Hawaa Hawaai is an extraordinary saga of ordinary lives, the kind we often pass by at traffic signals. Gupte penetrates the heart, mind, soul and dreams of those unsung lives. This is the most moving film on street kids since Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay.
This is a not-to-be-missed life-changing experience.

The film does infuse a semblance of satirical spark in the spook saga. There are some portions where the spirits rise to an endearing level. If only the narration was able to make us believe that ghosts can be fun even when they are on the verge of losing their homes.

Without the advantage of a credulous script, these other-worldly characters don`t stand a ghost of a chance.

To watch `Battle of the Damned` is like rotting in hell with zombies, killer robots, obtuse-damned survivors and an overdose of innate absurdity that is prevalent in the film. Overall “Battle of the Damned” can be strictly avoided, as it seems like a long drawn trailer of a hackneyed zombie film with no flesh!

McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof with deep sincerity. The physical as well as the emotional evolution of the character through the film is incredibly and spectacularly real. He shines as the despicable, selfish, racist, homophobic and equally excels as a caring and a likeable person.

A warm, funny, thought-provoking take on the man-woman equation, director Saket Chaudhary gets it bang on. The chemistry between Farhan and Vidya crackles and hisses with tantalising tension. Brittle and yet supple, the lead pair’s chemistry irons out the film’s uneven edges. I wish the peripheral characters were written and played better.

The script by Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler and Michael Robert Johnson, is crisp and focused. The tension is carefully and precisely mounted to construct the doomsday effect. Though the event is predictable, the look and feel of Glen MacPherson’s visuals in 3D is enchanting. They beautifully merge with computer generated special effects of the volcanic eruption, the tsunami and the submerging of the land. The film is worth a watch for being a grand visual spectacle.

…wears its social message on the perils of unguarded intimacy lightly. It is thought-provoking but not preachy, emphatic but not screechy. It makes a whole lot of sense in that disarmingly artless style we saw in the director’s “I Am Kalam”.

The issue is; every action sequence after a while seems staged like a long drawn video game. The fights are filmed in a monotonous manner, thereby tending to be ineffective and boring. And, honestly, over a period of time the entire experience sedates you, forcing your mind to switch off.

…this is a pleasant enough film, which features its share of standout moments and is a welcome change especially for those who care about the kind of music it honours.

Today, De Niro is 70 and Stallone 67 – both fit and agile. They seem to be banking on their past laurels and hence have not put in much effort to emote. Considering their pervious performance as boxers, this one does not even qualify for Oscar nominations, but nevertheless they are persuasive and convincing.