-glam and villainous roles, he did so with conviction. When no one thought Indian Cinema could still embrace rural stories, he kept reinventing them again and again. His impact and legacy have no substitute. For audiences he is a legend, for film aspirants, he is a teacher and a guide. For Indian Cinema, he is an unforgettable phenomenon. Hail Raja...

In villages, people have a habit of putting up Kapala Devudu/ Grama Devatha/ Kaval Daivam statues that they believe will save them from all problems. #Peddi becomes their "Kaala Bhairavudu" yet his journey feels like forced melodrama rather than an earned emotional outburst. The lived-in suffocation that is hinted at in Akhada goes missing due to the director's obsession with making a slasher rather than having razor sharp edge in the writing. Full Review: survi.in/2026/06/04/ped…

A story hidden in subtext is much more prominent than one that shouts itself to the world. As games share a unifying sentiment, #Peddi tries to unite and find an identity. But #BuchiBabu becomes the villain as he tries to use every angle explored in Sarpetta Parambarai, Dangal, 1983, Chandu Champion, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag & Kanaa. The story did not need so many different sports, nor did it require the ending twist. Hence, the film is over crowded with characters and none of them register as much as Appalasoori. Too much ambition and melodrama are harmful to a decent story. More in the review..

When a hero inspires, the inner child within us tend to imitate and feal the same. That's the magic of cinema. Hardwork, sweat, passion and resilience, dominate the theme and it is great to see a movie story that is trying to at least showcase its main lead as a common man and then talk about his incredible journey. In the words of #ARRahman, with a hope to watch a real #MassaMassa on screen inspiring us to achieve the improbable!.. #Showtime: #Peddi

Some films tend to bring out a hidden personality within us, which might stay with us or just be reignited whenever we watch. Suddenly, we find ourselves drowned in devotion, imitating actors, gestures and many like that. #BhaktaKannappa is a film that made me ask many questions about tribal life, devotion and my beliefs about religion in general. It has grown on me over the years and I heard about its impact on many others. I've read about Kannappa Nayanar, after watching and this representation of the story truly stands out and will for many more years. A 50 years too young classic that no one should tamper with... Music, Visuals, Performances and Several Lines all scream the mastery of Bapu-Ramana. A Grand Salute. #50YearsOfBhaktaKannappa

When you mine into the earth, you try to dig as deep as possible, using bomb blasts to uncover more layers until you find the ultimate prize. But what if you throw in a #GothamKnights style family who stand against oppression and fight injustice in a #HouseofNinjas style? Imagine setting this Devil's Kitchen in Tamil Nadu, where the only way forward is peeling back video game style stunt layers. It's interesting and fun to explore on paper but on screen, #Blast/#BlastZone is only fun when you imagine the story for yourself.. Because the screenplay concentrates on escalating the stunt choreography rather than establishing any emotional connection with the characters, it becomes a laborious and monotonous exercise to sit through, even though Therikke Arjun gave that nostalgic spark.

Silly action and no remorse punch films have been common in TFI. Even when they tried to remix these ideas into the KGF/Pushpa template, #Kattalan ended up being the worst possible film in recent years in that "genre". The movie tries to present a hardcore revenge drama where God has given up and angels have to fight demons in the crudest possible way. While #Marco built on a core emotion to deliver those punches, this one just tries to be a stylish mockery. Even Loki's cameo feels like a forced entry rather than an organic build up to another big bad. Stories might need violence like #KGF, but just violence cannot be a story. SKIP - DELETE - MOVE ON.

It is hard to mention someone's MA..MA..MASS when the gravitational pull behind the weight of his accomplishments is so incredible. 40 years is a lifetime for any actor and this man found ways to inspire new technicians and storytellers w ith Shiva, Geethanjali, Annamayya and gave loads of Santhosham as the Manmadhudu of Indian Screen. Still, he is able to be the Kingpin of uniqueness and madness that drives him from being a written off Vikram to a revered KING. Wishing @iamnagarjuna many more youthful and charming years ahead. #40YearsOfNagarjuna

When a crime happens, no matter its gravity, it gives birth to a darkness that engulfs anything and everything like a black hole. #JeethuJoseph says, "Varun's death is not the crime but covering it up", in his #Drishyam3. The second film left me wondering where this character goes after being the "savior" for far too many years. Well, the answer is interesting yet it lacks the teeth of its predecessors as the "sluggish termites" eat up the space without letting the deep dive find any viable wood to deliver the goods. #Mohanlal saves it with his performance, but lackluster writing kills any "future", as the past seems to have been dug up too much for too little.

Opium Trade and dominance on the Silk Route to put a check on China made British India a hell to live in. Taking 1967 as the time period, it looks like Prashanth Neel connected it with Indo-Pak and Indo-China War that happened in this decade. While the Devil is a big bad, he also does what is necessary to fulfill God's will against the Almighty wishes to establish a "twisted order". So, the belief in #PrashanthNeel, who is dangerously showing signs of being a one-trick pony, is still intact. #DragonGlimpse an exposition heavy correction. #Dragon youtu.be/bedocP4nRAo?si…

Elders used to say, "Don't sail on two boats .. you'll concentrate on none.." #Peddi trailer showcases the gigantic ambition behind the story to mix sports, rural oppression, handicap and even a crossover athlete but it suffers from "been there, done that" feel throughout. The shots look great but bring back memories of Sultan, Sarpatta Parambarai, Lagaan, Dangal and what not. Yes, genre is a thing, like VP said but visuals can be different. Still, the effort behind the story is giving a hope to stay away from the "GOD Complex" and watch a humane story with loads of obstacles and a triumph 🤞 youtu.be/sF2dj7ycZvA?si…

Sun doesn't just bathe you in his light but burns your sins, triggers your emotions and helps you revive, survive and sustain the darkness of the night. #DC trailer with heavy dependence on Sun, tells the story of two dark souls who are pushed into an abyss with only option to fight bloody battles. When a storyteller finds a true composer who can elevate the emotions, we get a treat for the eyes and ears as well. @Anirudhofficial has tried to reinvent himself and what he delivered is a nectar that grows on us with every drop. And @ArunMatheswaran brought out the visual storyteller in him like a pro. @Dir_Lokesh is good and @iWamiqaGabbi impresses like anything. Waiting for the cinematic experience that these passionate individuals are carefully constructing brick by brick. #DCTrailer youtube.com/watch?v=2kntxi…

Major star films have become prone to "God Syndrome". There is no real struggle or relatability when a character is framed as either a demon or a god. You need human stories written with a sense of grounded realism. Here, #Suriya is already a God and there are many references, call backs to try and celebrate his image. By setting up 'Demonic Human vs Godly Human' conflict, #RJBalaji misses the opportunity to craft a story that emphasizes humanity over fear. Films like #OMG, First half of #PK and #Kantara utilised the concept of the divine to help identify the essence of being human. Fear never leads to true realisation and Even RJB fails to understand this, disappoints completely. #Karuppu / #Veerabhadrudu is merely a high pitched remix of all tired commercial elements that falls flat at every turn. Only God can save us from this "God Mode" obsession. 🙏

After an impressive Take Off, the landing suffers in this Mahesh Narayanan's #Patriot. While #Mammukka's side of the story establishes everything about Data Surveillance as a business, #Lalettan delivers some great theatre moments. With a good first hour and a few fanboy moments of Big M's, the movie suffers from being a mid-effort from not able to be a complete commercial or artistic fare. Still, the first hour satisfies to the extent that we can sit through this half-half attempt without total boredom or dismissiveness. Watchable, yet it promised a lot more.. 😌

An innovative idea needs a cohesive script that suits the world it creates. But #GaayapaddaSimham doesn't have a script but couple spoofs that work. It tries too hard to tickle the funny bone by making the characters dumb, but it feels as if black magic is being practiced on the audience rather than delivering any real magic. Everything falls flat and feels painfully draggy without any actual "comedy". If spoofs are the best way forward, then a #ScaryMovie (2000) style handling might have helped, but this is just a 25 year old khichdi.

Sometimes, when you write a script, each scene tends to look great on paper, but it doesn't always reflect on screen. #RiteshRana faced this with #HappyBirthday, but he hasn't learned much as #JetLee tries to pull off a spoof of Jason Bourne meeting the wacky world of Airplane [1980]. With the title pointing to an Asian legend, the movie needed a #HandsUp-style grounded narrative, but it ends up being an expensive, directionless showreel of callbacks to different films. Dead on Arrival.

Society is filled with leeches. Each and every leech is running for our blood and debt is one such thing. When #Gentleman showcased how talent loses opportunities, we felt the pinch, but while #Kara tries to tackle the ever present issue of loans, it quickly loses steam before putting up a fight. With so many repeated scenes, it feels like watching a few assembled reels on loop rather than an outcast son like Murugan saving humanity. Darkness indeed needs a ray of light, but every story cannot be about the same ending of finding that light.. Like #IdliKadai, like #Kara..

Pure Movie Madness err... Puri Madness... It would be perfect to describe the feeling after watching #Pokiri. Take any frame, right from the comedy track to "Khairatabad hero" to "Upma" scene to "Eppudu Vaccham ani Kaadu Annayya.." to Dole Dole to "Krishna Manohar IPS". Few films become dictionary to create a maddening adrenaline rush and this guy is just 20 years young today. The attitude, the body language, the dare and what not Pandu is a textbook "Hero" for a new generation and may be many more to come. Still can't get over "Samaramee" vibe.. #20YearsOfPokiri