Of the many things Bewakoofiyaan struggles to say in its two hours-long runtime, one stands out more than the others – the multiplex ticket costs a bomb nowadays. It would be prudent, then, to stay away.

The brilliance of Queen lies in its subtlety. The film is essentially a feel-good tale about triumphing against the odds, and utilises all possible tropes you’d associate with similar films (English Vinglish, for example), but does so with a slight flourish. The writing is consistently witty. Even in its more indulgent moments, it’s the humour that pulls the film through. Queen is a consistently funny and heart-warming film made of little gems, Kangana Ranaut being the brightest, biggest jewel of the piece. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

It may seem like a good idea on paper – former stars locking horns, one of them performing somersaults, and a superficial angle about women’s rights thrown in, but its execution makes Gulaab Gang a difficult film to sit through. Unless you fancy the idea of watching Dixit play Salman Khan and Chawla channel Prakash Raj, you’ll find Gulaab Gang a crashing bore.

…displays massive potential, but never quite manages to live up to it (This year’s Shuddh Desi Romance?). It tries to be too many things at once – a slice-of-life comedy, a tearjerker, commentary on marriage – without really managing to nail any one of them. At best, it’s a good half time watch.

Even though not free of shortcomings, Highway is Imtiaz Ali’s most honest, personal film and, hopefully, the beginning of a chapter in his career that will be dictated more by craft and intention and less by commerce and entertainment.

Long silences punctuate conversations, shots of staggeringly beautiful locations linger, the pace remains unhurried, and actors surrender to their characters – these are elements you yearn to experience in a mainstream movie, and the film takes you there.

Film rides largely on the camaraderie between the two main leads, and while the actors do put in all they can into their roles, there’s little that oiled physiques, buttoned-down shirts and pectoral muscles can achieve without a decent script or good direction. Gunday has neither.

It’s heart-warming, funny and enjoyable. And it touches a chord. What really makes the film work is that its tone is entirely original – a part of which comes from the writing, and the other from the way it’s executed – and which remains consistent through the film.

Jai Ho is so sloppily put-together, you wonder if footage of the actor taking a nap over two hours would have been more entertaining. It will, however, ensure the prophecy expressed in one of the songs – “Apna kaam banta, bhaad main jaaye janta” – comes true for its producers in the form of a fat cheque.

It’s a sure-footed, even if slightly indulgent, debut – one that establishes an individual style that makes Ahluwalia’s future as a filmmaker an exciting prospect.

It’s dark, sardonic and funny. Don’t miss 2014’s first great Hindi film.

The actors lift up the written material. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi carry forward some of the fantastic chemistry they displayed in Ishqiya, both playing off each other’s strengths. Madhuri Dixit-Nene fits into the role of a nawabi begum like a hand to glove.