…what makes Sholay truly special is that it gets better with every viewing. Many teens may have not watched the film at all but to most Indians, Sholay is a film that seems to grow in its appeal. The joy of watching the epic film on the big screen, then, is not so much in rediscovering it than in reliving the awesomeness all over again, till you are ready for another encore. And for that reason, the film’s re-release is a major cause for celebration.

The money seems well-spent: the action set-pieces are decently staged (barring some exceptions, like Khan running down a building in slo-mo, which looks super-tacky), the film is largely well shot, and there are enough twists-and-turns (okay, one major twist) to keep you interested in the story.

To Bullett Raja’s credit, it does provide entertainment sporadically, and Dhulia ensures the film isn’t as slapdash as most Devgn-Kumar films in the same space seen recently. Yet, in his effort to make a “big budget commercial film”, Dhulia seems to have lost some of his bite as a filmmaker, which is a letdown, given how good a job he was doing with entertaining audiences anyway.

…after Saawariya and Guzaarish, this film marks Bhansali’s return to form. Ram-Leela establishes that Bhansali’s best comes out when he’s free of ostentatious pursuits and left to narrate a story with vigour, like he did with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam earlier. It’s only half the battle, though. Next time, hopefully, the script too will match up to the director’s grandiose vision.

…a bloody enjoyable film, even if for all the wrong reasons. Watch it in all its big-screen glory, and live to tell the tale.

Watch Shahid for its indie charm and a fantastic performance by Raj Kumar.

Boss, in all fairness, isn’t appalling by Kumar’s standards, and that’s the best thing that can be said about it. The director seems to have some sense of how to tell a story, even though it’s largely functional.

The Lunchbox is an exceptional film, a rare gem that arrives only once in a few years. Miss it only if you are allergic to all things awesome.

Special 26 demands the viewer to suspend disbelief greatly, especially towards the end, but it does so without ever taking him for granted. Pandey ensures the expectation we pinned on him after A Wednesday isn’t misplaced with a simple mantra: Asli power script main hoti hai.

There are rare moments in Inkaar that click, like Mishra cheekily referencing his own film, when at an ad film presentation for a condom brand, Verma comes up with the tagline, Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahi. The film, though, comes nowhere close to that, or any other, Mishra film. If you’re wise, you’ll refuse the offer to watch Inkaar at the multiplex near you.