People's Choice
Film Review | Nikita Roy — A Supernatural Thriller That Challenges the Line Between Truth and Illusion
Film Review | Nikita Roy — A Supernatural Thriller That Challenges the Line Between Truth and Illusion
By: [Studio CarryOnHarry], Film Correspondent
In an era where Bollywood frequently leans on formulaic thrillers or love stories, Nikita Roy comes as a rare and refreshing surprise. Directed by debutant Kush Sinha and headlined by Sonakshi Sinha, this film dares to dive deep into a subject that Indian cinema has largely left unexplored: the intersection of science and superstition.
Set against a backdrop where blind faith often masquerades as truth, Nikita Roy follows the journey of its titular protagonist — a scientific investigator and author — as she sets out to debunk societal myths and confront those who propagate fear in the name of the supernatural. But when her investigation leads her to a chilling encounter with a manipulative spiritual figure (played masterfully by Paresh Rawal), the film shifts gears. From rational inquiry, we are plunged into a world teeming with illusion, eerie occurrences, and questions about the very nature of reality.
The slogan, “The biggest lie is the truth,” lingers throughout the narrative like a haunting whisper, challenging viewers to reconsider what they believe and why.
Performances:
Sonakshi Sinha delivers what can easily be called one of the most mature performances of her career. As Nikita, she embodies determination, intellect, vulnerability, and fear with astonishing ease. Her character is the soul of the film, and Sonakshi breathes life into every frame she occupies. It’s the kind of role that redefines an actor’s career arc.
Paresh Rawal, as the enigmatic antagonist, is magnetic. From the subtle menace in his voice to the unpredictability of his actions, he keeps the audience on edge. You’re never quite sure whether to believe him — and that’s exactly what the film wants.
Arjun Rampal, in a supporting yet pivotal role, brings gravitas and mystery, rounding off a cast that is wholly committed to the eerie and atmospheric tone of the film.
Direction & Technical Brilliance:
Kush Sinha’s directorial debut is nothing short of impressive. His command over tone, pacing, and narrative complexity does not betray his newcomer status. There’s a confidence in the storytelling — a refusal to spoon-feed the audience, allowing ambiguity and suspense to build naturally. The film does not rely on cheap jump scares; instead, it invokes a slow-burning psychological tension that is far more effective.
Cinematography plays a crucial role in enhancing the supernatural overtones. Dimly lit corridors, crumbling buildings, shadowy figures — every frame is carefully constructed to keep the viewer guessing. The background score is sparse but unsettling, a companion to Nikita’s descent into the unknown.
Final Verdict:
Nikita Roy is more than just a thriller — it is a commentary on the fine line between belief and manipulation, between reality and perception. It questions whether truth is a matter of fact, or just the loudest story being told.
This is a rare film in Hindi cinema that refuses to conform, and for that alone, it deserves applause. Add to that stellar performances and confident direction, and what you have is a Friday treat not to be missed.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Editor's Choice
Audiences Are Rating ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘Resident Evil’ Among 2026’s Hottest Films
Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk
Two 2026 releases, "Resident Evil" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," are tied at the top of Rotten Tomatoes’ running Verified Hot list, each pulling in more than 5,000 Verified ratings from ticket-buying audiences, according to the site’s latest update.
Just as Certified Fresh represents critics’ consensus via the Tomatometer, Verified Hot is its audience equivalent, requiring a minimum 90% score on the Popcornmeter using ratings exclusively from Fandango ticket buyers, according to the guide. Rotten Tomatoes introduced the badge to give paying audiences their own equivalent stamp of approval, separate from critical consensus.
Behind the two leaders in the largest-sample tier, "The Odyssey" ranks second with over 5,000 Verified ratings, followed by "Project Hail Mary," "Obsession," "Hoppers" and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." Several of these titles also turn up on other year-end and mid-year lists tracking 2026’s most-discussed films, including "The Odyssey," "Project Hail Mary" and "Obsession" among the movies cited as generating the most audience conversation this year.
In the next tier, covering films with 1,000 to 5,000 Verified ratings, "Avengers: Endgame," "Heart of the Beast," "Forgotten Island" and "Practical Magic 2" share the top spot, with "Coyote vs. Acme," "The Invite," a musical performance film featuring Stray Kids and others filling out the rest of the ranking. Rotten Tomatoes notes a third, smaller tier of 250 to 999 ratings exists for titles still building an audience track record, which it describes as newer and more niche releases.
New films earning a 90% Popcornmeter score are added weekly, with placement within each tier based on cumulative Verified rating volume.
Studio CarryOnHarry will be watching whether films lower in the 1,000-to-5,000 tier gain enough ratings to crack the top bracket as the list updates through the rest of 2026.
Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.
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Revisiting Octavia Butler’s “Wild Seed,” the 1980 novel that opens her Patternist series
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Octavia E. Butler’s "Wild Seed," released in 1980, remains one of the author’s most widely read novels decades after its release. It opens Butler’s five-book Patternist cycle, a five-book speculative fiction cycle, and continues to draw new readers and critical attention.
Butler, who died in 2006, is widely regarded as one of the first Black women to gain major recognition in American science fiction, a genre that offered her few peers when she began publishing in the 1970s. Her work is frequently cited within Afrofuturism, the broader cultural movement that uses speculative fiction, technology, and alternate histories to explore the experiences of the African diaspora and to imagine Black futures beyond the constraints of the present.
"Wild Seed" is addresses themes of gender, healing roles, and the experiences of Black women, reflecting the novel’s focus on characters navigating power, transformation, and survival across generations. Readers and reviewers have consistently described it as a character-driven work rather than a plot-heavy one, with its two central figures carrying the novel through sustained psychological and emotional depth. The book is the first in the five-volume Patternist series and has drawn an active readership on platforms like Goodreads, where it holds a strong average rating from tens of thousands of readers.
The novel has also found renewed life in reading groups and community discussions in recent years, often paired with other Afrofuturist or speculative work, a sign of Butler’s lasting pull on readers well outside the genre’s traditional audience.
Studio CarryOnHarry sees "Wild Seed" as a useful entry point for readers curious about Butler’s influence on contemporary speculative fiction, and worth a look for anyone building out an Afrofuturism reading list.
About the Author: An American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field.
[Comment by Tricia Sullivan, on The Guardian][1]:
Octavia E Butler (1947–2006)
> I was teaching in New York when I came across Octavia E Butler’s Kindred in a secondary-school catalogue of novels recommended to support diversity. It caught my attention because Butler was described as a science-fiction writer. I thought I was familiar with science fiction, but I’d never heard of her – nor have a great many other readers, I suspect. For many years, Butler was the sole African-Ameri
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Harry Johal — Entertainment Editor
Harry Johal is the Entertainment Editor at Studio CarryOnHarry, overseeing the newsroom's day-to-day coverage.
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