Top Rated Films
Kusumita Das's Film Reviews
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Shamitabh’s strength lies in the mighty performances of its two leading men, which to a large extent fill the holes in the plot and allow us to look beyond the many flights of fancy.
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Hindi cinema feeds us enough fiction for us to expect a completely true story told with hundred per cent accuracy. So the factual question marks are not entirely what we fault ‘Hawaizaada’ for. True or not, it was a good subject that the director had his hands on. But sadly, ‘Hawaizaada’ limps a bit too much to even come close to convincingly recreate the life of a man who dreamt to be the first one to fly.
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This is one of those rare Hindi films that actually ups the ante in the last few minutes and that’s a pleasant surprise indeed. A pacy screenplay keeps the narrative engaging and some tight editing manages to keep the film within 100 minutes, again a welcome treat. The writing is crisp and the director keeps a firm hold on all his characters, never letting them fly off the rails.
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The narrative hinges itself on satire, however, the melodrama towards the end dilutes the humour; that could have been avoided. That apart, Ritesh Menon’s direction is confident and his portrayal of characters, engaging. Kudos to the editing team for keeping the film under two hours, a minute more and it could have easily flown off the rails. But overall Crazy Cukkad Family manages to be a decent balance of chuckles, LOLs and WTFs.
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There are bad films, there are so-bad-they-are-good films. And then there is ‘Action Jackson’. Bollywood has trained us well enough to know that we are not to use our grey cells one bit while watching films like ‘Action Jackson’.
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So if you are looking for a fun ride, Ungli won’t disappoint. But because of its simplistic approach, Ungli is only entertaining, not thought-provoking.
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With a catchy soundtrack, a steady supply of giggles, top-notch performances and an engaging script, Abhishek Sharma’s The Shaukeens is a worthy follow-up to his first film, the hilarious Tere Bin Laden. Watch it to get a taste of vintage Bollywood that’s not afraid to laugh at itself.
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Mr Kumar’s intentions in Super Nani maybe good, but this is 2014 where the audience is used to a certain standard of message delivery. Think English Vinglish, think Queen, think Highway. The finest shades of ‘women empowerment’ in Hindi cinema. You cannot wish these away and pretend you have done enough with a preachy, contrived session on family values.
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Because the film manages to tick most formula boxes, one can expect it to rock the festive weekend, a time when the audience automatically seems to get less discerning. We don’t know how much this Diwali release will leave you smiling, but those dazzling lights and eye-popping colours will leave you blinking for sure.
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The pace slumps a little in the second half, but the slack is short-lived. By then the director’s craft has hypnotised you enough to overlook the slips. Considering Hamlet, with all its complexity, is certainly not an easy adaptation to venture into — that alone could well make this Vishal’s finest film yet.