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.
There is one clever twist in Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga starring Yami Gautam, Sunny Kaushal, and Sharad Kelkar but to get to it you have to sit through a disjointed story that goes back and forth in time – first, the action moves to eight hours ago and then eight months ago. To know more about the film, here's the full review by Anupama Chopra on Reviews and More by Film Companion.
In Bheed, Anubhav revisits the horrors of March 2020, the early months of the pandemic when India went into lockdown. Anubhav and casting director Mukesh Chhabra have put together a superb ensemble cast – apart from Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar, there’s Pankaj Kapur, Ashutosh Rana, Dia Mirza, Aditi Subedi, Aditya Srivastava and Virendra Saxena. To know more about the film, here's the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Gulmohar starring Manoj Bajpayee, Sharmila Tagore, and Amol Palekar begins and ends with a family gathering. There are lines in the film about the fast-changing landscape of Delhi where old bungalows are giving way to skyscrapers. But if strong enough, familial bonds outlast houses. This film gives us the comfort of that. To know more about the movie, Listen to the full movie review of Gulmohar by Anupama Chopra.
What is lost in Lost, on Zee 5, starring Yami Gautam, is not just a human being, but humanity itself. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Steven Spielberg’s new film The Fabelmans starring Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams and Paul Dano is a many splendored thing. For starters, it is the origin myth of the director himself. The film depicts events from Spielberg’s life from 1952 to 1965. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
The film Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat is about two couples – one in London and the other in Dalhousie. Both are played by Alaya F & Karan Mehta. There are differences in class, religion, identity but the barriers they face are the same – bigotry, patriarchy and hate so strong that there is no reasoning with it. Not surprisingly, tragedy strikes but Anurag, always an advocate of revolution, ends on a fiery note with DJ Mohabbat declaring: Mohabbat se hi toh kranti aayegi. Listen to the full ...
With Pathaan, the emperor gets his groove back. From his electrifying introduction scene to the end sequence, in which co-writer and director Siddharth Anand tips his hat to three decades of stardom Shah Rukh commands the frame. Pathaan stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Ashutosh Rana and Dimple Kapadia. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Mission Majnu starring Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandanna begins with the declaration that it is inspired by true events. If we believe the events in this film, we have to conclude that Pakistan, in the mid-seventies, was run by men who could all fit under one label - Dumb and Dumber. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
In Chhatriwali, starring Rakul Preet Singh, Sumeet Vyas, Satish Kaushik, Dolly Ahluwalia, and Rajesh Tailang, writers Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Srivastava are so keen to make their Let’s-talk-about-sex messaging land that the plot slowly veers into the absurd. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam starring Mammootty, Ramya Pandian & Ashokan, is Tamil for an afternoon nap. It’s the title of the new film by Lijo Jose Pellissery, one of Malayalam cinema’s most inventive and invigorating filmmakers– his earlier films include Jallikattu, India’s entry for the Oscars in 2019. Lijo is often referred to as the master of chaos. But this film is a departure – it’s quieter and more still. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
To the already busy plot in Cirkus, director Rohit Shetty & the writers add half a dozen characters, a superhuman ability for one twin to endure electric currents, which somehow transfers to the other twin even though he lives in another town, love interests who crowd the frame without adding much value and a larger philosophical debate about nature versus nurture. Apart from being an oversized entertainer, Cirkus also wants to advocate for tolerance and inclusivity. It’s a noble thought but...
When a sequel arrives 13 years after the first film, no matter how much of a blockbuster that first film was, the question is: do we still care? James Cameron doesn’t give us a choice. To know more about the movie, here's the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Govinda Naam Mera ends with someone giving a lengthy explanation of how the pieces of the puzzle fit together but frankly by that time I was past caring. I was missing Karan Johar’s installment in Lust Stories, which was the first time we saw Vicky and Kiara together. That 33-minute short is way more fun than this film. To know more about the movie, here's the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Salaam Venky is based on a book called The Last Hurrah by Shrikant Murthy, which itself was based on the life of a young chess player named Kolavennu Venkatesh who suffered from DMD. To know more about the movie, check the review by Anupama Chopra.
First with Bulbbul and now with Qala starring Tripti Dimri, Swastika Mukherjee, Varun Grover, Swanand Kirkire, and Babil Khan, writer-director Anvitaa Dutt continues to carve her own sub-genre – perhaps we can label it the feminist fantastical.
Wonder Women directed by Anjali Menon stars Nadiya Moidu, Nithya Menen, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Sayanora Philip, Archana Padmini, and Amruta Subhash. The story revolves around women, who come from different circumstances and varied socio-economic backgrounds and find a way to connect and support each other at a particularly bewildering and overwhelming time in their lives. The film is dedicated to “the sisterhoods that support us.” Here's the full review by Anupama Chopra....
How much plot can you fit into one film? I don’t think that writer-director duo Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan paused to ask that question while making Yashoda starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu as a lead. Listen to Anupama Chopra's full review here.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a curious contradiction. The opening and closing sequences of Wakanda Forever will make your heart ache. But at two hours and forty-one minutes, this is also one of the longest films in the MCU. To know more about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra on Film Companion.
Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, and Sikandar Kher starring Monica, O My Darling is directed by Vasan Bala who uses the phrase Monica, O My Darling and the song as scaffolding for a twisted tale of lust, blackmail, murder, greed, jealousy, class conflict, and corruption. Listen to the the full review by Anupama Chopra only on Film Companion.
Phone Bhoot starring Katrina Kaif, Siddhant Chaturvedi & Ishaan Khatter and directed by Gurmmeet Singh is one of those comedies in which the makers throw everything at the screen, desperately hoping that something sticks. Keep listening for the full review.
Ram Setu should have been a thrilling yarn. Instead, it’s an eye-glazing opportunity lost. Listen to Anupama Chopra's full review here.
Goodbye belongs to a particular sub-genre – funeral films. I’m sure you’ve seen one before. A member of a family dies, which causes the extended family to gather. To know more about this black comedy-drama, here's the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Maja Ma is a tender, emotionally resonant story of a middle-aged married woman who slowly makes peace with the fact that she is a lesbian. Pallavi Patel played by Madhuri Dixit makes Maja Ma even more striking. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Ponniyin Selvan: I is the first in a two-part series, based on a five-volume novel written by Kalki, directed by Mani Ratnam. To know more about the PS: I, here's the full review by Anupama Chopra.
How much you enjoy Vikram Vedha starring Hrithik Roshan & Saif Ali Khan is directly dependent on how much you have already enjoyed Vikram Vedha. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Chup: Revenge of the Artist directed by R. Balki starring Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, Shreya Dhanwanthary & Pooja Bhatt is a suspenseful slasher film, a swoony romance, and a serious meditation on the contentious relationship between critics and artists.
Siya starring Vineet Kumar Singh and Pooja Pandey is the directorial debut of Manish Mundra – a name you might know from terrific, left-of-mainstream films such as Ankhon Dekhi, Masaan, Newton, and Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
Jogi starring Diljit Dosanjh directed by Ali Abbas Zafar takes place over three harrowing days in and around Delhi after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 31st October 1984. Into the larger socio-political tragedy unfolding, writer Ali and Sukhmani weave in a thread of personal revenge. To know more about the Jogi, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra on Film Companion.
There is oodles of talent, money, and sweat in every frame of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva directed by Ayan Mukerji, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna & Mouni Roy. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra on Film Companion.
Cuttputlli starring Akshay Kumar, Rakul Preet Singh & Sargun Mehta is a low-IQ retread with moments taken from classics like The Shining and Psycho. To know more about the film, listen to the full review by Anupama Chopra.
