Dum Laga Ke Haisha is not a very serious film. Sure, it addresses a social flaw and how the people that make the same society are coping with it. At the same time it isn’t too satirical or dark. It brings a smile because the characters have their quirks and keeps you interested because the characters are like you and me, only with different quirks. What else can one ask from a film that aims to do exactly that! And this once I mean that in a nice way.

Starting with a philosophy “The axe forgets. The tree remembers.”, Badlapur obviously aims at being a psychological thriller. Unfortunately, it neither is whole-heartedly psychological nor a thriller. Even though it makes you introspect your attitude towards crime and justice.

Even if you give the film a point or two extra for attempting something different, you can’t escape the fact that it is on the borderline of making very little sense. Different ain’t good enough.

While I am a huge fan of the voice and was rapt every time I heard it; while I am a huge fan of the man to an extent that he is one of the few people I think who has earned the right to be arrogant; while I think if there is a personality whose career deserves a film, it is him – I’d like to see it in a documentary or a film that is blatantly about that. Not in a film that is masked as a story about how incomplete the voice is without a face while clearly being overwhelmed by the voice.

…the only thing that works for Hawaizaada – something different was attempted. Despite all its pitfalls, Hawaizaada attempts at telling the story of a carefree, wayward, rich, spoilt brat who is also smart and sharp when it interests him. And he went on to fly a plane. Patriotism and national pride aside.

I find myself liking a film more than I usually would because of what I didn’t “get” about the film. The only thing I know for sure is I enjoyed the overall concept and felt a liberation of sorts with the way the film ended.

Yet, by far it is one of the most thrilling films in the last year or so. I don’t remember the last time I was nervous for the hero (that too, one played by Akshay Kumar) even though I knew more or less where the film was headed. To top it off, for a good hour or so. It ain’t new, yet it keeps you glued. That counts for quite a bit.

It can be considered as a positive – that a film is very aware that it is not trying very hard to tell a story as much as it wants to show some action and that is pretty much its purpose. It doesn’t quite work for me though. Tevar is one of those. Those who want to like it, will enjoy it come what may. Others can fret and fume all they like.

The film’s content is so unsettling that you wouldn’t want to watch it again, at the same time you feel like you haven’t grasped it all in the first go. It is long and does seem to stall at places, over and above the lingering that is likeable. As well-made as I find a depressing film that shows you reality, I was ready to be out of the theater. After all, it does go out of its way to prove how deeply immoral we are as a society and as humans and after a point I don’t want to be reminded that reality s***s. And at the same time, give me reality over gloss, any day!

To say the film focussed only on one religion would be completely missing the point. It is up to us to extrapolate it to the religion of our choice, including our own. How many of us will “get it” and be able to internalise it is a completely different question altogether.