English Vinglish falters in the second half. The pace drops and Shashi’s English class seems like an outtake of Mind Your Language, the successful television series about a motley group of people learning English. There’s also a clumsy sub-track about Shashi’s English teacher being gay, complete with a sermon on equality.

This is a film made with love, bolstered by wonderfully etched vignettes, Ranbir Kapoor’s stupendous performance and a gorgeous soundtrack by Pritam. And yet, for me, Barfi was a singularly frustrating experience there was so much to like, but the film never became more than the sum of its parts. As long as Basu stays with the love track, the film moves, but then we are sidetracked by suspense, which isn’t all that suspenseful because you can predict exactly who did what. The film insists too hard that we find the magical in the mundane. I wish Barfi! the film was as magical as Barfi the character. See it for him.

Silver Linings Playbook is that rare thing – a romance with genuine chemistry, emotional heft and an edgy sense of humor that finds laughter in the darkest of places. Director David O. Russell creates a layered family drama that offers a real insight into the strain of living with mental illness. And yet, Silver Linings Playbook never becomes heavy or depressing because, as Pat puts it, it’s all about having a shot at the silver lining.

Ek Tha Tiger is Salman Khan’s best film since Dabangg. But because his last two films were Ready and Bodyguard, the bar is not exactly high. Still, Ek Tha Tiger has more of a story as well as greater coherence and emotion than both those films put together.

It helps that the material is directed by Homi Adajania, whose first film Being Cyrus was a dark, twisted look at a dysfunctional Parsi family. Adajania keeps it crisp. He reins in the melodrama, until the last half hour when emotions go ballistic and the plot gets needlessly convoluted, and the actors — Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty — bite into their roles. Cocktail is a fun, romantic romp.

Writer-director Dibakar Banerjee and co-writer Urmi Juvekar tell this brutal story with minimal drama. There is nothing high-pitched here, except Kalki’s one-note performance.Shanghai warms up slowly, so you need to have patience — especially in the first half. But the pleasure of the film is in the details. Shanghai doesn’t provide the comfort of answers or happy endings. But it forces us to ask urgent questions. It is the best Hindi film I’ve seen this year. I strongly urge you to make time for it.

I wonder if the Indian film ritual of intermission also functions as a creative road-block. Because so many fine films derail exactly there; I call it the curse of the second half. Ishaqzaade is one of these.Faisal sets up the story with great precision. Kapoor and Chopra are terrific as the explosive twosome. The music, composed by Amit Trivedi, works well.Which is why it’s so disappointing to see it unravel. Still, Ishaqzaade does provide half a good time. How many films can you say that for?

Gangs of Wasseypur is by turns absorbing and frustrating. Watching it feels like gorging on too much good food, leaving you feeling more exhausted than satiated. But there is enough in the sound and fury to enjoy.

The film does become a little far-fetched as Gattu, an illiterate, continues to fool his teachers and spins an unbelievable yarn for his classmates. But Khosa gives it a fable-like texture so that you don’t mind too much when reality takes a backseat.Gattu is small in scale, but this is a film with heart.

What doesn’t work as well is the love story (though the Bengali-Punjabi parental clash is laugh-out-loud funny) and the resolution of Vicky’s thorny problem. Sircar wants to make a case for sperm donation but the film falters when it moves into preachy melodrama. Still, there is much to like here, including Khurrana’s performance though I’m still figuring out what was going on with the pink lips!

Check out Vicky Donor. It’s a nice surprise.