’No One Killed Jessica’ isn’t a bad film; it’s just a disappointing one from a filmmaker who showed such promise with his debut film ‘Aamir’. This one falls short.
I’m going with two-and-a-half out of five for director Rajkumar Gupta’s ‘No One Killed Jessica’. It reminded me of a Madhur Bhandarkar film. If you’re a fan of simplistic storytelling, you won’t complain.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s recent films have famously existed in a world of his own creation, a world cut off from the one we inhabit, a world where logic is often a hindrance. Guzaarish, his latest offering, may be less esoteric than his last film, Saawariya, but it’s still an unsatisfying effort because the filmmaker continues to invest more in the appearance of every frame than in the emotional truth of his characters.

Watch it strictly for Salman, who delivers enough bang for your buck!

It’s a pointless, boring film. Watch it if you have 200 bucks to waste!

In setting the film in the 70s, Luthria borrows much of that period’s cinematic style. Every line is a punch line, every dialogue a clap-trap. The nostalgia is enjoyable initially, and the film successfully evokes the spirit of those Amitabh Bachchan starrers of the 70s. But you become numb to the impact of the dialogues when even supporting characters and bit players speak in clever quips.

Leading man Ali Zafar has an endearing presence, and Pradhuman Singh as the chicken farmer scores with his comic timing. But in the end the film is only moderately entertaining. I’m going with two-and-a-half out of five for first-time director Abhishek Sharma’s Tere Bin Laden. The kind of film to watch on a day you have nothing better to do.

In the end, of course, Bachna Ae Haseeno is a showreel for the sheer talent of Ranbir Kapoor who blazes across the screen like a blinding light. He’s got that indescribable star quality, and what’s more he can act. At comedy, in the emotional scenes, and yes of course when he’s dancing — your eyes are transfixed on the screen when he’s up there even in a passing shot. Despite its strengths, the film isn’t terribly good, and that’s a pity because it most definitely could have been. Ultimately, it’s an average film, at best time-pass viewing.

Like all of Bhansali’s previous pictures, Saawariya too is a visual spectacle. Few filmmakers’ can match his attention to detail, his magnificent use of lighting and colour, and his sharp ear for music. But in the end, it’s not about the sweeping scale or the lilting melodies, Saawariya fails to touch your heart, it’s an exercise in excess. I’m going with one out of five for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, a fall from grace for the country’s most celebrated filmmaker.

It’s pointless and it lacks focus, it’s meandering and it makes very little sense. So that’s one out of five and a thumbs down for Apurva Lakhia’s Shootout At Lokhandwala.It tries to be a boy’s picture with guns and gore, but it lacks both style and substance. Because the film has no soul, it leaves you cold and unaffected.

While it’s true this film is somewhat entertaining and much of the humour is derived from its rock-solid script, let me be the party-pooper here by revealing that Bheja Fry is a scene-by-scene, dialogue-by-dialogue remake of the superhit French farce The Dinner Game. You see, Bheja Fry isn’t ‘inspired’ or ‘borrowed’ or ‘influenced’ from the original film, it’s an out-and-out remake. One can only hope that remake rights were bought from the makers of the French film, although I didn’t see any acknowledgement of the same in the film’s credits, and in fact I saw this film’s screenplay credited to two persons, which if you ask me is shocking, considering the only real work on the script would be in the form of translation.