Anupama Chopra
Top Rated Films
Anupama Chopra's Film Reviews
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Pad Man, a superman without the cape, is a memorable character. Like the real Pad Man, Lakshmi is self-deprecating and very funny – especially in the climactic speech at the United Nations. I wish the film matched his sparkle.
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Wright sets this up an inspiring drama, which culminates in Churchill’s watershed ‘we shall fight them on the beaches’ speech, which we also heard at the end of Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. In fact, Darkest Hour works as a nice companion piece to that film. Unlike Nolan however, Wright opts for easy sentimentality. McCarten invents a scene in which Churchill takes the tube for the first time in his life and finds strength in the courage of ordinary Londoners. It’s so cheesy that a B-grade Bollywood director would have rejected it. But there is enough to enjoy here. Especially Oldman’s towering achievement.
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This film is frightening but it is also deeply moving and significant. I urge you to time for it.
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The beauty is that debutant director Nagraj Manjule doesn’t give us a shrill polemic on the soul-crushing ugliness that exists in modern India. Instead he creates a poignant portrait of a keenly intelligent boy whose dreams defy his circumstances. Manjule gives us lovely little details – so Jabya, hoping to go a shade lighter, enthusiastically powders his face before school. And his bright, charming face fills with longing when he sees a pair of jeans, which are prohibitively expensive but essential in his Shalu plans.
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The premise of Rab Ne is illogical but even if you are willing to overlook the fact that Tani fails to recognise her own husband because he loses his moustache and gels his hair, the film is a frustrating experience.
Sporadic scenes play out nicely and Shah Rukh Khan works every acting muscle to bring conviction to this story but the overwhelming emotional inconsistency fractures the film.
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The film belongs to Ranbir Kapoor. Even when he’s doing the most awful things you really can’t get mad at him. Bachna Ae Haseeno is unapologetically shallow, highly improbable and despite the occasional kissing, absolutely sanitised. But that’s precisely what we see Yash Raj films for. I recommend that you check- in reality at the door and enjoy this over-blown fantasy.
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Plot and character are not the point here. The flimsy story about a cop engaging a motorbike dealer to catch a thief who runs a motorcycle gang is the least crafted element. But there are lots of trendy split screen shots of shiny bikes burning rubber and fast paced stunts involving boats and trucks. Not to mention sexy songs with water hoses.
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A dream in which impossibly rich and beautiful people who have never known dirt and sweat and grime will gambol in impossibly exotic locations (this time Baden-Baden in Germany), play games of love, even shed a few tears but always live happily ever after. In Chopra’s chiffon and champagne cinema, there is little room for realism. And Dil to Pagal Hai (DTPH) is no different.