High on hysteria and hamming, Vivek Agnihotri’s film comes off as a cheap trick

Photograph is a fairly standard Mumbai-set slice of life drama. While there’s humour and pathos, Batra lacks a firm grip on the story and it starts to get away from him midway through the film, making it hard for anyone to really get lost in it. In the end, you can’t help but feel shortchanged.

It is still a sincere enough, easily digestible, curl-up-on-the couch film you wouldn’t mind watching, come the relentless Mumbai monsoon.

But by the end of the film, that is what it feels like… listening to a ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation instead of experiencing the band’s discography from within. We did not need all their big hits
stitched into the narrative. What we needed is the film to offer us something much more. I waited very patiently for that. Sadly, it never came.

There are lots of great views in Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz, and one of its best features is its pretty, nostalgic depiction of slow, slow Calcutta. The movie itself does feel a bit long, and it could have reached its conclusion a lot quicker than the 116 minutes it took. But perhaps it’s just the newness of social media romances that we expect our characters to meet and climax earlier than they need to, or earlier than social media can let them get away without.

Padman packs in a lot of meat within 2.5 hours but most of it is the concentrated second half whereas the first one stands diluted. Balki’s direction elevates the film almost as much as Kumar’s charged portrayal. It is certainly one of the best in his career so far. An extra hoot to Padman for being the first mainstream film to dare address what has long been stuck between the legs. A small film (Phullu) did try to make its presence felt last year, but Padman has proved to be not only a bigger but a better film.

The performances of the main and the supporting cast bring out each of the distinct characters they play. The film takes its time to tell its story (the runtime of the film’s festival version is almost two-and-a-half hours). But then it takes time for love and fairness to fight their battles and stand up to the consuming hatred and vengeance of people with power.

Go watch Tiger Zinda Hai if you’re a fan of large-scale action entertainers, with probably just the right amount of logic. Salman Khan has well and truly arrived (again) with a potential blockbuster that has enough to keep you pinned. Good fun while it lasts.

If there is any stance of this writer that he found challenged was that films do not need aggressive promotional campaigns to make a mark. All a powerful film needs is a good first impression through the trailer, which packs in a substantial chunk of the story, and the ability to tell much more which surprises the audience who choose to give it a chance.

Shraddha Kapoor’s act, and this film, are both inconsistent…