Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale ends up being a flashy, aspirational celebrity lifestyle doc that is aimed for an evening of popcorn-fueled fan tribute entertainment, observes Arjun Menon.

Varun Tej's committed performance somehow rescues Matka from being a pointless venture with stylish flourishes and interesting ideas, observes Arjun Menon.

Kanguva is a mishmash of conceptually strong set pieces that feels bloated, as the central scaffolding holding together the core themes of love that heals over time and eternity, feels like an afterthought, observes Arjun Menon.

Amaran is effective as a intimate, well researched piece of storytelling but does not try to break any new ground, observes Arjun Menon.

Casting Fahadh Faasil does not help as his chameleon-like acting credentials is wasted in a mundane cop archetype that passes through Bougainvillea with little or no impact on how things eventually play out, observes Arjun Menon.

As Thalapathy Vijay embarks on a career in politics, Arjun Menon looks closer at his glorious filmography.

Through Manorathangal, M T Vasudevan Nair makes himself available to a whole new generation of uninitiated viewers, who can familiarise themselves with his rich body of work and hope to learn a thing or two about life in all its messy grandeur and flawed imperfections, notes Arjun Menon.

Brinda examines some alarming aspects of religious fanaticism through the narrative engine of a well-oiled serial killer mystery, observes Arjun Menon.

Modern Masters aims to showcase Rajamouli's enigmatic career and paints a context of what makes him the singular voice that defined his generation of film-makers, for millions, observes Arjun Menon.

Kamal Haasan is right where he left off from the first film but there is only so much he can do to salvage an already lost cause, observes Arjun Menon.

Arjun Menon gives us a preview of what the Manorathangal series will offer us.

The saving grace of Shankar's expanded universe is the masterful precision with which Kamal Haasan drops himself into a messy setup, only slightly to elevate the pulpy tendencies of Shankar's vision, observes Arjun Menon.

Malayalee From India is trapped within its self-serving corniness and refuses to break free in the process, observes Arjun Menon.

Maharaja is an audacious attempt that breaks down the tropes of a crime film with a brilliant Vijay Sethupathi in the lead, notes Arjun Menon.

Turbo finds its footing in the latter half with some well-conceived one-upmanship between hero and villain, yet it's marred by poorly executed action set pieces in the climactic showdown.

Guruvayoorambala Nadayil is a no-holds-barred, silly comedy that will keep you glued to the screen even when the going gets tough towards the end but the smile on your face will not leave, observes Arjun Menon.

The film's focus lies in humanising a larger-than-life star and breaking down his celebrity, aimed at a simplistic takedown of the 'superstar' myth, observes Arjun Menon.

Aavesham is smooth in its storytelling and leaves a chilling aftertaste, thanks to its one-of-a-kind anti-hero, applauds Arjun Menon.

There is only so much that Vijay Deverakonda is allowed to work on from a clueless script that bounces from one wrong choice to another, observes Arjun Menon.

Aadujeevitham marks a new direction for Malayalam cinema, where ambition meets resources and the right people, all in favour of stories that deserve to be told on the biggest stage of them all, notes Arjun Menon.