Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 39

Baban Baban Ban Vampire Episode 12 Review

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Titled “And Thus, A New Vampire”, episode 12 of Baban Baban Ban Vampire sees Ranmaru Mori ask Rihito’s family if his brother can stay with them too. The bratty Nagayoshi Mori introduces himself as Ranmaru’s older brother, a.k.a. the Demon of Musashi, and Rihito’s dad almost laughs in his face, saying he’s had enough of the vampire jokes. Rihito, on the other hand, is totally excited to have someone who looks the same age as him around.

Of course, as the title indicates, viewers also get brief glimpses of a new vampire in town, someone more ancient and more powerful than the Mori brothers. But before the ancient blood-sucker can cause any havoc, the episode focuses on the beginning of summer vacation for the high school characters. Much of this edition is about all the primary characters – Ranmaru, Rihito, Aoi, Franken, Sakamoto, Kaoru, and Nagayoshi  – going to a festival and having a ball. Everybody (except for rebel teens Kaoru and Franken) is dressed in traditional Japanese clothes for the evening, and the fresh setting allows for a nice, bright visual experience in this episode.

As always, Ranmaru tries to separate his beloved Rihito from Aoi, not realizing he’s only creating more romantic troubles for himself. Sakamoto, meanwhile, continues his hilarious little seductive tricks to catch Mori’s attention, to no avail. Meanwhile, as episode 11 of Baban Baban Ban Vampire indicated, Nagayoshi Mori has decided to pursue Kaoru because she resembles his past lover. This new love triangle (Kaoru has a crazy crush on Rihito) promises to be comedic, even though there aren’t many scenes between Nagayoshi and Kaoru in this chapter.

At this point, Franken is the only character who doesn’t care for romance and the matters of the heart. But well, there are plenty of love triangles to keep viewers chuckling at the misunderstandings, some of it stemming from Nagayoshi assuming Ranmaru is in a hush-hush relationship with Sakamoto. If only! LOL.

Overall, this was a breezy ‘filler’ episode, but it ends on a menacing tone, promising violent trouble in the form of a new vampire.

Watch Baban Baban Ban Vampire on Netflix.

Also Read: Nadaaniyan Movie Review: Cringe Max (audio version below)

The Bhootnii Trailer Might’ve Cursed Our Eyes!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Kya tha yeh? Kyu tha yeh?

*Translation: What was this? Why was this?

I mean I know we’ve loved Bollywood horror-comedies like ‘Stree’, ‘Stree 2’, ‘Bhediya’, ‘Munjya’ and even ‘Phone Bhoot’ (yep, I thought it was pretty fun)… the official trailer for ‘The Bhootni’ looks quite bad. Despite an interesting star cast.

It’s got Sanjay Dutt, Mouni Roy, Sunny Singh, Palak Tiwari, Aasif Khan, and a bunch of others… but you know what the plot is all about? A virgin tree. That’s their idea of comedy: a ghost haunting a tree called virgin tree, targeting only virgin boys. Fine. Ha Ha Ha. Not.

Mouni Roy plays The Bhootni called Mohabbat, who died with some unfulfilled desires, so she haunts young men at the college where the fabled virgin tree is. Sanjay Dutt plays a Ghostbuster Baba who can exorcise spirits and demons. And for some reason, he travels with big guns. Since when do spirits need bullets? Sunny Singh and Palak Tiwari play college students, while Sunny Singh’s character is chased by the bhootni.

The less-than-three-minute trailer offers no funny jokes, garish CGI, and the tired Karan Johar formula (or Marvel if you like) of making meta jokes. So there’s a sequence where someone moves like a snake-charmer in front of Mouni’s Mohabbat, and she screams, “Main naagin nahi hoon!” (She played the titular shape-shifting serpent in the TV show Naagin). And the special effects are an eye-sore, my eyes are burning with tears of regret. I didn’t even know if I wanted to write about this trailer, because that indicates admission of having watched a video that shouldn’t have come up in my YouTube feed.

From the looks of it, ‘The Bhootni’ is definitely not going to be a spooky movie, and if the jokes in the trailer are to go by, it doesn’t look very comedic either! But okay, who knows, maybe the cast will spring a surprise when ‘The Bhootni’ hits theaters on 18th April 2025.

Watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

‘Con Mum’ Netflix Documentary Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Graham Hornigold is one of the finest pastry chefs in the UK, having appeared in popular shows like MasterChef and Junior Bake Off. He married the woman he loved, and the happy couple were ready to welcome their first child, but before that, they had an unexpected visitor knock on their door and turn their world upside down. It was Graham’s birth mother, Dionne, who had abandoned him at birth and reached out 45 years later.

The Netflix documentary Con Mum, as the name suggests, tells the story of how the pastry chef became the victim of a seasoned scammer, even though all signs pointed to Dionne being his real mother. They looked alike, she knew details only his birth mom could know, and meeting her felt like he had finally found the familial connection he had yearned for his entire life.

Dressed in expensive designer clothes and staying in luxury hotels, Dionne appeared to be a high-flying socialite who claimed to own several businesses and boasted ties with royalty. Even though Graham and his partner Kaniuk were suspicious at first, Dionne’s warmth, jovial nature, and wealthy lifestyle disarmed them into thinking there was little she stood to gain by pretending to be his mum. If anything, it seemed that Graham and his wife might benefit financially if she passed away. Or so it seemed.

Featuring several pictures, videos, and audio recordings of Graham with Dionne, the 90-minute documentary recounts how Dionne re-entered Graham’s life, promising to make up for the 45 years they had lost, and then turned everything on its head. Both Graham and Kaniuk give detailed interviews about Dionne’s deception. Con Mum also includes interviews with other people Dionne had emotionally manipulated and betrayed.

“I had never seen him like that,” both friends and his partner tell the camera, recalling how overjoyed Graham was to reunite with his birth mother. There was genuine warmth, love, and gratitude in his reaction, finally having his mum, even if it came decades too late. But Dionne soon began to drive a wedge between Graham and his partner, subtly disrupting his life in insidious ways. Things escalated to the point where his friends had to step in and deliver a harsh reality check.

The documentary delivers a surprisingly unexpected climax, one that’s as tragic as it is darkly comic. And while some of Dionne’s victims may have unknowingly set themselves up, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for them. If you don’t know anything about the case, Con Mum is definitely an entertaining and cautionary tale for true-crime fans.

Watch the documentary on Netflix.

Also Read: Nadaaniyan Movie Review: Cringe Max (audio version below)

Ajay Devgn Faces New Villains in ‘Raid 2’ Teaser Trailer

‘Pata nahi kiski zindagi jhand karwayega woh Patnaik-wa’

Ajay Devgn is back as IRS officer Amay Patnaik in Raid 2, and the teaser-trailer has officially dropped. The one-minute video gives a quick look at what’s brewing in the sequel to the 2018 hit. This time, Amay is gearing up for his 75th raid, after being transferred 74 times, and has already helped recover a cool ₹4200 crore. Casual.

The teaser briefly checks in on Saurabh Shukla’s jailed character Rameshwar Singh, who seems more curious than concerned about who Patnaik’s next target might be. Riteish Deshmukh enters the frame as the new antagonist, while Vaani Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, and Amit Sial round out the cast. It’s directed once again by Raj Kumar Gupta.

Ajay Devgn was recently seen supporting his nephew’s debut film Azaad on OTT, and now he’s back in full raid mode for this theatrical release. The teaser keeps things tight and mostly character-focused, offering just enough to stir curiosity without giving away much. Whether it will match the impact of the first Raid remains to be seen, but fans won’t have to wait too long – Raid 2 is set to hit theaters on May 1, 2025.

Watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

Azaad Movie Review: This Horse Film Just Horses Around

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The Bollywood movie Azaad is set in the 1920s, looks more like a film from the 1970s, and is supposed to be about a horse – but keeps riding multiple subplots to annoy the viewer.

Directed by Abhishek Kapoor, who’s made more memorable films like Rock On, Kai Po Che, and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, this period drama marks the acting debut of Ajay Devgn’s nephew Aman Devgan and Raveena Tandon’s daughter Rasha Thadani.

Azaad follows Govind (Aman Devgan), a young man who loves horses but is forbidden from riding one due to his low caste and economic status. In the opening minutes, the film becomes more about Govind’s anger with Janaki Bahadur (Rasha Thadani), the landowner’s daughter, because he gets caught riding a horse while she is doing her own riding practice. So, he assumes it’s Janaki who ratted him out. To extract vengeance, he decides to paint Janaki’s face on Holi, as she is famed for not letting anybody touch her during the festivities. After he does paint her face, he instantly realizes the trouble he could get into, so he runs away from his village and becomes a bandit in a gang run by farmer-turned-thug Vikram Singh (Ajay Devgn). That’s where Govind becomes obsessed with a beautiful horse called Azaad. Another subplot follows Vikram Singh’s romance with Kesar (Diana Penty), who used to be his girlfriend but was forced to marry a wealthy zamindar (Mohit Malik).

Am I the only one who thinks the plot is all over the place? Or did that sound absurd to you too? And it’s the 1920s, in which universe do the daughters of zamindars and the sons of their stable keepers play Holi in the same place? Also, Janaki sports a super weird off-shoulder gown in one scene, because her father insists they ape the British. Not sure if off-shoulder gowns were in vogue in the conservative British India, and would certainly be an alarmingly daring choice for the daughter of an Indian landlord living in a small town. So if the writers don’t want to care too much about historical accuracy, why give poor Govind an atrocious hairdo?

Seriously, Aman Devgan acts decently, but his hair is distractingly annoying in Azaad, he looks like a guy who needs to be arrested for petty crimes. The film wants to be about Govind’s relationship with the horse, Azaad, who is supposed to be a metaphorical representation of freedom. So, from harassing girls on Holi, Govind somehow becomes a freedom fighter due to his love for the horse, and the British, of course, serve as the quintessential Bollywood villains in the tale. Some parts of the story felt like the creators were inspired by Lagaan, but that feeling is extremely fleeting.

Rasha Thadani as Janaki delivers a mixed performance, she is convincing in some bits, not so much in others. Although one thing is undisputable: she can dance. She gets a catchy ‘item girl’ track titled “Uyi Amma” to showcase her talent. The song is fashioned on the lines of Mehbooba O Mehbooba from Sholay, not the tune, just the setting of a young, beautiful woman dancing for drunk bandits. Again, a little out of place for a movie about horses, British atrocities, and freedom struggles.

At two hours and twenty-seven minutes long, Azaad is a chaotic, contrived tale that features some senior actors who seem to be there only to insulate the newcomers with their presence. The script never commits fully to one theme, the romances are half-hearted, and the horse probably deserved a better showcase.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

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Also Read: Nadaaniyan Movie Review: Cringe Max (audio version below)

Origami: A Quiet, Beautiful Short Film That Lets Paper Breathe

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A single little sheet of red paper slowly falls to the ground. Its other side is white, and it looks as mundane as a Post-it note that will never be used. But as it nears the ground, it begins to fold, first into what resembles a paper plane, and then into more of a human figure, cloaked like someone out of Assassin’s Creed. From there on, the magic of origami unfolds… or folds, in this case.

Japanese animator Kei Kanamori celebrates the art of folding paper through the short animated film Origami. The 3-minute movie blends modern CGI with this age-old craft to create some quiet screen magic.

The animation is simple, fluid, and dreamy, accompanied by a nostalgic instrumental score in the background, while countless sheets of paper transform into different shapes. Birds, trees, flowers… practically anything the human imagination dares to envision.

In just three minutes, Origami becomes a meditative ode to creativity – gentle, elegant, and fleeting, like the art form it honors. It’s an animated reminder that even the smallest, most ordinary things can take flight in the right hands.

You can watch the film on YouTube. It’s also embedded below.

Ossan’s Love Thailand Review: Hilarious in Parts, Should’ve Been Shorter

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

After watching Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri play serious matures roles in series, like that of a Forest Officer in ‘A Tale of a Thousand Stars’ or the hardworking small business owner in ‘Moonlight Chicken’, its was surprisingly hilarious to see him play a clueless manchild in Thailand’s adaptation of the Japanese comedy ‘Ossan’s Love’.

Directed by Au Kornprom Niyomsil (Theory of Love, Still 2Gether), the 2024 romantic comedy is 12 episodes long and stars Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri as Heng, a property consultant whose life turns upside down when he finds out his boss, Kongdech (Krit Shahkrit Yamnam), is madly in love with him. To add to his romantic troubles, his colleague/flatmate Momo (Mix Sahaphap Wongratch) also asks him out.

This is a goofy, unserious show that is simply hilarious in parts, despite being dragged out for 12 long episodes. Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri delivers a surprising performance as the comedic lead Heng, a lazy, game-obsessed, childish young man who, despite all his flaws, charms those around him with his cheery behavior, unwitting innocence, and kind heart. For 90 percent of the time, Earth is convincing as Heng, a sweet guy who doesn’t know how to say ‘no’, has mild self-esteem issues, and is the kind of person who is pursued by others. However, in some rarer scenes, his more confident personality slips through.

Mix Sahaphap Wongratch, as Heng’s colleague Momo, is quite cute in the show, and the onscreen chemistry between the leads is great. Momo first becomes flatmates with Heng and then turns into his de facto nanny: cooking, cleaning, and doing all the household chores for Heng. When their boss Kongdech reveals his intentions to seriously date Heng, that’s when Momo confesses his feelings too, and thus begins a competitive love triangle to see who will win over Heng’s heart.

Krit Shahkrit Yamnam is highly entertaining as Kongdech, the older boss completely head over heels in love with Heng, so much so that he wants them to get married as soon as possible. Kongdech is a weird mix of creepy and cute, and even though the show never addresses it (since it’s a comedy), Kongdech is also low-key manipulative. Actor Krit Shahkrit Yamnam brings a lot of poise, dignity, and grace to a character that could’ve easily been completely creepy. You cannot help but think several of his scenes were extended simply to justify whatever pay he took home for this role.

Among the supporting cast, Thor Thinnaphan Tantui (Wandee Goodday) stands out as Ten, who has great onscreen chemistry with Mix’s Momo, despite very few scenes together. Ten is slightly senior to Heng but is still Kongdech’s junior. Kapook Ploynira Hiruntaveesin plays Heng’s childhood friend Chicha, whose proximity serves as a source of jealousy, comedy, and some serious complications in the tale. A subplot about another colleague called Monwadee (Dada Warinda Damrongphol), the office gossip queen, and her romance with Heng’s friend was completely unnecessary and unfunny in the show. Ossan’s Love also introduces Heng’s mother, a laid-back, loving lady who is completely forgotten in the last few episodes.

The soundtrack for Ossan’s Love is pretty catchy, and instead of the usual romantic Thai pop music, the score features trot songs, which are both upbeat and funny. Although one song by singer Nanon titled “Say Yes” is a total pop track, its beats (including bells) and wedding theme will remind viewers of the Bruno Mars hit “Marry Me.” And to add some more funny moments in the series, viewers also get a few song-dance sequences, including a flash mob.

All that said, this show should’ve been trimmed to eight episodes. Regardless, ff you’re looking for a silly romantic comedy and are already a fan of the lead actors, Ossan’s Love is pretty funny in parts and delivers some big laughs.

You can watch the series on YouTube.

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My Scary Indian Wedding: Clever Dig at Superstitions

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Some Indians are made to marry trees, in a symbolic gesture to ward off the “fault in their stars,” because according to their birth date, they are manglik, which means their marital fortune is ill-fated and likely to end in the premature death of their spouse. So, director and writer Ramone Menon turns this manglik concept into a literal demon in the short horror film My Scary Indian Wedding, which takes a fun and spooky dig at the superstition.

Misha Molani stars as Asha, a young woman helping her friend Mila (Lexa Gluck) get ready for her Indian wedding. Mila tells Asha about an app that lets women find out whether they have a manglik in their fate, and if they do, the app unleashes a curse on them: a demon who will murder them unless they perform certain rituals. A curious Asha tries the app and, of course, finds out she’s cursed. She must now face the demon called Manglik, or prepare to die.

Well, for those who take superstitions seriously, being manglik is not too different from having an invisible demon tied around their neck. Marriage becomes a hurdle, and love must take a back seat, because they can only marry someone whose stars align with theirs. Less than 12 minutes long, My Scary Indian Wedding brings this concept to life in a horror-comedy format, though only those familiar with the superstition may catch the humor in it.

Despite the very short runtime, director Ramone Menon even packs in two entertaining twists toward the climax, including a gory sacrifice. That said, this isn’t a violent or bloody horror flick, it features a mildly creepy demon who chases Asha around. Misha Molani is convincing as a desperate, haunted young woman running out of time to save herself. If you’re looking for a quick horror film, this is worth a one-time watch.

You can watch the film on YouTube.

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Also Read: Nadaaniyan Movie Review: Cringe Max (audio version below)

Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam Movie Review

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Would you attend an ex’s wedding if you were sent a physical invite home after months of radio silence?

Written and directed by Dhanush, the 2025 Tamil romantic comedy Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam (Why is the moon mad at me?) stars Pavish Narayan as protagonist Prabhu, a chef in talks with a young woman named Preethi (Priya Prakash Varrier) for marriage. But before he can make up his mind, he reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Nila (Anikha Surendran) for closure—reopening old wounds.

The opening minutes of Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam establish Preethi as a practical young woman who is charmed by Prabhu and hopes they can build a happy marriage, if he can let go of his past. She even encourages him to seek closure with Nila so they can start their own chapter on a clean slate.

Comedic flashbacks show how Prabhu met Nila in college through his friend Ravi (Venkatesh Menon). Nila, the best friend of Ravi’s girlfriend Sriya (Rabiya Khatoon), meets Prabhu when he and his buddy Rajesh (Mathew Thomas) agree to cook for their anniversary party. One of the funniest bits in the film is a sequence where Ravi and Sriya keep getting overly mushy around their friends, while a soft chant of “cringe couple” plays in the background multiple times.

The first forty minutes or so of Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam are entertaining, but things start to go downhill when Nila and Prabhu introduce each other to their families, despite still being in college. What’s with these scripts pushing college kids to get married right away? Anyway… Nila’s super-rich dad (R. Sarathkumar) isn’t thrilled about her wanting to marry Prabhu and starts crashing their dates, which is both unrealistically absurd and hilariously over-the-top. Besides, Nila’s personality is reduced to “I love food”, we practically learn nothing else about her.

Mathew Thomas as Rajesh is the most fun and relatable character in the film. He’s a simple, supportive friend who puts up with all of Prabhu’s antics to win over Nila, whether it’s being ditched in the middle of the night so Prabhu can go on a long drive with Ravi, Sriya, and Nila, or being asked to abandon his own bike so Prabhu can ride with Nila in the rain.

Despite being a romantic comedy, there’s no real chemistry between Prabhu and Nila, which will most likely make viewers root for Preethi. And as if two love interests weren’t enough, the second half of the film introduces yet another young woman who falls for Prabhu. It’s the platonic bromance between Prabhu and Rajesh that’s the most fun to watch in Nilavuku Enmel Ennadi Kobam. From celebrating small milestones to weeping together over heartbreaks, they’re what you’d call ‘friendship goals’.

The musical score is quite memorable, though a few tracks, while catchy on their own, don’t blend well with the storytelling. For instance, once Nila and Prabhu start dating, a song-and-dance sequence follows, which should’ve been vibrant and energetic but is surprisingly slow. On the other hand, the track that plays when Prabhu reunites with Nila perfectly captures the tense mood of the moment.

Look, we all know there are only two likely outcomes for a story like this. And despite being high on comedy and friendship, director Dhanush chooses the more conventional ending. Sort of. A dramatic, almost tragic subplot is thrown in to add weight to the breezy romance, but it ends up making the climax feel dragged out. So when most of the characters are crying in the final act, you’re likely just waiting for it all to be over.

Overall, this is still a fun one-time watch that misses the chance to break the mold and deliver a more memorable story.

Rating: 3 out of 5. Watch the film on Prime Video.

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Also Read: Nadaaniyan Movie Review: Cringe Max (audio version below)

Nushrratt Bharuccha Is Back in Chhorii 2 Trailer, Which Looks Spookier

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Remember the 2021 horror film Chhorii, where Nushrratt Bharuccha played Sakshi, a city girl who finds herself trapped with a secretive rural family, hidden away in the middle of endless sugarcane fields?

Well, director Vishal Furia is back with a sequel, and the trailer for Chhorii 2 already promises to up the scare factor. The visuals look sharper, the atmosphere more ominous, and the ghostly elements even creepier this time around.

The first film followed Sakshi, a pregnant NGO worker who takes refuge in her driver’s remote village home after her husband gets into trouble with ruthless loan sharks. There, she’s cared for by the seemingly kind Devi, until things start to unravel. Sakshi begins seeing mysterious boys playing around the house, only to learn they’re ghosts. As the haunting escalates, Devi’s true nature and the village’s horrifying secrets come to light, putting Sakshi’s life and her unborn child’s too at risk.

Chhorii 2 picks up a few years after Sakshi’s terrifying escape. She now has a seven-year-old daughter, Ishani, who suffers from a rare medical condition. When Ishani suddenly goes missing, Sakshi is forced to return to the very village she once barely escaped. Evil forces seem to want her daughter, and now the stakes are even higher. Can Sakshi protect her child and survive the nightmare all over again?

We never expected Chhorii to get a sequel, but this new chapter feels promising. Among the fresh additions to the cast is Soha Ali Khan, who appears to be playing a sinister supernatural entity. Judging by the trailer, the sequel promises not only more spine-chilling thrills but also a deeper emotional core centered around motherhood and fear.

Chhorii 2 hits screens on April 11. Prepare to be haunted all over again.

Watch the trailer below.