Set against the backdrop of Goa during the final decades of Portuguese rule, Toxic follows Raya (Yash), a ruthless gangster who builds a formidable empire through the smuggling and opium trade. His sister Ganga (Nayanthara) becomes his strongest ally as they navigate a dangerous criminal world. Raya is engaged to Rebecca (Tara Sutaria), the daughter of rival kingpin Salvador, but his life takes an unexpected turn when Nadia (Kiara Advani) enters it. Love, betrayal and shifting loyalties gradually tear apart Raya’s carefully constructed empire. The story then expands into a deeply personal father-son conflict when Yash appears in a dual role as Raya and his estranged son Rumi, also known as Ticket, who returns seeking revenge against his father.

The screenplay is ambitious but uneven, with several interesting ideas getting buried under excessive stylisation and a narrative that frequently struggles to maintain momentum. The dialogues occasionally give Yash the swagger and authority expected from his screen persona, but they do not always possess the punch or memorability of KGF. The cinematography is undoubtedly one of the film’s strongest aspects, creating a dark, atmospheric and visually extravagant world. Geetu Mohandas brings an uncompromising visual language to the material, but the direction sometimes appears more interested in creating striking frames than in developing the emotional depth of its characters. The music and background score contribute effectively to the film’s mood and scale, particularly during the action sequences. Yash delivers a committed performance in both roles, bringing menace and intensity to Raya while giving Rumi a different emotional texture. Nayanthara makes her presence felt as Ganga, while Kiara Advani and Tara Sutaria play their parts competently. Yet, despite its star power, lavish production values and technical ambition, Toxic ultimately feels like a spectacularly mounted film searching for a stronger story to match its enormous scale.

Rating: **1/2

By Keerti Kadam

The post Review: Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups: Visually Stunning but Emotionally Uneven! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

The first half of the movie is definitely the best part. It starts fast and gives you plenty of scary jump-scares that keeps you at the edge of the seat. The early story is super interesting, building up a creepy mystery that makes you expect a huge, exciting final battle at the end.

A big highlight of the movie is Eloise. She brings back a lot of fun, classic scary-movie feelings as she moves through different timelines to manage all the ghost trouble. Eloise takes care of the scary events in 1999 while also watching over the present and the future to keep the demons in check. Her character gives the story a fun, special spark—honestly, her presence makes the whole movie way more interesting. Near the end, Eloise shares a chilling warning, saying that when one red door closes, another one opens, and there is an even worse evil standing right behind that door, hinting that they might have a lot more terrifying sequels coming their way. Without Eloise fixing things across time and dropping these creepy hints, the story would feel pretty plain.

Sadly, the second half ruins all that good setup. The movie feels super rushed near the end, almost like the writers ran out of time or ideas. Instead of giving us a clever final battle that brings the whole time-travel story together, the ending feels weak, lazy, and plain disappointing.

In the end, Insidious: Out of the Further has a great start with a bad ending. The fast scares, the sad family story of Gemma and her mother, and Eloise jumping through time make it fun to watch at first, but the weak ending holds it back from being a truly great movie.

Rating: ★★★ 

By Team Cine Buster

The post ‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ Delivers Peak Terror Before Falling Flat at the Finish Line! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

Mr. Borgainkar (Pushkaraj Chirputkar) is a disciple of Swami Samarth. Fed up with the hustle and bustle of city life, he decides to move back to his village and devote himself to spreading the teachings of Samarth. His wife (Sharvari Jemenis) supports his decision, but their young son, Samarth (Bhushan Pradhan), is deeply disturbed and harbours a grudge against his father for seemingly giving more importance to Samarth’s teachings than to him. He eventually goes to live with his Mama (Prasad Khandekar) in a bigger town and grows up to become a civil engineer. He lands a job with a major construction company, where the owner’s daughter, Urvashi (Disha Pardeshi), gets close to him. Back in his village, his childhood friend Goku (Hardik Joshi) becomes a lawyer, while Suma (Isha Keskar) continues to look after his father. When a bridge collapse lands Samarth in jail, his life takes a dramatic turn. How he fights back with the help of his loved ones and draws strength from the teachings of Samarth forms the crux of the story.

The film’s biggest strength is its sincerity. The story and screenplay keep the narrative simple and allow the philosophy of Samarth Ramdas to emerge through the protagonist’s emotional journey rather than turning the film into a purely spiritual discourse. The direction maintains a restrained tone, giving importance to silences, conversations and moments of introspection. The music and background score complement the spiritual mood without overwhelming the narrative. Bhushan Pradhan delivers a natural and emotionally grounded performance, particularly in scenes where his character struggles with pain, anger and uncertainty. Pushkaraj Chirputkar delivers a fantastic performance. Better known for his comic roles, he proves here what a fine actor he is with a restrained and nuanced portrayal. Hardik Joshi is effective, as is Isha Keskar, while Sharvari Jemenis provides solid support. Disha Pardeshidelivers a strong performance and also gets an opportunity to showcase her dancing skills effectively. Prasad Khandekar puts in a decent performance.

Samarth succeeds in delivering its message without becoming preachy.

Rating: ***

By Keerti Kadam

The post Review: Samarth: When 400-Year-Old Wisdom Meets Modern-Day Anxiety! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

The film is based on Asghar Wajahat’s celebrated 1989 play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya Vo Jamya Ei Nai, one of the most humane accounts of Partition. The story unfolds in Lahore, where the Mirza family, Sikandar (Sunny Deol), his wife Hamida (Preity Zinta), their son (Karan Deol) and young daughter (Khhushi Hajare) arrives after their home is destroyed by rioters and they are allotted a haveli left behind by a Hindu family. But the house is still occupied by Durgawati, or Mai (Shabana Azmi), an elderly Hindu woman who refuses to leave because she is waiting for her son and his family to return home. Nobody has the courage to tell her that they have perished in the riots. The resulting conflict inside the haveli becomes a reflection of the larger conflict outside it. Matters are further aggravated by a communal troublemaker, played by Abhimanyu Singh, who openly threatens the remaining Hindus and objects to their puja and Diwali celebrations.

The greatest strength of Batwara 1947 is its source material, because Wajahat’s play carries an inherently powerful argument against communal hatred. The film retains the central ideas—no religion is inherently evil, hatred can be defeated by love, religion should not be mixed with politics, and humanity is the greatest religion. However, the writing and treatment often turn these ideas into direct statements rather than allowing them to emerge organically from the characters and situations. The dialogue frequently feels stage-bound and predictable, with the good and bad representatives of both communities neatly positioned on either side. Director Rajkumar Santoshii manages some effective moments, particularly in the scenes involving Mai and the Mirza family, but the film needed a more contemporary cinematic treatment to match the timelessness of its source.

Sunny Deol brings his familiar intensity and still has the ability to make his roar work, while Preity Zinta delivers a sincere performance. Karan Deol is effective in his part, and Abhimanyu Singh convincingly embodies the menace of communal extremism. Child artist Khhushi Hajare too delivers a good performance. But it is Shabana Azmi who owns the film. As Mai, she finds the precise balance between theatricality and melodrama, giving the character dignity, vulnerability and emotional strength. Batwara 1947 has an important message and a remarkable foundation, but instead of making us feel the pain and absurdity of Partition, it too often tells us what we are supposed to feel.

Rating: ***
By Keerti Kadam

The post Review: Batwara 1947: A Powerful Message That Struggles to Rise Above It’s Dated Storytelling! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

At its heart, it is a story about perseverance, self-worth and the importance of understanding that one’s failures do not define one’s identity. Though its message is positive and relevant, the film could have benefited from a fresher and more contemporary treatment.

Directed by Kamal Chandra, Aryabhat Ka Zero revolves around Brahmagupt Srivastava, popularly known as Baggu (Himansh Kohli), a young man from a lower-middle-class family in Uttarakhand who dreams of making it big. His father, Aryabhat Srivastava (Neeraj Sood), is a fourth-class government employee who has high expectations from his son. Baggu’s life takes an emotional turn when his girlfriend Rinku (Sonali Sehgal) marries an SDM, prompting him to prepare for the UPSC examination with the determination to prove himself. However, repeated failures and the taunts of relatives and society gradually make him believe that he is nothing more than a ‘zero’. The film then becomes less about whether Baggu clears the UPSC and more about whether he can regain his confidence and discover his own worth.

The story by Tariq Mohammad may not offer much novelty, and the familiar trope of a rejected lover trying to achieve success through competitive examinations feels predictable, particularly after films such as 12th Fail. Nevertheless, the emotional equation between Baggu and his father provides the film with some genuinely touching moments. The screenplay is effective in parts, especially in the natural dialogues and lighter comic situations, but loses momentum in the second half, where certain sequences feel repetitive and some sub-plots unnecessarily dilute the central conflict. Kamal Chandra’s direction is sincere and grounded; he avoids excessive melodrama and captures the struggles of a middle-class family and the pressure faced by aspirants in Mukherjee Nagar with simplicity.

Himansh Kohli delivers one of the film’s strongest performances, convincingly portraying Baggu’s vulnerability, frustration and innocence. He navigates the role with maturity and never looks forced or artificial. Neeraj Sood is impressive as the emotionally restrained yet caring father. Ravi Kishan brings his trademark humour, while Sonali Sehgal, Shilpa Shinde, Darshana Banik and the supporting cast lend credibility to their respective roles.

Despite its predictable narrative and uneven pacing, Aryabhat Ka Zero remains a clean, emotionally engaging and motivational family entertainer that underlines a valuable truth: being a ‘zero’ in someone else’s eyes does not mean you cannot discover your own worth.

Rating: ***

By Keerti Kadam

The post Review: Aryabhat Ka Zero: A Simple Tale of Failure, Self-Respect and Redemption! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

The narrative kicks off with the emotional fallout of a break-up between Max and Min (Medha Shankr), ending their live-in relationship after she falls in love with another man. As Max goes through the painstaking process of dividing their belongings, Min asks him to hold onto their cat, Meowzaki, for a few months. The catch is that Max is severely allergic to cat fur and survives on nasal sprays just to get through the day. Forced to care for a pet he didn’t want while grieving his mother’s death, Max hires a free-spirited cat-sitter named Carol (Vidhatri Bandi). Meanwhile, his estranged father, Ramesh, begins therapy to deal with his own repressed baggage, and his grandfather, Sridhar, navigates aging in a retirement home alongside Jennifer, an Alzheimer’s patient (Nafisa Ali).

As the story unfolds, it turns out that Carol is actually Jennifer’s granddaughter, bringing the extended Mahadevan family and Carol’s world naturally into the same orbit. Through Carol’s warm influence and his growing affection for Meowzaki, Max slowly processes his grief and begins to heal from his painful breakup. Simultaneously, Ramesh experiences a profound breakthrough in therapy with Dhaara (Mandira Bedi), forcing him to confront his long-held prejudices and emotional distance. This leads to a quiet, emotional reconciliation between Max and Ramesh the first time since the mother’s death that father and son genuinely listen, forgive, and connect. Rather than relying on forced dramatic twists, the film focuses on all three Mahadevan men breaking their generational silence and accepting their past mistakes.

Director Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy deserves immense praise for bringing this vision to life so fluidly. His direction is meticulous every single frame feels intentionally crafted to keep the audience hooked, proving just how well-scripted and thoughtfully planned the project was. The movie avoids typical Bollywood melodrama in favor of a thoughtful, conversation-driven approach, treating its urban characters with incredible patience, maturity, and sensitivity.
The chemistry, the quiet realizations, and the underlying grief hit precisely the right notes throughout. Adil Hussain is magnificent as a closed-off father slowly confronting his emotional shortcomings, and his therapy sessions with Mandira Bedi deliver some of the film’s absolute best moments. Nassar brings a delightful charm to the screen, while Siddharth Menon grounds the core narrative with raw vulnerability.

Ultimately, Max, Min & Meowzaki succeeds because it weaves together mental health, paternal regret, and second chances into a warm, seamless narrative. Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy has crafted a refreshing masterpiece that proves how life can turn out beautifully the moment we choose to face our struggles instead of running from them proving true to that timeless sentiment: “When life gets tough, watch a Miyazaki film.

Rating: ★★★½

By Team Cine Buster

The post Review: Max, Min & Meowzaki is the Comfort Movie You Didn’t Know You Needed! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

The story revolves around Arjun Mehra (Sunny Deol), an upright lawyer who is forced into the most difficult case of his life. He must defend a man, Shauryaman Gaur (Akshaye Khanna), he despises because that very person is the only compatible stem-cell donor capable of saving his critically ill daughter. Caught between professional ethics, personal hatred and a father’s desperation, Arjun enters a courtroom battle where every argument carries emotional consequences. Standing opposite him is a relatively new yet talented public prosecutor,  Madhuri Banerjee (Tilottama Shome), who is dying to prove her mettle. As the trial progresses, hidden truths, moral conflicts and family relationships shape the narrative, making Ikka less about winning a case and more about confronting one’s conscience.

Director Siddharth P Malhotra delivers a film that balances courtroom proceedings with family drama, though the screenplay occasionally relies on melodrama and cinematic conveniences instead of realistic legal strategy. The story remains engaging largely because of its unique emotional conflict, even if certain twists feel predictable. The dialogues effectively convey the emotional intensity, with Sunny Deol displaying remarkable restraint instead of depending solely on his trademark fiery persona. Akshaye Khanna is outstanding as the arrogant and manipulative antagonist, bringing depth and menace to his role. Tillotama Shome lends solid support as the determined public prosecutor, while the supporting cast, including Dia Mirza, performs efficiently. The cinematography complements both the intimate family moments and tense courtroom sequences, while the background score heightens the drama, sometimes a little excessively.

Although Ikka may not rank among the finest courtroom thrillers due to its convenient plot turns and conventional treatment, it remains a gripping emotional drama elevated by stellar performances, especially from Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna.

Rating: ***

By Keerti Kadam

The post Review: Ikka: Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna Power an Emotional Courtroom Thriller! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

Before she dies, Gramma Tala shows Moana a hidden cave full of old sailing ships. Hoping to save her dying island, Moana sets sail but gets caught in a terrible storm. This is where the real adventure begins. The story becomes very exciting as Moana finds the demigod Maui. Once they team up, dangerous monsters and coconut pirates attack them from all sides as the dark forces of Te Kā spread.

While the film has amazing songs and action, it also tells a wonderful story. The best part is the heart of Te Fiti used to fix nature at the end, which brings the final battle to a happy and satisfying conclusion.

Ultimately, the incredible visuals and perfect acting make this a wonderful movie. The family drama gives the story a great foundation, and the epic ending makes it feel just like reliving the magic of the original film. This excellent live-action version features Catherine Lagaʻaia as a perfect human Moana, and Dwayne Johnson brilliantly brings Maui to life.

Rating:

By Keerti Kadam

The post Moana Review: Visually Stunning and Pure Human Magic! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

At the funeral, Will’s father hears a loud knocking from inside the coffin. Hoping his son is still alive, he checks the casket, but instead, the father gets violently possessed by an evil spirit. This is where the real horror begins. The story takes a very dark turn as the terrified family runs away to their old country house. Once inside, terrifying events happen one after another, with an insane amount of blood flying everywhere as the evil forces attack.

While the film delivers plenty of loud, gory thrills, it struggles with basic storytelling. The biggest flaw involves the specific weapon used to kill the demons at the end. The movie provides absolutely no backstory or explanation for this tool. We never learn where it came from, why it was in the house, or why it works against these monsters. It just feels like an easy way for the writers to end the final battle quickly.

Ultimately, great practical effects and good acting cannot fix a weak script. The family drama at the start gives the story a good foundation, and while the ending is okay, the lack of details throughout the movie means Evil Dead Burn could have been much better.

Rating: ½

By Team Cine Buster

The post Evil Dead Burn Review: Plenty of Blood, but Missing the Backstory! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.

Almost every Indian knows about the major happenings in Ramayan but here the writers have taken cinematic liberty to make it more interesting, but fail in that attempt. The narrative immediately goes into the major aspect of Ramayan, i.e. Ram’s exile (Vanvas) and abduction (apaharan) of Sita by Ravan. In fact there are more dramatic happenings in the original which is depicted through animated stills and commentary. Raghav (Prabhas), to honour his father Dasharath’s promise to Kaikeyi chooses to go for Vanvas. Shesh i.e. Laxman (Sunny Singh) and Janaki (Kriti Sanon) accompany him. Ravan’s (Saif Ali Khan) sister’s, Shurpanikha’s (Tejaswini Pandit), nose is cut by Laxman and she urges Ravan to take revenge by abducting Janaki. Ravan disguises himself as a sadhu and on the pretext of receiving ‘bhiksha’ abducts Janaki with mystical powers and takes her to Lanka. Raghav with the help of Bajrang (Devdatt Nahe), Sugriv and the ‘vanar sena’ builds a Setu (bridge) on the sea and fights Ravan to free his beloved wife from his clutches. Well as the story is well known, novel storytelling could have been the differentiator.

Om Raut has presented this epic from his point of view but a lot of things fail to appeal. The initial half is slow and lack of emotional depth making it boring. The second half has a lot of action but it doesn’t grasp the audience’s breath. In fact Lanka which is known as made of gold is shown dark and made up of stony skyscrapers. Even the major fight and the climax doesn’t give extraordinary experience. The dialogues too disappoint as at places they sound ‘Tapori’. Om Raut has made efforts to make the proceedings interesting but he should have put in more efforts. The haircuts of some of the characters are questionable. VFX and CGI could have been much better as the viewers these days are exposed to better fare in the international films, series. Music (Ajay Atul) is the saving grace and Ram Siya Ram and other few songs are melodious. Background score is good but could have been better. Prabhas doesn’t gain sympathy as he wears stoic expression throughout. Kriti Sanon has a lesser screen time but she looks beautiful justifying her selection and scores in emotional scenes. Saif Ali Khan has tried to infuse drama in his character but he overdoes it. Devdatt Nage impresses with his presence and acting chops as (Bajrang) Hanuman. Sunny Singh, Tejashree Pradhan, Sonal Chauhan, Vijay Anand, Trupti Toradmal, Vatsal Seth and others do their job perfectly.

Adipurush is an amateurish attempt on presenting Ramayan in a modern technical format.

**1/2

The post Review : Adipurush : Amateurish! first appeared on Latest News, Breaking News, National News, World News, India News, Bollywood News, Business News, Politics News, Sports News, Entertainment News - CineBuster.