Mayank Shekhar
The W14·Mid-Day·Hindustan Times·ABPNews·Daily Bhaskar
Mayank Shekhar is an Indian film critic, journalist and author. He has been a film critic and a national cultural editor with Hindustan Times. He previously worked under Mumbai Mirror and MiD DAY. He also used to write a blog, Fad For Thought at Hindustan Times website. Currently, his reviews appear on his website theW14.com and also at Daily Bhaskar in different languages.
Most Divergent Takes
- Cocktail 2 (2026)1.0 vs TRM 4.9-3.9
- Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009)2.0 vs TRM 5.4-3.4
- Chennai Express (2013)2.0 vs TRM 5.3-3.3
- Murder 2 (2011)2.0 vs TRM 5.2-3.2
- Ekk Deewana Tha (2012)1.0 vs TRM 4.1-3.1
Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos
2026 · Mid-Day
The dialogue humour is chiefly over Happy screwing up his Hindi. Scenes range from death by qawwali to a restaurant with one table. None of it lands.
Ikkis
2026 · Mid-Day
I could watch Ikkis twice. The one thing you observe in Ikkis, decidedly a war film; makes no mistake, is the immersive, claustrophobic insides of a bloody battle-tank as the Indian Army advances across the border.
Do Deewane Seher Mein
2026 · Mid-Day
Ever so slightly Basu Chatterjee! Only sad part about this sweet, simple romcom is you'll wait for it to drop on Netflix.
Cocktail 2
2026 · Mid-Day
Cocktail 2 is a visually appealing romance packed with picturesque Italian backdrops, stylish costumes and attractive leads. However, the flimsy premise, unconvincing relationships and shallow storytelling make it hard to stay invested.
Masters of the Universe
2026 · Mid-Day
Get past the devastating stupidity — engage with He-Man as nostalgia-max! With humor, self-awareness, and simple storytelling, the film offers an entertaining throwback, though its appeal may resonate more with nostalgic fans than general audiences.
Kartavya
2026 · Mid-Day
Can a so-so script be uplifted by a star, through the performance alone? Hell, yeah! Among stars, Saif is probably my favourite Khan. Also, decades down, he still seems relatively underrated.
The Devil Wears Prada 2
2026 · Mid-Day
Miranda Priestly, lead character of The Devil Wears Prada (DWP), is a ghastly human being — making me wonder, in 2006, how one could like a film, while squarely hating its protagonist. This is because the innately gifted Meryl Streep played the part with such natural gravitas, that you could somewhat confuse her sickening arrogance for acceptable idiosyncrasies of a possible genius.
Michael
2026 · Mid-Day
The film doesn't uncover the full truth but emotionally connects. In the love language of consumer ratings, I suspect, Michael would've been a three-star movie, even before it got made.
O'Romeo
2026 · Mid-Day
Shahid-Vishal's fourth collab, fully bloated, isn't quite Kaminey; but, in parts, cult enough! For the most part, O'Romeo feels like two separate films.
The Rajasaab
2026 · Mid-Day
To have an entire three-hour-plus movie, where everyone around the hero is as pointless as the 'zero' button of a ceiling fan, must mean a lotta pressure to deliver, when the point of it is basically hot air.
Welcome to the Jungle
2026 · Mid-Day
The totally senseless, madcap comedy, Welcome to the Jungle, is primarily set in POK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir). While totally unrelated to the OG Welcome, its threequel bears potential crap-cult value.
Balan - The Boy
2026 · Mid-Day
The sheer delulu around a dapperly-dressed, foreign ministry bureaucrat, carefully selecting snazzy #ootd—strutting around in her fancy apartment and office, like some US Vice President type from Veep, as TV channels go high-decibel berserk, breaking news of her getting anointed India's youngest deputy high commissioner to Britain—should warn you enough about all that's to follow in this pretentious nonsense.
Governor
2026 · Mid-Day
Governor is evidently a gobar/crappy position. The film opens to RBI HQ looking more like a municipality office. Governor is criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of the RBI and India's 1990 economic crisis, with the film faulted for weak research, factual errors, and a simplistic depiction of complex economic and political events.
Mardaani 3
2026 · Mid-Day
The film is fine counterpoint to macho-man rodeo savage heroes that we are more used to, onscreen, watching their hair fly in the air as they swing on harnesses like circus clowns. While equally feisty, and very much an actioner still, Mardaani adds a suitably feminine energy with a heroine in the same part.
Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai
2026 · Mid-Day
Much mehnat (effort) to watch this movie, I tell you. The review criticizes Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai for its weak comedy, chaotic plot, and lack of genuine laughs despite colorful visuals and nostalgic David Dhawan elements.
Main Vaapas Aaunga
2026 · Mid-Day
A devastatingly political film wrapped in an Imtiaz Ali fable/romance. Main Vaapas Aaunga is praised as a poignant, non-partisan Partition romance that blends love, memory, and loss with political nuance.
Dhurandhar
2025 · Mid-Day
Dhurandhar has been performed, written, and directed by those who haven't ever stepped a foot in Karachi, and perhaps never will. Ranveer Singh's film feels overwhelming for its length.
Superboys of Malegaon
2025 · Mid-Day
Superboys of Malegaon is a hugely entertaining film, about films. Which also obviously translates to fine direction, writing, performances, and everything else that follows.
Sitaare Zameen Par
2025 · Mid-Day
What's there ever to fault a film, that's so straight and simple, about specially-abled folks — starring eight of them, as themselves, for an ensemble cast — in effect, teaching you empathy, first-hand, with so much humour and warmth that you find yourself rooting for these actors, to begin and end with, anyway?
Jolly LLB 3
2025 · Mid-Day
Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi's powerful courtroom showdown elevates the film. For you're more interested in what they're up to.
120 Bahadur
2025 · Mid-Day
120 Bahadur is about a battle that India won, while heavily outnumbered against an estimated 3000 Chinese soldiers, at a particular post, in Ladakh. The film sets a new benchmark for Hindi war films with its compelling narrative and strong performances.
Panipat
2019 · Mid-Day · Dec 2019
More than a period film, a costume drama, a Bollywood musical, a war memorial, a battle-field actioner, Panipat is essentially a lesson in history that might have occupied at best a page in your NCERT/school text.
Laal Kaptaan
2019 · Mid-Day · Oct 2019
ensational; but a stretch, sadly...In Laal Kaptaan we effectively experience a valiant attempt at merging the East, with the Western
The Sky Is Pink
2019 · Mid-Day · Oct 2019
You have to give it to heavyweight Bollywood producers backing this heartbreakingly intimate subject, and the top stars — particularly Priyanka, in top-form, as the ferociously indefatigable tigress for a mom — mainstreaming this delicate script into a picture you've got to warm theatre-seats for. And no, Farhan isn't miscast at all. His character's life pans out far beyond Chandni Chowk thereafter! Perfect.
Dream Girl
2019 · Mid-Day · Sep 2019
Dream Girl is a non-stop gag-fest. And all that you need to know is if the gags being thrown at you at the speed of light, hits your brains, or bounces off the skull.
Chhichhore
2019 · Mid-Day · Sep 2019
Chhichhore is the sort of film that we can all add to, with our own versions of the same story -- a user-generated series, if you like. This has the makings of one.
Saaho
2019 · Mid-Day · Sep 2019
Saaho is an attempt to blow your brains out with a series of non-stop, high-octane action scenes, between a bunch of music videos, with a strange mix of Punjabi pop and wannabe-Rahman peppiness.
Mission Mangal
2019 · Mid-Day · Aug 2019
Most movies suffer from what's called the 'curse of the second half'. Mission Mangal is a rare one that reverses that principle. It gets much better towards the end!
Batla House
2019 · Mid-Day · Aug 2019
There's no escaping basic Bollywood tropes here either. But it's done all so smartly to never take attention away from a deeply realistic crime-drama. This is clearly Advani's best work in a long while; suspect since the animation film Delhi Safari (2012), if not his rom-com debut, Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)!
Judgementall Hai Kya
2019 · Mid-Day · Jul 2019
Whether or not you're easily drawn to this alternate world (let alone its conclusion), what can't be denied is how brilliantly Kanika Dhillon carves out a fine suspense-thriller.
Game Over
2019 · Mid-Day · Jun 2019
Suffice it to know, this is a 'home-invasion' picture, a full-on sub-genre of its own, with limited pay-off, yes. But with only one question that should really matter: Does it keep you interested/hooked right through to the end? For sure. That's all you need to know. And get set, go!
India's Most Wanted
2019 · Mid-Day · May 2019
India's Most Wanted is kinda fast-paced, a rudimentary thriller with background score guiding your every move, but two hours plus runtime simply appears an hour too long.
Kesari
2019 · Mid-Day · Mar 2019
Kesari is in-your-face, goose-bumpy ride-heartwarming because it's history; and hysterical, because it's that kinda movie-it is just the best one can do.
Gully Boy
2019 · Mid-Day · Feb 2019
Gully Boy is a new kind of 'Angry Young Man' movie, in effect - seamlessly merging sub-culture with pop mainstream.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
2019 · Mid-Day · Jan 2019
We've all read about Rani Lakshmibai in middle-school history. But we remember her best from the Allahabadi poet Subhadra Kumari Chauhan's long poem with the famous descriptor, 'Bundele har bole ki muh, humne suni kahani thi. Khoob ladi mardani, who toh Jhansi wali Rani thi.' A genuine, soul-stirring tribute to her phenomenal heroism can at best hope to come close to Chauhan's immortal lines. Yes, this one does.
Why Cheat India
2019 · Mid-Day · Jan 2019
The 'curse of the second half' in Hindi pictures is simply so severe, especially when it comes to films with well-known faces, that even as I find myself really enjoying a movie, there's a radar at the back of the brain constantly cautioning one to only hope that the post-interval portions even live up to the first half — by half. If so, then as an audience, you're pretty much through.
Uri: The Surgical Strike
2019 · Mid-Day · Jan 2019
No better actor to lead this charge than the fully fired-up Vicky Kaushal menacingly calm as a military mind - inspiring his peers, with an infectious energy that is impossible to resist
Zero
2018 · Mid-Day · Dec 2018
Zero jerkily jostles between heartland, rustic realism, and a far-out romantic fantasy, vaguely along the lines of Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om. The only take-away is how tough it must've been to pull this off
Kedarnath
2018 · Mid-Day · Dec 2018
Be that as it may, is this the sort of romance dream-debuts are made of? Traditionally, yes. Sara Ali Khan's mother, Amrita Singh, for instance, similarly hit the screen with Betaab - rich girl, poor boy, young love - in the early '80s.
Badhaai Ho
2018 · Mid-Day · Oct 2018
Badhaai Ho, on late pregnancy, is just as funny, and as much fun; even as the point of the picture might seem progressively belaboured
Tumbbad
2018 · Mid-Day · Oct 2018
...an artsy, gutsy mix of mythology, history, horror, and moral science. Do these elements seamlessly add up for you to naturally feel for the characters in the story? Honestly, no. Does the incredibly strong visual craftsmanship (rare for an Indian indie) satisfyingly guide you into a world hitherto unseen/unknown? Oh, absolutely.
Manmarziyaan
2018 · Mid-Day · Sep 2018
The relentless drama that follows, by the minute, in the lives of the volatile lead couple (Vicky Kaushal, Taapsee Pannu) in unhinged love, will make you feel thoroughly relieved about your own staid existence though.
Stree
2018 · Mid-Day · Aug 2018
Rajkummar Rao, in absolute top form, plays this part to near perfection, adding yet another facet to his filmography that is probably as, if not more eclectic than any of his contemporaries'
Gold
2018 · Mid-Day · Aug 2018
While recounting encounters from 1948, it's instructive, if not incredible, how this story on Indian sport remains just as relevant in 2018—looking chiefly at big victories being a result of private persistence, philanthropy, personal drive, rather than collective passion flowing from the top. This could be said about any recent, major Indian win, outside of cricket. As you can tell, we are kinda sold on Gold. Yup, you should be too.
Mulk
2018 · Mid-Day · Aug 2018
For a second if you don't imagine this to be a film at all, but a compelling conversation; its motive, and indeed its structure, will begin to make more sense to you...
Karwaan
2018 · Mid-Day · Aug 2018
For every sequence Irrfan is not on screen, you notice, the film suffers. Think you can say that for films in general — for all the time, for health reasons, he's been compelled to stay away. This will make you want him back even more.
Soorma
2018 · Mid-Day · Jul 2018
With Soorma, Shaad Ali confidently gets to the centre, keeps his impulses under check, and plays it totally narrow, and fully straight. And, yes, he hits home, alright. This is possibly his best work yet
Lust Stories
2018 · Mid-Day · Jun 2018
It's remarkable though how four shorts, on the face of it, about something as perfunctory as lust at first night, packed neatly into two hours, delves so seamlessly into seemingly uncomfortable but potent subjects as romance, commitment, desire, class, and sex, of course.
Bhavesh Joshi Superhero
2018 · Mid-Day · Jun 2018
Bhavesh Joshi Superhero also on vigilante justice, is advertised as a super-hero film, and it is; only in the sense that the story is built around simplicities of pure good, battling the ultimate evil, with absolutely no shades of grey between
Raazi
2018 · Mid-Day · May 2018
This is a meditative version of a war film, subtly weighing in on human loss and ruthlessness, even as it seldom wavers from checking off all the crackling elements of an espionage thriller. Honestly, I felt a little numb in the head as Sehmat feels the same for her soul. Whether or not you're sehmat (agree) with Sehmat, I suggest you should totally be raazi (willing) to catch her scintillating, untold story for sure (Eh? Told ya: feeling numb in the head!).
Daas Dev
2018 · Mid-Day · Apr 2018
The pacy pessimism of the picture effectively captures that of the street. Psychopaths on screen strongly mirror elected leaders, who've herded us together to where we are now, and where we're headed. What's in their head? This pic is one way to ponder over that. This cycle of democracy, violence continues unabated though. As it would. Play it again, sham!
Nanu Ki Jaanu
2018 · Mid-Day · Apr 2018
Suffice it to say, by the end of Nanu Ki Jaanu, pretty much everyone in my theatre (me included) were essentially laughing at the film, rather than with it
October
2018 · Mid-Day · Apr 2018
This subtle, lyrical drama had me slightly teary-eyed on occasion — it could be because of an emotional trigger, or perhaps a memory it subconsciously draws one towards. This happens to me a lot at the movies by the way. Just so you know, and can probably treat that as a word of caution as well!
Blackmail
2018 · Mid-Day · Apr 2018
You want to feel more for this character. I ended up feeling more for the actor Irrfan, on the other hand. As we speak, he is undergoing treatment for a serious health issue. If anything, this movie tells us, he needs to get better soon, and come back with much, much better stuff. The audiences, like me, are praying, patiently waiting.
Hichki
2018 · Mid-Day · Mar 2018
Sure, we could do with a fine, desi version of Dead Poets Society (1989). This film's intentions—even if multiple, and therefore all mixed up—are laudable, no doubt. But, naah, doesn't quite cut it, you know. Or at least doesn't seem like worth cutting classes for, anyway.
Raid
2018 · Mid-Day · Mar 2018
The film reveals all that's wrong with modern India, where crores are cornered by a few (by hook or crook), while the middle class gets harangued over its meager incomes. The same rich politicos—patriarchs for places they're from—are in fact secretly admired by locals for being champs at bending the system. They become the system. Not much has changed since. Only what the crooks look like may have. Raid does an honest job of showing it, almost as is. Hence the Raid Alert: Do catch this at a theatre near you.
3 Storeys
2018 · Mid-Day · Mar 2018
Have we seen such anthologies on the Indian screen before? Joshi himself was part of Life In A Metro, similarly a slice of life kinda collection of shorts, set in a metro. But this one is more like Dus Kahaniyan, if you may, only less exhausting, since lengths of films don't matter as much as moving from one experience to another, without much of a breather, does.
Aiyaary
2018 · Mid-Day · Feb 2018
This Thriller About A Smart Secret Service Agent Cutting Himself Loose (Gone Rogue) In Itself Is So Loosely Cut (At 160 Minutes) That You Can't Help But Come Up With Conspiracy Theories On How The Filmmakers Could've So Horribly Lost The Plot
Pad Man
2018 · Mid-Day · Feb 2018
...none of those efforts would have had the legs to travel as wide as this Akshay Kumar entertainer (with a lovely soundtrack), spreading a message that is impossible to ignore in a country where, as the film informs us, only 12 per cent women use sanitary napkins at all. The rest simply can't stay free from likely infections, diseases. So you know where this film is coming from. I'm actually really glad to know where it's going. Period.
Mukkabaaz
2018 · Mid-Day · Jan 2018
Kashyap uses sport (even romance) as fine entry point to speak truth to power, along with the phoniness of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', where we apparently love our country but hate our countrymen. 'Bahut hua sammaan' as a hook is to Mukkabaaz what 'Kehke loonga' was to Gangs Of Wasseypur. And, really, kehke li hai, completely.
Kaalakaandi
2018 · Mid-Day · Jan 2018
It remains a lot like Delhi Belly instead, the (Akshat Verma) writer of which makes his directorial debut here. He's on the ball for sure. Is it as good as Delhi Belly? As a script? Possibly. As a film, I felt it lacks rhythm, with too much being force-fed to suit the timeline of one never-ending night in Bombay, even if that's the genre. The end might make you go, "Eh?" But through it all, you're more likely to go, "Hah!" So nah, I'm not complaining at all.
Kadvi Hawa
2017 · Mid-Day · Nov 2017
I must also make a quick confession here. Due to unavoidable time constraints, I had to watch the screener of this film, rather than catch it in a theatre. I don't know whether that puts me at an advantage/disadvantage as a viewer.
Tumhari Sulu
2017 · Mid-Day · Nov 2017
This film, where Vidya shows up as a vivacious, fat Virar aunty, embodying all the compassions and contradictions within a modern desi woman, is not an exception, by any means. It is really as good as it gets.
Qarib Qarib Singlle
2017 · Mid-Day · Nov 2017
This is the sort of script that world champions of the desi rom-com genre would've taken to an altogether level. To be fair, director Tanuja Chandra (in fine form) makes it more than a 'qarib qarib' lovely, and surely worth your while in the theatre.
Ittefaq
2017 · Mid-Day · Nov 2017
...don't remember the last time I watched a full-on, no-nonsense, whodunit Hindi mainstream murder mystery in a theatre, with no way to talk about it but to urge you to see it, because that's the only way we can discuss it any further. I think you should check it out, just so we can take this conversation offline, to start with!
Secret Superstar
2017 · Mid-Day · Oct 2017
I've lost count of the number of times Aamir Khan has showed up in theatres in the final quarter, with what could be the most universally loved movie of the year. This is very likely to be another one. As you can tell, I totally loved it!
Newton
2017 · Mid-Day · Sep 2017
Does it hold you right till the very end, gently nudging you to think about 'the greatest internal security threat to our country?' Hell, yeah. That way, Newton packs a full-ton, and deserves full marks!
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
2017 · Mid-Day · Sep 2017
What's the filmmakers' single biggest achievement then? That they get away with a film full of double meanings, without ever seeming crass or cheap at any point. This is a miracle, only undone by quite a few moments where they stretch the limits of imagination a bit too far for comfort. Does the movie find solutions, or urge you to dig deeper on the issue? Not really, only great movies tend to do that—this one comes quite close to being that by the way.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
2017 · Mid-Day · Aug 2017
...if you took out all the characters and crime-history from Gangs Of Wasseypur, you'll come close to this. Given what a masterpiece Gangs was, that's a pretty good compliment by the way!
Indu Sarkar
2017 · Mid-Day · Jul 2017
Indu Sarkar is the name of the lead character in this film; Sarkar, being her Bengali husband's last name. That play of words is by far the only thing clever about this blatantly political propaganda picture.
Lipstick Under My Burkha
2017 · Mid-Day · Jul 2017
This already tells you Lipstick Under My Burkha, timed to perfection, mirroring the world we live in, is narrating a story about a subaltern, small-town Indian society at the edge of a revolution. Look carefully at young Rihana. She will lead a movement, if not for herself, then for her kids, for sure. Look carefully at this film. It will move you as well.
Jagga Jasoos
2017 · Mid-Day · Jul 2017
Maybe I was this film's target audience once (at least I've something to recommend to my little niece). And maybe age has nothing to do with the audience anyway. Either case, this is certainly something you haven't checked out on the Indian screen before (so what if that's not always a compliment).
Mom
2017 · Mid-Day · Jul 2017
...while most thrillers tend to overstay their welcome beyond 90-minutes' screen time, this one doesn't feel almost two-and-half hours long. If anything, far too much is going on here. You might question a lot. But so much of it works.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017 · Mid-Day · Jul 2017
With great power come great possibilities. From the audience's perspective, this feels more like going back to old school. Which is genuinely heartening to know. That is, before the blast-fest begins, I'm sure!
Tubelight
2017 · Mid-Day · Jun 2017
...this is a film rather subdued on drama, hysteria, and action, although it remains coherent, entertaining, and sincere throughout. More importantly it does not preach to the choir.
Hindi Medium
2017 · Mid-Day · May 2017
Most of it works. Some of it doesn't. While being crowd-friendly, the film lapses into simplicities, such as that of seeing only virtue in the poor, while the rich usually comprise pretentious a-holes.
Sarkar 3
2017 · Mid-Day · May 2017
One just begins to feel indifferent towards it beyond a point. Which isn't a good thing, I know. But then, if "it is what it is" kinda casual indifference follows plain dejection, and natural helplessness, then so be it. I liked this film's end though. You might too. If you can remain fresh and alert enough until then, that is.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
2017 · Mid-Day · Apr 2017
What Baahubali does is show the future of Indian big-screen cinema, if it has to survive the onslaught of Hollywood, or move beyond Rajini, Khans, Kapoor, and Kumar, to begin with. The manager in my theatre says he plans to start Saturday shows, 6.30 am onwards. I can't think of a better way to start your day. The excitement is totally worth it.
Noor
2017 · Mid-Day · Apr 2017
Noor's life that way is meant to mirror the urbane, liberal, progressive, metropolitan upper middle-class. As for her work, as I said, there are several colleagues in my newsroom who have stories like hers, if not better, and might actually want to make this film. This sense of recognition can be rankling. Throughout, you can't help but wonder how much better this movie could've been. But then, like journalism, this film should be seen for what it is. And hey it isn't bad at all.
Begum Jaan
2017 · Mid-Day · Apr 2017
Srijit Mukherji's Bangla period film 'Rajkahini' (2015), that this one is the exact replica of, was slightly refreshing, mainly because it was set during 1947 Partition, yes, but on the eastern front, where East Pakistan was being separated from West Bengal, Assam. Normally, Partition narratives get placed in the North, mainly Punjab. As is this adaptation, by the way. Except you don't hear as much Punjabi here.
Poorna: Courage Has No Limit
2017 · Mid-Day · Mar 2017
Bose made his directorial debut with a reasonably fine, 'Everybody Says I'm Fine' (2001), a seriously upper-class South Bombay English movie with a touch of magic realism. This one could have well been in Telugu. It may be diametrically opposite to his debut. But delivered with much subtly, empathy, and remarkable restraint. Or as they say, on the Internet, delivered #LikeABose!
Naam Shabana
2017 · Mid-Day · Mar 2017
Pandey has written this prequel, split into two totally separate films. And to be fair when the movie does cut to the chase eventually, to chase down the villain, some of the thrills do kick in. Sadly you've polished off your popcorn tub already, taking in the corniness until that point, while your head spins in circles in this pointless spin-off, listening to the zany 'Zubi zubi zubi' number from Mithun's 'Dance Dance' (1987), and so much else.
Trapped
2017 · Mid-Day · Mar 2017
That 'Trapped' manages to grippingly hold your attention with such an underwhelming setting is an achievement in itself. That it could invade your senses makes it worth every minute, without any break, in the theatre.
Badrinath Ki Dulhania
2017 · Mid-Day · Mar 2017
Both the Shashank Khaitan movie and Varun Dhawan's character have very few redeeming features. This seems like a film from the '90s. In the '90s, of course, one could get away with all kinds of stuff. Maybe, even now you can after all the lead actors look so effortless and easygoing on screen
Rangoon
2017 · Mid-Day · Feb 2017
So yeah, this is also very much a musical. As you can sense, too many things have been mixed into one film. But attempted with eye-popping chutzpah. Over years, it's another matter if you've liked all his movies or not, what you have to credit Bhardwaj for is sheer audacity, and flight of imagination. He takes a chance. Even when granted full indulgence, he's been respectful of the mainstream audience's intelligence, if not always their time. 'Rangoon' is not an exception.
Lion
2017 · Mid-Day · Feb 2017
This thoroughly absorbing film delves deeper to give this child a story, a name, and a face. This India portion, at least in the version I watched, has been shot in Hindi. Which is a huge relief, if you were expecting basic modicum of respect for authenticity in a film based on a true-life account -- Saroo Brierley's non-fiction novel A Long Way Home -- about a 5-year-old who accidentally gets separated from his mother, a quarry worker (Priyanka Bose; outstanding!), and his brother, to find himself eventually adopted by white parents in Australia.
The Ghazi Attack
2017 · Mid-Day · Feb 2017
Yup, you don't take your eyes off the screen. The production design appears exceptional, because it's unexpected. We don't make such movies in India, even while we've been watching such from the West since forever.
Jolly LLB 2
2017 · Mid-Day · Feb 2017
Akshay Kumar's performance as Jolly can be termed his finest yet. This one captures UP in all its notorious glory, with goons, and guns and is far more of a court-room drama, packaged as social satire, with comedy that's subtly situational, rather than classic LOL stand-up stuff
Kung Fu Yoga
2017 · Mid-Day · Feb 2017
This is the sort of desi exotica—starring snake charmers, and the great Indian rope trick—that you would imagine featuring in a film with the Brit James Bond, or the American Indiana Jones, back in the '80s/'90s. Except, this is a joint Indo-Chinese production.
Raees
2017 · Mid-Day · Jan 2017
This underworld drama is so over-packed with material that either 148 minutes of this film will seem too long to you, which it is; or in fact, far too short to patiently absorb the story of the rise and fall of an Ahmedabadi bootlegger don — without the audience feeling slightly hung-over by a breathless narrative-overload.
Kaabil
2017 · Mid-Day · Jan 2017
There is a lot of realism missing in what's supposed to be a gritty thriller. Locations seem semi-fake. In portions, the film itself appears slightly cold, and thoda sa plastic. But if you were to keep your eyes glued to the screen and follow the blind man's graphite walking stick right down to the picture's climax, I'm fairly certain you won't be disappointed. Yeah, it is, for the most part, kaabil-e-tareef!
Coffee with D
2017 · Mid-Day · Jan 2017
What do we learn about Dawood, thanks to 'Coffee With D'? That he diverted the Malaysian Airline Flight 370, because he was travelling from KL to Karachi, but the flight itself was headed to Beijing. He just landed the plane in his house, and the missing passengers are now his servants. Eh? This is not even funny.
Haraamkhor
2017 · Mid-Day · Jan 2017
How far will this film travel? Not sure. No one ever is. It is, however, a very interesting take worth the big screen, if not in the theatre, then ideally in the comfort of home since Netflix or Amazon very much allow such options.
Ok Jaanu
2017 · Mid-Day · Jan 2017
This film is breezy with light romance, and slight humour for the most part, and the lead actors, perfectly paired, add a touch of both. This is what teenagers packing into the theatres seem to have been drawn to. Beyond this, the film seems strictly okay
Dangal
2016 · Mid-Day · Dec 2016
This rotund, pot-bellied, subtly expressive Aamir brings the same earnestness to this film as he does to potboilers like 'Dhoom 3' or 'Ghajini'. He is, as he's been appearing during Christmas for more than a few years now, the annual Santa Claus spreading cheer among Indian audiences, enticing you to enjoy a fine bout at the dangal, this time, and a wholly enjoyable ride in the theatre, yet again. Don't think I need to say more. You won't miss this anyway.
Befikre
2016 · Mid-Day · Dec 2016
'Befikre' is fun watch, even though it is a bit fuzzy. There is much brightness on the screen, and breeziness in the air. Many might find the film rather fickle. But, that's just the movie trying to reflect the lives all around us
Kahaani 2
2016 · Mid-Day · Dec 2016
A thriller set in a sleepy town called Chandannagar, off Kolkata—effectively capturing the Bong milieu; art-directed, and shot like a slightly dystopian dream. A mystery that unravels by the minute, without a moment to pause for breath, much less blink, which is saying a whole lot for a movie that's still 2 hours plus.
Dear Zindagi
2016 · Mid-Day · Nov 2016
The theme is totally relevant. The perspective, since female, is relatively unique. Alia plays a 'filmmaker type' herself, doing the serious grunt work — something we hardly acknowledge about women (or men) in showbiz. This is true for the director (Gauri Shinde) of this movie, of course. There is a touch of semi-autobiography in there.
Rock On 2
2016 · Mid-Day · Nov 2016
Forget good, there is hardly any music in most of Rock On!! 2. Save in the many flashbacks and in the needlessly protracted climax. The songs and melodies, instead of being well knit in the narrative, seem to stand jarringly outside of it. There is a wisp of a story, narrated in large chunks through that easy, lazy device — a run-of-the-mill voiceover.
Shivaay
2016 · Mid-Day · Oct 2016
Why do we talk in terms of first-half, second-half? Because this is a Hindi movie — the best of which dip after the interval. You step back into the theatre, and realise, woah, this is one of those rare Bollywood movies that needn't have existed after the interval at all. Absolutely nothing happens. Besides Devgn, who we know is happening anyway. So you sit back and enjoy Shivaay. Just please don't ask why!
Queen of Katwe
2016 · Mid-Day · Oct 2016
This film remains so remarkably restrained throughout, drawing hardly any attention at all to the big moments — through the background score (which is laidback, slightly calypso), or creating a sense of occasion (most scenes are tonally the same) — that by the end of it, you genuinely wonder if this was a sports movie in the first place.
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
2016 · Mid-Day · Sep 2016
They narrate the classic underdog script of how passion and 'zid' (or perseverance) can take you places. But, that's not all.
Banjo
2016 · Mid-Day · Sep 2016
Banjo' packs in so many hero-villain, poor-rich type clichés, and so much melodrama, from the time-tested rule-book, that even if you didn't bother watching the film, you'd know what happens. Yeah, you've been there, seen that; why watch this same kinda picture again?
Parched
2016 · Mid-Day · Sep 2016
If you were to draw a parallel, this would perhaps be the rural equivalent of Pan Nalin's upper-class, super-urbane 'Angry Indian Goddesses', a terrific ensemble pic, from last year. Of course we've been seeing very entertaining and explosive feminist films lately ('Pink' is an even more recent example). They only reflect an irreversible revolution on the Indian streets, homes, and workplaces. A fine sign of our times, I'd say, and if the arrow also leads to theatres, yes, it's worth going, and supporting, for sure.
Pink
2016 · Mid-Day · Sep 2016
Does this film leave a similar impact? Frankly, I'd say, at the cost sticking the precious neck out — even more. And why's that? Quite simply, because the terrible incident described in this film could happen to absolutely anyone of us, or our loved ones.
Akira
2016 · Mid-Day · Sep 2016
You only wish so much thought had gone into the OTT script as well. Bored out of my wits, watching these good fellas with hardly anything significant to do, I could only feel a slight kira (insect) up my bum — desperately itching to go home.
A Flying Jatt
2016 · Mid-Day · Aug 2016
I'm merely glad this is at least an attempt at big-screen entertainment aimed purely at kids. How many homegrown options do we have anyway? Most adults, I'm afraid, won't give a flying duck.
Happy Bhag Jayegi
2016 · Mid-Day · Aug 2016
This is the sort of desperate comedy that basically takes the Keystone Cops' style of 'everybody is running around each other' kinda humour a bit too far. To be fair, one can still see how this must have read well on paper. Some lines are absolutely first-rate. A few funny scenes really hold your attention.
Mohenjo Daro
2016 · Mid-Day · Aug 2016
There isn't as much wrong with this film as the fact that you wonder what's good about it. By the end of the film, you will be spectacularly bored by this humourless spectacle. And the question in your head is less likely to be: 'What is going on?' and more likely to be, 'Why is this going on forever?'
Raman Raghav 2.0
2016 · The W14 · Jun 2016
No filmmaker I know has managed to bring to life the filth, the underbelly, and, yes there is no other word, the sheer grime, of India on to the screen as Anurag Kashyap has (right from Paanch, down to Ugly). Indeed his contribution to films over the past couple of years (or even in the long-run) far exceeds his work as director. Is this even close to his best? Nope, perhaps because there is, in that sense, hardly anything new. Does it jolt you still? Hugely, for the most part.
Udta Punjab
2016 · The W14 · Jun 2016
Though the film touches upon the political aspect here superficially, it exposed the other system and its vindictive nature before its release for which it literally fought its way. You probably rooted for the film to win. Should you watch it for that reason alone? Happy to report, there's more than just that.
Housefull 3
2016 · The W14 · Jun 2016
At some point, inevitably, the cinema screen in the dark hall starts competing with your little cellphone screen. Which is only fair. As our phones get smarter, our humour clearly appears to be getting dumber.
Waiting
2016 · The W14 · May 2016
This simple film is so much more about dealing with life, death, and the fuzzy space in between, that suddenly becomes precious when you're hit with the thought of losing the most loved one. You can sense the tragedy. We all have. But we can do nothing about it.
Azhar
2016 · The W14 · May 2016
This movie appears instead as some sort of a long explanation to the world, delivered by the corny looking Emraan Hashmi, on behalf of Azhar, setting the record straight—if not on the match fixing scandal, then on his extra-marital affair with a Bollywood actor of the time, Sangeeta Bijlani (Nargis Fakhri), and his first wife (Prachi Desai) adding to the over-the-top sob opera. Now really who cares? Okay, I hope for the filmmakers, plenty do.
Captain America: Civil War
2016 · The W14 · May 2016
I suspect a subject like this easily lends itself to realism, since the film itself is more often than not aimed at adults. Frankly, the presence of Robert Downey Jr. alone gives the franchise more gravitas than a bunch of serious lines ever could. There is much spectacle to keep the usual lot happy.
Baaghi
2016 · The W14 · May 2016
I just think this is the sort of movie designed really well around the hero and therefore bumper numbers at the box-office, which this might well get. If not, I would change my name (just don't call me Tiger, Leopard, or Cheetah, that'd just be just weird okay?)
Nil Battey Sannata
2016 · The W14 · Apr 2016
...every character in this film has to be unusually positive for us to unquestioningly gloss over the complexities of a story like this.
Fan
2016 · The W14 · Apr 2016
After all of that, sitting through two Superstar SRKs over two and half hours could seem like a chore or bore—if you're not a fanatic yourself, or at the very least, merely interested in watching a film. Sure there's a lot of the usual narcissism going on. To be fair, the fears were almost wholly unfounded. The picture keeps you glued to the screen for the most part. It certainly leaves a genuine and real impact.
Kapoor & Sons
2016 · The W14 · Mar 2016
This is absolutely the most gut-wrenchingly personal, mainstream film on an urban Indian family that I've ever seen. Yet, for the number of twists and turns that take place in the plot, or the story-line as it were—between four main characters who are together for as many as four or a few more days—the film runs the risk of you zoning out eventually and noticing merely the extraneous things that make this picture so much fun after all.
Jai Gangaajal
2016 · The W14 · Mar 2016
...just a series of relentless, supposedly crowd-pleasing hyperbole. And so something big does happen in this picture. It should command your attention. The film is centred on it. But you know what? You don't care. When so much happens, why would you care if anything is happening at all.
Aligarh
2016 · The W14 · Feb 2016
You get instantly drawn to this guy and therefore this film. Sure, the issue it addresses is urgent (homophobia, section 377, right to privacy, etc. etc.). But there is something very deeply unaesthetic about mere activism posing as art. It rarely works. This film does. Because of its very personal, painfully heart-felt writing (Apurva Asrani), first.
Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive
2016 · The W14 · Feb 2016
Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive, retains a fine balance. It is, for the most part, black comedy at its best. Yeah it does stretch things a bit much towards the final few minutes.
Neerja
2016 · The W14 · Feb 2016
The film seems obviously centred on Sonam. It's hard to tell if any other actor would've cracked this role better. Suffice it to say the fears, mainly drawn from her painfully unendurable recent performances (Khubsoorat etc.), remain unfounded.
Fitoor
2016 · The W14 · Feb 2016
Quite simply, it works for you, or it doesn't. There is no logic. It is about emotions. You sound like a fart verbalising or intellectualising beyond a point. I'm wholly aware of it. So, will rightly desist. Or will try to.
Ghayal Once Again
2016 · The W14 · Feb 2016
Much, clearly. To start with, unlike most other films that treat sequels as brand franchise, Ghayal Returns is genuinely the second part of Ghayal (1990), where Om Puri's cop character is now an RTI activist. The hero, who's lost his whole family, himself sees images from his life from two and half decades ago, when he took on 'Balwant Rai ke kutto!'
Mastizaade
2016 · The W14 · Jan 2016
Very poorly shot, standard, third-rate double-meaning fare is what you get then. And god knows we've seen so many such that it's hard to keep track. I don't know whether Mastizaade is related to Grand Masti, which was the same as Kya Kool Hai Hum 1, 2, or 3 that released only last week.
Saala Khadoos
2016 · The W14 · Jan 2016
You feel sorry for the guys punching above their weight here. I'm not sure if Mary Kom (2014) is the reason this wholly humourless film simultaneously moves in so many directions. The core inspiration is obvious. The story does lead up to the world boxing championship.
Airlift
2016 · The W14 · Jan 2016
Yeah I know, this had the potential to be Hotel Rwanda. But let's not quibble much; for now, this will do—a very, very watchable Bollywood film.
Wazir
2016 · The W14 · Jan 2016
I was quite satisfied while making a move from the theatre. Yeah, this totally works, for the time it lasts! Can't quite ask for more.
Socha Na Tha
2005 · The W14 · Nov 2015
All said, given that every formula worth a 'family film' — about a young boy who meets a young girl as they live (or don't live) happily ever after — has been flogged to death, this fresh, sparkling and lively resurrection that can at least hold you for the paid-up hours deserves the see-grade. Don't expect a classic, but I think you should go for it.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai
2010 · The W14 · Nov 2015
Luthria rightly recreates retro from the '70s. And this is not just in the low angles of the shots; strange prints on expensive nylon shirts; or trumpets for a background score. It's most importantly in the sense of the big screen occasion, and a throwback to smart, terse dialogue.
Chak De! India
2007 · The W14 · Nov 2015
One, a brilliant comedy and comment on the cultural divide and diversity of India. Two, a strong perspective on team and attitude building. Three, a sharp look at the manner in which all largely 'unsponsored' sports, besides cricket, is run in this country, where an international sports tournament is more a sarkari tour for its administrators. Four, a soft take on the under-estimated female brawn. Five, a timely point on unfair trials by the media. That's five goals that I can count on my fingers straight. Not a bad game at all!
Shootout at Lokhandwala
2007 · The W14 · Nov 2015
In journalism, stories, if confirmed, are true; if not, they stay rumours. This movie-fantasy, according to its poster, belongs to a vague genre called "true rumours". Whatever that means to films, the case of bad journalism is evident in the conclusion. Friendly to the source, the film, having glorified the Mafia thus far, verbally argues for encounters as a way to deal with deadly criminals. You know the juvenile world-view then. And by now, you know the rumour part was actually the hype around this flick.
Dhoom 2
2006 · The W14 · Nov 2015
The anticipated result is a wonderfully crafted mall product; much of it goes well with the pop-corn. This is more or less what I felt the posters had promised. They just about meet those expectations. Be extremely wary of the hype though.
Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2
2015 · ABPNews · Oct 2015
You only have to see some of the local work happening on the Internet (TVF's Pitchers, YRF's Man's World etc.) to know what I'm talking about. Like this film, they're fun, relatable, and so well written. Is this also misogynistic? Hell yeah. But it's comedy.
Love Sex aur Dhokha
2010 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2015
It's a sort of flick you ideally discover without burdens of expectation: a caveat you must bear in mind, in case you were planning on rushing off to cinemas right away. Where any Bollywood movie without a gyrating, lip-synching hero perceives itself as 'different', this one, from an audience's point of view, is truly an experiment.
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
2008 · The W14 · Jul 2015
This is an altogether atmospheric film; the sorts where the sum of sweetly stirred parts and details is so much superior to the whole. How often do we watch a Mumbai movie whose setting alone we can smell from our seats. It's the cheapest ticket to experience another place. We should feel lucky to have this.
I Am Kalam
2011 · Hindustan Times · Jul 2015
It's a sweet, intimate, fable-like film, even unnecessarily sanitised in parts, that touches upon issues of class, poverty, childhood, dreams, without ever quite losing sight of a reasonably plausible, engaging tale to tell. This helps.
Saawariya
2007 · The W14 · Jun 2015
Bhansali carefully chose his leading couple from the mom-and-pop store movies in Mumbai get made from. The move made commercial sense. He gives them instead much less scope to prove any skills. Ranbir spends most of his screen-time a self-aware drama-king. Sonam remains forever a dimpled, grinning portrait of awkward reticence that's passed off for feminine charm. The picture itself then is merely a post-card, where every passionate aspect draws attention to itself, but the protagonists, or their intimate story.
Dil Dhadakne Do
2015 · ABPNews · Jun 2015
It's the kind of film that makes you discuss a lot—as you can tell! I will watch it on TV again. As you must watch it in the theatre,once, for sure.
Wake Up Sid
2009 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2015
Given the clichéd subject, most importantly, the coolness isn't fake: something most films pretending to be for or about 'youth' don't quite manage to grasp. You can immediately tell the writer-director (Ayan Mukherjee, a heart-felt debut) has lived though the material. So have the actors. I may not mind living through this again.
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
2009 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2015
You'd much rather stick with this rare Rocket, than an yearlong racket that goes on in the name of filmmaking in Mumbai. Harpreet's unique honesty in a sales firm goes well in the context of this film within Bollywood itself!
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
2009 · Hindustan Times · Jun 2015
The filmmakers here pay Salman a tribute, by bringing him in as himself. Fans jump at him while he makes a casual chitchat with Katrina Kaif, who gets referred to as herself later in the movie as well. Such is the extreme movie-star 'fanship' of the filmmakers themselves that you realise, they're unlikely to be making much of a film. You aren't proven wrong.
Khosla Ka Ghosla
2006 · The W14 · May 2015
Golmaal, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, these are gigantic reference points for any film. This one lives up to them in substantial measure; I can't think of a better compliment to pay.
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
2006 · The W14 · May 2015
It's interesting to watch a story on love-outside-wedlock carefully play out without falling into one-dimensional traps of a blame-game, where either partner is entirely villainous (scores of films). Or the actions are justified by a sweet, innocent, unrequited, but eternal love from the past (Silsila, and several of its clones). The film doesn't perceive monogamy as an impossible human attribute either, so I didn't see the moral status-quo on marriages being rocked. The discussion centres on how if you're not with the one you love; you need not be forced to love the one you're with.
Veer-Zaara
2004 · The W14 · May 2015
An old-fashioned love tale for the tear-ducts. Which, I must pleasantly note, still holds and very mildly moves you.
Badmaash Company
2010 · Hindustan Times · May 2015
The picture's premise is strong. The setting is solid. The scam's quite awesome. The friends make for quite a foursome. All are equally endearing. As are their antics. And then the screen flashes, Interval. Everything dopily goes down a slope thereafter, and onward to America, arrogance and all that jazz.
Paa
2009 · Hindustan Times · May 2015
There's the nation's best-known actor, without his best-known assets: his deep voice, and his deadly presence. Amitabh entirely trades off his screen aura for a child-geriatric Auro. Mainline audiences can't be used to this. They're likely to laugh or leave. Surprisingly, they'll laugh at the intended notes, and leave, quite satisfied actually. Therein lies the film's grandest achievement.
Dil Bole Hadippa!
2009 · Hindustan Times · May 2015
Completely without context, the filmmakers slip in for us spiels after spiels on Indo-Pak bonhomie, idea of 'Indianness' over 'western culture', rhetoric on women's empowerment, cricket's frenzy, and a dumpling on small town aspirations. You sit and wonder.
Rang De Basanti
2006 · The W14 · May 2015
You may, or may not be entirely convinced by Mehra's phenomenally filmed, but rather far-fetched grand finale. But to me, it somehow worked, just as the competently and subtly structured screenplay (Renzil De'Silva, Mehra) that begins to breathe a life of its own. Thanks to a brilliant piece of photography (Binod Pradan) that never draws attention to itself, and a sizzling score (A R Rahman) that does. And above all, no doubt in my mind, Aamir, who exudes a rare candour, irresistible charm and characteristic charisma to take an inspirational subject to an altogether another level.
Tanu Weds Manu: Returns
2015 · The W14 · May 2015
The authenticity in the writing (Himanshu Sharma) is perhaps the reason practically all the actors in the film (most notably Deepak Dobriyal) leave a mark. The wit and repartee is absolutely top class. Is this film about post-marriage issues a mainstream escapist fantasy still? Oh yes. It's a complete mad-cap, rom-com romp. Manu starts off being diagnosed as clinically insane.
Bombay Velvet
2015 · The W14 · May 2015
For a moment if you disregard this pic's massive budget, it does not even count as director Anurag Kashyap's most ambitious work. The inter-generational saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) was—both in its scope and scale. A strong voice-narration (often perceived as lazy writing) wonderfully helped piece together that 320-minute film. There is none of it here. It probably looks messy as a result. God knows it's tough to keep it simple.
Piku
2015 · The W14 · May 2015
More than anything else this comedy got me slightly emotional thinking about how distracted we get by life in general that we often begin to take our old folks—parents, grand parents—for granted. We get far too edgy and impatient sometimes dealing with their old-age idiosyncrasies. God knows, at some point, they will be no more. And we will miss them forever…
Margarita, with a Straw
2015 · The W14 · May 2015
The stories eventually boil down to common emotions. As does this film's. Yes, there is a lot of pathos. But there is much joy. And enough empathy. By the end of it you want to go get a margarita with Laila. How does it matter if she drinks it with a straw? She's just as much fun. Yes, so is this picture.
Gabbar is Back
2015 · The W14 · May 2015
This is a super hero film. Like all Bollywood super-star actioners are. The hero is expected to make a dozen men fly and eat dust with one stroke of his arm. That fauladi arm, as you know, belongs to Akki man. This means, as you might have also guessed: The presence of no one else matters on the screen.
Ek Paheli Leela
2015 · The W14 · Apr 2015
I'm actually stunned by the reincarnation of Ms Leone, or Karenjit Vohra, ex-pornstar of Punjabi descent, herself. She's come a long way, baby. If you needed any further proof that she is really a bona fide, solo Bollywood star, it doesn't get any bigger than this. Does one need to sit through a whole mumbo-jumbo picture to appreciate that? No.
Dharam Sankat Mein
2015 · The W14 · Apr 2015
Popular entertainment, or a lively, mass-oriented film such as this, is perhaps our most potent counter to a frightening intolerance. That fact alone makes this a very important and brave film. I suggest you head to the ticket counter for sure.
Hunterrr
2015 · The W14 · Mar 2015
Between the two main characters the movie collects enough material not only to flit between various timelines (that we've been going through anyway), but also between various possibilities of what could happen in various scenes. We basically keep going back and forth and back…. The movie has nowhere to go. I'm sorry at some point you're just desperate to go home, and maybe catch this on TV instead.
NH10
2015 · The W14 · Mar 2015
While this one also gives off the feel of a horror flick, it is essentially a thriller. The number of coincidences in a plot is obviously inversely proportional to how credible the story seems. There are quite a few coincidences here, and an equal number of moments where some suspension of disbelief is a must.
Ab Tak Chhappan 2
2015 · The W14 · Mar 2015
This picture is still in the '90s. I'm pretty sure the audience has moved on.
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
2015 · The W14 · Mar 2015
This is a particularly poorly promoted picture, so I am not sure how well it may pack theatres. Fat chance. But talking of technology, this is just the kind of cinema that surely gets a second wind, sometimes even many years later, on DVD, YouTube, or through downloads in the Internet. I don't think you should wait that long.
MSG: The Messenger of God
2015 · The W14 · Feb 2015
The film leaves your body, and you're free again. Now that just felt like a magic potion, my friend. Maybe it was. I feel blessed. Thank you Papaji. Looking forward to MSG 2. Your bhakt; forever.
Roy
2015 · The W14 · Feb 2015
Here's what they get, entirely out of context: Long pauses. Pretentious bollocks for dialogue between three decent Bollywood tracks. The massive mansion. Horses in slo-mo. Vast ocean under a semi-lit sky. Ranbir on a bike, or in a yacht, staring into the sea. Close up of the flying bird. Jacqueline in yoga pose, now doing the ballet. And the camera purposefully lingering on Arjun Rampal, forever and ever, while everybody is all so grim and serious… Oh man, this is fart-house cinema at its farcical best.
Hawaizaada
2015 · The W14 · Jan 2015
You only wish some of this grandeur could have been transported to give the fine Marathi biopic Harishchandracha Factory some of the scale it deserved to compete at the Oscars in 2010. I suspect that local, indie success was an inspiration for green-lighting this one (I'm just trying to figure out what could have led anyone to pump in crores into this unbearable bore). Who knows, they'll probably send this one to the Oscars too. But what's the point. Ancient Indians had won several Academy Awards during the Vedic Age anyway!
Baby
2015 · The W14 · Jan 2015
What matters is that at no point do you question, and you ought to hand it to the writer-director who creates enough tension in every scene, even if very little lies beneath. Some of the dialogues are crackerjack. As is the comic timing. The locations are real, and they look stunning. The film holds your attention, and it stars Akshay Kumar. Hey, when was the last time you heard that?
Alone
2015 · The W14 · Jan 2015
Plot isn't so much the point. Most horror movies are about someone who feels the spirit and everyone else who's unable to believe this. What's important is Bipasha's bed begins to fly and the portion where she duels with a dog is quite effective. I hear laughs around me, signifying both nervousness and humour. The hall is half full. Nobody's alone. This review doesn't predict box-office figures—it was never meant to. But I suspect the producers won't be horrified by the results.
Ugly
2014 · The W14 · Dec 2014
...the film itself, tightly put together, ideally watched without an interval, keeps you thoroughly engaged and almost at the edge of your seat until you get to that end. That's fun enough. Would you even want to look back? I didn't.
PK
2014 · The W14 · Dec 2014
At some point towards the end the filmmakers also take their eyes entirely off the ball and begin to deal with extraneous things and side characters. Responding as an audience, was I disappointed? Yes. Anybody walking in with massive expectations will be (Ab dil hi toot gaya, PK kya karenge?). But could that well be a knock on the expectations rather than the film? Who knows. Was I glad I watched it? Yes. There you go.
Band Baaja Baaraat
2010 · Hindustan Times · Dec 2014
There's no proverbial chemistry between the leading couple, and that makes for a film of its own. Not this one. Another Delhi movie, maybe. "Love degi, degi love? (Will you give me love)," he seriously proposes. You know what the answer's going to be. But you want to laugh.
Action Jackson
2014 · The W14 · Dec 2014
You know the film is called Action Jackson, and it will essentially be a series of stylized stunt and sexy song sequences. And it totally is. Yet, no one, really, no one, can adequately warn you against what to expect here.
Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain
2014 · The W14 · Dec 2014
This one, directed by a relative newcomer Ravi Kumar, benefits hugely from Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in its style of presentation—quick camera movements, pacey editing, the screen made vibrant by colourful gunk around unwashed little children… Some of these shots are Third World clichés. But more importantly the film for the most part ends up effectively dramatizing a part fictional, part factual account (reportedly based on Sanjoy Hazarika's book). It keeps you informed and entertained.
Ungli
2014 · The W14 · Nov 2014
...the disturbingly repetitive plot of this supposedly realistic film that's got some top actors to show up at what must be less than their current market rates. I suspect this alignment of stars has something to do with the film's producer, Karan Johar, who could do this society great service by writing a book on 'how to win friends and influence people'.
Kurbaan
2009 · The W14 · Nov 2014
What you may brave through then is a flick neither real or serious enough to be a meditation on global terror, nor sweetly suspended and adequately brain-dead to be Die Hard. It's hard to be both. The hardship shows.
Happy Ending
2014 · The W14 · Nov 2014
The Bollywood script getting written within this film somewhere starts tallying with the hero's own story. This clever move allows us to flit between a formula pic and an unconventional rom-com. Sadly this is also one of the many reasons Happy Ending's ending comes a good half hour before everything could've ended, for better or worse. But, as an audience, at no point do you totally lose interest. If you keep your expectations in check, this one is definitely worth checking out in the theatre.
Kill Dil
2014 · The W14 · Nov 2014
The title is borrowed from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. That homage somewhat plays out in the background score sometimes. I suspect Indian filmmakers' intense love for Tarantino comes from their shared fondness for kitsch. In that sense you're unlikely to get a finer kitsch-di than this.
Rang Rasiya
2014 · The W14 · Nov 2014
The relevance of this movie then will be lost on no one in the audience. The relationship between art and morality (or the public and morality itself) has not been a linear one. We tend to go back and forth on this subject every few generations.
Roar
2014 · The W14 · Nov 2014
I feel for the 'Save the Tiger' campaign. But if a film about a tiger, such as this, was in front of you, I would suggest that you save yourself first.
Happy New Year
2014 · The W14 · Oct 2014
Eventually, while walking down the aisle, after what could've been an exhausting experience, you realise that while you hadn't really been rolling on the floor laughing, you weren't quite rolling your eyes either. This is a happy film—much fun, for the most part.
Kaminey
2009 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2014
There's still nothing to take away from the movement this movie means to Hindi films. Missing it is your own entertainment loss. Given the director's unfortunate commercial track-record with gems like Maqbool and Omkara, I really hope this time, 'Vishal overcome!'
3 Idiots
2009 · Oct 2014
The fact that you don't feel like the fourth idiot watching 3 Idiots is, for its genre, the greatest relief. This is in every way Munnabhai - part 3. I think you shouldn't miss it at all.
Sonali Cable
2014 · The W14 · Oct 2014
You can as easily sense why the intentions of this award-wining screenplay are lost in the lameness on the screen. Meanwhile the villain, Kher the corporate shark, chomps on khakras and orders his white woman assistant around. This is hardly funny. The film isn't realistic either. You just wish to know what is it that the filmmakers don't understand better: how big businesses operate or how to make an entertaining enough film. At least if they could've taken care of the latter, you could attempt a free viewing on cable.
My Name Is Khan
2010 · Hindustan Times · Oct 2014
Forrest Gump in its scope, Rain Man in its approach, slightly convenient in its 'Bollywood opera', world-class in its photographic treatment (Ravi K Chandran), more sorted than Kurban (from the same producer, along a similar theme); you can sense, throughout, honesty in the film's purpose. There is least empathy for a problem you haven't faced yourself. This film expresses that well. Being looked down as Muslim is at some level a global reality. Prejudices are part of human DNA, Americans being no exceptions.
Swades
2004 · The W14 · Oct 2014
As for the lead protagonist Khan (brilliant), let's just say, in an entire career that spans a string of no-brainer, schmaltzy cinema hot off the shelves of Bollywood's money-making masala stores, this is by far the most significant film he's done yet. For this is another inspiring account of what self-empowered underdogs can accomplish through sheer zeal and phenomenal focus. I cannot think of a better film for the longest that deserved a stronger recommendation for both touring cinemas of India's villages, and plush multiplexes of Mumbai or Manhattan. Finally, an honest, fine example of an unfortunately debunked, bastardised term called 'crossover'.
Haider
2014 · The W14 · Oct 2014
What you're left with then are a series of scenes stretching the film to almost 3 hours (without even a fulsome soundtrack) that tries to fit the original Hamlet—singing gravediggers, play within the play etc—into a movie with a hole. Eventually you start feeling vaguely distant and cold. I don't know about you, but I'm sorry—I was kinda bored.
Bang Bang!
2014 · The W14 · Oct 2014
If the reasons above to sit through over 150 minutes of this movie are good enough for you, feel free to bang your head against the seat in the front.
Desi Kattey
2014 · The W14 · Sep 2014
Films like these are supposed to be hard-hitting. Once they begin to hit you on your head, it usually becomes quite hard to recover for a while. But this one takes things a little further. I speak from experience. I'm still feeling dizzy.
Daawat-e-Ishq
2014 · The W14 · Sep 2014
The movie is clever and fun for the most part. Yet, as you step back for a second, you realise this is a contemporary 'Muslim social drama', and it is about lower middle class Indians.
Khoobsurat
2014 · The W14 · Sep 2014
To be fair, I'm not the target group for this movie. It's probably aimed at audiences aged 14 or 15 or under (whether mentally or chronologically). All I could do was wonder what was getting on my nerves more: screechy Sonam's over-acting or a terribly underwhelming story-line. Now that's a tough call.
Finding Fanny
2014 · The W14 · Sep 2014
As a film-buff, it's gently reassuring sometimes to find marquee names that don't just chase big opening day figures but good films too. With time, Finding Fanny will find fans. I'm only one of the early ones.
Mary Kom
2014 · The W14 · Sep 2014
Sometimes we watch films to feel inspired, since there is such little in our lives that make us feel the same way. There is enough exhilarating drama in Mary's life. I'm glad the filmmakers kind of play it straight. The story of Magnificient Mary is still being told. She is currently aiming for gold in the next Olympics. Her story so far should certainly be watched!
Raja Natwarlal
2014 · The W14 · Aug 2014
If you disengage yourself from logic of any kind, it still sort of works, although some will buy it, many others won't. Some of the twists and set-ups are quite clever, even if done in by the rest of the film.
Mardaani
2014 · The W14 · Aug 2014
You're bored to death wondering when the heroine will just morph into a female Salman and get on with it. Oh, she does, but only very briefly. Ah okay. Then what's the point.
Katiyabaaz
2014 · The W14 · Aug 2014
This picture is unique not so much for its subject as for the manner and choice of the story being told. The film effectively employs techniques of narrative fiction to spin a hugely engaging, entertaining drama. The chief protaganist is an appealing anti-hero (Loha Singh).
Singham Returns
2014 · The W14 · Aug 2014
Films that are so meticulously designed to become a hit, more often than not, hit your head really hard. This picture is not an exception in that sense. You know the actual content will be the filler between stunts involving somersaults and rubbing salt on open wounds, or as in this case, literally shooting at the villains' bums. So you sit back, push some cotton wool into your ears and ideally wear a helmet to protect the precious space between the ears, because so many guns firing at the same time can drill a serious hole in your head. If that suits you fine, go ahead then, drill a hole in your wallet as well.
Entertainment
2014 · The W14 · Aug 2014
As filmmakers, they've managed to achieve the near impossible— managed to make Sajid Khan's slapstick Humshakals look great in comparison. As if unsure of their movie's intent, they've even titled it Entertainment. I'm sorry, but if this is entertainment, then I want to know what's the word for a person banging his head against the wall for over two hours, having shelled out money to do that as well? No, don't answer that.
Kick
2014 · The W14 · Jul 2014
From all Salman Khan movies, you rarely remember any other actor, besides Salman himself, which is just as well, because that is what audiences pay for. This one also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the villain who appears in all of four or five scenes. He pitches his performance as high as the rest of the movie. Yet, you can immediately tell, especially when he is opposite Salman, that if this country had great actors for mainstream stars, blockbuster films with scripts as deliberately insane as this one, would begin to seem infinitely more tolerable still.
Pizza
2014 · The W14 · Jul 2014
There is a twist at the end of this film that is way over-smart for its own good. By this point you already know Pizza (the movie) is frikin' cold—not in a way that sends chills down your spine, which is what I had hoped for, since audiences down South, I'm told, have hugely appreciated this film's original version in Tamil. This leaves you cold in a way that you casually stroll out of the theatre sighing, "Whatever boss." What a waste.
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania
2014 · The W14 · Jul 2014
Repeated references to scenes, characters and situations from DDLJ may bug you sometimes. This film can fully stand on its own feet. It's hard for a movie to remain in public memory as long, given the choices of entertainment available now. DDLJ is still playing in a theatre in Mumbai. This would be the chick magnet for the week, for sure.
Bobby Jasoos
2014 · The W14 · Jul 2014
Does it matter that Bobby Jasoos takes far too many creative liberties so far as plot is concerned? Yes, it certainly would, if you went in only for a detective drama. Don't. It's a lot more than that.
Ek Villain
2014 · The W14 · Jun 2014
By the end of it, you're not sure if this is a soft passionate number on how love conquers all. Or a hard-core psychotic pic about a serial killer with a screwdriver, like one of those crazy Korean blood-fests, one of which, Kim Jee-woon's I Saw The Devil (2010), has inspired the filmmakers here. The film tries to be both. You don't want to know how they've linked these two genres together. It doesn't matter. The serial killer needs psychological help. You will too, if you get too drawn into the story.
Humshakals
2014 · The W14 · Jun 2014
A series of bad gags is still better than a bad film that takes itself seriously. Therefore we give comedy the long rope. This one is dedicated to Kishore Kumar, Peter Sellers and Jim Carrey for inspiration. You could find yourself chuckling during certain initial portions of Humshakals, even though you would be laughing at the film rather than with it.
Dedh Ishqiya
2014 · The W14 · Jan 2014
The genre is the same. It is totally Tarantino-esque in its tone, making light of goons with guns. Though Tarantino by now has started employing his time-tested technique to make overtly strong political statements (Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained). This film doesn't. It's hard to tell whether that's for the better (probably not).
Dhoom 3
2013 · TheW14 · Dec 2013
The film at some level goes back to the original purpose of all public entertainment – the circus. That's where it is set. It's also about magic on a grand scale, a reason pop-corn laden blockbuster flicks fascinate us anyway. Is it worth 700 bucks? Do we need to rob a bank to watch it on the giant screen? Well, money is a relative measure. I don't think anyone at my theatre was thinking about demanding a refund. I wasn't either.
Special 26
2013 · The W14 · Dec 2013
There is no doubt this movie is based on a true story. It's too crafty for a screenwriter's invention. So are the folks before us on the screen. While you know the basic story, you're always aware there could be a fine twist at the end. And that is a surprise. Besides that this super-smart movie stars Akshay Kumar.
Lootera
2013 · The W14 · Dec 2013
His first film Udaan (2010) was both a commercial success and an entry at Cannes. It's the kind of reception Bollywood films would get back in the 1950s (Awaara, Do Bhiga Zameen ….). Those films exuded a certain self-assured thehraav, and a love for language, words, even quieter emotions. As does this film.
D-Day
2013 · TheW14 · Dec 2013
Spies inhabit a shadowy world. They plot long-term moves, stay under cover for a living, and quietly run for their life when necessary, which is quite often. Any exposure equals death. Soon as their plot to abduct the don fails, these fellows just don't know what to do or where to go. Neither does the film, sadly.
Agneepath
2012 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2013
An earnest Vijay Dinanath Chauhan delivers poetic justice before a nearly packed hall on the proverbial 'first day first show'. Audiences at my cinema respond to the cues and lines. The comments passed sometimes distract you from the screen. Everyone guffaws at the same time. This is the kind of genuine theatre experience, now getting rare, which remains most precious in the life of a film-goer. Reason can take over later. I had a ball! - See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Mayank-Shekhar-s-review-Agneepath/Article1-802542.aspx#sthash.kXRpmg6s.dpuf
Besharam
2013 · The W14 · Oct 2013
Yeah, this could have been Ranbir Kapoor's Rangeela. It's funny in some parts but nowhere as good and only half as much fun as director Abhinav Kashyap's Dabanng.
Phata Poster Nikla Hero
2013 · The W14 · Sep 2013
This movie is supposed to be a comedy, though it's cacophony for the most part with assorted dons, fake cops, real cops, and general unexplained madness.
Dabba (The Lunchbox)
2013 · The W14 · Sep 2013
This picture primes you up for the end, slowly taking control of your emotions when you're willing to go either way so far as this film's conclusion is concerned.
Grand Masti
2013 · The W14 · Sep 2013
Ideally a film like this doesn't merit a review.
Zanjeer
2013 · The W14 · Sep 2013
It's hard though when you're constantly made aware that these loose, sometimes fully disjointed pieces of a zanjeer (series of events) – with several unexplained and missing scenes — is the reinterpretation of the 1973 classic
Madras Cafe
2013 · The W14 · Aug 2013
This is probably the first Bollywood film that looks closely at India's political involvement outside of its own shores. The director (Shoojit Sircar: Yahaan, Vicky Donor) ably spins this as a war film, visually referenced to near perfection, yet scales things down to the details of a tight espionage thriller set among R&AW agents between Jaffna and New Delhi.
Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara
2013 · The W14 · Aug 2013
Walk very gently into this film, if you must. There is enough plywood used for the sets and so much plastic around for performances that if you're not careful, the whole picture might just collapse on your head.
Chennai Express
2013 · Daily Bhaskar · Aug 2013
Given the trailer, viewers in the theatre will probably look out for two things: lots of crackerjack humour, equal amounts of earth-shaking, gravity-defying assault on human bodies, cars, jeeps, and even the train. Throughout, at least I couldn't spot a single moment that had me even mildly chuckling. The stunts and car-nage is limited to two sequences, which is a small fraction for a film that clocks over 140 minutes. So should you feel cheated, sitting in this loud, chugging train to Chennai? Perhaps.
B.A. Pass
2013 · The W14 · Aug 2013
This is a dark film. It is quite different from Bollywood romp and masti of half-demented heroes (Akshay Kumar, John Abraham) in Desi Boyz (2011) that delved on a similar theme.
The Great Gatsby
2013 · Daily Bhaskar · May 2013
In a weird sort of way, The Great Gatsby is to America what Devdas is to Indians. Deep down, they are both shallow books, which is one of the reasons they make for great tent-pole entertainment.
Shakal Pe Mat Ja
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
It turns into the ideal family film then, to be enjoyed by the filmmaker's friends and family alone. I peer at the faces around me at the theatre. Of course, you shouldn't go by their looks. Or reviews for that matter. Watch it yourself. Come on, you can do it.
Don 2
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The writers here have sub-plots. They continue to stretch and add thought to thought. The picture promises to never end. It gets hard to carry on with inane inventiveness, when you just couldn't care less.
Ladies vs Ricky Bahl
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
At worst, the film remains then a yawn inducing, half explained romance; at best, it's an effortless watch all the way.
The Dirty Picture
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
It's unlikely to garner critical acclaim, of course. No male reviewer will recommend a movie because it gave him a hard-on. Female critic will probably sense exploitation. Silk couldn't care less. She collects only photos of hers that appear in the press.
Desi Boyz
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Generations change. So do audiences. Same garbage gets recycled still. We deserve it. So be it.
Rockstar
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
From its start, to the way it progresses, you can tell, the film's been through various stages of editing and several second thoughts. Sometimes the patchiness shows. It's a stretch. Anything that's 18 reels long (close to three hours) in a flickering world of low attention spans would be. Something fizzles out towards the end. You still don't begrudge a movie that's been this engaging, entertaining thus far.
Shabri
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Audiences won't find anything new in this movie either. Why bother.
Miley Naa Miley Hum
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Their nights out make for lead story on front page of The Times of India. As is everything else they do. Divorced dad wants his boy to marry a pretty Punjabi girl from the pind. That, by the way, is the central conflict in a film also about sport.
Loot
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Clearly, someone's let open a flick that must have been rightly, safely lying in the cans for years. Sounds like fun? Be careful.
Damadamm!
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This film actually has a darn good script, if you could excuse the hero for a bit. Just a bit. But how can you? We love you Himace. "Like mango, oh ho, like mango…"
Tell Me O Khuda
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Extreme love for the progeny produces corruption in several societies. It produces some terribly inspired entertainment in India. Few grudge the latter as much, I suppose. They don't have to sit through it, if they don't wish to. I didn't have a choice.
Ra.One
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Look at the film. The fuss was necessary! Producers make plans of a franchise obvious with the final scene. That, I fear may have G.One with the wind. But then you never know, right? Seriously.
My Friend Pinto
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
These are interesting times. Different voices. Newer faces. Still Bollywood. The material here may be a lot better than the movie. But it doesn't quite disappoint you still. Which is great to know. And you should be good to go.
Love Breakups Zindagi
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The film, a romantic comedy as you can tell, surveys the rich, urban, over-dressed Indian young, where clothes are sponsored by designers Ritu Kumar and Manav Gangwani, and BMW is the sedan of choice.
Rascals
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This one defies a film. You just lose interest after a while. As do the filmmakers. At some point, out of the blue, they just abandon the whole project, start replaying scenes from the picture, everybody begins dancing together, friends and foes, Anthony Gonsalves, Bhagguji, Chetooji. You wonder what's going on again. Credits start rolling. Nonsense ends. Poof. Thank you.
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This one is admirably inspired, is almost a sophomore effort. As you'd know, that's a pretty hefty compliment to pay.
Force
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The writers have at least made an attempt to put some sense into their supposed script. Though I suppose the background may have been unnecessary. That's not what most falling for this film will be striking off their checklist. Force is about rapid action. Only.
Mausam
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The leading couple has barely met. They eye each other from a distance. Constantly. It's a popular form of rural love. She disappears from the pind suddenly. He checks out from the village as well. The movie goes off on another tangent, on to another plain. So do your brains, from here on.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The movie is so stretched from both ends, you could see it tearing apart from the centre. The couple's clueless fathers look on like notable 'sideys' in suits. All good things come to an end. Thankfully, that's true for things not so good as well.
That Girl in Yellow Boots
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
So much lower on logistics and ambition. It is, what they call, a quickie: As true for the movie's subject, as for its unsatisfying outcome.
Bodyguard
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
So, how's it? Whatever. To be fair. That's what it was supposed to be.
Not a Love Story
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Moving images can cause a genuine migraine to some. At least the ones in this film could.
Bubble Gum
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Narrative meanders in portions. Screenplay is streteched out in parts. The amateurish, rough touches remain real still. So does the movie. Throughout. It's the nearest we've got to an honest Indian take on the Wonder Years, set in early '70s American suburbia.
Chala Mussaddi... Office Office
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The writing is entirely episodic, like a TV show. Scenarios recur. Actors ham it up. Loud background score informs every scene. You care for our man Mussaddi. Or at least wish to. He takes rounds of various 'daftars' (offices), literally living a farce. Democracy is probably both the problem, and its only plausible solution.
Singham
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Devgn walks to beats similar to Salman's Dabanng. He beats the crap out of ruffians outside a village theatre. He restores his woman's honour. Besotted, she chases him. Audiences think even more highly of the hero. He beats the crap some more.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
While entertaining her audiences throughout, the writer-director, with a firm voice of her own, still manages to keep things artistic, without its pretensions; a lot of times, even poetic, literally, with profound poetry on love and life that you wish to hear again: "Aankhon mein hairaaniyan lekar chal rahe ho? Toh zinda ho. (You still walk with amazement in your eyes? You're alive)." This is rare.
Chillar Party
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
You still wish these kids well. So to the others who will go, watch this short film, extended to a full length feature, if they must. Do children ever have much of a choice at theatres anyway?
Shor in the City
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Shor, or constant noise, is clearly the irrepressible energy of the Mumbai air. Was Suketu Mehta's stupendous Maximum City a film, it'd come close to this. No prizes for guessing, pirate Tilak is really fond of Paulo Coelho's Alchemist!
Murder 2
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Besides, Murder (based on Adrian Lyne's Unfaithful) was an aesthetically lit, coherently structured, semi-erotic flick about a bored, married Bangkok mom, in an adulterous affair with her ex (Emraan Hashmi). Sure enough, there was a murder in it.
Delhi Belly
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
There's refreshing honesty in a smart madcap movie that never holds itself back.
Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The hero but looks a bit of a mutant doing action on photo stills, besides other similar silliness.
Double Dhamaal
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The filmmakers were possibly busy scoring a tax-free contract to shoot in Macau. Dialogue writers were giggling over their rhymes in every other line, pun on every second word. The editors were paid to keep their trap shut. Whining women (Kangna Ranaut, Mallika Sherawat) were picked up for pretty posters. Male actors then were naturally left to somehow figure their way through this mess.
Always Kabhi Kabhi
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This is how such rubbish really get made. Or is it? Shah Rukh Khan, the picture's producer, would know best. That is, if anyone's really interested to know.
Bheja Fry 2
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This one makes you believe in benefits of plagiarism alone. Knock-offs have delivered for Indians, fine films in the past.
Shaitan
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Violence is comical, as kinky porn would be to an average adult. Gore is graphic, but pretty much for the shocking sake of it.
404
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Insecure shock jocks usually kill the fun with sound and special effect alone – comedy, being the instant flip side of spook. You don't laugh here, never. You just wish to know what's going on, or what happens next.
Stanley Ka Dabba
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The realism gently, warmly sucks you in. You sit back, sometimes reminisce, mostly observe. The take-home for the viewer is entirely experiential. As with all good experimental films.
Ragini MMS
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
It's not a bad effort -- unfortunately, it remains just that.
Haunted – 3D
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Haunted evidently wants to be the Wanted (Salman Khan small-town super hit) for the same crowd. You just hope they aren't similarly disappointed by technical glitches.
Luv Ka The End
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
If this movie were true, yes. But it's not. So, not to worry, "babes" (yup, I hate that word too). "Chill!" Just tag along with these bozos, watch them enter a gay bar, without any context, as tranny strippers go, "Tera jism jism. Tera badan badan. Yeh toh hai bus, Mutton mutton." Luv it. Huh!
Chalo Dilli
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Two strangers on such a journey can make for one too many films: from Mr And Mrs Iyer, on the riots, to Jab We Met, a romance. This one falls into neither. It's just banal, belaboured, contrived concoction that's just not funny; certainly not fun.
Yamla Pagla Deewana
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Dullness creeps in. Drunken scenes get repeated. Men get moronically pasted on a wall with 'Dharamcol', an adhesive that can join the earth to the sky. Jokes lose impact. Songs screw up the flow.
Dum Maaro Dum
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
It just about makes for an enticing thriller here. There's probably an even better film when compressed. But if you stay 'susegaad', relaxed, laidback, it's unlikely that you'll regret the promise of entertainment this picture meets in major portions. That, as you'd know, is saying a lot.
Teen Thay Bhai
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Sometimes, you wish filmmakers wrote their own reviews to enlighten us on exactly what they've made.
F.A.L.T.U
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Most mistake their clothes for attitude. I just worry for the heavy icons we offer them, and lessons we dole out. Step into this employment exchange entertainment.
Monica
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
You can tell, this is a B movie that was suddenly allowed better budgets later in its making. The picture is supposedly based on the mysterious murder of Indian Express journalist Shivani Bhatnagar in '99.
Yeh Faasley
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
You couldn't care less for the characters, let alone the frikin' killer. Anupam Kher's the film's leading man. Talented Pawan Malhotra plays the second lead. Which is good to know, so far as risking with top billings are concerned. Bombay films may still seem far from producing draws like a matured Meryl Streep. We could soon have Philip Seymour Hoffmans of our own. How about a "did he, did he not" like Doubt (2008) to match expectations from a script as well? Ah, never mind that.
Tanu Weds Manu
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
They reveal a rapidly expanding new India, with a newer, more confident voice. An outsider's persistence and talent are finally turning out to be fine levelers. Doors of their workplace don't appear locked from the inside anymore. Small town is subsequently big. In Bollywood. As in cricket. Wedding's the other middle Indian obsession. That's what this film's about. You should definitely take these guys up on the invitation.
7 Khoon Maaf
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
I know, the next time you miss your husband: you'd unlock the gun. Reload the bullets. Aim again! Sorry for that poor Internet joke. But yeah, you needn't miss this partly captivating movie either.
Patiala House
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This picture of hers does have a back-story. Whether it matters at all, is the point. Or, maybe not. The Brit-Indian cricketing hero never faces the Indian team in the world cup either. A real conflict in a story can be avoided too. It's all good, this Patiala peg. Just chug de phatte! We're all about Bollywood and cricket 'n' all, innit?
Utt Pataang
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
You'd imagine someone read this script and thought the supposed page-turner would make for another low-budget comic hit. They didn't bother to apply any cinema at all.
Yeh Saali Zindagi
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
It's fairly simple. The film appears jumbled in parts, merely because no character holds a moral centre. No character, in particular, holds the plot together either. The picture goes all over the place to arrive at an end, even beyond the intended end. You leave for home with an exhilarating ride, still reeling in your head -- though not quite the heart. The actors (each one of them inspiringly cast, stunningly moulded) help you get there. The movie seems infinitely better than the sum of its script. That's usually true for fun thrillers. This is definitely one of them.
Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Huff. This could've been a pure romp, sex comedy. It's mysteriously rated A by the censor board. The stuff seems neither deliciously bad for its inspired lunacy, nor delightfully good for its sensible humour. The indifference truly annoys you by the end of it. Well, that sucks.
No One Killed Jessica
2011 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
For the way it's been made, it will be watched. It should be. Go for the kill!
Dhobi Ghat
2010 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
This film is first-rate tribute; it's visceral, I realise -- both clichés for compliments. Nothing more appropriate comes to mind.
Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
2012 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
The narrator, who's also the hero, suggests there are three kinds of kids in the world: "chamche", who suck up to their parents; the rebellious sorts, who take them head-on; and the smart ones, who do what they like, and their parents never know. This stiff-neck, stone-faced, tight-assed lead character belongs to the mysterious fourth category: henpecked by mom (Ratna Pathak Shah), bull-dozed by pop (Boman Irani), this fellow grew up under-sexed, under-confident, under his parent's thumb. That his parents are so unnecessarily phony and psychotic, I guess, takes away from some of the realism. But it's all in the interest of comedy.
Ekk Deewana Tha
2012 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Song starts, music video plays, hero broods, heroine pouts, both dance. And then we go back to the baffling questions again: Will the couple get together? Won't they? He stalks; she disappears, then reappears, she likes him, but maybe not, gets married, or perhaps doesn't…. Oh, just get a room, and get it over with.
Gali Gali Chor Hai
2012 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
Fade in. Film starts. Camera zooms in on a mysteriously undivided Madhya Pradesh on the Indian map. Either the movie's set before 2000, or the related stories Meet Veena 'Channo' Malik Satish Kaushik as common man in Gali Gali Chor Hai Don't want to associate with every film: Akshaye Khanna filmmakers don't know better. Singer Kailash Kher cranks up the volume with a noisy song that suitably goes, "Corruption, corruption, corruption ka shor hai," referring to how those who should've stayed back in Chambal live in Delhi now. The person you probably think of is bandit queen Phoolan Devi – once a member of parliament, now no more.
Players
2012 · Hindustan Times · Nov 2012
A few players intend to share the loot, given the plan or plot (borrowed from Hollywood) is already in place. That's the story of this film. It could be the related stories PLAYERS PROMO EVENT: Sonam raises middle finger!