3BHK

Vampire Owl: This is the first movie we are watching on a flight.

Vampire Bat: I do like the choices of movies which they have in Emirates.

Vampire Owl: Do you remember the last time we travelled on an Emirates flight?

Vampire Bat: Yes, the Airbus A380, the largest of them all.

Vampire Owl: This time, they were running a Boeing on the route instead.

Vampire Bat: Well, some vampires can fly. So, it is not really a problem.

Vampire Owl: They cannot watch movies when flying, can they?

Vampire Bat: If you can hold your mobile phone and fly, yes.

Vampire Owl: That would most probably cause an accident too.

Vampire Bat: You know that there is enough magic in our world to have a glided flight, right? As long as we do not cross over to the science-guided human world which has been drained of its magic with too many destructive weapons and wars.

[Gets some French fries and three cups of Yorkshire tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vasudevan (R Sarathkumar), his wife Shanthi (Devayani), their son Prabhu Vasudevan (Siddharth) and daughter Aarthi (Meetha Raghunathan) had moved into a rented house near St. Thomas Mount of Chennai, and from here, their dreams could begin to develop into a stage of determination focusing on buying a house as rent kept rising even for their small house as the city continued to develop and spread. The largest city in Tamil Nadu had become so huge that it was a long way ahead of the second largest city of Coimbatore and showed no signs of developing among the top five cities of India. People were continuing to flow into the city, and if the family had to move out of the rented home they were done, which led to a need for a home to change from dream to reality soon. The situation was the same for most of the big cities of India, but as the most significant town city on the east coast of India, and with people also from neighbouring states working in Chennai, the rise was only going to be quicker as time progressed.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The family begins to plan for the same, and they understand they have to save quite a big amount of money per month, along with selling Shanthi’s jewelry to reach their goal, as they prefer to have a home inside the city itself rather than on the outskirts which would still require them to spend a lot of time and money to travel inside for a better future with a sustainable job. Vasudevan begins to work overtime to meet the demands which feel a little bit out of the equation while Shanthi sells snacks to make sure that the savings are maintained at the required level. Prabhu struggles in his studies, and Vasudevan is forced to spend a certain amount of money for his tuition per month which reduces the savings. With the help of this tuition and also with the support of his crush, Aishwarya (Chaithra J Achar), his scores somewhat improve increasing the hopes of the parents in him contributing to the final savings after joining an engineering college and getting a job as soon as he passes out. But unexpected expenses come on the way and Prabhu scores low, while the cost of the house increases. Can the family somehow buy the house they wish to have in the end?

The defence of 3BHK :: It can be seen that the movie realistically portrays the struggles of common middle-class family trying to buy their dream house by respectfully and honestly raise money, making it easy for many viewers to connect with the characters. It feels like more or less that problem faced by the common man who struggle to live in a city. There is not much of those unnecessary commercial elements and the melodrama is also kept at minimum with the focus clearly on family emotions and everyday problems which make one feel that a responsible generation will connection this more than those dumb movies which have its young protagonists under the influence of drugs and alcohol, taking risks despite warning by authorities or living irresponsibly in schools and colleges while beating up their own friends in campus – but we know that those movies will score more at the box-office, and the best examples are among the top grossing movies in Malayalam movie industry whose audience used to have better standards. The movie here feels genuine and believable from the beginning to the end and for honest and reliable people, will bring tears to the eyes. The visuals and music remain interesting too.

Positives and negatives :: The emotional side might be the strongest for the movie as sacrifices are given importance – not like those movies about fake friendships powered by drugs and alcohol, for this one is about family and how it remains important in a life of chaos and hopelessness in a busy city. Those among the new generation or those just past that; those who have not had any hardships in life would not prefer this kind of movies, but it would be strange if someone never had any struggle, if not financially, then with academics or when trying to do the best for the family. The movie can also be considering slow moving and sometimes a little too emotional, but this is that kind of a movie which tries to stay on in the memories and with realistic situations and never letting go of faith belief and hope, it works well. Still, we see that there are too many hardships which the family has to face out of nowhere, and some of them seems to be in order to make the situation more and more difficult as time progresses, as hope is the thing with feathers and it waits for none, while flying away with those beautifully feathered wings. The length might still be a problem for some and so would be the repetition of problems, and romance could have been expanded.

The performers of the soul :: The movie has Siddharth in a role which connects to most of us who go through a struggle in one way or the other; forget the financial struggle, the job itself is a crisis as getting one would require a lot of the same, with these the freshers not given job for quite a long time, but when we get a little bit older, people keep searching for the stylish new-generation youth who can go viral so that the company itself will get some boost – note that many colleges are now preferring such girls who can do well online rather than teach, and those with PhD and NET are left behind. Well, Siddharth shows the struggle to get a job, stay in one without being too exploited and keeping himself there so that the home can be bought – then there is the romance which he has to choose or avoid as his family might need him to go through his personal way in a specific way too. R Sarathkumar as the fatherly figure reminds us of many elders who have sacrificed for their children and family and it is a really touching performance from him too. Devayani plays the motherly figure with affection as much as a loving wife while Meetha Raghunath feels like such a talent. Chaithra remains lovely, and with a performance to remember for her too.

How it finishes :: 3BHK is that kind of a movie which every common man who remains close to the family can relate to, with love and compassion. It is also that kind of a film which anyone from that generation of job seekers who had to struggle as a fresher when they passed out and now stare at the void when the viral freshers are preferred over them in a world where looks matter more than degrees, knowledge and wisdom. It is a sincere and emotionally driven family drama that captures the aspirations, sacrifices and anxieties of the huge Indian middle class, and it is done with effectiveness without relying on those commercial ingredients. These financial struggles, family conflicts, disappointments and the little moments of happiness which becomes the bliss of solitude for the common viewer feel genuine, and we connect with the characters, live with them and never misses out on the empathy. Having heart at the right place and all the honesty matters, but the new generation might still not like it, and those who do not want deep family dramas told in realistic manner can grow dislikes especially as the movie often slows down and repeats a few things in the long process lasting near two and half hours.

Release date: 4th July 2025
Running time: 141 minutes
Directed by: Sri Ganesh
Starring: Siddharth, R Sarathkumar, Devayani, Meetha Raghunath, Chaithra J. Achar, Yogi Babu, Subbu Panchu, Vivek Prasanna, Thalaivasal Vijay, Aarti Desai

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The Room

Vampire Owl: Are they talking about that particular room in the north-east?

Vampire Bat: That can’t be the room these humans are talking about.

Vampire Owl: Are you sure? It is a room which we consider to be among the best in the Old Vampire World and the new one.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this is not a room of horror unlike what they think.

Vampire Owl: So, there is no Halloween attraction in the room

Vampire Bat: No, there is none at all.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that there are no evil clowns either.

Vampire Bat: Exactly, as this is a room of another kind.

Vampire Owl: Okay, then I will need to find the horror from inside.

Vampire Bat: After you watch this movie, maybe you can have a different kind of horror.

[Gets a chicken cutlet and three cups of masala tea].

What is the movie about? :: Kate (Olga Kurylenko) and Matt (Kevin Janssens) are a couple who moved to a new place in the countryside, and it was a large secluded manor which they had managed to buy only recently. As Matt is an artist and Kate a translator, they hoped to find a better career at this part of the world, while spending some time together without being bothered by anyone else, as they couldn’t have children despite the doctors saying that both of them are alright. After coming across certain electrical problems, they call an electrician who understands that the wiring in the home is a complicated mess of wires that runs through almost everywhere in the house, and he needs to work out an estimate and plans before starting to look for any possible problems in them. Before leaving, the electrician reminds Matt that the previous owners were murdered by an unknown man in the house, something which the couple never knew until then.

So, what happens with the events here? :: But this is not where the strange things about the house begins and ends, as it is a house which holds a mystery which nobody could explain. Matt finds out that the killer’s is given the random name of John Doe, and is now living in a mental asylum. Thinking about it, and unable to sleep, he sits in a room which they had discovered locked and hidden underneath the wallpaper, and wishes for a bottle of alcohol which he finds in front of him. Scared and confused, he moves away, but begins to ask for more including the historical paintings. Kate is surprised when she wakes up finding many expensive paintings in the newly discovered room, and when she wishes for a lot of money, she ends up finding them in the room. Even though Kate is initially reluctant, they begin a hedonistic life-style, staying all the time in house. But there is more than what meets the eye to the house, and as they cross the limits, there are consequences. Can they overcome the following troubles?

The defence of The Room :: The movie holds around seventy eight percent reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, which is clearly justified with the quality being maintained here. It effectively shows the dangers of getting whatever one wants, and what happens when you don’t understand the consequences of crossing the limits. The same is told in a tale of thrills and twists, with a certain amount of hidden horror being present at all times. Once upon a time, there was the magic lamp, there was the wishmaster, and now we have the room which takes the horror to a psychological level rather than keeping it direct. The result is that you are more disturbed with terror rather than being simply scared. You take this idea into your soul, and the message is strong. The psychological intensity is maintained by the movie very well, after a nice, fun-filled beginning which doesn’t seem to point to the terrible fate which is to come later. Olga Kurylenko with what might be her best performance so far, has you interested at all times.

Positive and negatives :: The Room doesn’t try to twist it too much, even when there was the chance. It could have been made more visually terrifying too, even though the setting is indeed scary in another way. It shows how things become complicated when you take the wrong decision regarding a child – the same you had seen in Brightburn and Pet Sematary which told you a few things about alien and undead children. But as William Golding had shown in Lord of the Flies, there are many more which children are capable of, even while staying within their innocence. Some people might not like the fact that there is no explanation regarding why all these are happening, for viewers might at least except a supernatural explanation related to magic, aliens, spirits or demons – but you have to remember that the idea itself is the explanation, as the same becomes the message. The Room is the movie which you just cannot ignore with its content.

Performers of the soul :: Olga Kurylenko stays at the heart and soul of this movie, like she has been for many other movies. She had a wonderful presence in Johnny English Strikes Again, and even more in Oblivion, with her being secondary focus, but in this case, she is the main member of the cast, the one who qualifies as the primary protagonist. Being the Bond girl in Quantum of Solace and acting in modern action movies like Hitman and Max Payne as well as the rather ancient fighting in Centurion, she has been best in those action movies, but she is not that far behind in drama and horror, as we see her excel in those emotional sequences. Whenever she is there she seems to give the best – Olga is one underrated actress whom we should be seeing in more movies. You can see that she excels in the emotional sequences here. Kevin Janssens as Matt matches up in a good number of sequences here.

How it finishes :: Among all the horror thrillers, The Room is different and special, and this is the feeling that you will have, no matter what kind of genre you prefer, and whatever type of horror you have your mind on. With a concept like this executed so well, you know that things are going to better as time progresses. Olga Kurylenko makes sure that it gets maximum effect. The Room also leaves you about a few things to ponder about, regarding what matters the most in life, and where one has to draw the line. It also has a message about human greed, and how they are not able to stop, when luxuries are poured on them. We also have the idea of inherent evil in man at work here. The Room needed to have its elements at the right place to have this working at the exact level, and we see that the movie has managed to do that just fine. The Room is a film which is lesser known, and it deserves to be watch for making everything count.

Release date: 15th April 2019
Running time: 100 minutes
Directed by: Christian Volckman
Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Kevin Janssens, Carole Weyers, Marianne Bourg, John Flanders, Joshua Wilson, Francis Chapman, Vince Drews, Oscar Lesage, Michael Kahya

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