Anupama Chopra Reviews
336 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago -Anupama Chopra, founder & editor of Film Companion, is a film critic, television anchor and book author. She has been writing about Bollywood since 1993. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Hindustan Times, The Los Angeles Times and Vogue (India).
Here you can find all of her reviews for movies from across the globe.
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Episodes
143: Coolie No. 1 | Bollywood Movie Review | Anupama Chopra | Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan |Film Companion
December 26, 2020 07:58 - 5 minutes - 5.34 MBThe earlier Coolie No. 1 had a cheery lunacy and a degree of innocence that allowed the ridiculous plot to play out as an extended joke. But in 2020, the narrative is dated and offensive on so many levels. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of the Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan starrer.
142: AK vs AK | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap | Film Companion
December 24, 2020 08:31 - 6 minutes - 5.96 MBIn AK vs AK on Netflix, director Vikramaditya Motwane and writer Avinash Sampath construct a narrative that consistently crisscrosses the boundaries of artifice and truth. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review to know more.
141: Unpaused | Anupama Chopra's Review | Amazon Prime Video | Film Companion
December 18, 2020 08:34 - 6 minutes - 5.91 MBUnpaused, an Amazon Prime Video India anthology directed by Raj & DK, Nikkhil Advani, Nitya Mehra, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Avinash Arun Dhaware is a snapshot of a time when the world paused. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review to find out more.
140: Durgamati The Myth | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Bhumi Pednekar | Film Companion
December 11, 2020 12:18 - 5 minutes - 5.4 MBDurgamati The Myth on @Amazon Prime Video India (https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC4zWG9LccdWGUlF77LZ8toA) starring Bhumi Pednekar, Arshad Warsi, Magie Gill & Jisshu Sengupta among others, is a horror/thriller film which is the remake of 2018 Telugu film Bhaagamathie. Listen to the full review to know more.
139: Peninsula | World Cinema Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Yeon Sang-Ho | Film Companion
November 27, 2020 06:34 - 5 minutes - 5.15 MBCan a zombie movie make you cry? Yes, if it’s been directed by Yeon Sang-ho. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review of the South Korean film Peninsula, to know more.
138: Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Diljit Dosanjh, Manoj Bajpayee
November 15, 2020 04:30 - 5 minutes - 4.95 MBSuraj Pe Mangal Bhari, directed by Abhishek Sharma, saddles its solid cast, Diljit Dosanjh, Manoj Bajpayee, Fatima Sana Sheikh among others, with lame jokes, inane plot twists and dull storytelling.
137: Chhalaang | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Rajkummar Rao, Nushrratt Bharuccha
November 13, 2020 06:32 - 6 minutes - 6.2 MBIn Chhalaang, director Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao, alongwith Nushrratt Bharuccha and Zeeshan Ayyub attempt to tell the uplifting story of a PT teacher in small-town Haryana, who finds his purpose in life through coaching the weakest kids in the school into a winning team.
136: Ludo | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Anurag Basu | Film Companion
November 12, 2020 10:17 - 6 minutes - 6.18 MBUsing the game of Ludo as metaphor and structural skeleton, writer-director & DoP Anurag Basu constructs four interlocking stories, starring Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Saraf, Pearle Maaney & Inayat Verma.
135: Laxmii | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani | Film Companion
November 10, 2020 13:56 - 5 minutes - 4.71 MBLaxmii is the remake of a Tamil film called Kanchana, written and directed by Raghava Lawrence. Watch the review of the film, starring Akshay Kumar & Kiara Advani.
134: Kaali Khuhi | Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Shabana Azmi | Satyadeep Misra
October 30, 2020 11:17 - 5 minutes - 5.21 MBTerrie Samundra's film Kaali Khuhi is a horror film with a message. The idea is to scare you but also to make you think beyond the horror onscreen and consider the horror in life. Listen to the full review of Kaali Khuhi, starring Shabana Azmi, Satyadeep Misra, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Riva Arora.
133: A Suitable Boy | Anupama Chopra's Review | Mira Nair | Tabu, Ishaan Khatter
October 23, 2020 07:54 - 7 minutes - 7.03 MBEvery episode of A Suitable Boy is stuffed with plot, passion, conflict, faith and the endless push and pull between tradition and modernity, love and duty and above all, family. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review to find out more.
132: Ginny Weds Sunny | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Vikrant Massey, Yami Gautam
October 09, 2020 16:03 - 6 minutes - 5.67 MBDebutant director Puneet Khanna is not a fan of nuance. So his film has the straightforward title - Ginny Weds Sunny. Boy and girl (Vikrant Massey & Yami Gautam) meet-cute at a big, fat Punjabi wedding and their relationship culminates at a big, fat destination wedding. Listen to Anupama Chopra’s review to find out more.
131: Khaali Peeli | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Ananya Panday, Ishaan Khatter | Film Companion
October 02, 2020 12:28 - 6 minutes - 6.1 MBDirector Magbool Khan’s Khaali Peeli on @ZEEPLEX (https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCX3PcMUjayaB9ovRjoZacXQ) , starring Ananya Panday & Ishaan Khatter, tries to blend uncomfortable elements with Fast & Furious style car chases & romance. Listen to the review to know more.
130: Serious Men | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Nawazuddin Siddiqui | Film Companion
October 02, 2020 07:33 - 7 minutes - 6.7 MBDirector Sudhir Mishra's film Serious Men on @Netflix India (https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCZSNzBgFub_WWil6TOTYwAg) , based on Manu Joseph's award winning novel, veers between sharp and sagging but ultimately Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the terrific child actor Aakshath Das steer the story to a satisfying close. Listen to the review to know more.
129: Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Film Companion
September 19, 2020 08:05 - 5 minutes - 5.08 MBThe best thing about Dolly and Kitty is that they are a mess. They can lie and steal. Both do really dumb things but because they are played by two keenly intelligent actors – Konkona Sensharma and Bhumi Pednekar – they don’t come off as silly or capricious.
128: Sadak 2 | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Sanjay Dutt | Alia Bhatt | Film Companion
August 29, 2020 11:32 - 6 minutes - 5.96 MBSadak 2 doesn’t just mirror the original in terms of narrative beats. The storytelling, performances, dialogue, cinematography, songs, background music – all seem to belong to the 90s, which was the last time Mahesh Bhatt directed a film before this. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Jisshu Sengupta, among others.
127: Ram Singh Charlie | Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Kumud Mishra | Divya Dutta | Film Companion
August 28, 2020 06:00 - 6 minutes - 5.77 MBRam Singh Charlie, directed by Nitin Kakkar, and written by Kakkar and Sharib Hashmi, is a celebration of the artist. Kumud Mishra, playing the titular role, is a circus performer whose specialty is playing Charlie Chaplin. The film also stars Divya Dutta, Lilliput.
126: Mee Raqsam | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Shabana Azmi
August 21, 2020 09:14 - 6 minutes - 5.54 MBMee Raqsam on Zee5 is presented by Shabana Azmi and directed by her brother, the acclaimed cinematographer Baba Azmi. Mee Raqsam is an ode to their father Kaifi Azmi. The film is about a girl Mariam obsessed with Bharatnatyam, played by Aditi Subedi, and her father Salim, played by Danish Hussain. The film also stars Naseeruddin Shah & Rakesh Chaturvedi Om.
126: Class of '83 | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Bobby Deol
August 21, 2020 09:14 - 7 minutes - 7.29 MBDirected by Atul Sabharwal & produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, Class of '83 is a gritty drama about a batch of police officers who become famed encounter specialists. Set in Mumbai (Bombay) in the 80s, the film is inspired by a book named The Class of 83: The Punishers of Mumbai Police by S. Hussain Zaidi. You can watch this film on Netflix.
125: Khuda Haafiz | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Vidyut Jammwal | Disney+Hotstar
August 14, 2020 14:17 - 5 minutes - 5.27 MBIn Khuda Haafiz, writer-director Faruk Kabir ambitiously tries to expand the Vidyut Jammwal repertoire. With great action in place, the film has been inspired by a true incident. Also starring Shivaleeka Oberoi, Aahana Kumra, Shiv Panditt and Annu Kapoor, you can watch this film on @DisneyPlus Hotstar (https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC0PTktRYpZXb6On0_zFKWIg) .
124: Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Janhvi Kapoor
August 10, 2020 08:48 - 7 minutes - 6.48 MBThe film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl shows Gunjan age from a schoolgirl to a young woman. With Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Manav Vij, Viineet Kumar Singh and Angad Bedi in pivotal roles, and directed by debutant director Sharan Sharma, this is an incredible story that seamlessly blends emancipation, valor, duty and patriotism. You can watch this film on @Netflix India from August 12.
123: Shakuntala Devi | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Vidya Balan | Sanya Malhotra
July 31, 2020 12:49 - 6 minutes - 5.79 MBShakuntala Devi on Amazon Prime Video is the biopic of a woman without limits. The real life Shakuntala was a math wizard, who was famously known as the human computer. Directed by Anu Menon, this film features Vidya Balan playing Shakuntala Devi, Sanya Malhotra and Amit Sadh playing her daughter and son-in-law. Listen to this review to find out more.
123: Raat Akeli Hai | Anupama Chopra's Review | Radhika Apte | Nawazuddin Siddiqui
July 31, 2020 12:48 - 7 minutes - 6.52 MBRaat Akeli Hai on Netflix India begins as the classic whodunnit – one murder, many suspects. With Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Shweta Tripathi in pivotal roles, debutant director Honey Trehan and writer Smita Singh use the genre conventions to create a horrifying portrait of patriarchy. Listen to this review to find out more.
122: Bulbbul | Anupama Chopra's Review | Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwary | Netflix | Film Companion
June 24, 2020 07:30 - 6 minutes - 5.68 MBPresented by siblings Anushka Sharma-Karnesh Sharma's Clean Slate Films, Bulbbul is the story of a chudail with Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Rahul Bose, Paoli Dam and Parambrata Chattopadhyay in key roles. The directorial debut of Anvita Dutt, this film is about the cruelties of men and the compromises that society forces women to make. You can watch the film on Netflix. #Bulbbul #Netflix #AnushkaSharma
121: Chaman Bahaar | Anupama Chopra's Review | Jitendra Kumar | Netflix
June 19, 2020 05:00 - 6 minutes - 6.16 MBChaman Bahaar, starring Jitendra Kumar and Ritika Badiani, has been written and directed by debutant director Apurva Dhar Badgaiyann. Set in Lormi, a district in Chhattisgarh, this is a story about Billu, a paan seller, who along with some other men in the village, is yearning for Rinku's love. You can watch the film on Netflix.
120: Gulabo Sitabo | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Amitabh Bachchan | Ayushmann Khurrana
June 12, 2020 07:24 - 7 minutes - 6.5 MBThe name Gulabo Sitabo comes from traditional puppet art, in which the two characters quarrel incessantly. Like Gulabo and Sitabo, Mirza and Baankey are always at loggerheads. Directed by Shoojit Sircar and written by Juhi Chaturvedi, the film is a bittersweet study of greed and its consequences. You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
119: Choked | Anupama Chopra's Review | Anurag Kashyap, Saiyami Kher, Roshan Mathew | Netflix India
June 05, 2020 11:43 - 6 minutes - 5.57 MBThe title Choked applies to many things in this film – a pipe, a marriage, a woman’s voice, her life, a society, a country. In the latest Netflix Original film, starring Saiyami Kher and Roshan Mathew, director Anurag Kashyap rolls political critique into a suspense drama about a middle-class woman who discovers that a pipe in her kitchen is spewing cash. Listen to the review to find out more.
119: Chintu Ka Birthday | Anupama Chopra's Review | Vinay Pathak | Tillotama Shome | Zee5
June 05, 2020 11:36 - 4 minutes - 4.42 MBChintu Ka Birthday is a modest film with an outsized heart. Directed by debutant directors Satyanshu Singh and Devanshu Singh, starring Vinay Pathak, Tillotama Shome, Seema Pahwa and Vedant Chibber in the titular role, this is a film brimming with sweetness and innate human decency.Listen to the review to find out more.
118: Ghoomketu | Anupama Chopra's Review | Zee 5 | Nawazuddin Siddiqui | Film Companion
May 22, 2020 04:30 - 5 minutes - 5.3 MBThe story of an outsider in Bollywood isn't exactly new, but writer-director Pushpendra Nath Misra attempts to spice it up by being inventive. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the titular character, with Raghubir Yadav, Ila Arun and Anurag Kashyap in pivotal roles. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review of Ghoomketu to find out more.
117: Paatal Lok | Anupama Chopra's Review | Amazon Prime Video | Film Companion
May 15, 2020 10:40 - 9 minutes - 8.58 MBThe first streaming series by Anushka Sharma's Clean Slate Films, Paatal Lok is a nine-episode series, created by Sudip Sharma, who wrote NH10 and Udta Punjab. It's constructed as an investigative thriller following four killers who tried to kill a journalist. The series features Jaideep Ahlawat, Neeraj Kabi, Abhishek Banerjee and Gul Panag in pivotal roles. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review for more.
116: Mrs. Serial Killer | Anupama Chopra's Review | Jacqueline Fernandez | Netflix
May 02, 2020 14:41 - 5 minutes - 5.17 MBNetflix Original film Mrs. Serial Killer, directed by Shirish Kunder, is a thriller set in an unnamed hill station, with Jacqueline Fernandez, Manoj Bajpayee, Darshan Jariwala and Mohit Raina playing pivotal roles. Listen to Anupama Chopra's review to find out more.
115: Extraction | Anupama Chopra's Review | Chris Hemsworth | Netflix
April 24, 2020 14:32 - 6 minutes - 6.12 MBDoes a white saviour movie become more palatable if the white saviour is Chris Hemsworth? That is the critical question that Extraction presents. Anupama Chopra reviews Netflix's latest release Extraction, also starring Randeep Hooda and Pankaj Tripathi, created by Sam Hargrave and the Russo Brothers.
114: Hasmukh | Anupama Chopra's Review | Vir Das | Netflix India
April 20, 2020 10:18 - 6 minutes - 5.64 MBWith the release of Netflix India's new web series Hasmukh, Anupama Chopra reviews the show, with Vir Das and Ranvir Shorey in lead roles. The show takes us on a journey about a stand-up comic turned murderer. Listen to the review to find out more.
113: Four More Shots Please! | Anupama Chopra's Review | Amazon Prime Video
April 20, 2020 10:10 - 6 minutes - 6.24 MBThis week, Anupama Chopra reviews Amazon Prime Video's Four More Shots Please! Season 2, with Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Bani J and Maanvi Gagroo in the lead roles.
112: Panchayat | Anupama Chopra's Review | TVF | Amazon Prime Video | Jitendra Kumar
April 07, 2020 07:21 - 5 minutes - 4.8 MBA first on video - Anupama Chopra reviews the newly released web series 'Panchayat' streaming on Amazon Prime Video. With great performances by TVF's favourite Jitendra Kumar, and stalwarts like Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta, TVF brings a story rooted in rural India.
111: Angrezi Medium | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Irrfan | Radhika Madan
March 13, 2020 05:30 - 7 minutes - 6.65 MBThe heart of this film and this franchise is Irrfan, who renders with singular elegance, the lunatic love and the ache that a parent feels. But honestly, it’s a pretty convoluted story. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of Angrezi Medium.
110: Kaamyaab | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Sanjay Mishra | Film Companion
March 06, 2020 11:38 - 6 minutes - 5.64 MBSudheer is played by a wonderfully frayed, fumbling, tragi-comic Sanjay Mishra, in writer-director Hardik Mehta's film Kaamyaab. The film brings back the nostalgia with scene recreations from the 70s and 80s, and actors who lived this life, like Avtar Gill, Lilliput, Birbal, Guddi Maruti, and more.
109: Baaghi 3 | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Tiger Shroff | Shraddha Kapoor
March 06, 2020 11:27 - 6 minutes - 5.57 MBBaaghi 3 is an adaptation of the 2012 Tamil film Vettai. Starring the platonic ideal of the Bollywood action hero Tiger Shroff, and Riteish Deshmukh & Shraddha Kapoor, more than action, this film needs a story to hang on to.
108: Thappad | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Taapsee Pannu | Anubhav Sinha
February 27, 2020 13:18 - 6 minutes - 5.68 MBThappad, starring Taapsee Pannu, is the story of a single slap. The beauty is that director Anubhav Sinha, who has co-written the film with Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul, doesn’t tell this story in a strident tone.
107: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Ayushmann Khurrana
February 21, 2020 15:04 - 1 minute - 1.14 MBDebutant director Hitesh Kewalya, who has also written the story, tries valiantly to establish that a same-sex relationship has the same passion, heartache and insecurity. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. #ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan #AyushmannKhurrana #JitendraKumar
106: Bhoot: Part One - The Haunted Ship | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Vicky Kaushal
February 21, 2020 14:08 - 6 minutes - 6.02 MBDebutant director Bhanu Pratap Singh takes the true incident of a cargo ship stranded at Juhu beach in Mumbai and spins a story about why it’s haunted. Here's the movie review by Anupama Chopra. #BhootTheHauntedShip #VickyKaushal #BhumiPednekar
105: Love Aaj Kal | Bollywood Review By Anupama Chopra | Sara Ali Khan, Kartik Aaryan | Film Companion
February 14, 2020 12:54 - 6 minutes - 6.3 MBWritten and directed by #ImtiazAli (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23ImtiazAli) , #LoveAajKal (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%23LoveAajKal) starring Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan is a confounding film about confused people. With this film, Imtiaz who is Hindi cinema’s high priest of romance tries to dive deeper and go darker. He wants to show us the loneliness of pure ambition and the emptiness of hook-up culture. Does the film land? Listen to Anupama Chopra’s ...
104: Jojo Rabbit | Hollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Taika Waititi | Scarlett Johansson
February 01, 2020 07:56 - 6 minutes - 6.08 MBDirector Taika Waititi, who adapted the screenplay from a novel called Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, works a miracle here. Jojo is a 10-year-old boy who lives in a small German town and spends a lot of time chatting with an imaginary buddy – Adolf Hitler.
103: Jawaani Jaaneman | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Saif Ali Khan | Tabu
January 31, 2020 12:21 - 6 minutes - 5.65 MBJawaani Jaaneman is an official adaptation of the 2010 Argentinian comedy Igualita A Mi which means Just Like Me. Somewhere in it is a tender, funny story about parenting, growing up, the importance of family and what a character calls ‘old-school love.’ But director Nitin Kakkar only skims the surface. Watch Anupama Chopra's review of Jawaani Jaaneman.
102: Panga | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Kangana Ranaut | Film Companion
January 24, 2020 11:48 - 7 minutes - 6.57 MBPanga works on the strength of its performances and its writing. Ashwiny, co-writer Nikhil Mehrotra and Nitesh Tiwari, who has been credited with additional screenplay create a lived-in world with characters who have depth and personality. Here is Anupama Chopra's review of the Kangana Ranaut starrer.
101: Street Dancer 3D | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Varun Dhawan | Shraddha Kapoor
January 24, 2020 08:59 - 5 minutes - 5.29 MBStreet Dancer 3D is a master-class in all the incredible things the human body can do. If the script was half as nimble as these gifted people, this film would have been a smash. Sadly, that is not the case. Watch Anupama Chopra's review of Street Dancer 3D, directed by Remo D'Souza, starring Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana and more.
100: Just Mercy | Hollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Jamie Foxx | Brie Larson
January 17, 2020 17:03 - 5 minutes - 5.11 MBJust Mercy is a thoughtful meditation of the nature of compassion and cruelty. It’s a startling reminder that human beings are capable of both extremes. The film has been adapted from the memoir of Bryan Stevenson, a Harvard-trained lawyer, who moved to a small town in Alabama in 1989 to review charges against death row inmates. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of Just Mercy, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
99: 1917 | Hollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Sam Mendes | Benedict Cumberbatch
January 17, 2020 13:10 - 4 minutes - 4.51 MBIn 1917, director and co-writer Sam Mendes, co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns and DOP Roger Deakins deliver a film that combines high impact with high artistry. Lance Corporal Blake, played by Dean-Charles Chapman and Lance Corporal Schofield, played by George MacKay have a youthful bravery that is heart-breaking. Watch Anupama Chopra's review here.
99: Jai Mummy Di | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Film Companion
January 17, 2020 13:10 - 3 minutes - 3.37 MBJai Mummy Di’s only redeeming factor is that it’s short. Genuinely, there is nothing else I can recommend in this film – the acting is bizarre, the writing is sloppy, the plot is incoherent and the background music is so purposefully annoying that you want to weep. Watch Anupama Chopra's review of the film here.
98: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior | Bollywood Movie Review by Anupama Chopra | Ajay Devgn | Kajol
January 10, 2020 10:33 - 6 minutes - 5.65 MBWriter-director Om Raut, co-writer Prakash Kapadia and leading man and co-producer Ajay Devgn seemed to have cracked the formula – Tanhaji, based on the life of Shivaji Maharaj’s lieutenant, is an action movie rolled into an Amar Chitra Katha comic. Here's Anupama Chopra's review of the film.