The first-rate performances help steer it to shore – from Vidya Balan to Parambrata Chattopadhyay to Nawazuddin Siddiqui who plays a hard-nosed IB agent and Saswata Chatterjee who plays the insurance agent. Balan, quite effortlessly, manages to be both vulnerable and resilient. So despite the loopholes, Kahaani fulfills what it sets out to do and keeps you hooked and guessing. Which in itself is no small accomplishment.

Shaitan loses steam, becomes repetitive and ends in a whimper. Which is a shame because Nambiar has talent to burn.

Let me warn you that Stanley Ka Dabba is slow. In places, the story seems stretched. The climax is predictable and not entirely convincing. But I recommend that you make time for the film. It has an inherent sweetness and honesty that will stay with you long after the film is over.

Shor in the City is a terrific film. It’s surprising and disturbing and has a vein of rich, dark humor coursing through it. With great skill and inventiveness, directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK capture the chaos, absurdity and cacophony that constitutes India’s maximum city: Mumbai.

Yeh Saali Zindagi needed to be shorter and less flabby. I also wish that Arunoday and Chitrangda were more forceful actors – thankfully Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh and a host of other strong performers ably prop them up. Eventually then, Yeh Saali Zindagi doesn’t hit all the high marks it sets for itself but it provides enough crackle to keep you entertained. Check it out.

No One Killed Jessica is several notches ahead of the tripe we’ve been subjected to in theatres lately.

The first half, in which him and Shruti set up their company is great fun, with weddings and struggle and a mid-point twist that will surprise you. Even Anushka, who has been tediously bland in the films she’s done so far comes into her own as the ambitious Delhi girl, who dreams of upgrading to multi-crore Sainik Farms weddings. Sadly, the second half is a big let down with too much fighting, stretched-out wedding sequences and even an item number in which Bittoo and Shruti fill in for Shah Rukh Khan who can’t dance at the wedding because he hurts his leg.

This fantasy would be effective if the writing was more organic and the emotions felt more authentic but Bhansali never gives us a chance to invest in these people. Combining euthanasia with song-and-dance is a tough, tough feat and despite his prodigious talent, Bhansali can’t pull it off. Since we don’t have a two and three-quarter rating, I’m going with three stars.

I recommend that you see the film for the sheer pleasure of watching Salman Khan in top form.

And for the nicely smoldering Sonakshi who despite their difference in age and experience, holds her own effectively.

If you are willing to have patience, Dhobi Ghat comes together nicely. It has a poetry and melancholy that stays with you. I recommend that you give it a shot.