The Long Take with Akhil, Rohan & Devika

In Dorothy—the new Tamil film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj—what begins as a familiar rural gangster story seamlessly shifts genres into a sensitive exploration of a transgender woman embracing her true identity.We discuss how the film deliberately contrasts the suffocating, patriarchal toxicity of its village setting in the first half with a liberating, nature-filled journey in the second. We praise Subbaraj for defying the harmful “bury your gays” trope, allowing the protagonist to find a hopeful and positive resolution rather than facing the usual cinematic tragedy.However, we critique the film’s heavy-handed and preachy dialogue, particularly during a pivotal mountaintop scene where the characters feel more like directorial mouthpieces delivering social commentary than lifelong friends expressing their genuine feelings.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 is a thoroughly unhinged and deeply misogynistic sequel that trades a coherent plot for a never-ending parade of celebrity cameos and slow-motion walking. The film’s baffling second half transforms Rajinikanth’s character into a CIA-level director operating at Fast & Furious levels of absurdity.We discuss the frustratingly low bar for mass masala entertainers, particularly the script's reliance on outdated male gaze tropes, item songs, and bizarrely exposing costumes for female fighters. Additionally, we poke holes in the film’s 1960s-era James Bond villain logic, where antagonists willingly explain their plans.We also wonder if the franchise has completely lost its emotional core, relying entirely on its addictive background music and an Om Shanti Om-style conveyor belt of guest stars to keep audiences engaged.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar is a frustratingly illogical police procedural that ruins an engaging premise by burying it under an avalanche of unearned twists.We discuss the film’s baffling disregard for realism, which repeatedly sacrifices basic police procedures just to serve its protagonist. We also talk about how the script bends backwards to transform Parvathy’s rookie character into an infallible mastermind, leading to absurd narrative leaps.Additionally, we point out how underdeveloped the entire cast feels, including the dull characterisation of Vijayaraghavan’s lead investigator.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, the new Malayalam film starring Nivin Pauly, is a brilliantly localised, laugh-out-loud rom-com that has become the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of all time.We discuss the film’s respectfully handled age-gap romance, praising how the narrative gives Mamitha’s character the agency to initiate the relationship. We also dive into director Girish A.D.’s masterful visual storytelling, Nivin Pauly’s triumphant return to his “boy-next-door” roots, and the highly specific cultural context of Angamaly church units that grounds the humour.Along the way, we highlight the film’s hilarious reliance on Kerala meme culture—including the brilliant meta-casting of the “Convincing Star”—and applaud the genius marketing stunt where the film was jokingly promoted as the “behind-the-scenes footage” for a short released on YouTube.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Don’t Be Shy, the new Prime Video original movie directed by Sreeti Mukerji and produced by Alia Bhatt, is a coming-of-age drama that fundamentally undercooks its characters.We discuss how the film’s bloated, two-hour-plus runtime wastes the potential of its unlikable protagonist and buries meaningful character development under unnecessary musical numbers and low-stakes college fest drama. We also talk about the frustratingly dated, millennial-coded writing that relies on tired “gym bro” tropes, superficial relationships, and corporate internship aspirations.Along the way, we lament the underutilisation of Kunaal Roy Kapur’s professor character, question the afterthought inclusion of chapter markers, and wonder when Bollywood will finally level up to the standard of Hollywood coming-of-age films from the 2000s, let alone the modern era.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Lust Stories 3, the new Netflix anthology featuring films from Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra, and Vishal Bhardwaj, is an uneven collection that mostly wastes its stellar ensemble cast.We discuss the frustratingly derivative nature of Batra’s divorce drama, Rao’s contrived thriller complete with an unnecessary twist, Motwane’s confused exploration of partner swapping, and Bhardwaj’s whimsical 1980s segment. We also talk about the anthology’s inability to tell a grounded slice-of-life story without shoehorning in extreme dramatic plot devices.Along the way, we question why Netflix forces these disconnected shorts together into a single movie instead of releasing them as television episodes.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Instead of a gritty, remorseful gangster saga, Toxic is an exhausting 194-minute ego trip for its lead star, Yash.We discuss the clash of visions between director Geetu Mohandas’s attempt at an emotional father-son remorse drama and Yash’s demand for high-octane KGF-style star worship. Naturally, the film collapses under the weight of its conflicting ambitions.We also talk about the baffling visual language, its performative gender dynamics, and the claustrophobic close-ups that make a ₹500 crore budget look like cheap AI slop.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

After the success of Amar Singh Chamkila, Imtiaz Ali returns with Main Vaapas Aaunga—a film that desperately wants to build a timeless love story, but forgets to make its lead characters believable.We discuss the movie’s sanitised and one-dimensional depiction of Partition trauma, the bizarre inclusion of stand-up comedy monologues, and question Ali’s “political reawakening”.Along the way, we talk about the disastrous casting of lead actor Vedang Raina, how the film treats historical trauma like a Wikipedia checklist, and why Naseeruddin Shah effortlessly outclasses everyone despite being bedridden.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey serves as a massive anti-war critique of the insatiable appetites of men and the erosion of trust.From useless suitors to disgraced conquerors, and from Agamemnon’s bloody fate to the dishonour trailing Odysseus’ crew everywhere they go, the film isn’t subtle about its themes.We also talk about the terrifyingly atmospheric hell scene, contrast the stunning visual spectacle with its rushed pacing in parts, and question why the dialogue swings wildly between cryptic symbolism and super basic hand-holding.—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Satluj traces the long battle human rights activist Jaswant Singh Kalra fought to uncover the insidious violence embedded in ’90s Punjab—and just like its protagonist, the biopic too fought its own battle to release.We discuss Honey Trehan’s documentary-like realism, the film’s uncompromising, eerie atmosphere, and its uncompromising visuals of dread and fear that establish the sheer horror of police brutality—including a scene that rivals Inglourious Basterds in pure tension.We also debate the film’s sharp tonal pivot into a police procedural, the decision to show Khalra’s torture, as well as the characterisation of the titular figure—does Satluj do a good job of separating the man from the myth?—Hosted by Akhil Arora and Devika Sreekumar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Gaana, JioSaavn, Overcast, Pandora, RadioPublic, iHeart Radio, YouTube Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Follow The Long Take on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].