Shubhra Gupta is film critic and senior columnist with the Indian Express. She watches world cinema for delectation, Hollywood for fun, and Bollywood for work. She has a huge capacity to sit through terrible Bollywood movies, but no patience at all with bad Hollywood. And world cinema has to be really cutting edge to grab her attention, and keep it. When she began reviewing, over 20 years ago, people would commiserate and say, “oh, you poor thing, you have to watch Hindi cinema”. But soon, Bollywood became cool, cool, cool. So now she hears this more often “oh my god, you watch Bollyood films, can you introduce me to Shah Rukh Khan”? No, she can’t, sorry, though she can vouch for the fact that he is really sharp and good fun in conversation. But what she can do, and has done week after week, month after month, year after year, without a break, is to lead you into the magical world of movies, and share her experiences of watching all those hundreds of films over the years. In her reviews and columns, she lets you into what she likes, and doesn’t, and invites you to be bewitched. And to know how to choose between the good ones and the turkeys, and how you can take away something from even the really ghastly ones. Because life is a movie, isn’t it? Bahut picture baaki hain, mere dost.

November 28, 2025 14:05 IST
Gustakh Ishq movie review: Vijay Varma and Naseeruddin Shah's performances make you look, Vishal Bhardwaj–Gulzar's music is sublime, and both needed a better film.
Fri, Nov 28, 2025
November 28, 2025 08:03 IST
As Covid changed the world, fantastic shows such as Panchayat and Pataal Lok trumped films, setting the narrative for what was to come.
Fri, Nov 28, 2025
November 27, 2025 08:56 IST
2019 saw an OTT boom -- The Family Man, Delhi Crime, Made in Heaven and Gullak -- starting a fight for eyeballs between theatres and streaming platforms.
Thu, Dec 04, 2025
November 26, 2025 08:41 IST
Sacred Games was a watershed in the year of a handful of well-told hits rose above the general dross, which was topped by the so bad it's terrible Thugs Of Hindostan (Aamir Khan), with Anand L Rai’s Zero (Shah Rukh Khan) coming a close second.
Wed, Nov 26, 2025
November 25, 2025 21:04 IST
25 years of Indian Cinema | Of the other big hits--Tiger Zinda Hai, Golmaal, Raees, Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Secret Superstar, Kaabil, Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya, Judwa 2-- only Toilet claimed difference in its plot point.
Tue, Nov 25, 2025
November 24, 2025 14:48 IST
Action hero, romantic icon, comic genius, before Amitabh Bachchan's Angry Young Man, there was Dharmendra, who could fight, flirt, and joke -- all in one frame
Mon, Nov 24, 2025
November 23, 2025 16:44 IST
Sultan is that rare Salman Khan outing which actually submits to a plot. This is not just Bhaigiri, but being a character, in which he fails, falls, and gets up again, showing us the sweat and blood that goes into winning.
Sun, Nov 23, 2025
November 22, 2025 16:34 IST
25 years of Indian Cinema: Zoya Akhtar’s 2015 Dil Dhadakne Do was yet another poor-little-rich-people drama that the director excelled at before she rolled over into more egalitarian ground with Gully Boy.
Sat, Nov 22, 2025
November 21, 2025 18:55 IST
Mastii 4 movie review: Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani-starrer Mastii 4 has zero laughs and non-stop cringe.
Fri, Nov 21, 2025
November 21, 2025 13:56 IST
120 Bahadur movie review: Farhan Akhtar plays Major Shaitan Singh Bhati with brio, and the film brings a lump to the throat, and a tear to the eye.
Fri, Nov 21, 2025
November 21, 2025 09:11 IST
The Family Man 3 review: Manoj Bajpayee is still the beating heart of the show, as is Sharib Hashmi as his trusty second-in-command; Priyamani continues to be as watchable too.
Fri, Nov 21, 2025
November 20, 2025 15:08 IST
Amid Kick, Bang Bang, Singham Returns, Holiday, Happy New Year and Ek Villain -- only PK stood tall for its freshness.
Thu, Nov 20, 2025
November 19, 2025 08:12 IST
If I were to pick one film which changed the game in terms of a wider overseas release, it was Ritesh Batra’s Lunchbox, an unlikely romance between two lonely souls starring Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur.
Wed, Nov 19, 2025
November 18, 2025 08:06 IST
Not Ek Tha Tiger and Rowdy Rathore, 2012 belonged to Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar), Shoojit Sircar (Vicky Donor), Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and 2), Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish, and Sujoy Ghosh (Kahaani).
Tue, Nov 18, 2025
November 17, 2025 10:50 IST
25 Years of Indian Cinema: A handful of non-starry films defined 2011. The top of the pops were Delhi Belly, and Pyaar Ka Punchnama even though big films and big stars kept their date with audience in theatres.
Mon, Nov 17, 2025
November 15, 2025 20:13 IST
Amid Dabanggs and My Name is Khan, it was the smaller-budget indie-spirited films which gave us real joy.
Sat, Nov 15, 2025
November 15, 2025 16:29 IST
The Russian filmmaker on making a film about his famous filmmaker father, his search for truth and how Russian films answer the deeper questions of life
Sat, Nov 15, 2025
November 14, 2025 18:24 IST
The Running Man movie review: Donald Trump’s America hews scarily close to the fictional universe of the Running Man, as do other parts of the world, including our own.
Fri, Nov 14, 2025
November 14, 2025 17:59 IST
Agra movie review: Kanu Behl uses sex both as rancid fantasy and liberation in tightly-contested small-town spaces, and for just that Agra becomes a film you cannot dismiss.
Fri, Nov 14, 2025
November 14, 2025 11:07 IST
De De Pyaar De 2 movie review: R Madhavan’s loving-dad-who-will-do-anything-to-protect-his-daughter is the real star of part 2, just like Shaitaan, the last film Devgn and Madhavan had done together.
Fri, Nov 14, 2025
November 14, 2025 08:06 IST
Luck by Chance became a touchstone of making a film about making films; Dev D retold that classic sorry-for-himself-desi-lover boy's story and Ranbir Kapoor delivered two of his memorable performances.
Mon, Nov 17, 2025
November 13, 2025 15:53 IST
Delhi Crime 3 review: Huma Qureshi as tough-as-nails Badi Didi adds freshness to the show and we are happy to meet our old friends, Shefali Shah's redoubtable Madam Sir returning with her team of cops.
Fri, Nov 14, 2025
November 13, 2025 08:06 IST
The year that gave us Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Jodha Akbar, Dostana and Ghajini, and Rs 100 crore hits.
Mon, Nov 17, 2025
November 12, 2025 16:03 IST
With Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om, the year belonged to Shah Rukh Khan. Film-lovers also got to feast on Jab We Met, Black Friday, Taare Zameen Par, Bheja Fry, Ek Chalis ki Last Local and that gem, The namesake.
Mon, Nov 17, 2025
November 11, 2025 08:08 IST
2006 had a problem of plenty with Omkara, Rang De Basanti, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Dhoom 2 and Shah Rukh Khan appearing in two diametrically different films.
Mon, Nov 17, 2025



