(Crisp) Movie Review: KARTAVYA by FENIL SETA
3:59 PM
Kartavya, which has been released today on Netflix, is the story of a cop solving a shocking case while also dealing with turmoil in his personal life. Usually, in such films, the cop is depressed and an alcoholic and his marriage is on the rocks or has already ended tragically. This film contains no such trope. With a runtime of just 1 hour and 49 minutes, the narrative doesn't drag needlessly. The start is gripping and one hopes for fireworks in the climax. Sadly, the finale is shockingly bad and even abrupt. It won't be surprising if viewers would wait for a mid-credit scene once the credit start rolling, hoping for some closure. Sadly, no such scene is present. The climax is probably in sync with the film's title, but it also feels too convenient. Saif Ali Khan rises above the weak script and delivers a fine performance as expected. Rasika Dugal leaves a huge mark in a supporting role. Sanjay Mishra is dependable, though he’s letdown by the writing. Yudhvir Ahlawat (Harpal) has a crucial role and delivers a splendid performance. Saurabh Dwivedi is weak as the Godman. Zakir Hussain (Harihar), Manish Chaudhari (Keshav), Saharsh Kumar Shukla (Nirmal) and Durgesh Kumar (Amar; Preeti's relative) are fine. All in all, Kartavya fails to impress due to the climax.
My rating - ** out of 5!
My rating - ** out of 5!
(Crisp) Movie Review: PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO by FENIL SETA
3:50 PM
Pati Patni Aur Woh Do rests on a hilarious premise. The way the misunderstandings emerge makes for an amusing watch. Also, despite the chaos and madness, the film never gets confusing. The finale is funny; however, the same can't be said about the rest of the film. The biggest issue with the film is that the jokes don't land properly. There are barely any funny moments in the first half, which heavily affects the impact. Moreover, some loose ends are not tied up properly. A character is portrayed as effeminate to raise some laughs, but it serves no purpose. The weak soundtrack is another issue. Ayushmann Khurrana is watchable; however, in a few scenes, he goes a bit overboard and should have kept his act controlled. Wamiqa Gabbi does much better compared to her act in Bhooth Bangla. Rakul Preet Singh puts up a confident act while Sara Ali Khan is decent. Durgesh Kumar (Mahinder), Guneet Singh (Surinder) and Vijay Raaz (Dharamveer Singh) play entertaining parts; Tigmanshu Dhulia is apt as the villain. Ayesha Raza gets on the nerves at first but her performance later manages to work, especially in the climax. All in all, Pati Patni Aur Woh Do is an average flick.
My rating - ** ½ out of 5!
My rating - ** ½ out of 5!
(Crisp) Movie Review: HOKUM by FENIL SETA
10:19 PM
Hokum is about a writer who visits a haunted Irish inn. From the very start, one should be ready to expect the unexpected. Viewers will not be able to guess which sudden twist or jolt awaits them. The jumpscares work as intended and the way director Damian McCarthy has created the eerie atmosphere is seen to be believed. Moreover, its just 107 minutes long and hence, it doesn't drag needlessly. On the flipside, the film gets a bit confusing. The personal tragedy angle is weak and moreover, a certain twist is quite unconvincing. The makers could have thought of something better and more believable. The absence of subtitles is also a downer, as certain dialogues are difficult to comprehend. Adam Scott (Ohm Bauman) plays a difficult role with ease. David Wilmot (Jerry) is like the second hero of the film and delivers a smashing performance. Florence Ordesh (Fiona) leaves a huge mark in a small role. Will O'Connell (Alby), Peter Coonan (Mal) and Michael Patric (Fergal) also do well. All in all, Hokum makes for a hatke experience and is worth watching.
My rating - *** ½ out of 5!
My rating - *** ½ out of 5!
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 934
9:42 PM
WILL PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO AND AAKHRI SAWAL SUCCEED AT THE BOX OFFICE?
The box office got a boost with Dhurandhar The Revenge, which went on to become an all-time record grosser. The next major Hindi film, Bhooth Bangla, also did well and will cross the Rs. 150 crore mark. Raja Shivaji underperformed in Hindi but is a huge hit in Marathi. And now, all eyes are on the next significant film, Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.
Pati Patni Aur Woh Do stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Rakul Preet Singh, Sara Ali Khan and Wamiqa Gabbi. Like the first part, Pati Patni Aur Woh, it is directed by Mudassar Aziz and produced by T-Series and B R Studios. The earlier part, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday, was a hit at the box office and also the franchise's subject is also enticing. Hence, expectations are high for Pati Patni Aur Woh Do. Pati Patni Aur Woh was about a man cheating on his wife with a girlfriend. This time, the protagonist is trapped between his wife and two ‘girlfriends’, or so it seems.
However, the buzz for Pati Patni Aur Woh Do is limited as the trailer hasn’t made a huge mark. Even the songs aren’t chartbusters. But due to the film's quirky nature, the casting, and the lack of competition, the film will have an advantage.
Pati Patni Aur Woh opened at Rs. 8.34 crores and had a lifetime collection of Rs. 80.41 crores. Pati Patni Aur Woh Do will have a lesser opening, at around Rs. 5 crores. If word-of-mouth is strong, collections can double on Sunday or even Saturday, leading to a healthy lifetime collection.
The other release of the week is Aakhri Sawal. It has an ensemble star cast, comprising Sanjay Dutt, Namashi Chakraborty, Amit Sadh, Sameera Reddy, Neetu Chandra and Tridha Choudhary. The confrontation between Sanjay and Namashi seems to be a highlight. However, the subject hasn’t enticed the audience much. As a result, it’ll have an opening in the range of Rs. 1-2 crores. Strong positive reports are a must for the film to leave a mark.
The box office got a boost with Dhurandhar The Revenge, which went on to become an all-time record grosser. The next major Hindi film, Bhooth Bangla, also did well and will cross the Rs. 150 crore mark. Raja Shivaji underperformed in Hindi but is a huge hit in Marathi. And now, all eyes are on the next significant film, Pati Patni Aur Woh Do.
Pati Patni Aur Woh Do stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Rakul Preet Singh, Sara Ali Khan and Wamiqa Gabbi. Like the first part, Pati Patni Aur Woh, it is directed by Mudassar Aziz and produced by T-Series and B R Studios. The earlier part, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday, was a hit at the box office and also the franchise's subject is also enticing. Hence, expectations are high for Pati Patni Aur Woh Do. Pati Patni Aur Woh was about a man cheating on his wife with a girlfriend. This time, the protagonist is trapped between his wife and two ‘girlfriends’, or so it seems.
However, the buzz for Pati Patni Aur Woh Do is limited as the trailer hasn’t made a huge mark. Even the songs aren’t chartbusters. But due to the film's quirky nature, the casting, and the lack of competition, the film will have an advantage.
Pati Patni Aur Woh opened at Rs. 8.34 crores and had a lifetime collection of Rs. 80.41 crores. Pati Patni Aur Woh Do will have a lesser opening, at around Rs. 5 crores. If word-of-mouth is strong, collections can double on Sunday or even Saturday, leading to a healthy lifetime collection.
The other release of the week is Aakhri Sawal. It has an ensemble star cast, comprising Sanjay Dutt, Namashi Chakraborty, Amit Sadh, Sameera Reddy, Neetu Chandra and Tridha Choudhary. The confrontation between Sanjay and Namashi seems to be a highlight. However, the subject hasn’t enticed the audience much. As a result, it’ll have an opening in the range of Rs. 1-2 crores. Strong positive reports are a must for the film to leave a mark.
Dhurandhar The Revenge crosses 1000 cr mark; collects 1001.65 cr in 54 days
4:04 PM
Box Office India Trade Network
DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE finally hit the 1000 crore nett mark in its eighth weekend. Although this number would have been declared weeks ago, but that side of the box office has become a bit of a joke now. Actually, makers cant be blamed as expectations are crazy and then you have these posters from South films which makes a mockery of it all. For Hindi when you have PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE type reporting, it was a given that it would go haywire and rest would follow the same pattern.
Irrespective of this, the film is actually the first 1000 crore nett film ever in Hindi. The first original Hindi film ever to hit 1 crore nett was AAN in 1952 and 74 years later its 1000 crore with DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE. The other big benchmarks like these were 10 crore nett in 1975 by SHOLAY and 100 crore nett by GHAJINI in 2008. The 10000 crore nett mark will be hit one day also but we will not be alive to see that.
The film is the biggest blockbuster for Hindi cinema since GADAR - EK PREM KATHA in 2001. The film is being put up there with the likes of SHOLAY and GADAR but only time well. The film is not as big as those and more importantly those two passed the test of time like very few before. SHOLAY was remained a theatrical force many years after release and there is not much to say about GADAR (2001) as the results of GADAR 2 released 22 years later say it all. Even if it said what DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE has done today is similar to what SHOLAY did 1975 or GADAR did in 2001, the harder part is to remain huge with another generation all together in years to come. This is what very few films manage.
The collections of DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE (Hindi) are as follows.
Week One - 5,90,36,00,000
Week Two - 2,28,97,00,000
Week Three - 95,45,00,000
Week Four - 49,33,00,000
Week Five - 18,32,00,000 apprx
Week Six - 11,37,00,000
Week Seven - 5,35,00,000
Week Eight - 2,50,00,000 apprx (3 days)
TOTAL - 10,01,65,00,000 apprx
Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart collects 6.40 cr in 3 days; Daadi Ki Shaadi collects 3.25 cr
3:58 PM
Box Office India Trade Network
KRISHNAVATARAM PART 1: THE HEART collected 6.50 crore nett over the weekend which are fair collections for its face value but not commensurate with the costs of the film. The trend was good as it had strong growth on Saturday and consolidated on Sunday but it was at low levels. The film needs to break out over the weekdays and going into week two with a chance of collecting better than the first week.
The film was released in Tamil and Telugu on Saturday and did fair in Telugu as was it just a 30 cinema release. Yet, it picked up 13 lakhs nett with decent occupancy on the minimal shows it had. Tamil version could not collect.
The collections of KRISHNAVATARAM PART 1: THE HEART (Hindi) till date are as follows.
Thursday - 40,00,000 apprx
Friday - 1,00,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 2,00,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 3,00,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 6,40,00,000 apprx
DAADI KI SHAADI managed show good growth on Sunday which was sort of expected considering the zone of the film but overall collections are low. The Sunday collections mean it could hold at low levels over the weekdays. The film collected 3.25 crore nett over the weekend.
The collections of DAADI KI SHAADI till date are as follows.
Friday - 60,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,00,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 1,65,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 3,25,00,000 apprx
Bhooth Bangla collects 144.32 cr in 24 days; crosses Jolly LLB 3 in Delhi/UP
3:55 PM
Box Office India Trade Network
BHOOTH BANGLA had another solid weekend as it collected 7 crore nett and heads for a comfortable double digit week. The film has held up really well over the last few weeks considering the film dropped 45% on the first Monday. It did not look like the film could reach 150 crore nett at that time but now it will cross the coveted mark comfortably.
The film dropped under 50% over the last two weeks showing a good trend. The collections stand at 144 crore nett and the weekdays will show healthy numbers which should take it to around 148 crore nett by the end of the week. The flow of releases will start then but BHOOTH BANGLA will still hang around to finish at 150 crore nett plus.
The collections of BHOOTH BANGLA till date are as follows.
Week One - 78,84,00,000
Second Week - 37,85,00,000
Week Three - 20,63,00,000
Friday - 1,25,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 2,50,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 3,25,00,000 apprx
Fourth Weekend - 7,00,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 1,44,32,00,000 apprx
---------------------------------
BHOOTH BANGLA was released a few weeks ago and has done well and its basically the Delhi/UP market which has taken it to HIT status. When the film was released, it was not doing too well here, but it has sustained superbly over the last few weeks. It did not look like the film could cross the business of JOLLY LLB 3 initially but now after five weeks, it is on course to do so.
BHOOTH BANGLA has picked up almost 35 crore nett in Delhi/UP so far which is roughly the business of JOLLY LLB 3 in the circuit and there is still more to come. The films had a big difference in the first week as JOLLY LLB 3 did 21.27 crore nett while BHOOTH BANGLA was 17.69 crore nett and that was including the paid previews.
BHOOTH BANGLA will now do around 37-38 crore nett in the circuit which is going to be more than double the first week collections. This will not be happening in any other circuit or even at an all India level.
The business of Bhooth Bangla and JOLLY LLB 3 in Delhi/UP is as follows.
Week One
Jolly LLB 3 - 21,27,00,000
Bhooth Bangla - 17,69,00,000
Week Two
Jolly LLB 3 - 9,25,00,000
Bhooth Bangla - 9,48,00,000
Week Three
Jolly LLB 3 - 2,41,00,000
Bhooth Bangla - 5,50,00,000
Week Four
Jolly LLB 3 - 1,22,00,000
Bhooth Bangla - 2,30,00,000 (5 days)
Rest
Jolly LLB 3 - 1,13,00,000
Bhooth Bangla - N/A
TOTAL
Jolly LLB 3 - 35,28,00,000
Bhooth Bangla - 34,97,00,000
Christopher Nolan likely to host a grand Mumbai premiere for The Odyssey
10:40 AM
Sources say filmmaker Christopher Nolan, actors Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland likely to host a Mumbai première of ‘The Odyssey’
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 13, 2026)
Before ‘The Odyssey’ arrives in cinemas on July 17, it may be bringing Mumbai an evening to remember. Word is that acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan may host a grand India première of his epic adventure drama in Mumbai. Universal Pictures, which has co-produced the highly anticipated movie, is said to be in early discussions to have the event in Mumbai in mid-July, with cast members Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Holland expected to be in attendance.
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, industry chatter suggests the studio is exploring venue options in the city and has initiated preliminary conversations with Indian partners regarding logistics, security, and venue planning.
A source told mid-day, “The heads at Universal Pictures know that Nolan has a passionate fanbase in India. The idea is to create an event that feels global, but still uniquely Mumbai. There have been conversations around keeping it curated and high-profile. Right now, everything, especially travel plan, depends on the West Asia conflict.”
An official announcement from Universal Pictures is expected closer to the film’s marketing launch window.
mid-day reached out to Universal Pictures, which declined to comment.
In March 2018, filmmaker Christopher Nolan of ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy fame visited India to advocate the preservation of photochemical film. The director made an appearance at IMAX Wadala, where his movie ‘Dunkirk’ was being screened.
Almost every dish we celebrate as heritage was, at some point, a survival strategy-Hansal Mehta
10:38 AM
Hansal Mehta, who is helming ‘Khana Dil Se’ decades after ‘Khana Khazana’, hopes to give the audience culinary stories instead of competitive cooking
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 13, 2026)
Food, according to Hansal Mehta, is one of the strongest places memory lives. And Khana Dil Se, his way of holding on to his family’s memories. “I realized the recipes my mother, aunt, and father-in-law made would slip away if no one held on to them,” reflected the filmmaker.
The filmmaker, known for politically charged dramas like Shahid, Scam 1992 and Scoop, says food became another way to talk about memory. “Food is one of the last places memory lives,” he says, adding that the pilot episode is an attempt to “find and reinvent” his mother’s Undhiyu.
So, Mehta went back to the kitchen for Khana Dil Se, just as he had done in the early 1990s when he directed the genre-defining cooking show, Khana Khazana. But this time, there’s a new ingredient — Artificial Intelligence (AI). Agreeing that filmmakers’ concerns about AI replacing artistes are legitimate, he asserted that AI is not at the forefront of his show.
“The families and their recipes are what the show is about. AI is a tool that helps me tell that story. Working the conventional way means animation budgets, period reconstructions, and location shoots. These costs put this kind of show out of reach for almost everyone. AI lets me do that visual work at a fraction of the time and cost.”
Even as we have seen a surge in competitive cooking shows, meaningful culinary storytelling is absent from Indian platforms. That’s a void Mehta hopes to fill with his YouTube show.
“We have travel-and-eat shows, we have competitions, we have celebrity chef formats. What we don’t have are enough shows documenting our recipes. Somebody Feed Phil is a wonderful show, but it’s an outsider’s affectionate gaze, and that’s not the same as an insider’s archive. India has, conservatively, a few hundred distinct culinary traditions, most of them undocumented in any serious filmed form. The platforms might not be wrong that conventional food shows have lost captivity. They’re wrong about why. Audiences haven’t stopped caring about food. They’ve stopped accepting cooking shows that have become more like a sports league than a kitchen. The plan is to make something good enough that the question of where it sits primary network, streaming, somewhere we haven’t thought of yet becomes a happy problem rather than a strategic one. I’ve been around long enough to know you can’t reverse-engineer a hit by deciding the platform first. You make the show. If it’s the show people are talking about, the platforms come. I’d love for ambitious, archival, slow-cooked food television to find its way back to the kind of mainstream audience Khana Khazana once had. There’s a generation that grew up watching Sanjeev on Sunday mornings and is now raising children of their own. I think they’re ready for a food show that takes them, and the food, seriously again."
The show also leans heavily into the politics of food, something Mehta says was inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s worldview. “Bourdain was right about nearly everything, and food being political was the most important thing he kept saying. Take Gosht Nihari. We tend to think of nihari as a single dish, Lucknow’s, Delhi’s, or Karachi’s. It’s actually three different preparations across a border that didn’t exist when the recipe was written. Nihari was perhaps born in 18th-century Shahjahanabad as labourers’ food. A pot left on dying embers overnight so it would be ready before fajr prayer. The Nawabs of Awadh refined it in Lucknow, perfumed it with kewra and rose. After Partition, it crossed into Karachi in the mouths of refugees and became a national obsession in Pakistan. Three cities, three versions of a single dish, separated by a line on a map. Most of the great Indian dishes are working-class food that the courts later adopted, not the other way around. Nihari belonged to soldiers and dyers before it belonged to Nawabs. Undhiyu was farmers’ communal food, with multiple Patidar and Koli families contributing vegetables to a single pot buried in a shared field at Uttarayan. Butter chicken, which will be featured in our third episode, was invented by Punjabi refugees in 1947 Delhi who had to figure out what to do with leftover tandoori chicken. Almost every dish we celebrate as heritage was, at some point, a survival strategy."
How Akshaye Khanna was drawn to the complex character of demon guru Shukracharya in Mahakali
10:30 AM
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; May 12, 2026)
What’s next for Akshaye Khanna after the blockbuster Dhurandhar (2025)? Trust the actor to take a departure from mainstream Hindi actioners and try his hand at something new. That explains his maiden Telugu film, Mahakali, which also marks his first mythological superhero action movie. Khanna — who plays Asura guru Shukracharya, at odds with the protagonist essayed by Bhoomi Shetty — recently wrapped up his portions in the Puja Aparna Kolluru-directed movie.
It turns out the actor was drawn to the film’s ambitious world, more so to his character’s complexity. Excited about joining the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe, he began shooting for Mahakali in May 2025.
A source told mid-day, “Choosy as ever, Akshaye agreed to play Asura guru Shukracharya as he was intrigued by the role. In Hindu mythology, he was the revered teacher of the Asuras and advised them in their battles against the gods. His primary role was to revive the dead demons, while Maa Kali’s role was to destroy the demon army. That put them on opposite sides of the conflict. Shukracharya is considered a knowledgeable sage rather than inherently evil. He is a misunderstood character in Indian scriptures, and Akshaye loved that complexity.”
The unit shot an extensive schedule from February to April this year. Now, they are shooting the last leg in Kolkata. “On May 9, the team filmed near the Dakshineswar Temple. Principal photography will be completed by July,” added the source.
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