…the good news is that we left the hall with one single happy thought – the film works.

Although Jolly LLB 2 doesn’t feature the most inventive court trial in Indian cinema history, it is certainly high on tragedy, raw emotions, morals and starkness of justice, and will appeal to both the thinking and the commercial audiences.

Kaabil has most of the right ingredients for a thriller – a cerebral protagonist, clever fight sequences, some scattered wit, brilliant casting and immersive screenplay among others. The fight choreography and methodologies, and Rohan’s whole blind-fighter role have the bearing of Daredevil or Batman. A little meandering in the direction in the second half, the pointless item number and some holes in logic at the end spoil what might otherwise been a remarkable film, but Kaabil is still worth a one-time watch.

The filmmaker’s flourishes along with the actors’ rich performances could prove to be worth your ticket money. However, the film still walks a tight rope on morality. Add to that the political atmosphere where religion and economics are often mixed up, and you’ll begin to observe that the tight-rope walk is held on top of burning embers. Whether the rope-walker walks the rope or falls to be burnt really depends on the viewer. All we can tell you is it’s a, well, perplexing trick.

The film which flaunts its sense of irony in the title plays mostly non-judgmental, but only so much rationalization can be thrown to justify a corporate scandal. Like in Wolf Of Wall Street and There Will Be Blood, we see an entrepreneur making no stops for emotional evaluation, but there is no fall, no payback and no repentance. Did we forget that this is a true story? Now it’s all the more horrifying, isn’t it?

Arrival is an engaging experience. While the plot might raise many logical questions, it never lets its focus be diverted from the questions it wants you to ask. If not for anything else, this film is a must-watch at least for Amy Adams’ terrific performance.

Karan Johar is no heart surgeon. He isn’t the most talented story-teller. But his story’s got heart. And he’s sincere about telling it. He reminds you of that friend who’d dabble in poetry and would recite some in a get-together. You wouldn’t perhaps remember much of it the next day, but if you indulge him he could stop the evening from getting dull. Only difference is, Johar has enough money to get his poems published.

These sort of films aren’t exactly evergreen material. The content, we mean. Crime films, dark films, disturbing films are watched often, but the deal is that the audience needs a certain novelty in presentation. You could call it shock value if there’s emphasis on the negativity, but the idea really is to give the audience a sense of seeing something they’ve not seen before.

Udta Punjab isn’t particularly hard-hitting but is, nonetheless, a tender film which ably narrates two engaging stories. Just make sure to pitch your expectations right when you walk into the hall.

At any rate, it becomes quite satisfying escapist fare. And that isn’t exactly a bad thing. Like those songs you play a few times and forget, Money Monster holds your attention while you watch it, but you best leave it alone after that.