Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 38

Mona Lisa Smile: Years Later, Julia Roberts Is Just as Magnetic

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A few years ago, a close friend of mine shared a really cool picture of a painting she’d done, except that she had only colored it. She said it was a ‘paint by numbers’ kit, and that she was inspired to buy it after watching the Julia Roberts movie ‘Mona Lisa Smile’. “I LOVE that movie,” she excitedly declared. So, I made a mental note to watch it some day.

(Diclaimer: This isn’t really a review, so spoilers ahead)

Directed by Mike Newell and written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, the 2003 movie is set in the 1950s and follows Julia Roberts as Katherine Ann Watson, a newly appointed art history professor at the prestigious Wellesley College for women. In her first class, she is flummoxed by her wealthy, snooty students, all of whom already know everything she plans to teach – they’ve read the entire course material before the semester even begins. So when Katherine goes a little off-syllabus in her second class, the girls are humbled, and soon the new professor becomes a favorite among many of them, encouraging them to challenge social norms and the traditional roles assigned to women. She ruffles a lot of pearls, and makes even the most ‘perfect’ students question what they really want from life.

Kirsten Dunst plays Betty Warren, the ‘problem’ student, a ‘Miss Know-It-All’ who runs a scathingly critical column, morally policing those on campus. So the progressive Katherine Ann Watson becomes her target, with the new professor’s proximity to Betty’s closest friend Joan (Julia Stiles) further irking her. When, despite being brilliant at academics, Betty marries mid-semester, she is furious to learn that Katherine has swayed Joan’s opinion on a crucial life decision. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ginnifer Goodwin memorably portray two other students – Giselle Levy and Connie Baker, respectively – the former having an affair with a male professor, while the latter struggles with self-esteem issues and romance. But both women, like many of their classmates, share a deep admiration for the new art teacher.

One of the most compelling aspects of Mona Lisa Smile is how a progressive professor like Katherine can profoundly influence the young students around her. Julia Roberts is radiant as the charismatic academic, her million-dollar smile lighting up the screen. However, at times, Katherine’s character feels as though she’s been written by a man – which she was – but more so, she seems to be written like a man. It’s as if the writers pondered, “What if we made a 1950s film about a female teacher who behaves like a man?” My friend remarked, “That’s the whole point of the film, to showcase how people react differently when a woman does the same things a man would do.”

I understand her perspective, yet some of Katherine’s traits align with her feminine personality, while others don’t quite fit. For instance, she’s portrayed as deeply in love with a long-distance boyfriend. When he visits for Christmas, they spend time together, but despite her ‘progressive’ stance and the film’s portrayal of her as a ‘free, male-like character,’ she ends up chasing him away on Christmas night. This action seems inconsistent. Would a man, after months without intimacy, turn down such an opportunity? It feels unlikely. Not just that, she loses a pretty great guy for a total dick.

Except for these inconsistent personality traits, Katherine Ann Watson is a lovable onscreen character, a professor who truly sees and appreciates her students, encouraging them to do more with their lives than simply become ‘trophy wives’. A lot of the student dynamics sometimes felt exaggerated, but overall, they are quite entertaining, especially when combined with the picturesque settings, and pretty costumes from the era.

It ends with a heart-warming cinematic scene of Katherine’s graduating class bidding her a goodbye, the kinds one would would remember forever. “My teacher, Katherine Watson, lived by her own definition, and would not compromise that. Not even for Wellesley. I dedicate this, my last editorial, to an extraordinary woman who lived by example and compelled us all to see the world through new eyes.” – a student writes about her.

Two decades later, Katherine Watson still leaves a favorable impression on the viewer in ‘Mona Lisa Smile’. So if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a go.

Mona Lisa Smile is available on Netflix.

Read Next: Superboys of Malegaon: Ode to DIY Cinema (Audio Version Below)

Superboys of Malegaon: Nostalgic Ode to DIY Cinema

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) Click here for audio version

A bunch of small-town boys band together to make a movie, a parody of the Bollywood cult classic Sholay with a twist: it will be set in their own town, with rookie actors and local jokes. So, Thakur does a shimmy at the end of their film.

Superboys of Malegaon is based on real people, made popular by the 2008 documentary by Faiza Ahmed, Supermen of Malegaon. But while the documentary was about how a group of friends make movies with minimal resources, this film, directed by Reema Kagti and written by Varun Grover, Shoaib Nazeer, and bankrolled by big names like Zoya Akhtar, is as maximalist as a filmy movie set in a small town about middle-class aspirations can be. And ironically, despite its plural indication of protagonists, it’s largely centred on Nasir Shaikh (played by Adarsh Gourav), a film freak who helps run his elder brother’s video parlour.

The story begins in 1997, the year Salman Khan’s double-role hit Judwaa was released, and continues into the 2000s, tracking Nasir’s journey as an amateur filmmaker who makes spoofs of big hits set in his small town. Nasir is assisted by his ragtag group of friends in making his desi film: videographer Akram (Anuj Singh Duhan), factory worker Shafique (Shashank Arora), writer Farogh (Vineet Singh), among others. It immediately reminded me of the 2021 Tollywood movie Cinema Bandi, which tells the story of a group of village friends making a movie with limited funds after they find an expensive camera forgotten by someone. Both movies focus on ordinary individuals who are passionate about films, although Superboys of Malegaon borrows its story from real-life individuals.

Pyaar, dosti, daaru, drama, some solid jugaad, Superboys of Malegaon has a little bit of everything on offer, including a great nostalgic soundtrack, which is backed by a fantastic cast. A small subplot follows Nasir’s love life, which includes a failed love affair and then a new romance with family friend Shabeena (Muskkaan Jaferi). Interestingly, Adarsh Gourav and Muskkaan Jaferi have instant onscreen chemistry and even look adorable together, but their romance remains a fleeting element. Manjiri Pupala plays Trupti, a dancer hired to play the heroine is Nasir’s movies, and a possible romance brews between her and the shy Shafique. I wish these other characters had more screen-time through the film.

Manjiri Pupala and Shashank Arora in Superboys of Malegaon

Adarsh Gourav drives the movie as Nasir, who starts out as an aimless cinema fanatic binge-watching Bruce Lee and Charlie Chaplin movies in his free time but becomes the David Dhawan of Malegaon with his parody flicks. The creators then track the quintessential rise of a nobody, whose ego ultimately makes him crash and burn. But since Superboys of Malegaon is a filmy ode to small creators, it also gives its protagonist an emotional redemptive arc that will leave some viewers in tears; others might balk at the unexpected sappy turn of events.

One of the major conflicts of the tale is the creative difference between writer Farogh, who wants to make a film based on his ‘original’ idea, and Nasir, who is intent only on ripping off existing hits and rehashing them. Nasir focuses on comedic relief and commercial success in Malegaon, while Farogh hopes to create something more meaningful. Unfortunately, this pursuit of ‘originality’ is never realized. So, the climax is all about Nasir making yet another film, featuring the lanky Shafique playing ‘Malegaon ka Superman’, with his arc nemesis being a nefarious Gutka king who ‘loves kacchra’. It’s ridiculous yet fun.

What the real creators of the Malegaon films lacked in real life the producers of this movie had no dearth of: budget. There’s a calculated cinematic perfection in many frames that somehow makes the movie both a delight and feel slightly cosmetic. If you’re a Bollywood fan, you’ll most likely enjoy this slice of the early 2000s.

Rating: 3.5 on 5. The film on Prime Video.

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Flowers of Evil Volume 10 Review: Kasuga Spirals Again

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Ahahahahaha… I knew things were going to get cray-cray (a phrase I’ve picked up from a younger cousin)!! After all the sweet nothings in the second half of Volume 9 of Flowers of Evil, where Kasuga and Tokiwa simply hang out like regular teen friends – Tokiwa writing her book while Kasuga reads something – one knew the story was going to take a messy turn, right?

Volume 9 ended with news from Kasuga’s family that his paternal grandfather is severely ill, so the family rushes to their hometown. Well, that was ample hint by creator Shuzo Oshimi that something bad was going to go down, because that’s where all the trouble began, with Kasuga making it on live television thanks to his and Nakamura’s psychotic attempt to self-immolate during the town festival on the main stage in the center.

Beginning with slow but picturesque panels depicting Kasuga’s hometown as his family drives to the hospital where his grandfather is admitted, Volume 10 of Flowers of Evil starts on a subtle note of quiet grief. Kasuga’s cousins don’t say anything, but everybody looks at him funny, until finally, the animosity is out in the open. Instead of being forgiving, the cousins are bitter about how the young boy shamed the family in their town, going as far as blaming him for his grandfather’s condition.

This time around, Shuzo Oshimi lets the artwork do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of conveying emotions and the mood of the tale. One particular sequence stood out in the second half of Volume 10, where Kasuga runs into an old classmate and they have an uncomfortable, serious conversation at a restaurant, while laughter and chatter from a table nearby constantly interrupt their discussion. This juxtaposition helps establish how starkly different Kasuga’s life is from those around him, and it also subtly contrasts with his restaurant interaction with Saeki in Flowers of Evil Volume 8.

But you know, just when I thought Kasuga was beginning to do some growing up, he turns around and does something extremely shitty, displaying his lack of empathy and any sense of sensitivity. “Gah, he is such an asshole,” I exclaimed out loud at one point. It’s an interesting twist, so I won’t reveal the details. Although, let’s just say this: Kasuga’s romantic relationship with his new girlfriend Tokiwa is put to the test after months of surprising stability.

The volume ends with a solid cliffhanger: Kasuga heading to confront the biggest thorn in his past, one he doesn’t know what to do with: to embrace it or to kill it.

Rating: 4 on 5.

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Lullaby Review: Horror Lurks in Grief and Silence

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“This house is disgusting. You cannot live here…”

A young immigrant isolates herself in her house as she grapples with night terrors and visions of drowning inside a boat in the short horror film Lullaby.

Written and directed by Chi Thai, the film stars Jan Le as its tormented, nameless, and lonely protagonist, who, as the title hints, might have lost a child. The suspense revolves around the circumstances in which the tragedy occurred.

At a little less than 15 minutes long, Lullaby is bleak in its settings, the house where the story takes place is dimly lit, largely because the protagonist won’t open the curtains, serving as a metaphor for her refusal to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She has turned her home into a living graveyard for herself, with the walls and roof decaying, leaking, and crumbling. Somebody keeps trying to reach her on the phone, but she refuses to pick it up, intent on her self-imposed exile.

The immigrant theme reminded me of the 2020 horror movie His House, which was similar in themes, with a newly arrived immigrant couple experiencing creepy, terrifying supernatural occurrences in the home allotted to them. In Lullaby, the supernatural elements are muted; however, Jan Le’s character does experience something inexplicably harrowing in the climactic moments. But given her trauma, it’s up to the viewer to decide if her experiences are real or imagined. Jan Le delivers a powerful, wordless performance, conveying grief, fear, and loss through haunting silence and raw expressions.

Overall, Lullaby is a gripping short horror film, but its impact depends on how the themes resonate with the viewer. You can watch it on YouTube.

7 Guilty Pleasure Vampire Movies to Stream

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Craving some fang-filled fun? Whether you’re in the mood for brooding immortals, campy horror-comedies, or stylish bloodsuckers, these vampire movies deliver the perfect mix of drama, romance, and bite. Here are seven guilty pleasure vampire films you can stream right now on Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar.

1. Day Shift (2022)

Platform: Netflix
Jamie Foxx stars as a blue-collar vampire hunter in this action-packed comedy. Teaming up with Dave Franco and Snoop Dogg, Day Shift offers a fresh take on vampire lore with plenty of laughs and thrilling fight scenes.

2. Byzantium (2012)

Platform: Netflix
This gothic thriller tells the story of two female vampires, played by Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, hiding in a coastal town. Byzantium combines haunting visuals with a poignant narrative, making it a standout in the vampire genre.

3. Abigail (2024)

Platform: Prime Video
In this horror-comedy, a group of kidnappers abducts a young girl, only to discover she’s a vampire. Abigail delivers a mix of scares and laughs, embracing classic vampire tropes with a modern twist.

4. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
This mockumentary follows a group of vampire roommates navigating modern life in New Zealand. Directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, What We Do in the Shadows is a hilarious and inventive take on vampire mythology.

5. Dark Shadows (2012)

Platform: Netflix
Johnny Depp stars as a 200-year-old vampire awakening in the 1970s in this Tim Burton-directed film. Dark Shadows blends gothic horror with quirky humor, offering a unique vampire tale.

6. Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

Platform: Netflix
A group of teenagers fights to save their neighborhood from vampires in this horror-comedy. Vampires vs. the Bronx combines social commentary with supernatural thrills, making for an entertaining watch.

7. Van Helsing (2004)

Platform: Prime Video
Hugh Jackman as a monster-slaying action hero taking on Dracula, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster? It’s chaotic, cheesy, and pure guilty pleasure gold.

Whether you’re in the mood for romance, action, or comedy, these vampire films offer something for every fan. So grab some garlic (or popcorn) and enjoy these fang-tastic flicks!

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No Longer Human Review: A Tragic Masquerade in Motion

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Somebody famously said that “iimitation is the greatest form of flattery,” right? Or at least that’s how the quote goes, and I know I can simply look it up on the internet, but I’ve decided this review is going to be completely human, without the need for looking up things online. And coming to the point – No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai is a great example of writers who surpass those they are imitating, or those they are inspired by.

The novel is narrated by a young man called Oba Yozo, who recalls his struggles to “fit in” with those around him, right from when he was a little boy. He fails to understand social conventions or why people behave the way they do, or most important of all, how he is expected to respond in situations and conversations. Always in a state of feeling alienated and out of body, Yozo resorts to clowning around and fibbing to make people laugh, so that he can fit in, even though he is completely miserable on the inside.

The way No Longer Human starts off made it sound a little like Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and interestingly, not only did Osamu Dazai admire the Russian literary icon, he also mentions him a few times in No Longer Human. Both are narrated by male protagonists who detest the world around them, but in very different ways. I found Osamu’s work to be far superior to Notes from the Underground, because despite the title, Osamu’s protagonist is a lot more human than Dostoevsky’s unnamed narrator in Notes from the Underground, who is a boring, whining, arrogant government employee with severe personality issues.

Oba Yozo too has a severe personality crisis. He lives passively, eating and drinking, barely attending university, and getting into affairs with random women he meets along the way. In Yozo’s own words, he lives like a kept man, but the women he has relationships with aren’t wealthy, so often, Yozo resorts to selling their clothes to buy himself some food or drink. He has very little sense of shame, responsibility, o well, any human-ness that can be defined in a concrete manner. And yet, anybody who has ever gone through a phase of isolation or feelings of alienation will be able to empathize with some parts of Yozo, if not all of him.

One of the more disturbing sections of No Longer Human is when Yozo, who is still very young, barely out of high school, starts seeing an older woman who suggests they end their lives with a double-suicide. Yozo survives the attempt, while his lover tragically perishes, so he is left dealing with the legal aftermath of the incident. It’s his dad’s connections that rescue him from the police and a prolonged trial, with Yozo unwittingly (and the author deliberately) laying emphasis on how his social standing always gets him out of a pinch. It’s perhaps this familial cushion that emboldens him to live his life on the edge, anonymously, without any goals, without any sense of identity or

There are evidently times when, as a modern reader, you’re made to wonder if Yozo might have a mental health disorder, but given that his story is set sometime in the 1930s, it’s not something that was taken seriously. Ultimately, Yozo’s tale ends abruptly, just at a time when the reader maybe begins to slightly understand his state of mind. And honestly, at this point, I’m not feeling too bad about ending my review too abruptly either.

Rating: 4 on 5 stars. ‘No Longer Human’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.

Costao Review: Nawazuddin Goes Goan – Or Tries To

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Everybody wants an honest and brave officer, but in their neighbour’s house, not their own.”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers this dialogue with grit, passion, and power as Costao Fernandez, a customs officer who becomes the victim of a systematic witch-hunt when duty leads him to kill a powerful politician’s brother in self-defence while attempting to bust his illegal smuggling operation. For a second, it made me forget how he instantly sounded like a guy from U.P. or Bihar pretending to be Goan. I usually do not care for the accuracy of accents or dialects in movies, but Siddiqui’s efforts to sound Goan don’t work, and unfortunately, he doesn’t have a neutral accent either. He was a lot more entertaining in the slow-burn thriller Rautu Ka Raaz and even in Tiku Weds Sheru, which has an abysmal 3.4 rating on IMDb. So, for those who can ignore his evident North Indian twang, the film will probably be a bit more enjoyable.

Directed by Sejal Shah and written by Bhavesh Mandalia and Meghna Srivastava, the 2025 Bollywood film is inspired by the life of a real-life hero – retired customs officer Costao Fernandez, who put everything on the line to do his duty and expose a nefarious smuggling ring. The plot is straightforward, with the first half focusing on Costao’s effort to expose a gold smuggling operation run by the D’Mello brothers. Kishore Kumar G plays the older D’Mello brother, the kingpin of the smuggling racket, who also becomes a powerful politician in the state. Costao ends up killing D’Mello’s younger brother Peter (Hussain Dalal), and the second half of the film focuses on D’Mello’s efforts to extract revenge by hounding Costao’s family and trying his best to ensure Costao gets hanged for ‘murder’.

Set in the 1990s, Costao looks dated, its cinematography is uninspired, and the background music does little to lift the energy of the slow pace. Interestingly, Costao is narrated by Costao’s little daughter, which adds a slight ‘family man’ touch to the tale. Through the daughter’s lens, viewers get to see the kind of sacrifices Costao makes to honestly pursue his duties as a customs officer. Priya Bapat plays his wife Maria Fernandez, and the two often bicker over Maria’s claim that Costao always puts his job before the family.

Costao even feels like it was made in the 1990s too – despite a fresh premise, the creators don’t maximise the story’s potential and make it feel dated and familiar. The casting of Nawazuddin Siddiqui too seems off the mark. He is a talented actor, no doubt, but some other actor who could’ve sold Costao’s Goan identity better should’ve played the part. Regardless, it’s a passable film that celebrates honest, brave government officers.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars. Stream Costao on ZEE5.

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Flowers of Evil Volume 9 Review: Ghosts, Guilt, and Growing Up

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Yes, it’s true, I’m empty, A shit-bug, misfortune on two feet… and yet… and yet…”

Kasuga is still living under the invisible shadow of Nakamura, her scathing words and insidious bullying have convinced him that he isn’t a decent human being, let alone someone worthy of a “normal” life. In Volume 8 of Flowers of Evil, he refers to himself as a “ghost,” something he seems to truly believe, like he’s an invisible teen nobody notices.

Of course, as readers, his self-pity and self-deprecation ironically come across as self-centered, especially when he says this to Tokiwa’s boyfriend, Koji. Kasuga is too consumed by his own misery to notice the attention he’s receiving — much of it due to his uncanny, budding friendship with Tokiwa, one of the prettiest and most popular girls in school. Volume 9 of the manga focuses on Kasuga coming to terms with ordinary existence, and his growing desire to live like other teens.

One of the biggest turning points in this volume is Kasuga’s decision to stop living passively. If you recall, Saeki  (his brief middle school girlfriend) confronts him in the previous volume and bluntly questions whether he’s simply using Tokiwa as a substitute for Nakamura. This moment prompts Kasuga to reflect deeply, eventually realizing that he harbors more than platonic feelings for Tokiwa and decides to act on them.

Shuzo Oshimi crafts a stirring emotional exchange between the teens, and the second half of the volume is surprisingly calm and collected, showcasing typical days spent by the protagonists. I found this to be a welcome shift, or perhaps, it’s just the calm before another destructive storm in Kasuga’s life.

Watching Kasuga slowly grow and change over these chapters is genuinely compelling. His bond with Tokiwa, formed over their shared love for literature, stands in striking contrast to the shallow conversations of their peers, which is focused mostly on food, crushes, karaoke, and sex. One of my favorite moments from the last volume was how Kasuga unwittingly inspires Tokiwa’s passion for writing a novel. She’s unsure of her talent and plot, but a few encouraging words from Kasuga ignite in her a new resolve to not only flesh out her story but finish it.

For the first time, Kasuga has a clear, positive impact on someone. And though it’s not explicitly stated, he perhaps senses what he means to Tokiwa. In return, she helps him rekindle his love for fiction and literature. At least for now, it’s a healthy, blossoming relationship, a refreshing change from the chaos and destruction of earlier volumes.

Shuzo Oshimi’s artwork continues to be vivid and engaging. While earlier chapters lacked expressiveness, the illustrations have improved significantly over time. A few panels even showcase subtle artistic symbolism. In one striking panel, Kasuga sees two figures that look eerily like himself and Tokiwa, but with completely blackened eyes, like ghosts. “I don’t want to be a ghost!” Kasuga exclaims, making a decisive choice that marks a huge turning point in the story, a positive step in his character arc. The scene symbolizes how the protagonists, like many teens, are drifting through life like ghosts, conforming to peer expectations instead of pursuing their passions.

Overall, this was a great volume, ending on a twist that sends Kasuga back to his hometown for a family event. But returning to the place where he once infamously attempted a public suicide with Nakamura — will it awaken the demons he’s tried so hard to bury?

Well, we’ll see.

Rating: 4 on 5. This volume of ‘Flowers of Evil’ is on Kindle Unlimited.

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10 Gripping Historical Non-Fiction Books to Grab on Kindle Unlimited

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Navigating your Kindle Unlimited subscription can feel like sifting through a digital haystack, with millions of titles, including several AI-generated oddities cluttering the space. But if you’re a fan of history, memoirs, and real-world drama, here’s a curated list of ten compelling non-fiction reads that dive deep into the past. These were available on Kindle Unlimited at the time of writing (May 2025), though availability may change depending on when you’re reading this.

1. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – Dee Brown

This heartbreaking classic tells the story of Native American history from the perspective of the tribes themselves. A moving, necessary read for anyone wanting to understand the brutal impact of American expansionism.

2. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari

While not fiction, this mega bestseller reads like a sweeping epic. Harari condenses 70,000 years of human history into a thought-provoking narrative about how we evolved, adapted, and built civilizations.

3. Pakistan or the Partition of India – Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

This detailed account by India’s foremost constitutional scholar offers a deep dive into the causes, consequences, and controversies surrounding the Partition. A must-read for South Asian history enthusiasts.

4. As It Happened – Clement Attlee

Want the British side of the story? The UK’s post-WWII Prime Minister gives his take on one of the most turbulent times in world history, from the decline of the British Empire to Indian independence.

5. Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World – Nicholas Ostler

What do Akkadian, Latin, and Arabic have in common? Ostler’s fascinating work explores how languages shaped empires, identities, and power, with stories you never knew you needed.

6. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich – William L. Shirer

An epic account of Hitler’s regime written by a journalist who was there to witness it. This deeply researched book is as gripping as any war novel, but 100% real.

7. O Jerusalem! – Dominique Lapierre & Larry Collins

Told like a thriller, this book chronicles the birth of Israel with firsthand accounts from both sides. It’s fast-paced, balanced, and emotionally intense — perfect if you like history with a human face.

8. Huế 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam – Mark Bowden

A powerful, immersive account of the Tet Offensive’s bloodiest battle. Bowden interviews survivors from both sides to paint a haunting picture of war’s complexity and tragedy.

9. They Called Us Enemy – George Takei

A graphic memoir by the Star Trek actor about his childhood in a Japanese-American internment camp. Accessible, emotional, and eye-opening book, which is perfect for younger readers too.

10. To the Edge of the Sky – Anhua Gao

This powerful memoir tells the story of a woman who grew up in Maoist China, endured prison and torture, and survived to share her harrowing experience. Quietly devastating and beautifully told.

From empire collapses to personal tragedies, this Kindle Unlimited list has something for every history buff, whether you’re into sweeping wars, cultural upheavals, or powerful memoirs. Just make sure to download these while they’re still available, you never know when the library might shuffle again!

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Logout Review: Babil Khan Keeps You Logged In

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Most people who lose a hand or arm in war experience a strange sensation of pain in the limb that no longer exists in their body. It’s called phantom limb syndrome. And now, some people experience a strange sensation that their hand is missing something – their phone. We are so addicted to our phones that they feel like an extended phantom part of our body. The 2025 Bollywood movie Logout explores what happens to a big social media influencer when he loses his phone after a night of heavy partying. It’s like losing half his heart. What’s worse? He is blackmailed by an obsessive fan who now possesses his dearest possession.

Created by Amit Golani (director) and Biswapati Sarkar (writer), Logout starts off by introducing Babil Khan as protagonist Pratyush Dua, famously known as content creator ‘Pratman’ online. Pratyush eats, poops, and breathes with his phone, and is desperate to hit 10 million followers to clinch a crucial brand deal. So, losing his phone causes him excessive anxiety and pretty much knocks him off his senses, mostly because he cannot post his next video. This is a thriller for viewers, and a horror story for Pratyush.

The first 30 minutes of Log Out are entertaining, setting up Pratyush’s world as an attention-hungry content creator who simply cannot stay away from his phone. He will almost do anything it takes to ‘trend’ or go ‘viral’: pretend to be vegan, trap a rat, create fake IDs to bully rivals, lie about his exes, but funnily draws the line at a ‘chaddi dikhake naacho’ type of challenge (an online dancing trend where users twerk while showing off their underwear). Like Ananya Panday’s techno-thriller CTRL, which featured a very limited cast, Logout also focuses solely on Babil Khan’s Pratyush, leaving no room for secondary character distractions. However, while CTRL pits Ananya against an AI adversary, Pratyush faces a malevolent human.

Nimisha Nair voices the faceless fan who gets hold of Pratyush’s phone and then blackmails him over its content. The primary focus of the story is thus on Pratyush’s attempts to trace the girl and get back his phone. But what makes Logout a little unbelievable after the first half hour is the fact that Pratyush voluntarily allows access to his phone to an unknown person, all for an OTP to pay the transport fee for the phone. Really?

His narcissistic, attention-seeking personality aside, Pratyush shows so much quick wit through the rest of the story that this one act makes no sense at all. He has access to his laptop, he can call tons of people to help him pay. Since he is Gen Z, he’s probably not friends with his neighbours, but he could simply call his security guard, a nice dude who even sets up a mousetrap in his home a few scenes earlier. Since the script moves forward with the fan gaining access to the phone, all the writers had to do was make the phone-thief crack the password themselves. The guy’s so self-centred, his birth date as a password wouldn’t surprise any viewer.

Anyway, at 1 hour 48 minutes, the second half of Log Out begins to feel dragged out, but Babil Khan’s performance keeps you around to find out the fate of Pratyush’s phone. The ending gets uncannily emotional, slipping in some good old gyaan about respecting your elders and not losing your mind over online fame. Overall, it’s an interesting cautionary tale against online narcissism and unhealthy addiction to social media and content creators.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Watch Logout on Zee5.

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