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.

It is disheartening that these moments aren’t spread through the film’s writing. It is disheartening that the writing feels disjointed as if it was written over years and the writers lost objectivity. It is disheartening that the next time the topic and these behavioral observations are taken up in a film, they will seem like a repeat. In some sense, we have lost the “freshness” of this topic within a romantic relationship to “done before” in a sub-optimal way.

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz was almost house full, and in a bigger hall too! Whether or not I like the film, that a non-standard film gets its chance with the audience makes this festive season even brighter. And this one does it despite being dark to the core.

Jab Harry Met Sejal is also one of those films that has great music which shouldn’t have made it into the film. They reek of commercial considerations rather than having roots in the story. The wedding song and the lovely duet, both seem so forced that they might as well have just started singing and dancing instead of trying to mask them with excuses to make them a part of the film.

Lipstick Under My Burkha can be watched for its snappy dialogue and sensitive, intense performances.

Jagga, Tooti-frooti, and Shruti do take you around their fairy-tale world. Yet, this fairyland is quite close to the world we live in. So much so that if it weren’t for the music, the colours, the quirky, kiddish, borderline slapsticky humor you would be left with a film that was a sad documentation of our times. To even think of mixing these things together is a step in the much wanted experimental territory – for this attempt alone I am stunned by the long stride Jagga Jasoos has taken. Most of all, it is a decent kids film from India. That the narration could have been crisper and the story a tad deeper, we can leave to its promise of a sequel.

I don’t know if Mom could have been a better film if the writing were tighter. Its pauses had a reason that might not be in line with that of a thriller. I don’t know if Mom could have been a better film if the writing at least tried to be unpredictable. What I know is I will look forward to director, Ravi Udyawar’s next work. I wouldn’t mind watching more films written by him, Girish Kohli or Kona Venkat Rao. I certainly want to watch the next Sridevi film, something that I couldn’t imagine saying 25-30 years ago. That is good enough.

Meri Pyaari Bindu is that rom-com that doesn’t offer much new, but it still engages, entertains and makes you sob for you remembered that one heartbreak that took your faith in relationships away from you.

Despite this annoyance, Mukti Bhawan’s take on death is what makes the film worth a watch. It isn’t an Anand-esque take, neither is it all morose. It is a tone of acceptance.

You don’t expect ordinary lives to have an extraordinary end. That makes this small film larger than film – more because not many talk of life and death with this spiritual sense.