The Hindu
Reviewing since 2013 · Last review Nov 2026
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From the archive
Sinha's relentless expression of the state of helplessness and depravity makes one leave an impression of anguish on the seat's armrest. In Assi, the syntax has sharpened. It excels as a moral interrogation of complicity — familial, institutional, and societal.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
In this long-awaited reunion of Santoshi and Sunny, one finds their magic hasn't lost its vibe. While Santoshi occasionally compromises the narrative with a cartoonish villain and larger-than-life action blocks, the Sunny-Shabana symphony and the film's core message remain deeply impactful.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
Writer-director Amit Rai eschews melodrama to craft an absorbing thriller with a moral spine. Beneath the emotional exterior lies a sharp social commentary which is tightly knit into the story. Beyond the package of an innocent, family-friendly weekend watch, the film gradually works as a gentle but firm mirror, forcing the audience to confront their collective loss of basic human empathy.
Full review ↗TRM 5.8
Director Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy subverts typical indie-drama expectations by weaving in complex social themes like communal prejudice, domestic violence, dementia and homosexuality, doing so with surprising restraint. Humanising a dogmatist and almost acing the South Indian accent, Adil carries the heaviest emotional weight as a conservative businessman dealing with insomnia, communal prejudice, and a deeply entrenched patriarchal outlook.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
At its best, the farce works as low-stakes popcorn entertainment but completely detaches itself from the grounded, socially progressive legacy of the parent banner. By keeping the protagonist innocent and merely a victim of circumstances, the film dilutes its own conflict, resulting in a safe, ultimately forgettable comedy.
Full review ↗TRM 5.3
It is an uneven ride. While the penultimate twist lands with genuine surprise because it relies on intellect, hidden motives, and a clever manipulation of the facts, the final touch, however, is more about maintaining the image of Sunny as the undisputed ace as the makers abandon complex logic to ensure his character stands tall, vindicated, and emotionally triumphant.
Full review ↗TRM 5.4
Tribeny Rai's debut feature delivers a gentle, sharp-witted exploration of autonomy, inheritance, and the friction of modern ideals against ancestral soil. Within its seemingly serene layers, the film offers an unflinching look at how class, conditioning, and family obligations complicate the desire for independence. Shape of Momo is a tender coming-of-age story worth savouring.
Full review ↗TRM 7.0
By pushing the series into a hollow fourth installment, the makers seem to be executing their own creative heist — mining the final ounces of goodwill from a beloved 2007 comedy to secure a quick box-office payout. Instead of crafting a cohesive narrative that leverages their sharp situational wit, the writers strand these veterans inside a fragmented sequence of sketches. For the rest, it is a test of patience.
Full review ↗TRM 4.5
Satluj arrives not just as a period drama, but as a fearless, contemporary warning. Despite running over 160 minutes, narrative tension doesn't slacken. The runtime feels earned as the screenplay undergoes mutation from an immersive procedural to a high-stakes thriller with an unexpected layer of dark humour. Diljit delivers a restrained, internalised performance that uncovers the absolute best of his acting craft.
Full review ↗TRM 7.2
However, intentions aside, the problem is that there is hardly any freshness in the story, and Alia struggles to keep it from feeling like a comic strip spread over two hours. One feels the writing department definitely needs a massive dose of Alpha serum to inject some energy, depth, and originality into the franchise. While the film belongs to its leading ladies, the solid presence of Bobby and Anil cannot be understated, but their commitment and intensity provide enough dramatic weight to keep a shallow, derivative script afloat for those who marvel at spectacle rather than storytelling.
Full review ↗TRM 4.6
Welcome To The Jungle is yet another invitation to a cinematic universe that assumes a bigger budget and a massive star cast equal bigger laughs, as director Ahmed Khan treats the third installment of the popular franchise like a 164-minute variety show rather than a cohesive experience. However, when Khan pushes his ensemble into absolute overkill and unchecked overacting, the delicate balance of slapstick comedy gives way. As a result, the trailer is excellent, but the theatrical experience crumbles, leaving the actors visibly stranded on screen.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
An engaging plot and an electric ensemble make it a night to remember. With an electric ensemble and a gripping plot, director Ritesh Shah turns a routine police investigation into a breathless arena of institutional warfare.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
Governor falls squarely into the trap of reductionism, flattening a complex structural crisis into a simplistic, black-and-white melodrama, transforming a highly collaborative economic triumph into the legend of a single silent saviour. The film subtly yet distinctively builds a narrative that subordinates democratic dissent and freedom of speech to state survival, emotionally manipulating the audience into accepting secrecy.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
When in form, the infectious, chaotic energy of David Dhawan's cinema can make even the most cynical critic melt. He attempts to create a bridge between two distinct eras of his own filmography, using his trademark style. The final act rescues the experience as Dhawan systematically re-energises the theatre through the good old buffoonery that makes us submit to the rhythm of the ridiculous.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
These days, OTT films flirt with hinterland politics but settle for safe social commentary. The volatile social issues get diluted by a cautious approach. The narrative feels distinctly over-vetted, leaving one with the inescapable impression that a legal team sat directly beside the editor, scrubbing away uncomfortable truths.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
The result is a forced trip down nostalgia lane, packaged as a summer holiday entertainer, where a few wisecracks, a couple of jump scares manage to seep through the ceiling, but even they feel like leaks from outdated plumbing after a point. In the end, Bhooth Bangla leaves one with a feeling that some memories and mansions are better left abandoned. For all its chaotic charm and Akshay's visible effort, it turns out to be a formulaic entertainer that delivers fleeting laughs but leaves you wondering why they bothered reopening the Bangla at all.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
Fourteen years after Deepika Padukone danced barefoot on our heartstrings as the chaotic, unforgettable Veronica, Homi Adajania returns to the bar with Cocktail 2 but ends up serving a lukewarm mocktail of ideas and aesthetics. The concoction lacks the intoxicating emotional depth of the original and the sharp, unapologetic punch of a Ranjan comedy. The tragedy of Cocktail 2 is that it treats its audience exactly the same way. It is a messy cupboard of a movie, but instead of feeling comforting, it just feels exhaustingly predictable.
Full review ↗TRM 4.9
Here, he almost finds the sweet spot between form and content. It is not just about the world-building, which he masters; he also infuses it with a beating heart. Nambiar lays out the clichés of survival dramas and makes us like and subscribe to the cheap thrills they generate.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
Within the mainstream framework that demands bombast rather than nuance, Anurag imbues the spectacle with soul, pausing to reveal the enduring grief war inflicts on families and the heavy toll it takes on the survivors. However, the narrative structure lacks novelty, as it follows the tested formula of tracking the camaraderie and backstories of the four bravehearts before cutting to action on the battlefront. It's the music that makes you ignore the imperfections and lack of originality.
Full review ↗TRM 7.1
Soon, the veneer of social empathy and feminist tone gives way, and we can clearly see the product's formula: a fearless protagonist, blended with a hard-hitting social issue, taking on an intense antagonist. The experiment and freshness are limited to the introduction of the villain and their lair. After that, the writers serve Shivani's image and Rani's fans.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
A sweeping, bittersweet examination of displacement, Main Vaapas Aaunga is a timely, intimate, poetic character study about how geopolitical lines permanently alter the trajectory of human hearts. The creative synergy between Shah and Imtiaz lends the thought a powerful emotional heartbeat, with Shah's performance transforming what could have been a standard framing device into a profound meditation on old age and lingering grief that tears you up.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
Sriram Raghavan turns to the Battle of Basantar to honour a real-life martyr and take a shot at peace at a time when the world seems to be warming up to war.
Full review ↗TRM 7.0
Though shot tastefully, the screenwriting and treatment are bland and overstretched. In the absence of solid material, Siddhant and Mrunal fail to generate any tangible frisson. When the writing doesn't fully trust its premise of introspective character study, it leans on convenient emotional beats or predictable insecurities rather than letting the awkwardness breathe longer. Too quiet, too safe!
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
Unlike Tumhari Sulu, Triveni struggles when he tries to do three things at once: deliver a sharp critique of the idealised Indian mother while also creating the quiet dread of a mystery and loud, rip-roaring comedic moments. The structural tug-of-war doesn't just subvert tropes; it points out that it is doing so. This self-awareness disrupts the story's reality.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
In some passages, Prahaar seems to work at cross purposes, caught between a desire to be a nuanced, balanced legal procedural and a commercial obligation to create emotionally satisfying, patriotic mass spectacle. Perhaps that is the reality of the case, too. Avinash steers clear of Nikam's political leanings, which led him to fight and lose an election on the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket and eventually get nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
While the premise is prescient, the execution feels like a creative compromise, with the storytelling and world-building tilting toward the Balaji aesthetic. The film's structural predictability stems from a highly repetitive narrative flow, and by trapping the audience in this predictable loop of scare-laugh-reset, the screenplay fails to build toward a cogent climax.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
Vadh 2 is a slow burn thriller that questions the idea of justice, with Neena and Sanjay bringing quiet intensity and emotional depth to their performances, though the uneven treatment of the second act and heavy-handed narrative expose the film's limitations.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
If the birth of Lust Stories was a shout for liberation, a tearing down of the velvet curtains that long hid Indian intimacy, then the third iteration is the echo. It treats desire not as a provocative statement, but as a messy mirror. However, like Bhardwaj's take, the short doesn't fully bridge the gap between what it means and what it actually shows—when the subtext and the surface narrative don't fully synchronise, the narrative loses its grip.
Full review ↗TRM 5.8
The pacing is problematic, the editing is uneven, and the narrative contrivances are left uncovered. Overall, it feels like the makers are under the impression that they are telling something novel when, perhaps, the effort should have been to hide the obvious. At 152 minutes, the picture gets pixellated, and one gets piqued.
Full review ↗TRM 4.9
As it turns out, it is yet another addition to the trend where filmmakers flaunt the placard of 'based on a true story' but develop cold feet in digging the truth of the story. Recreating the sarkari version of the events, The Diplomat sounds contrived and simplistic. It reminds one of John's last production, Vedaa, where masala diluted the integrity of the story.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
Unlike the generic chest-thumping, jingoistic celebrations of military milestones that Bollywood churns out, 120 Bahadur is a sincere, technically proficient tribute that gives both heart and mind their due on the battlefield. It may not be a genre-defining epic, but 120 Bahadur deserves your time and attention.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
The filmmaker transports us to the heart of Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow-Kanpur axis, spinning a sharp crime thriller with a throbbing conscience. By asking what happens when victims and perpetrators trade places, Honey brings emotional depth to the unraveling of the mystery. A refreshed Nawaz anchors the film with a restrained yet magnetic performance of an investigator navigating corruption, both within and without.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
Aditya Dhar's ambitious but overstretched and chest-thumping espionage saga serves political interests, tests endurance. The bigger problem is that Aditya has bitten more than he could chew. Like the popular Hasan Jahangir number of the late 1980s used in the film, there is a lot of 'Hawa Hawa', with a pretence of substance.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
Director Anshul Sharma rekindles the breezy energy of the original, but the fresh spin on 'love vs loved ones' becomes formulaic after a point. In an attempt to replicate the fun, the tone tends to become overly high-pitched. In terms of storytelling, the middle part becomes a little bloated, feels sappy and repetitive, but it signs off strong.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
However, both the text and the subtext remain undercooked, and what we get tastes like an adulterated Deepavali delicacy. The horror element doesn't scare you, the inter-specific romance doesn't arouse emotions, and the comic element remains perfunctory. In an age when the direction of the thumb judges creative pursuits, Thamma is somewhere between thumbs up and thumbs down.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
Despite an efficient ensemble of actors and honest moments of camaraderie, Reema's Malegaon looks dressed up for a well-meaning fancy dress show sans the cultural context, and the creative team's inability to extricate itself from the source documentary while pretending to take a fresh look results in a sanitised studio sketch that reeks of self-consciousness.
Full review ↗TRM 7.4
Kapoor once again punches above the genre's weight to say that in the social contract there can't be separate clauses for the haves and have not's. Though the franchise comes with pitfalls and the space is no longer a novelty, Jolly LLB 3 delivers a potent message about equitable distribution of wealth through its courtroom narrative.
Full review ↗TRM 6.6
Sriram Raghavan mounts yet another delectable tale of a charming woman accosted by a stranger. The slow-burn gradually combusts our attention leaving plenty of soot behind.
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
Filmmaker Kabir Khan is good at telling tales of social misfits and underdogs. After 83, this week, Kabir has put together yet another rousing sports drama; the difference is that he has picked an unsung hero this time.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
Do Patti reduces the art of storytelling to a mere artifice for meaningful cinema, delivering the message but little else. Marked by an inconsistent tone, it feels patchy and too convenient to evoke deep empathy for characters in this mishmash of genres.
Full review ↗TRM 4.8
However, Shandilya tends to reduce storytelling to a joke. He becomes so desperate for wordplay and turn of phrase that the basic emotion of the theme gets compromised... This desperation to tickle becomes the undoing of VVKWWV, eventually reducing it to a long title with a short shelf life.
Full review ↗TRM 4.0
A generic spy thriller that overtly dramatises true events from our prickly relationship with Pakistan, Mission Majnu doesn't add much to our knowledge and understanding of the universe where undercover agents operate. Half as interesting as the title, this mission evokes more yawns than wows.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
It looks well-groomed and starts sounding politically correct by the end but RARKPK lacks rhythm and a beating heart. In its treatment, it seems the film indulges those who get away with casual misogyny as long as they promise a golden heart beneath a gold chain.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
Vishal Bhardwaj once again employs his command over multiple art forms to generate an immersive experience that turns out to be less than the sum of its parts. He beguiles with the mood and melody but fails to sustain the spell till the end.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
With Action, he aims for level 2... and doesn't disappoint. Taut and fast-paced, the action choreography is closer to the stuff that Hollywood offers and the electric background score provides reason for the adrenaline glands to make their presence felt.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
It holds your gaze but doesn't travel further. By exhaustively mapping out Lanka, Tiwari creates dense, operatic momentum, but when the film shifts to the domestic drama of Ayodhya, it suffers from tonal whiplash, making the film's emotional core feel rushed, safe and light.
Full review ↗TRM 7.0
While director Vinod Kapri evocatively captures the painful desolation of Uttarakhand's ghost villages through raw, life-like performances, its cinematic grammar occasionally feels deliberately engineered for a global festival gaze. Though the narrative rhythm benefits from German editor Patricia Rommel and Oscar-winning composer Mychael Danna, their involvement at times suggests a film consciously tailored to navigate the international festival circuit.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
Writer-director Aakash Kaushik conjures a cross-border spy comedy that promises to punch above its weight but ultimately settles for low-hanging fruit. After briefly promising to take the road less travelled, the screenplay detours back onto the comfortable, well-worn highway of nationalistic fervour woven into broad-gauge comedy.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
However, after identifying the issues, the film struggles to inhabit them. The treatment feels detached, reading more like an outsider's textbook critique of the fourth column's fault lines. The makers critique media bosses for burying risky stories, yet the film takes few creative risks itself.
Full review ↗TRM 4.5
Abhishek has a powerhouse ensemble that ratchets up the intensity and plays to the gallery. Accomplished performers such as Jaideep Ahlawat, Prakash Raj, Tabu, and Rajat Kapoor deliver with such fierce conviction that the audience doesn't pause to dig beyond the dialogue. Their screen presence acts as a smokescreen, masking the script's logical and not-so-logical leaps with undeniable gravitas.
Full review ↗TRM 7.0
That said, the film suffers from an overtly expository execution, operating much like a journalistic column that uses a real-world tragedy merely as a springboard for sociological commentary. Lacking a distinct visual palette or cinematic texture, it relies heavily on dialogue to deliver its thesis, ensuring that every moral and narrative beat is spoken rather than felt.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
Yet, despite this guise of a balanced, objective lens, the narrative subtly tips toward Raman, giving the impression that it is soft-pedaling the biases it sets out to critique. By granting Raman's deep frustration the heavier share of dramatic momentum and affective resonance, the film quietly validates the fury behind his lawless crusade, even as it pretends to document it merely.
Full review ↗TRM 6.6
Manoj Bajpayee elevates this timely portrait of middle-class desperation with exhausting dignity, portraying Masterji's defiance through slumped shoulders, heavy sighs, and eyes that register deep betrayal. The film delivers a sobering truth: the traditional hero is obsolete, and no singular villain exists to fight—the antagonist is the collective desperation of the middle class itself.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
The makers follow a remake checklist, with little effort to harmonise the flavours of the original. Displacing the story without re-rooting its soul no longer works. With the texture erased, the cat-and-mouse game becomes a showcase of Shyam's skills, eventually standing as a betrayal of Priyadarshan's virasat in Hindi cinema.
Full review ↗TRM 5.3
Much like Ramesh Sippy's Sholay and Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar, the plot of Gurmeet Singh's Mirzapur is ultimately just scaffolding; the characters are the architecture, and the dialogues lend it vibrant color. Overall, it is an engaging experiment.
Full review ↗TRM 6.4
Gandhari attempts to subvert the typical Bollywood revenge trope, but it ends up more intellectually burdened than artistically elevated. The film tries to bring together director Devashish Makhija's realistic, socio-political minimalism and Kanika's commercial feminist template. However, as it turns out, it is bereft of tonal identity. Ultimately, Gandhari is consumed by its own contradictions.
Full review ↗TRM 4.4
Babita Singh reports with a quiet yet telling subversion. The biting social critique tells us how our society tolerates a woman's professional ambition only on the condition of absolute domestic continuity. While the film succeeds as a visceral social dissection, it eventually fumbles as an investigative thriller in its final leg.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
However, the extravaganza fails to find its footing because of generic writing and a stilted Hindi dub. The screenplay functions like an excuse to jump from one explosive set piece to the next, and even the hyperkinetic sequences feel like self-indulgent gimmicks rather than serving real narrative purpose. By aping Hollywood templates, the film strips away the emotional intimacy and rich poetic realism that have defined Arabic cinema for decades.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
As it turns out, the sequel attempts to outdo the original in volume and venom, perhaps at the expense of the original's narrative weight. In the end, riding on Ranveer's leonine performance, Dhurandhar 2 roars, but in its deafening cocktail of patriotism and propaganda, it forgets the quiet cost of humanity, leaving little space for reflection.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
The film's strength is in its restraint. It doesn't hammer the message that women's rights or Haq isn't granted; it's seized. Varma sees the complex space with an even-handed gaze, refusing to vilify faith itself but probing its interpretation.
Full review ↗TRM 7.1
A master of his craft, Manav brings out the quiet ferocity, restlessness, and vulnerability of Syed, making him a living, breathing contradiction that the narrative wants him to be. Baramulla presents an emotionally resonant tale that lingers, where the line between the rational and the otherworldly blurs for a greater purpose.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
Neeraj Ghaywan takes away the exactitude of the Op-ed essay and turns it into a deeply immersive and emotionally resonant cinematic experience, that is both specific to the pandemic and universal in its tone and tenor. Still, Homebound is a significant document of our times when social trust seems to be in a long-term decline and is a worthy bet for the elusive Oscar.
Full review ↗TRM 7.6
Mandlekar introduces observational humour into a police procedural to generate a series of heart-warming moments, making the predictability of the cat-and-mouse game pleasant for a weekend afternoon watch. The good thing is that the makers don't oversell, making one join Inspector Zende in this light-hearted hunt for the Serpent.
Full review ↗TRM 5.8
Ayan Mukerji's sequel to War gives the same feeling of a recycled product that shines. It starts with a bang but soon becomes a rudderless star vehicle. In the race to populate the spy universe, screenwriters have compromised on substance, indulging in hero worship and flag-waving to pass the box office test.
Full review ↗TRM 4.9
However, despite strong performances, in between the jokes that land, there are long passages that make you cringe and question your professional choices. After two sons, one hopes the makers have completed the Sardar family!
Full review ↗TRM 5.0
While it is brave for Bollywood standards, the storytelling fails to provide a lived-in experience and becomes a kind of explainer on how Dalit lives matter for the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai audience. The result is a mixed bag that highlights multiple issues but doesn't construct a compelling narrative around them.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
It unspools like a chapter that you have already crammed, an activity that you have already undertaken, a road that you have already traveled. Despite being shot on location, Maa gives the sense that we are in a make-believe world... the result is surprisingly unengaging.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
In the absence of a supple string of wisecracks, the flash of wit loses its lustre. Housefull 5 remains a hollow play of words. The gags outlive their welcome, and the political incorrectness and situational humour that are the hallmarks of the franchise no longer organically fit into the narrative.
Full review ↗TRM 4.6
A rollicking social commentary laced with a layer of magic realism, Bhool Chuk Maaf makes a sharp comment on the growing schism in society where goodness and compassion are often measured on a scale of religious identity. The best part is that Sharma makes us believe in his leap of faith for a while, though after a lively build-up, the makers seem insecure about how the big reveal will land and overwrite the portion, making it an increasingly laboured exercise towards the denouement.
Full review ↗TRM 4.8
There is a lot of posturing and preening, but the characterisation is skin-deep. The earnestness of the actors can't help when the twists are unimaginative, and the dialogue writer resorts to profane words to generate impact. In such corny cinema, the art lies in covering up the frivolity of the exercise behind a sleek facade. But here, the stealth is missing.
Full review ↗TRM 4.0
Director and co-writer Karan Singh Tyagi takes excessive creative liberty with history to manufacture nationalist sentiment and a hero. The film milks the sacrifice of martyrs in Jallianwala Bagh to create a trumped-up narrative around the tragic episode, using real incidents and characters to distort well-documented historical incidents.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
A gossamer-thin romantic comedy that comes across as Karan Johar's latest home assignment for star kids to pass the Bollywood entrance test, Nadaaniyan doesn't pass muster. Reflecting the armchair sensibility of the Bandra school of filmmaking, the love story strains credibility and tests patience.
Full review ↗TRM 4.6
However, the intrigue seldom translates into something substantial on screen. Amidst the war cries, the narrative jumps from one cutting-and-chopping exercise on the battlefield to the other. A cliched mess of Hindi and Urdu, dialogues are there only to state the obvious, and AR Rahman's music is at odds with the rich Marathi detailing of the production design and the overall texture of the film.
Full review ↗TRM 6.4
However, in Sky Force, they have somewhat deviated from the path... the film's gaze is tilted toward Akshay, making the storytelling and the emotional experience incongruous. Vijayan's story carries the heft to whip up nationalist sentiments... but is reduced to a supporting act, as the film panders to Akshay's screen image of a patriot that has become painfully predictable these days.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
After promising to take forward the renewed interest in the classic action genre, on the lines of Animal and Kill, the adults-only film falls into a painful pattern where the plot refuses to thicken and emotions don't swell enough to turn the theatre into a slaughterhouse. The Korean rawness in action is impressive but when the storytelling and performances turn out to be undercooked, the blood on the floor becomes a liability.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
The third installment of the popular franchise that sparked interest in big-budget horror comedy in Bollywood seems to have been put together in a rush to cash in on the success of the second part. At 158 minutes, here the maze of mirth has been stretched beyond its potential, and subversive elements, the hallmark of a horror comedy, don't gel organically with the storyline.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
Promising to be a racy sequel to enliven the rainy season, it, however, turns out to be a damp squib. The thriller fails to bring one anywhere close to the edge of the seat. The mood keeps simmering for a while but never really comes to a boil.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
Made for the masses, the film carries a jolly heart and some purpose in the swagger beneath the armour of special effects. It is fun in the first half and engaging in the second, with Zafar bringing some respite from the propaganda fare through its messages about conscience and personal integrity.
Full review ↗TRM 4.2
The writers depend a little too much on the brilliance of Tabu, Kareena and Kriti to create magic out of glib talk. The desperation to evoke humour is so obvious that you can see the underlined portions in the script on the screen where Krishnan wants laughter or a grin.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
As artificial intelligence finds its way into the deep recesses of human emotions, writer-director Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah have conjured up an unlikely romantic drama between a man and a machine that, after a laboured start, compels you to log out of logic to realise the matrix of modern-day relationships in a fun way. But the writing could have been a little sharper and wittier. At many points in the film, you feel that Joshi and Sah have the right plot points but they have not been able to fully milk the potential, leading to a flaccid middle portion.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
The purpose and social concern is again laudable but the storytelling feels facile and laboured after a point, largely because Hirani doesn't want to test newer ways to put his point across. The spontaneity that we associate with his work is sadly missing.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
Known for telling complex tales like Talvar (2015) and Raazi (2019), this time director Meghna Gulzar has mounted a relatively straightforward and adulatory biopic of a military strategist who never seemed to be in two minds and had the guts to speak truth to power. Sam Bahadur has enough firepower to keep us invested.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
The tone is a bit didactic and the treatment gets a tad overstated but it is a big-hearted film that hugs you tight with its message of human goodness. Still, this is an important film that deserves your indulgence.
Full review ↗TRM 7.2
A moving tribute to the scientists who made India's first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19, this Vivek Agnihotri film, unfortunately, begins to read like an official press release after a point. After a promising first half, The Vaccine War feels like smartly adding to the load.
Full review ↗TRM 5.3
The bad part is it is not as poignant as the original. Having said that, few could match Sunny in depicting the intensity of a wounded soul. Wish Sharma had given him situations with more heft and humour to work with.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
After taking time to get used to its world and overcome its dated envelope in the first half, Satyaprem Ki Katha finds its voice as a social drama worth listening to. The film sparks an interesting debate about reel and real-life heroes while probing ideas of izzat and maryada within popular Hindi cinema. One more draft and a bit more lilt would have made this Katha absolutely riveting, but in its present form it delivers a message for boys and girls.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
A jaded remake of Telugu blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, Shehzada stutters in what it sets out to do: entertain. At the core, it is a 'Manmohan Desai meets Davi Dhawan' kind of masala recipe but in the hands of director Rohit Dhawan, it tastes rather bland and generic. Kartik has chosen the wrong vehicle to enter the universe of a mass entertainer.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
Ram Setu is a persuasive attempt to keep afloat the contentious theory that the limestone shoals that connect the Pamban and Munnar islands are part of a man-made structure and not a work of nature. The VFX looks fake, and the performances are just about average, but the idea has enough heft to keep the devotees interested. For others, there is a clear message; those who don't believe in Lord Ram, their faces deserve to be blackened.
Full review ↗TRM 4.2
Ayan Mukerji's tale of Indian superheroes mesmerises with the idea, ambition, scale, and visual artwork, but messes it up when it comes to the warp and weft of storytelling. Moreover, it is hard to find the heart of this spectacle, which is buried somewhere deep beneath layers of special effects. Till then, the result is very much like the broken Brahmastra: the individual pieces have power, but they need to come together to generate any real impact.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
An engaging slice-of-life cinema that sincerely tries to steer clear of the cliches, Jaadugar addresses complex issues of love and commitment with unvarnished charm. Like a good magic show, Jaadugar doesn't always appeal to the mind but the heart accepts the earnest attempt.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
A massive improvement on the first chapter of the franchise, writer-director Faruk Kabir delivers a gripping action drama that is not bereft of socio-political realities. Unlike the strait-jacketed first part that was hard to invest in, part two is a little more layered and with comments on the criminal-police nexus in Uttar Pradesh, a territory that hasn't been explored much in popular Hindi cinema.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
Despite heartwarming moments, 'Jersey' suffers from logical loopholes and a sense of deja vu. However, those who understand cricket and the politics around it would find the obstacles that Gowtam places in the path of Arjun unconvincing. Overall, a film whose heart is in the right place but whose mind is a bit slow.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
Director Farhad Samji has imbued the dark-shaded quirky comedy with the soul of a Sajid Khan film, burying the fun in the dust of Bagwa. The humour is so stale that even the combined comic timing of Akshay, Sanjay Mishra, and Pankaj Tripathi could not inject life into this flaccid film.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
Employing some facts, some half-truths, and plenty of distortions, Agnihotri propels an alternative view about the Kashmir issue, with the intent to not just provoke... but incite. A disturbing take, it grips and gripes in turns. However, the film gradually falls for the same alleged exploitative methods to reach out to tear ducts and arouse animosity, and once it starts peddling an agenda against a religion, The Kashmir Files loses its objective, humanistic gaze.
Full review ↗TRM 4.9
This is easily Bhansali at his best as he has been able to marry craft with content; here, he attempts a Pakeezah for the millennials and almost succeeds. In Alia, he has a muse who could depict multiple emotions in one frame, through words, silences, and expressions.
Full review ↗TRM 7.0
In a bid to move beyond the obvious, director Aanand L Rai has bloated a beautiful little thought into a contrived mess, along with a disturbing depiction of mental illness. But even he [Dhanush] can't salvage this weird take on love.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
Wish the dialogues had a little more punch. Wish Sooraj reflected a little more on the darkness beneath the light but overall it is a family get together that you don't mind attending in festive mood.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
It is like a complex crossword puzzle where the director doesn't want to share the clues and keeps dropping lies to startle you in the end. It is like that child who used to lie that wolf is coming and when one day when the wolf really makes an appearance nobody cares to believe him.
Full review ↗TRM 4.5
The dialogues are laced with cuss words to make the cosmetic scenarios sound authentic and then songs come in to prove that it is usual Bollywood fare. There is a strong Chameli hangover but while Sudhir Mishra's film had a certain grace and humanness about the murky, morbid world, here the approach oscillates between amateurish and exploitative.
Full review ↗TRM 5.0
There is hardly any intermingling of the black and white. Also, the jail break sequences and the subsequent chase demand more raw intensity than the slickness of the first half. And nothing is more frustrating when a thriller begins to sound like a drama!
Full review ↗TRM 5.4
Unlike Queen, it doesn't feel like a take-off from a lived reality. There are some honest moments between JJ and Alia and Alia and her father that make you go gooey but for rest of the time it floats between generic and farcical.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
TRM 2.9
Carrying forward the flavour of the original, it is a film that many men make in their minds!
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
...the director does a fairly good balancing act but when you remove the flesh and come down to the wire, you realise that the director is smitten by CGI imagery. No crime, but it makes the work of an artist, who always maintained that he is not a circus clown, a little gimmicky or what you loosely call Hollywoodish. It becomes all the more apparent for those who have watched James Marsh's astonishing Oscar winning documentary on the subject.
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
The plot has all the ingredients for an entertaining potboiler but the director and the dialogue writer do not create empathy for the characters.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
Its intentions might be blunt but as a piece of cinema Talvar is a sharp procedural.
Full review ↗TRM 7.2
TRM 4.3
It is a glossier, more rounded version of that B-grade entertainment that is increasingly becoming synonymous with Bhandarkar. It will be able to titillate the target audience but as far as reality and expose are concerned, it is as shallow as the television debate that masquerades as badi behas in the film.
Full review ↗TRM 3.2
The film opens with a disclaimer in English which says that it is a piece of fiction and that the lead character doesn't have miraculous powers. It should have been in Hindi and Gurumukhi as well, for most of the followers of the self-styled guru are proficient in these languages. It might still work for the devotees of Singh, but the rest can go by his advice, "Never Ever".
Full review ↗TRM 2.0
The film has nothing that has not been explored in crime dramas. There are issues of loyalty and ratting. There are frictions over the issue of territory and if you cross it there are consequences. But the good thing is Cooper shows restraint. He doesn't go for the overkill and lets the narrative and characters evolve in an ambience that is true to the disco-era of the late 70s and 80s.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
TRM 3.9
Naseeruddin Shah surrenders himself to the chaos. As the visually impaired don, Bazmee has given Naseer the "Sparsh" of crass. He calls him Wanted bhai as if to remind the actor that he is sought after in Bazmee's bizarre universe as well. Naseer returns the favour. After every punch-line he keeps reminding the cynical critics, mazaaq tha bhai, (it was a joke!) Indeed.
Full review ↗TRM 4.5
A must for the Parsis but it doesn't offer a hand to others to come along. The reformist might not like it!
Full review ↗TRM 5.3
TRM 5.0
On the surface the way Kabir and his writers build up the narrative is dull and tedious and with no humour to spice up the mood, the spy games fail to spur the imagination. I laughed only when Katrina was introduced as Nawaz. Unfortunately, the name fails to rub on her and she remains as detached from the character as she has been all these years. Saif seems to think that he is doing the sequel of Agent Vinod with a more simplistic script and less budget for costumes.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
The problem is, be it emotion or action, Karan is in no hurry to say cut. At times it works for the emotion to seep in but many times over elaboration dilutes the punch. The music is a let down.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
At times the comments look adsorbed on the surface particularly the seemingly misogynistic journalist's tirade against feminism. At times it seems Mahadevan is trying to put a halo behind Das which doesn't go with Surendran's writing and Pathak's performance. But most of the times the observations are ingrained in the narrative. The most telling statement of the film comes when Das says that British India was better because at least he knew who the enemy was.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
...ultimately it is not about performances, it is the uneven writing and ham-fisted treatment that lets this potent idea down.
Full review ↗TRM 3.9
On paper it belongs to Ajay but on screen it is Tabu who walks away with it. And even when she is effortlessly seeking attention, the underrated Rajat Kapoor excels as the husband who retains his sanity amidst the moral chaos. Watch it for them, watch it if you haven't watched the original.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
It has both humour and physical intimacy but unlike most indies it doesn't flaunt metaphors to seek the eyeballs. It celebrates small joys like the value of kheer and what it means to be the youngest in the family. And yes, it doesn't blink when it comes to the crunch.
Full review ↗TRM 7.7
TRM 6.2
A sweet gift from Salman this Eid that loudly underlines the acceptance of others.
Full review ↗TRM 6.6
It is these characters and performances that keep us engaged when the writing loses its bite. Not as jolly as Kapoor's last outing but has enough meat to last a meal.
Full review ↗TRM 5.1
The film smartly plays with the fear of future where given a chance the mother doesn't want to mate again because she knows what her son has become. It is this magic realism that makes a fantasy play with your realistic fears.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
The chapter doesn't teach us anything new but it has serviceable characters and scares to keep the teenagers occupied.
Full review ↗TRM 5.4
Through cross cuts, the cyclical nature of the narrative expresses itself. You don't really need to be physically present to express your love. Here it come through the washing and cooking that one does for the other and in between both of them yearn for that meeting that happens at the end of the day. Or is it at the start of the new one! Sengupta has given those moments a dreamy treatment but even in that reverie the couple doesn't lose touch with the ground. Have the pressures of job turned them mechanical in their romance? Oh! Not quite. It is as tender as the first kiss. Go check!
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
From religious manipulation to gender politics to caste dominance, it reminds of the bizarre forms unbridled power can take. And Arjun's parents and grandmother reflect the helplessness in face of this brute collation of political and money power without getting melodramatic. Its dystopic feel reminds of Manish Jha's "Matrubhumi".
Full review ↗TRM 3.9
Remo has invested his whole cinematic vocabulary on dance and is left with only ABCD when it comes to the emotional choreography. At one point of time Suresh tells his sweetheart, 'why do you take tension? You know how it is.' This perhaps echoes Remo's advice for the audience.
Full review ↗TRM 5.4
It has enough for the 13 year-olds in all age groups to embrace the dinos but it suffers from the similar corporate excess that it suggests to guard against.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
The director tries to restore the gravitas, the pathos that we associate with romance and takes on the deep-seated patriarchy along the way.
Full review ↗TRM 3.3
Anil Kapoor is an absolute delight as the self-obsessed and manipulative Kamal Mehra and he is ably supported by Shefali Shah as the ostrich wife, who ignores being getting ignored. But the film belongs to Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh and they excel as siblings who stand for each other. For once Ranveer channelises his energy well and Priyanka goes beyond the pout to embrace a character that every much like the film is a gorgeous cross between stupid and smart.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
Arshad knows this terrain well and in the absence of any challenge he repeats himself. Unlike Kedar's father in the film, Jackky's producer father hasn't lost hope in him and Jackky does try to lift his game as the moronic character but is let down by an inspired writer, a lazy editor and a director who has taken only baby steps since Khiladi 786. It seems like the aeroplane in the climax, Kedar and Shammi have taken the reins of the film!
Full review ↗TRM 3.9
The Indo-Canadian co-production promises to be a stirring depiction of the plight of illegal migrants to Canada. It is indeed a tale of survival in the globalised world but the perils and the ensuing threats don't fall in place naturally. They rather seem manufactured by smart editing.
Full review ↗TRM 4.8
Every dialogue is dipped in the treacle of delicious North Indian dialects and the lovely nuances of the region will stay with you long after the credits roll. But their biggest victory lie in the fact that the coincidences that threaten to spoil the party and the leaps of faith that feel like heading for a dead end don't go beyond the realm of intrinsic logic.
Full review ↗TRM 7.1
A visceral reboot of a franchise that tries to rise above the fun and frivolity of a summer blockbuster and largely succeeds.
Full review ↗TRM 7.4
midst all the attention on detailing of the costumes and computer generated imagery, the screenplay loses direction. While the motivations of two rival newspaper barons are clear their actions get just short of ridiculous in the second half. From blackmail to look alikes, the film threatens to become a potboiler of the '70s. Ultimately, the writing affects the performances as well. Balraj's return to the boxing ring after each turmoil in his life is gimmicky.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
What could have sounded a laugh riot on paper ends up as ridiculous on the big screen. Of course the intentions are right and the situations spot on but apart from a few stinging comments on the polity, it fails to grow into a cogent commentary on the state of affairs.
Full review ↗TRM 3.6
In the process of packing everything that a generous buffet meal can offer, he doesn't let the narrative breath. It often jumps like Hulk from one point to another. In the age of artificial intelligence, the emotion also feels artificial. Like the heart of Ultron, it thumps but the nuts and bolts don't generate the same impact as muscles and veins.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
TRM 8.1
TRM 6.7
TRM 4.6
Every plot point leads to either a song or a love making sequence with all the leading men in the film getting their turn leaving little for imagination. Enough fodder to keep the target audience swooning. And yes, here CBFC shows how liberal it is.
Full review ↗TRM 3.6
A stylish noir adventure soaked in surprise and substance in equal measure.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
Director Shadaab Mirza reinvents the premise in the dance bars, giving us an insight as how these bars were maligned by politicians with vested interests. Mirza seems to be confident that he is making an epic romance but actually he is picking nuts and bolts from classics to create a unit of clichés with lots of wood work.
Full review ↗TRM 3.6
The destination is clear from a distance but running along Neeson is not a waste of time.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
TRM 5.3
Provocative and pungent, it rises above the daftness that we associate with a sex comedy.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
A welcome reminder of simple joys and sorrows of life, watch it with somebody you love.
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
It might still work for the devotees of Singh, but the rest can go by his advice, "Never Ever". Bottomline: Nothing more than a tacky promotional feature for a spiritual organisation.
Full review ↗TRM 1.6
TRM 4.1
Using graveyard as a metaphor, Balki is trying to say life is too short to squabble over ego. But he seems to have forgotten that 153 minutes is too long to stretch an ad length idea to a feature film, particularly when it is not consistently speaking from the gut.
Full review ↗TRM 5.7
The best part is the film doesn't romanticise the job that these daredevils do nor does Neeraj turn it into a dry procedural. He does talk about the nameless nature of the job and the sacrifices these agents have to make but all of it is portrayed through the course of action with wry wit. Akshay Kumar nails the part. Restrained without being monotonous, Akshay keeps the heart throbbing.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
Rajkumar Rao and Zeeshan Ayyub show how to do it even in a comedy. Thankfully, the climax is not a cop out but by then one had lost interest in Dolly's escapades.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
TRM 3.6
Based on Kyle's autobiography, much like Hurt Locker, Eastwood's drama plays to the conservative gallery sidestepping the politics of war. Almost forgetting that Kyle died not on the war front but at a Texas shooting range. It is silent on the effect of his celebrity status on the society around him.
Full review ↗TRM 5.8
After showing signs of digging into the innards of middle class family values by putting a gay couple and an item girl from a rural background in the mix, Ritesh resorts to the safety of slapstick and happy ending, and when one begins to see the Priyadarshan-like family hungama from a distance, the craziness begins to wane.
Full review ↗TRM 4.1
Margaret is tailor made for Amy Adams. She brings alive the complicated character who takes a long time to see through the manipulative nature of her husband. It is a kind of performance that juries of film awards love to reward.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
Of course there are loopholes and creative licence is exploited but it is good fun on the run till it enters its final lap. After experimenting with the template, Amit suddenly runs out of ideas and decides to sum it up in conventional fashion.
Full review ↗TRM 4.6
Try it if you have the patience! ...It is their natural charm, particularly Alia's effortless approach that makes you invest in their relationship despite the fact that the narrative unfolds in a soap operatic tone.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
However, a decade later, in its third edition, the museum has lost not just its novelty but the commitment of its watchdog, Ben Stiller, as well.
Full review ↗TRM 5.0
Anurag is so miserly with information that at one point you like to beseech him to part with more details but he is no mood to take a please-all route. Still all threads come together when they need to. Still it is Anurag's least indulgent yet most visceral film. There is no escape from the ugliness that we and our films like to keep under wraps. Last week Hirani had hung a mirror in theatres, this week Anurag has put together few shards of glass. That was easier to face; this one will test the nerve.
Full review ↗TRM 7.2
When it seems somebody is drawing sadistic pleasure when a woman is punched in the face, one doubts the sensibility of the filmmaker. Even those who whistled for his Rowdy Rathore would find this hard to swallow.
Full review ↗TRM 2.6
There is an attempt to whip up melodrama by intercutting the gas leak with a wedding and there could have been many other angles to the story but the camera doesn't linger on the desperation to cash the poignancy. Kumar's approach is neutral as he recreates the sensory experience of that ill-fated night. Unlike Carbide he doesn't devalue death.
Full review ↗TRM 5.7
...after the effortless setup, the screenplay starts meandering. Some of the camera angles are amateurish. At times Masurkar gets carried away and brings in comedy-show kind of situations in an organic structure. But Naveen and Aditi ensure that the performances tide over the flaws in writing.
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
Cut from the same cloth from which films like Well Done Abba and Welcome To Sajjanpur were stitched, Zed Plus warms the cockles of the heart with its simplicity and integrity, ingredients that are fast disappearing from our cinescape. Far from the gloss and fakery of larger-than-life stories which rely on flying kicks and superheroes living next door, director Chandraprakash Diwvedi creates a scenario rooted in socio-political reality and gives it a satirical treatment.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
No doubt, one gets absorbed in the scenery. The jungle indeed sucks you in but everything is postcard fresh. A wilting red rose against a dark background, it seems somebody has imbued life into those children's picture books published in glossy paper. But when in the process the emotions also become too lustrous to be human, it hurts. The back story of the Beast and his sudden humanising seldom makes you grasp the armrest.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
TRM 3.0
A curious take on the mystery of marriage that is entertaining and exploratory at the same time...
Full review ↗TRM 7.3
TRM 5.2
TRM 5.0
TRM 5.5
TRM 3.9
Things get untangled rather easily towards the end making one feel that Homi hasn't paid heed to don Podro's advice – 'In art there is no compromise.' Still there are many reasons to get lost!
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
The narrative has familiar misanthropic overtones but one has to keep the original in mind to make sense of the characters as the makers have no intentions to indulge the latecomers.
Full review ↗TRM 5.8
If the ring side view is all you want, there is enough to keep you engaged. The moments between Mary and her father and the unsaid chemistry between Onler and Mary are moving largely due to Priyanka, who is the tour de force of this loosely assembled vehicle.
Full review ↗TRM 6.1
Promises a mature debate on a vexed issue but is let down by the callow craft of the director.
Full review ↗TRM 4.4
TRM 4.5
The good, bad and ugly side of power politics in Kanpur that reflects the dark underbelly of shining India.
Full review ↗TRM 7.1
...with minimal dialogues and primal posturing, The Expendables can still expand in less mature territories in their dubbed avatars for here Stallone is no less than Singham.
Full review ↗TRM 4.0
TRM 5.8
TRM 5.3
TRM 5.5
TRM 5.4
TRM 5.1
A street smart comedy that manages to regenerate the raucous atmosphere of the original.
Full review ↗TRM 6.2
Despite some high octane chase sequences on the streets of Warsaw, the film appears a wannabe. Kabir Khan did a better job with Salman in a similar space in "Ek Tha Tiger".
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
Oven fresh, "Pizza" revitalises a genre losing its bite in Hindi cinema. Often horror stories end up becoming claustrophobic in the haunted house but here it keeps breathing as Akshay doesn't give up on intrinsic logic and sense of humour.
Full review ↗TRM 4.7
The message that like jewellery, love also demands some imperfection to be lasting, is more spoon-fed than heart felt. The soapy treatment makes it worth a wait for the film's television premiere.
Full review ↗TRM 5.2
An unabashed adult flick that fails to address both the corporeal and emotional needs! It is a predictable story that pans out in a predictable fashion with the galleries treated to tastefully shot skin show.
Full review ↗TRM 4.2
A big studio franchise that shuns cosmetic thrills for substance.
Full review ↗TRM 7.2
TRM 6.0
TRM 5.3
By the end you do feel as if you are on the edge of extinction!
Full review ↗TRM 5.0
TRM 4.9
The animation is immersive with a flurry of colourful dragons flying through the screen but the best moments are still reserved for Toothless with retractable teeth, very much like the narrative! The Dragon has got more teeth as it soars again without any real hiccup!
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
Waiting in the cans for some time, the fish is finally out in the water but lacks the gills to survive the swell at the box office
Full review ↗TRM 4.0
In trying to be candid, the language becomes crass. In trying to be funny, the emotions feel manufactured. And the fresh cast seems to have been chosen only on the basis of look test.
Full review ↗TRM 3.4
If you have watched the original try it to see how Manila could easily be Mumbai and if you haven't, go get illuminated about the ground realities beneath your feet.
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
TRM 5.8
For a change here is a film that shows a part of Old Delhi without the overriding Punjabi flavour. Shot in an Old Delhi haveli, Bauji's house is a character in itself. There is so much going around him that you wonder how Rajat, Resul Pookutty (sound) and Rafey Mohammed (cinematography) managed to capture this chaos with such clarity and how these endearing snapshots of life were put together in an order by editor Suresh Pai. Every character is well etched... But it is Sanjay Mishra who is the tour de force of the film and could well be the second Queen this March.
Full review ↗TRM 6.7
TRM 3.7
TRM 4.7
TRM 4.7
