Blockbusters slug it out

What a year it has been at the box office! India Currents reviewers were spoilt for choice: Shah Rukh Khan delivered two blockbuster action flicks, Pathan and Jawan, giving Superstar Rajinikanth’s Jailer some stiff competition; both Pathan and Jawan made it to the top 100 box office grossers worldwide;  SS Rajamouli’s 2022 superhit RRR, and short documentary The  Elephant Whisperers, picked up Academy Awards; and Oppenheimer and Barbie clashed for the top spot. 

We enjoyed presenting them all. 

Here are the six most popular film reviews on India Currents in 2023.

Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway

This is an image of two posters of the Hindi language film, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway. Both show a woman with two children and information about the film. (Courtesy: IMDB)
Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway film poster (image courtesy: IMDB)

Despite some caricatures, this film is a compelling retelling of a mother’s battle to retrieve her children whom she almost lost to a culture clash, says Aindrila Roy.

Mili

Janhvi Kapoor in Mili - Frozen but not Shaken
Janhvi Kapoor in Mili – Frozen but not Shaken

The Hindi remake of the Malayalam film Helen is a survival thriller inspired by a real-life story about escaping from a freezer, and it works nicely, says Aindrila Roy.

Pathaan

Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan (image coutesy: IMBD)
Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan (image coutesy: IMBD)

S. Char discovers that Shah Rukh Khan can still pull it off as an action hero, even without turning on his romantic-hero charm.

Jawan Vs Jailer

Posters of Shahrukh Khan's (standing with a gun) "Jawan" and Rajinikanth's (standing with his hands behind his back) "Jailer".
Who’s The Boss? Both King Khan and Thailaiva Rajinikanth delivered action blockbusters in the last two months. (Photos courtesy: IMDB)

Stars Rajinikanth and Shah Rukh Khan battle it out in summer action blockbusters. S Char tells us who came out tops.

Oppenheimer

This is a scene from the film, Oppenheimer, that shows a woman and a man looking at each other while walking. The man is smiling and the woman looks grim. (Image courtesy IMDB-Universal Pictures).
A scene from the film, Oppenheimer. (Image courtesy IMDB-Universal Pictures).

Oppenheimer is a brilliant deep-dive into the physicist’s life, but the use of The Gita is misplaced, feels Monita Soni.

Barbie

A group of women watch in shock as one of them raises her foot
A scene from Barbie the movie (image courtesy: IMDB)

A plastic doll enters the real world to give insights into patriarchy, but ignores feminist issues and BIPOC women, says India Currents youth writer, Amann Mahajan.