…is a film that doesn’t sizzle and doesn’t completely fizzle either. It is harmless but certainly insipid and whatever happens in it, you can see it coming from furlongs. The otherwise reliable Habib Faisal has written a script which is pretty much on auto pilot mode without any surprising deviations.

The plot hits the peak in the first 30 odd minutes, after that it all goes downhill. The subplot of Asha’s sister and her husband is least bit engrossing. There are some funny lines and comic situations but the water runs dry quickly. Kirron Kher is the only silver lining in this otherwise average entertainer.

This venture by Soumik Sen is a damp squib. If you want to know anything about Pal or the Gulabi gang, check out Nishtha Jain’s documentary that released recently.

If you are a fan of the franchise, the chances are you will be happy, for the rest, it is just another film that came and went by.

Vidya Balan is sincere in her act but it is Farhan Akhtar who carries the film through. His comic timing and his portrayal of emotions elevates the film considerably. Shaadi Ke Side Effects is like a meal which has a promising appetizer, bland main course with the odd tasty chutney.

You don’t go to a movie with a lot of expectations from the director of the Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil franchise. It helps because Pompeii is one of those run of mill films that involves slaves, kings, Romans, special effects and a natural disaster. The story is lackluster and to add to it, the performances are no great shakes either.

The film drags its feet for too long and like the characters, you want the ordeal to end soon. Thankfully, there is no religious mumbo-jumbo attached to it, as is usually in such films. Unless you are a dire hard fan of this genre, Darr at the whatever is avoidable.

You lose interest in the plot right from the beginning; it starts off on a rather dull note and continues in the same vein. All the fantasy and mysticism is even less credible than a fake preacher. The only reason the film is bearable is because it is beautifully shot and the cast is earnest. Pity, the story leaves you stone cold.

Since there is a bankruptcy of ideas in Hollywood, there are remakes galore. This time we have Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop (1987) which is rehashed and to be fair they haven’t done a bad job but the question to be asked is, what was the need in the first place?

It attempts to pay a tribute to vintage films right from Sholay, Kaala Pathaar, Deewar and there’s also Mr. India playing in a theatre where a fight sequence is choreographed (the only admirable scene). The rest is so very mind numbing and the finale which has a Salman type lets-take off-our-shirts-and fight is in super slow motion. Actually a lot of the film is in slo-mo, had it been shot it normal speed, the duration would reduce considerably.