Santanu Das is an entertainment journalist and film critic at Hindustan Times. He writes on films, TV and celebrity culture.
Articles by Santanu Das
All India Rank movie review: Varun Grover makes a tender, crowd-pleasing debut
All India Rank sees writer-lyricist Varun Grover working with an exhausted coming-of-age tale and turning it into an earnest, heartfelt experience.
Updated on Feb 23, 2024 02:17 PM IST
Happy Birthday Aishwarya Rai: Iconic songs that do justice to her beauty
Here's a list of unforgettable songs featuring the luminous actor and dancer, who turns 50 today.
Published on Nov 01, 2023 06:18 AM IST
Agra review: The boldest, most vital film of the year
Agra review: Playing at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Kanu Behl's second feature is a definitive conversation-starter.
Published on Oct 31, 2023 12:44 PM IST
Agra director Kanu Behl: 'It is not a matter of the audience's taste or need'
Director Kanu Behl talks about the process of making and casting Agra, and shares why he hopes the film is able to turn the audience's gaze inwards.
Published on Oct 30, 2023 01:15 PM IST
Koffee with Karan season 8 opens with less gossip, more warmth
Karan Johar was in tears after watching the wedding video of Ranveer and Deepika in Koffee with Karan S8. His honest confession was also the show's highlight.
Published on Oct 26, 2023 06:45 PM IST
The Other Zoey review: Josephine Langford anchors delightful romantic comedy
The Other Zoey review: Awkward meet-cutes, and predictable opposites attract? Note, how they all come together in this witty and warm film about compatibility.
Published on Oct 20, 2023 03:15 PM IST
Maggie Moore(s) review: Jon Hamm Tina Fey deserve more in clueless crime comedy
Maggie Moore(s) struggles to move past its incongruent tone to offer any new light into solving the case of two murder victims with the same name.
Published on Oct 20, 2023 10:27 AM IST
Smita Patil: 5 essential performances of the trailblazing actor
On the birth anniversary of Smita Patil, take a look at 5 notable roles of one of the finest and most accomplished actors in the history of Indian cinema.
Published on Oct 17, 2023 11:14 AM IST
Sultan of Delhi review: Tahir Raj Bhasin cannot redeem formulaic gangster drama
Sultan of Delhi review: Director Milan Luthria's OTT debut set in post-partition Mumbai is filled with outlandish clichés and little intrigue.
Published on Oct 14, 2023 03:25 PM IST
Mumbai Diaries Season 2 review: Crowded series barely manages to stay afloat
Mumbai Diaries Season 2, set during the devastating Mumbai floods, brings back familiar characters played by Mohit Raina and Konkona Sen Sharma among others.
Published on Oct 06, 2023 10:04 AM IST
The Rat Catcher review: Wes Anderson cunningly adapts Roald Dahl short story
The Rat Catcher review: Wes Anderson doesn't trade off easy answers in adapting this Roald Dahl story, starring Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade and Rupert Friend.
Published on Oct 02, 2023 02:59 PM IST
The Swan review: Wes Anderson short is a compact gem of perfection
The Swan review: Wes Anderson thoughtfully adapts this Roald Dahl short story about cruelty and the loss of innocence.
Published on Oct 01, 2023 02:15 PM IST
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar review: Wes Anderson at his delightful best
Wes Anderson's The Wonderful Life of Henry Sugar sees Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley and Richard Ayoade in more than one role.
Published on Oct 01, 2023 06:15 AM IST
Cassandro director reveals how Gael García Bernal came onboard the film
In an exclusive interview, director Roger Ross Williams shared how he first came to know about Cassandro and that one film reference which was important to him.
Published on Sep 21, 2023 06:12 AM IST
Leonardo DiCaprio to Cillian Murphy: Who's leading the Best Actor race to Oscars
Let's take a look at the Best Actor race for the Oscars, with predictions heating up after the fall festival premieres.
Published on Sep 15, 2023 06:41 PM IST
Kaala review: Intelligence has left the building in Bejoy Nambiar's new series
Kaala review: An Intelligence officer has to solve a massive case of money laundering that turns out to be little more than an empty, disorienting misfire.
Published on Sep 15, 2023 01:49 PM IST
Emma Stone to Sandra Hüller: Decoding the Best Actress frontrunner to the Oscars
Let's take a look at the Best Actress race for the Oscars after the end of fall festivals, which is turning out to be the most competitive in recent years.
Published on Sep 11, 2023 01:52 PM IST
Sitting in Bars with Cake review: A resonant tale of friendship and loss
Sitting in Bars with Cake review: Another entry in the classic cancer tearjerker that shakily offers just the right amount of sweetness.
Published on Sep 09, 2023 03:37 PM IST
Anurag Kashyap, director Akshat Ajay Sharma talk trans representation in Haddi
Anurag Kashyap, who stars in Haddi, shared that when he was searching for trans actors for the part of Kukoo in Sacred Games, no one was ready to play the part.
Published on Sep 06, 2023 07:53 PM IST
10 films premiering at the 2023 Venice Film Festival that we can't wait to watch
New titles from Wes Anderson to David Fincher, Sofia Coppola to Ava DuVernay, here are 10 picks from the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival.
Published on Sep 01, 2023 02:38 PM IST
Scam 2003 The Telgi Story review: Show lacks the daring of Gagan Dev Riar
Scam 2003: The Telgi Story review: The first five episodes of the second installment in the Scam franchise focus on the rise of Abdul Karim Telgi.
Updated on Sep 01, 2023 02:25 PM IST
Taali review: Sushmita Sen tries her best to rescue one-note biographical drama
Taali review: Created by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk Nishandar, JioCinema's new series Taali sees Sushmita Sen essay trans activist Shreegauri Sawant.
Updated on Aug 15, 2023 11:55 AM IST
Red, White & Royal Blue review: Royal romance is far too safe and predictable
Red, White & Royal Blue review: Based on Casey McQuiston's novel, this royal fairytale makes the son of the US president and a British prince fall in love.
Updated on Aug 11, 2023 01:57 PM IST
The Jengaburu Curse review: Noble intentions cannot save this rushed drama
The Jengaburu Curse review: Helmed by Nila Madhav Panda, the series details tribal displacement and institutional corruption with the design of a thriller.
Published on Aug 09, 2023 01:37 PM IST
Red, White and Royal Blue director Matthew López on that coming out scene
In a chat with Hindustan Times, Matthew López shared how he cannot imagine the film without its two leading actors Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine.
Published on Aug 07, 2023 06:15 AM IST
Heartstopper season 2 review: Queer teen love story lacks bite
Heartstopper Season 2 review: Nick and Charlie are back at Truham High, with friends for company. Filled with earnest delights, the show stays safe to a fault.
Published on Aug 06, 2023 01:52 PM IST
The Hunt for Veerappan review: A riveting docuseries that will leave you shaken
The Hunt for Veerappan: Helmed by Selvamani Selvaraj, the new Netflix docuseries delves deep into the manhunt of the brigand Veerappan.
Published on Aug 04, 2023 02:51 PM IST
Barbie is everything but she's not anti-Ken, just about male fragility
Greta Gerwig's Barbie wears its feminist resolve wrapped under its delightfully pink meta-commentary. Its bitter aim is only directed at patriarchy.
Published on Jul 24, 2023 06:55 AM IST
Bawaal review: The most insensitive film of the year is here
Bawaal movie review: Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor star in the Nitesh Tiwari film, where horrors of World War II are re-imagined to save a crumbling marriage.
Published on Jul 21, 2023 11:29 AM IST
The Trial review: Kajol's OTT debut serves no pyaar, some kanoon, lots of dhokha
The Trial - Pyaar Kaanoon Dhokha review: Expect loud background music and a total lack of nuance in this show starring Kajol and Jisshu Sengupta.
Published on Jul 14, 2023 07:55 PM IST