Gandhi Talks (2026)- A Silent Movie

 Gandhi Talks (2026) is a silent dark-humor film starring Vijay Sethupathi and Arvind Swamy that explores themes of greed, corruption, and the struggles of the common man in Mumbai. The movie follows an unemployed man and a bankrupt businessman whose lives intersect, highlighting moral dilemmas and the relevance of honesty in a money-driven world.

The title itself is a satirical reference to the storyline's theme. Anyone looking at the title may assume that the movie is about Gandhi's talks. But it is not so. The currency notes bear Gandhi's emblem, and the movie's title refers to the power of those currency notes in getting jobs done.

Significant aspects of the film include: 

• Silence Narrative: As a silent film, the story relies entirely on visual acting, gestures, and a musical score provided by A.R. Rahman. 

• Characters & Plot: Mahadev (Vijay Sethupathi) is an honest, needy man who encounters Mohan (Arvind Swamy), a wealthy tycoon facing a sudden downfall. The story explores how their desperate situations compel them toward unlikely, often morally ambiguous decisions. 

• Satire & Themes: The film highlights the irony of a society that values money over human life and moral principles. The conflict of emotions towards morality and helplessness drives the entire storyline. 

• Reception: While commended for its experimental approach and the performances, reviews have been mixed on whether the silent format successfully maintains engagement throughout the 141-minute runtime.

The film focuses on the idea that "not every story needs words" to highlight the struggles and choices of the average person.

I liked the film for the actors' exquisite performances, which brought their roles to life with perfect and appealing precision. The title "Gandhi Talks" was commendable. Any other title would not have done that appeal.

What are Stoner Movies & A List of Stoner Movies

 A stoner movie is a subgenre of comedy film where the plot and themes revolve primarily around the recreational use of marijuana and cannabis culture. This culture evolves around a similarly interested group of people. The weed consumption is done for pleasure, relaxation, and sensory enjoyment.

The word "Stoner" is used here to refer to the audience or characters under the influence of marijuana.

It is important to note the difference between "Stoner Movies" and "Movies for Stoners".

Stoner Films have weed consumption as a central, explicit theme and plot device. 

Films for Stoners are movies (that may not be about cannabis but are considered particularly) made for an audience interested in watching while under the influence of cannabis due to their visuals, music, or general "vibe", and sensual appeals.

Key Characteristics of Stoner Movies 

These films generally feature characters who are regular cannabis (marijuana) users ("stoners") and focus on their absurd, laid-back adventures, often involving a quest for more marijuana, food, or evading authority.

• Cannabis-Centric Plots: The core narrative usually involves the procurement, use, or consequences of using cannabis. The substance serves as a main driver of the story and comedic situations. 

• Buddy Film Dynamic: Protagonists are often a pair of friends, a dynamic established by the pioneering duo Cheech & Chong in their 1978 film Up in Smoke. 

• Irreverent and Absurd Humor: The humor often leans into the "hazy, hilarious high" associated with cannabis, featuring surreal comedy, witty banter, and slapstick situations. 

• Satirized Authority: Law enforcement agents, parents, or bosses are typically portrayed as comically inept or overbearing, serving as foils to the protagonists' carefree lifestyle. 

• Chill Vibes and Escapism: The movies provide a relaxed viewing experience and often celebrate counterculture, companionship, and a desire to "turn off one's brain" and escape from the pressures of the real world. 

• Relatable (Yet Exaggerated) Characters: While the characters' antics are often over-the-top, they remain somewhat grounded in reality, exploring themes of friendship, loyalty, and self-discovery in a lighthearted way.

Popular Stoner Movies

Half Baked (1998): A cult hit movie starring Dave Chappelle, dealing with the bail-out of a buddy from jail. It is the story of four lifelong stoner friends, their errands in raising some bailout money, selling cannabis, to free one of their friends from jail (who accidentally killed a police officer's horse by feeding junk food). Directed by Tamara Davis, the film runs for 1 hour and 22 minutes.

Pineapple Express (2008): Starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as a pot-smoking process server and his dealer. The server and the dealer have to run for their lives from a corrupt cop, as their stock was dropped at a place where a murder took place. The movie was directed by David Gordon Green. It has a runtime of one hour and 51 minutes.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004): Focusing on two friends on a quest to satisfy their craving for fast food. The two friends were high on cannabis consumption and under the influence of a fast-food commercial. To satisfy their hunger and cravings, they go on a night-long adventure filled with obstacles. Directed by Dannie Leiner, the movie runs 1 hour and 28 minutes.

Up in Smoke (1978): This movie is the first to popularise the genre of stoner movie concept, starring Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. It deals with the errands of a jobless pot-smoking slacker and drummer, Anthony Stoner (Tommy Chong), and his newly-acquainted colleague (Cheech Marin). The duo gets arrested for marijuana, but soon get released. They land in fresh misadventures. The film is directed by Tommy Chong and another co-director. The runtime is one hour and 26 minutes. 

Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980): A best of the Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong franchise. The two pot enthusiasts keep creating trouble wherever they go throughout Los Angeles, searching for new entertainment. Directed by Tommy Chong, this film runs for one hour and 29 minutes.

Grandma's Boy (2006): A popular cult film follows a 35-year-old video game maker who, unable to pay his rent, moves in with his grandmother. The story deals with the disturbances in his social life caused by his grandmother and her pals watching TV. Starring Allen Covert and Doris Roberts, the runtime is one hour and 34 minutes.

Super Troopers (2001): A comedy by the Broken Lizard Troupe about Vermont State troopers. Jay Chandrasekhar directed this movie. The runtime is one hour and 40 minutes.

We're the Millers (2013): A comedy about a fake family smuggling weed across the Mexican border. The runtime of this movie is one hour and 50 minutes.

Three Tamil Movies I Watched Recently

1. DeAr Movie
2. Vithaikkaran
3. Anveshippum Kandethun

DeAr Movie (2024)

Rating: Media 2- 2.5 out of 5 My Rating: 3/5

This one is a Tamil (2024 release) movie scripted and Directed by Anand Ravichandran, and produced by Nutmeg Productions.

The movie revolves around the sensitive relationship struggle between a newly married couple, Deepika and Arjun. The movie's title is derived from the first two letters of their names, "De + Ar". Arjun finds Deepika's snoring unbearable. Deepika had concealed her snoring issue due to pressure from her parents, who were worried about her many rejected marriage proposals. On their first night together, Deepika tries to disclose her weakness to Arjun but becomes hesitant when Arjun expresses his desire for a full 8-hour sleep to support his career in TV journalism and his dream of interviewing the Finance Minister of India. Arjun becomes increasingly irritated by Deepika's loud snores, despite repeatedly expressing his wish to get the issue resolved through mutual efforts. Ultimately, the tension leads him to decide to seek a divorce as he gets expelled by his boss on the tip of an employee who found him dozing in the toilet. Deepika does not want the divorce as she values her relationship with him.

The rest of the story is a hotch-potch of legal battles, and family concerns, mixed up with humor, gloom, and dejections. The ending is spiced up with their newborn baby found snoring.

The story lacks the real appeal as the main issue of snore gets unaddressed. Besides lacking in its narrative strength, the story fails to evoke emotional bondage. Even then, one can enjoy the entertaining court scenes to get some fun.

Vithaikkaran (2024)

Ratings: Media 2 - 2.5/5 My Rating: 3/5 (due to Sathish's role)

The movie is directed by some Venki (who directed Dejavu also) and the producer is an unknown K Vijay Pandi.

The movie revolves around the smuggling of gold and jewelry, magic/smart skills, and retrieval of withheld goods.

Sathish plays the dual roles of Vetri and Shakthi (twin brothers). Vetri believes that cheating is not wrong but getting cheated is wrong. Shakthi is entirely of the opposite view and keeps very reserved and timid.

Vetri (Sathish) is a magician-cum-thief performing entertaining shows to mesmerize the audience, and indulging in small robberies to make his living along with his sibling. Once, he gets suspected of stealing a diamond but gets free due to a temporary memory loss during the inquiry by police.

He gets engaged by some gang to perform their heists using his art of magic and intelligence. He is aided by a journalist friend, Sithara (actress Simran Gupta). But the final heist at the airport becomes much more risky. Here Vetri uses the services of his sibling Shakthi as a backup for his success. 

The movie is worth watching for its humor and entertaining. And, the final heist at the Coimbatore airport is a well-crafted scene that is entertaining and thrilling.

The Director of the movie, Venky while sharing his thoughts with The New Indian Express, revealed that that he used magic as the tool for performing heists rather than the normal fights with the enemies because he wanted something special to produce.

Ultimately, I would like to comment that the movie did not provide the desired result as it lacked proper streamlining of the scenes. Some portions are very dull and not efficiently intertwined with each other.

Anveshippin Kandethum (Malayalee 2024 Movie)

Ratings: Media 4/5 My Rating: 4.5/5 (due to confusing graphics)

This is a good movie, with a thrilling storyline and outstanding performance.

This Malayalee movie released in February 2024 is directed by Darwin Kuriakose and produced by Theatre of Dreams and Yoodly Films. It is based on some real-life incidents. So it is set in the 1993 atmosphere.

Tovino Thomas is the lead actor doing the role of an honest SI.

The movie "Anveshippin Kandethum" delves into two murder cases. The first one is a flashback murder case of a Christian girl, Lovely. The SI, Anand, was in charge of the case. He breaks upon some clues that Lovely used to visit the house of the Christian priest. When he gets to the place to question the priest, the parishioners resist him. Due to the sensitivity of the incident, Anand was removed from the investigation. But he unofficially carries through his investigation with the help of his subordinates and with the support of his senior officer, the SP. They enter the vicarage (the priest's residence) through back doors and search for the clues. With sufficient evidence, they arrested the culprit, the Priest's foreign-returned son. But, while bringing the culprit to court, he breaks the security, runs towards railway tracks, and gets crushed to death under a train. As a result, the entire team, including Anand, get suspended from service.

Coming to the present day, the SP Rajagopalan unofficially provides a chance for Anand to clear his tarnished image and get justice. He hands him an open murder case of a woman named Sridevi to be solved. Anand, with his team, is smart enough to gather clues and pieces of evidence that supported the involvement of a retired police constable in the case. He corners the constable and questions him. The constable had to reveal the truth that he committed the murder in order to prevent his son from marrying that woman, who was in love with each other, as she belonged to a low caste. As Anand has no power to arrest, he provides the evidence of the case to SP Rajagopalan. He sends the police force with arrest warrants to secure the culprit's arrest. But, before their arrival, the constable hangs himself to death.

This movie is full of exciting detective scenes which are to my taste. The inquiries and breakthroughs are appealing. It portrays the reality of the scenery prevalent in police departments or other government departments where honesty is often not rewarded. The influence of bureaucrats is always there.

The title song is very nice and appealing. You can enjoy the whole movie, from beginning to end, and feel satisfied.