Panipat ultimately is overlong and unwieldly. It may have its heart in the right place but its other organs are all over the place. Gowariker, who kept us engaged and invested through 3 hours and 40 minutes of Lagaan, or even through the genteel romance of Jodhaa Akbar, can’t seem to recreate the magic of his finest films. I’m going with a generous two out of five for Panipat. You come out feeling like you’ve survived war…just about.

Joaquin Phoenix-starrer Joker is solid in both its craft and storytelling but the violence is unsettling and leans dangerously close to being irresponsible.

Both Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff fully commit to the action, bringing swag to the big stylish sequences and a visceral energy to the one-on-one punch-ups in the movie.

Through all its hiccups if there’s one thing that glues the film’s bits together, it’s Ayushmann Khurrana’s uninhibited, confident performance as Karam aka Pooja. He brings grace and dignity to the kind of role that has been reduced to a drag cliché on so many of television’s reality and comedy shows. He makes the film work even when the script fails it repeatedly.

Go in with modest expectations and you may not be disappointed.

The film is all about its characters, frankly, and the hoops they’re made to jump. In them you’ll likely find traces and memories of your own youth. I’m going with three-and-a-half out of five for Chhichhore; it’s good, harmless fun. I had a big smile plastered on my face throughout, and I think you will too.

The impressively staged but ultimately exhausting action sequences take up the bulk of screen time, but they can’t salvage this soulless film that has all the depth and emotional wallop of a video game.

Super 30 comes with an important message but the overwrought treatment weighs it down ultimately.

Game Over has some genuinely suspenseful moments, one terrific jump scare, but also a ridiculous sentimental track that sticks out like a sore thumb in a brisk thriller. The makers have some interesting things to say about violence towards women and the residue it can leave. There’s a lot going on, but barring its leading lady’s impressive performance, it’s simply hit and miss.

In the end Bharat is exhausting and pointless. It exists only to add to the legend of Salman Khan as the selfless provider, the man who has a heart as big as his biceps. In Bharat, Salman Khan plays Bhai.

Ultimately, watching De De Pyaar De is a frustrating experience because while there are things to admire, including the unconventional ending, there is no escape from the lazy stereotypes, the simplistic moralizing, and the episodic, sitcom-style screenplay. Yes I laughed, and it made me think. Some bits crackle too, but the film needed more of that.