This Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani adaptation of Arjun Reddy could have been 40 minutes shorter

If the first half could’ve been knocked off and this was dedicatedly a film about home invasion, it would’ve surely been a more focussed, if not a more thrilling watch. But then, that would have been an entirely different film.

Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif-starrer is a melodramatic mess that overtly idolises its one-dimensional lead

Known for sharp thrillers such as Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, director Raj Kumar Gupta has set a bar that only few have managed to scale. But, as they say, high expectations inevitably lead to disappointment. Given the compelling material to work with at hand, this could’ve rendered a cracking, edge-of-the-seat watch. But predictable turns and lack of cinematic liberties fail to infuse the film with much-required tension.

Indian biopics rarely manage a holistic portrait. Usually hagiographic, these reel-life renditions have hardly been held back by reality. Historians say biopics deliver immortality, as they serve as a record of our times, and need to be factually accurate.

The film’s deceptive title may throw many off. But the message that De De Pyaar De packs is loud and clear — love cannot be sought by courtship alone, accepting and adapting play an intrinsic role too. So if you’re going for a geriatric, be prepared to date the dentures too.

Helming the second in the franchise that catapulted the careers of Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, would surely come with great responsibility. But Malhotra plays it on the back-foot, hoping to crack it with a formulaic plot and clichéd characters that barely go beyond the call of duty. Perhaps, it’s time for the makers to return to film school?

The theory that all bearded men are terrorists is reinforced in this Sunny Deol thriller…

As an attorney in this film says, “It’s all in the details—they can make or break a piece of evidence.” And it is this acute attention to the various singularities presented in this film that makes it worth sitting through.

Total Dhamaal is a one-time watch but only when it airs on TV on a Sunday afternoon when you can’t seem to find the remote to turn it off.