The challenge to a popular movie franchise like Dabangg is that it requires novelty and sameness in equal parts and the team does get its balance right.

Panipat, a film about Maratha warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau who staves off Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Abdali, disappoints only because of a linear screenplay that fails to rouse dramatic emotions so important to historicals.

Even though Singh keeps away from the sentimentality common to Hindi cinema, Laal Kaptaan lacks pace and certain scenes feel unbearably long. Dialogues, so essential for a historical thriller like this one, falter and flail in critical scenes, puncturing the impact of a unique story. As far as Hindi films go, Laal Kaptaan treads a path less trodden, but it meanders and spectacularly loses steam. It should have cut to the chase, literally and figuratively, but instead, it becomes an unbearably long and pointless pursuit.

Having an almost picture perfect cast can sometimes get in the way of a natural storytelling style but this family scores well on that front.

Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan make the perfect pair –almost Batman and Robin-like– with Shroff’s earnestness and admiration a good foil to Roshan’s wiser ways.

Fortune favours the brave and this one with all the talent it’s equipped with plus ‘The Zoya Factor’ certainly seems to hold the promise of box office success.

Dream Girl will surely entertain the film going audiences while sparking off an important conversation on gender constructs in Indian cinema.

Unfortunately, despite its glitzy packaging, Saaho, because of a choppy, underwritten screenplay and excessive gorefest is a bit of a letdown even for those who love their Hindi movies served with a generous dose of masala. Sigh.

Despite its creative shortcomings, director Jagan Shakti makes the film evoke patriotic fervor in the audience. Truth be told, in the climax, one can’t help but be filled with wonder and pride when the satellite swings into sight!

And yes, given that the film doffs a hat to the true-life heroes who accomplished the impossible feat, one hopes that the film’s collections at the box-office are ‘Mangal’ too.

Sonakshi Sinha’s Film Isn’t A Cure for Boredom…The movie makers stay true to their promise of, “The Only Sex Film for the Whole Family” and the film ends up being a straitjacketed one for it.