Debutant Advaith Nair's Chatha Pacha brings desi pro-wrestling to Kochi with nostalgic WWF/WWE references and entertaining in-ring action. Arjun Ashokan, Roshan Matthew, and Vishak Nair lead as trainees turned wrestlers, with Vedhika Sreekumar shining as Rosamma. Strengths include crisp editing, effective music, and striking visuals capturing wrestling spectacle. Weaknesses lie in faltering drama, underdeveloped conflicts, and underutilized characters, leaving the film uneven. It earns credit for fun costume wrestling presentation but struggles to balance entertainment and emotional impact.

Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme transforms a 1950s table tennis hustler's story into a delirious, high-stakes spiral of obsession and survival. Timothée Chalamet delivers a magnetic, physically committed performance as Marty Mauser, a fast-talking Jewish schemer with delusions of grandeur. The film ricochets through cultural satire, provocation, erotic detours, and vulnerability, refusing traditional sports biopic tropes. Strengths include its audacious momentum and tender moments amid chaos; weaknesses lie in its exhausting intensity and lack of clarity. Gwyneth Paltrow's perceptive supporting role sharpens the narrative. Overall, it's a marvelously reckless cinematic experience exploring ego and self-awareness.

28 Years Later: Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Ralph Fiennes as Dr Ian Kelson, Jack O'Connell as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal, and Alfie Williams as Spike, is rated 3.5/5 for humanising horror in a violent sequel shifting focus from zombies to human conflict, fanaticism, and resilience. Strengths include DaCosta's kinetic direction, stellar performances, unpredictable tone, and exploration of meaning in tragedy symbolised by the bone temple ossuary. Weaknesses minimal, though zombie departure may surprise franchise fans. The film is a fierce tender triumph for British horror, powerful middle chapter in trilogy.

Rahu Ketu, directed by Vipul Vig and starring Pulkit Samrat as Ketu and Varun Sharma as Rahu, attempts a mythological action-comedy reimagining Rahu and Ketu as benevolent divine brothers tasked with eradicating corruption in Himachal Pradesh. The non-linear narrative involves a mysterious writer whose diary manifests reality, but the film is criticized as an "exhausting mess" with weak writing, confused mythology, vague conflict, and incoherent climax. Strengths include the lush Himachal setting and leads' chemistry; weaknesses dominate with undercooked characters, stereotype treatment of the state as drug-infested chaos, and wasted supporting cast like Piyush Mishra and Chunky Pandey. Shalini Pandey's role feels purposeless. The verdict calls it a misfire unworthy of theatrical viewing, collapsing under narrative issues despite postcard frames and erratic banter charm.

Naari Naari Naduma Murari, starring Sharwanand and Agastya Naresh with Sakshi Vaidya and Samyuktha, is a smartly written comedy praised for situational humor, strong performances especially father-son duo timing, emotional depth clean entertainment. Strengths include laugh riots self-aware satire relatable characters; weaknesses predictability pacing dips second half repetition. Debut director Ram Abbaraju crafts fresh core idea conflict circumstance timing emotional baggage. Background score playful songs average. It's a solid family entertainer consistent humor no heavy drama suitable weekend viewing.

Anaganaga Okka Raju, starring Naveen Polishetty with Meenakshi Chaudhary, Rao Ramesh, and supporting cast, is a rural comedy drama praised for clean wholesome humor accessible all ages without vulgarity. Strengths include laugh-out-loud moments, emotional twists, strong performances especially Polishetty's comeback energy. Weaknesses are predictable plot holes, flawed screenplay dialogue editing abrupt cuts. Directed by Vijay Kumar Konda with Naveen co-writing, music by Mickey J Meyer energetic but not lasting. It's a light festive entertainer ideal Sankranthi family viewing delivering laughs warmth despite narrative familiarity.

Vaa Vaathiyaar, directed by Nalan Kumarasamy and starring Karthi, is a quirky comedy-superhero drama rated for its fascinating concept but criticized for not matching the promise. Karthi delivers a committed performance emulating MGR mannerisms in a story of corrupt cop transformation. Strengths include engaging first half, interval hook, and emotional moments; weaknesses are rushed climax, underutilised characters like Krithi Shetty's Wu, and songs disrupting momentum. Santhosh Narayanan's score elevates key sequences. It's enjoyable due to Karthi but disappointing in execution for Pongal release.

Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignapthi, starring Ravi Teja with Dimple Hayathi and Ashika Ranganath, is a comedy entertainer criticized for tired humour, regressive theme, and thin storyline. Ravi Teja's energy shines in patches, but dialogue-driven gags feel outdated, and the climax justifies cheating with problematic logic. Directed by Kishore Tirumala, it's marginally better than recent misfires but a missed Sankranthi opportunity with low laughs and no narrative depth.

Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, directed by Anil Ravipudi and starring Chiranjeevi with Nayanthara, is a family entertainer rated 3/5. Chiranjeevi shines in his most relaxed performance in years as a security officer navigating a broken marriage. Strengths include engaging first half comedy, tight editing, and Venkatesh cameo delight. Weaknesses are logic gaps, stretched second half, routine villain, and uneven visuals. It's a safe watchable comeback party for Chiranjeevi fans, prioritizing humour over depth.

Parasakthi, directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad and starring Sivakarthikeyan, Atharvaa, and Sreeleela, is a hard-hitting period drama set against 1965 anti-Hindi protests in Tamil Nadu. Rated 3/5, it explores youth uprising against language imposition through emotional arcs and strong dialogues. Strengths include political relevance, performances, and music; weaknesses are abrupt transitions and pacing issues. The film resonates with contemporary debates on unity vs uniformity, making it emotionally and politically charged for Pongal release audiences.