Devarsi Ghosh
India Today
Most Divergent Takes
- XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017)2.0 vs TRM 5.2-3.2
- M Cream (2016)1.0 vs TRM 4.2-3.2
- Shorgul (2016)7.0 vs TRM 4.0+3.0
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)9.0 vs TRM 6.1+2.9
- Island City (2016)9.0 vs TRM 6.1+2.9
Sachin: A Billion Dreams
2017 · India Today · May 2017
All in all, there is nothing about Sachin Tendulkar in Sachin: A Billion Dreams that you did not already know. That there are no grey areas in the film can be an issue to only one of two kinds of people in the world. The rest don't need to read the review.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017 · India Today · May 2017
There is a bunch of well-conceptualised action sequences that are outrageous in design and fun to look at. The climactic final 30 minutes are punctuated by strong, emotional moments - between Quill and Ego, between Gamora and his sister Nebula, between Yondu and everyone else - that add to the stakes and thus give the audience enough to care about the characters' fate. To put it simply, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a very well-made summer movie. It does not hurt your intelligence or trouble your eardrums. It is smooth, sexy and has an awesome mix for a soundtrack, obviously. What else do you want?
The Fate of the Furious
2017 · India Today · Apr 2017
Fans will probably find Fast and Furious 8 mostly satisfying. Non-fans will most likely not find the film as offensive to the senses as they would expect. After all, there are few cinematic moments as oddly eloquent as seeing a WWE pro-wrestler pick up Clint Eastwood's son like he is an action figure and shake him around.
Phillauri
2017 · India Today · Mar 2017
Phillauri's concept is good and novel. But the delivery is what North Indians call KLPD. The climactic payoff at the end comes way too easily. It's just lazy writing after a point. If only Shashi emerged in the writer's room before filming began and smacked some imagination into Anvita Dutt's head.
Logan
2017 · India Today · Mar 2017
Hugh Jackman is at his finest as Wolverine, one last time...
Rangoon
2017 · India Today · Feb 2017
Vishal Bhardwaj, caught with the duty to serve two movies in one (an old-school romance and a war thriller), doesn't really do a Casablanca though he does give Rangoon his best shot. Nevertheless, Rangoon comes off as probably 2017's most good-looking and well-made Indian film. Certainly, this year's most ambitious, with three great lead performances. Vishal Bhardwaj is in fine form, mostly. And yes, the National Anthem comes thrice in the film. What more do you want?
The Ghazi Attack
2017 · India Today · Feb 2017
Stripped of all the saturated fats that we associate with Indian war films (courtesy JP Dutta) such as sentimental backstories of soldiers, romantic subplots that only serve to bore and unrealistic heroism, The Ghazi Attack, helmed by first-time filmmaker Sankalp Reddy, deserves kudos for its smart, smart filmmaking.
Running Shaadi
2017 · India Today · Feb 2017
Running Shaadi on paper seems trite, but it is consistently engaging because newer and wilder plot developments get thrown at you (Roy is also the writer) and you cannot help but continue to run with its characters to find out what eventually becomes of them.
Dhanak
2016 · India Today · Feb 2017
It's that kind of a movie which we call "sweet and simple". This small, intimate film from Nagesh Kukunoor is a breezy, inoffensive, and often charming, two-hour ride that is all fable and fairy tale.
Haraamkhor
2017 · India Today · Jan 2017
There is a lot to love and lot to notice in Haraamkhor. The film is like a diamond; the more you notice, the more you find imperfections which make it all the more beautiful, all the more perfect. Just one advice: Don't take your jaanu to watch it with you, it is not a date movie.
XXX: Return of Xander Cage
2017 · India Today · Jan 2017
You have other options in the theatres this weekend; treat yourself to those instead of this. Pity Deepika Padukone couldn't make her Hollywood debut with a more less-forgettable film.
Arrival
2016 · India Today · Dec 2016
While the world stays busy over what's better - DC or Marvel - and people cannot get more of the umpteenth Harry Potter or Jack Sparrow movie, Arrival, like Inception or Gravity, is the rare film that stands tall at the end of the year because of its sheer genius.
Rogue One
2016 · India Today · Dec 2016
The greatest villain of American cinema of all time has all but three minutes in Rogue One but he, obviously, steals all of them. If you are a Star Wars fan, you might get an orgasm seeing Vader do his thing in the last three minutes of Rogue One. If you are not, be prepared to join the Dark side.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
2016 · India Today · Nov 2016
Full of Spielbergian wonder and spectacle, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a well-written, well-directed and well-acted family film. It is rare that a spin-off of a highly popular franchise genuinely works as a film and not just exists as a cash cow (The Hobbit, Puss in Boots).
Doctor Strange
2016 · India Today · Nov 2016
The real and only hero of Dr Strange is its visual effects. What happens to large cities and vast tracts of land in the film is what you see when you look into a kaleidoscope. Buildings, roads and bridges fold upon each other while the heroes and villains do parkour between all of that. It is great to look at till a point. But then, you have seen stranger things before.
31st October
2016 · India Today · Oct 2016
A note of appreciation for Vir Das. The comedian holds his own as a likable sardar and father of two really annoying kids who should be nominated for Ghanta Awards for Annoying Children. In the future, 31st October will serve as his show-reel to directors who might want to cast him in 'serious roles'. Soha Ali Khan, who plays Vir's wife, sleepwalks through the entire film just like the other actors.
Pink
2016 · India Today · Sep 2016
Pink, like Madaari, also written by Ritesh Shah, is a film that has the trappings of a thriller to keep the audience guessing about the outcome every minute, while simultaneously engaging them in a conversation about contemporary society. Pink is about the patriarchal mindset which looks at independent women capable of making the same choices as independent, enfranchised men, as 'loose' or 'characterless'.
Freaky Ali
2016 · India Today · Sep 2016
Too bad, as is always with any film from the bhai stable, the film's makers did not give two hoots about the film's script, which is why Freaky Ali ended up being two hours of zzzZZZzzzz...
Island City
2016 · India Today · Sep 2016
Island City is one of the best Hindi films in recent times. It is a very well-made, confident film that fearlessly eschews Bollywoodisms and just exists in its distinctive rhythm; never for a second, feeling the need to shock and impress the audience.
A Flying Jatt
2016 · India Today · Aug 2016
A Flying Jatt is meant for kids. If grown-ups don't mind doing the fabled "leave the brain outside the home and enjoy" routine before stepping into the theatre, they will not mind A Flying Jatt.
Happy Bhag Jayegi
2016 · India Today · Aug 2016
Happy Bhag Jayegi is an inoffensive family entertainer. If you don't like your history with flying crocodiles or with patriotism forced down the throat, this inconspicuous film might appeal to you.
War Dogs
2016 · India Today · Aug 2016
War Dogs is a film about two twenty-something men who do terrible things for a living. Besides echoing the Scorsese rise-and-fall story, the film is reminiscent of The Social Network - a more layered film about the moral corruption of twenty-somethings trying to win the world. Is there redemption? No.
Mohenjo Daro
2016 · India Today · Aug 2016
Ashutosh Gowariker does not make historical films, let's get that clear. He is great at making spectacles using historical stories as a crutch. Sadly, this time, he picked the wrong story.
Budhia Singh – Born to Run
2016 · India Today · Aug 2016
Budhia Singh - Born To Run should be watched. It is well-made with its heart in the right place. Good performances, a pleasing story, a national hero angle (Like Airlift, Neerja, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) - what more do you want?
The BFG
2016 · India Today · Jul 2016
There is not much drama, not much wit, the villains (the big, bad giants come off as high-school bullies) are one-dimensional - it's all very forgettable. Frankly, The BFG is a sub-par film in Spielberg's oeuvre.
M Cream
2016 · India Today · Jul 2016
The film is as aimless and pointless as its protagonists, and Agneya Singh is no Richard Linklater or Gus Vant Sant who can create magic with a leisurely film about lost young folks (Dazed and Confused, SubUrbia, My Own Private Idaho).
Brahman Naman
2016 · India Today · Jul 2016
As is always the norm with films about immature 20-year-olds looking for sex, the film's story is all about coming-of-age, finding love, understanding life, and so on and so forth. The big moments do not come easy and even when they come, you don't know when they go past you. Neither do Brahman Naman's heroes, because they are stupid and self-involved.
Shorgul
2016 · India Today · Jul 2016
Shorgul deserves a watch, more so because of its topicality in this putrid climate of communal hatred and intolerance.
The Conjuring 2
2016 · India Today · Jun 2016
From the perspective of craft, The Conjuring 2 is a good, well-written-and-directed, classic entertainer. If you are looking for cheap thrills, you might want to skip this. But if you are in for a good movie-watching experience and wouldn't mind a few chills, go for it.