When a review becomes more about the viewer’s experience, emotions and thought-flow, it is a movie well-made, a movie one must watch. Even if you might want to watch it over and over again.

It is a shame then that this already engaged frame of mind isn’t capitalised upon. It becomes a regular Ajay-Devgn-plays-honest-guy vs. bad-guy routine. Except of course, that it is based on a true life story.

The focus is clearly the story, or to take it a level further – the invention and the social milieu that called for the invention.

Not that punch-lines, strong opinions or style was ever unenjoyable in Kashyap films, it’s just that here they are conspicuous by their absence – in a good way. It is nice to see a departure from the usual, even if it doesn’t completely work.

I’d like to state upfront that I am clearly not a part of this film’s target audience because I’ve never liked slapstick. But over the years, I have realised the core of why I don’t like them. I don’t find people insulting others, funny. And a lot of Judwaa 2’s humor relies on exactly that. Insult the obese, insult the colored, insult the women, insult those with speech defects – to name a few. I am sure the intention is not to insult but to bring laughs. But that insults bring laughs is a premise I have never understood.

Except for the effort of the actors, there isn’t anything going for Bhoomi. There are a couple of well conceptualised scenes, especially the one in the climax. But, one it is a little too dramatic too and it is of course very little, very late.

I feel the need to visit this film again and have my kids watch it too – because this is a once in the blue moon film, the details of which, cannot be digested in one viewing.

Other than a couple of those and a few moments of thrill though, Lucknow Central seems like yet another “prison” film. In fact, the story is quite similar to the other one a few weeks ago, Qaidi Band Review. Thankfully it loses the tone of propaganda. Yet, it stays only moderately engaging.

The struggle of Indian parents and children in America to be both American and Indian at the same time isn’t new. But put together, they make the film a rich experience that cannot be slotted into one genre. My heart leaped with joy at the climax. If only, the 20-30 minutes in the second half didn’t distance you from the film.

Daddy, comes across as an earnest defense for one of the most feared men of his times. I lived in Mumbai during those times. I don’t remember hearing of any of his Robinhood deeds. Maybe they were deliberately kept under wraps. If this film was made to invoke sympathy for a man who might wrongfully be in prison today, it didn’t really do much in that direction. Lacking balance, it just might have pushed the audience, that can be bothered to care, even further in the other direction.