Too many gags follow more gags, actors ham and situations get repeated. Wish the makers, who have invested so much in locations and item songs, had invested in a tighter screenplay because India is ready for a smart sex comedy. At the interval point, you are willing to cut the film some slack, but post the break, despite the gloss, glamour and goofs, you’re restless.

Tarantino’s cinema is not for the faint-hearted. However, the maker of Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, in his by now famous signature style, once again gives you substance to lose sleep over.

The execution for the most part is clumsy. Yet somewhere in the second half, Gilatar redeems himself and the film. He touches on the importance of teachers in our lives and shows the apathy of the powers-that-are towards providing equal education opportunities.

Rohit Shetty’s films are big-ticket adventures; a genre unto themselves. Low on content — plot lines borrowed (in this case Hum and Kasme Vaade), incohesive screenplay and lowbrow dialogues (Sajid-Farhad) — the film leans heavily on Shah Rukh’s mega-stardom, Varun’s effervescence, breathtaking locales (Iceland and Bulgaria), orchestrated car chases and over-the-top situations, which have you chuckling.

…while the film is good-looking, the plot is convoluted. There’s bizarre justification for the poison-ivy women and avaricious despots. But then again, these sequels are about erotica being served piping hot Bollywood style.

Like the protagonists, all of us know what it is to be tied down and not do what our hearts long. But the route Tamasha takes is long-winded and plain boring at times.

Deepika and Ranbir convey their angst and passion so convincingly that you’re hooked. Except for the curiosity about them, the rest of the drama is `oh,never-mind’.

Prawaal Raman does a commendable job of recreating the 60s-70s. He also gets his protagonist’s physicality and smugness bang on. Working on a wafer-thin account given to him by the real-life Delhi cop, Amod Kanth, Raman still manages to infuse life (at least partly) into this film and into the life of the notorious killer.

Shaandaar has a fun plot. However in his attempt to spoof destination weddings of the bankrupt and the famous, Vikas Bahl, (who also directed that gem, Queen) forgot to take a script along.

Jazbaa’s narrative has pace and power. From screeching car sequences to emotionally-charged showdowns between his accomplished lead cast; the film throbs. Which is not to say that there are no flaws. The green hue overshadows Mumbai’s skyline. Aishwarya is rusty at the start but eventually takes charge of the dual aspects of her character.
Aishwarya has made a judicious screen choice after that five-year hiatus!

Puli is a fantasy but its failing is that it is told in an amateur fashion. Coming as it does, after the humongous success of Bahubali that raised the bar as far as fantasy, animation and give-it-all-you-got cinema goes, Puli disappoints. The film works as a visual extravaganza, but it fails to entertain. Even Vijay fans may find it hard to lap up his snazzy song-routine. Sridevi’s arched eyebrows are more expressive than the rest of her. Hansika and Shruti only wiggle their backsides and shake their bellies. Aah, even that’s disappointing.