Review 
Ananthan Kaadu review: great frames, familiar fight
Jiyen Krishnakumar and Murali Gopy reunite for a 1990s Trivandrum gangster saga with striking early set pieces, but the revenge plot runs out of road. 3.25/5.
★★★ ★★
Reviews
Films watched closely. Praise where it lands, push-back where it's earned — never the trade-press shrug.
Review 
Balan - The Boy review: Chidambaram's haunting swerve
Chidambaram follows Manjummel Boys with a stranger, lonelier film: a mother and son outrunning their past by becoming new people. Farzana Palathingal is superb.
★★★ ★★ ★
Review 
Engal Thangam review: Samantha is the gold here
Samantha takes the Baasha mass-hero template and flips it, fronting a saree-clad action drama that's fun when she's onscreen and slack when she isn't.
★★★ ★★
Review 
Valluvan review: a sharp hook, a blunt thriller
A serial killer leaves Thirukkural verses on each victim, a sharp hook Shankar Sarathi never builds into a coherent thriller. The quiet scenes fare better.
★★ ★★ ★★
Review 
Charukesi review: a tender swansong that plays it safe
Y Gee Mahendra is extraordinary as a Carnatic singer losing his memory to Alzheimer's. Deva's score does the rest. The writing keeps playing it safe. 3/5.
★★★ ★★
Review 
Peddi review: Ram Charan goes the distance
Buchi Babu Sana's sports drama saunters before it soars, but Ram Charan's career-best turn and a gut-punch finale make Peddi worth the wait.
★★★ ★★
Review 
Samharam review: one house, one night, no payoff
Ram Prabha traps a houseful of killers under one roof for a single night, then lets a promising setup loop into tedium. Prajin stays watchable.
Review 
Kattalan review: all swagger and no stakes
Paul George's ivory-smuggling actioner from the Marco stable looks great and hits hard, but its over-the-top gang wars never feel real enough to land. 2.5/5.
★★ ★★ ★★
Review 
Blast review: Arjun's comeback, Preity's breakout
Subash K Raj's debut drops a middle-class karate family into John Wick territory. Arjun steps back, Preity Mukundhan takes over, and it mostly works. 3.5/5.
★★★ ★★ ★
Review 
Karuppu review: Suriya in god mode rewards the room
RJ Balaji builds a whole film around himself before Suriya walks in. The first half earns its patience; the second leans on spectacle. 3.5/5.
★★★ ★★ ★
Review 
Room Boy Review: Back Half Does the Heavy Lifting
Room Boy review: Jagan Rayan's debut thriller rides a strong hook into a better second half, after a first half that tests patience.
Review 
Love Insurance Kompany: rom-com with a sci-fi coat and Anirudh’s playlist
An app that tells you who to love, when to break up, and how much your heartbreak is worth in insurance premiums. On paper, that's a Charlie Kaufman script. Vignesh Shivan's LIK makes it a rom-com instead, and the gamble mostly pays off.
★★★ ★★