Anupama Chopra
Top Rated Films
Anupama Chopra's Film Reviews
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Infinity War didn’t wear me down in the way that Age of Ultron did, it didn’t give me the high of the first Avengers either. Like I said, manage expectations and you’ll be just fine.
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Let me be clear – I didn’t go in looking for complexity. Junglee could’ve played like a fun action adventure. One of my fondest childhood memories is watching Haathi Mere Saathi which had Rajesh Khanna cavorting with four elephants. I don’t remember what the film was about but I remember the delight I felt when I saw it. I was really hoping that Junglee would recreate some of that magic.
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Three hours after the press show, I’m yet to regain my senses of smell, taste, touch, hearing and full eyesight. If I were a character in the film, there would have been eight bullets in me by now but I’d still be writing. And milking my last line. So I’m going to be as polite and restrained as possible here. The only way Kesari could have done justice to its source material is if it didn’t exist.
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Photograph doesn’t come together as beautifully as The Lunchbox did. The screenplay isn’t as sharp or insightful. In places the film is so quiet that it feels inert. I’m not going to lie – I did get impatient. And yet the next morning, I found myself thinking about Rafi and Miloni. There is a tenderness that stays with you.
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A Serviceable Placeholder That Also Delights And Entertains…
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Sonchiriya tries to blend Spaghetti Western style-action drama with social commentary but it isn’t entirely satisfying on either count. You might also struggle with the language – Bundelkhandi – and it will help to see it with subtitles.
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At two hours and twenty-eight minutes, Manikarnika is unforgivably long. It’s been directed by both Krish Jagarlamudi and Kangana herself. In interviews, Kangana has said that 70 percent of it is her work. If yes, then she is an effective storyteller but the actor in her undermines the director. Because the actor becomes larger than the narrative.
But despite these flaws, Manikarnika reveals Kangana as an artist with boundless ambition and I’m excited to see what she creates next.
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Why Cheat India can’t decide if Rocky is a hero or villain. I don’t have a problem with that. What’s harder to take is the inconsistent tonality and the convoluted second act. Every time you think the film has reached a climax, Soumik tacks on another end. Because Why Cheat India wants to both celebrate and punish Rocky. But that, like the hybrid of fact and fiction, needed far more imagination and audacity.
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An Unabashed Love Letter To The Indian Army…The dance between a realistic terrorist drama and rousing action thriller proves to be too much
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If you have young children, you might consider giving Mary Poppins Returns a chance. I think they will enjoy it. There is less fodder here for adults but perhaps like me, you can distract yourself by admiring the sharp cut and fit of Mary’s coats.