Ramayana
Ramayana is a visual treat all the way. Every frame jumps out of the screen and casts a spell. Sadly, the familiar characters that populate the film feel way too flat and inert.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 7.0−1.0
Top critic
Saibal Chatterjee
In StepNDTV, Hindustan Times
Reviewing since 2012 · Last review Nov 2026
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From the archive
All 506 reviews
Wicker
The film is a strange and captivating fable about men and women within and without the institution of marriage navigating both all-consuming destructive envy and the urge to forge life-affirming connections even if they come at a price.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.5+0.5
Udta Teer
Ayushmann Khurrana sinks into the skin of a man who is the very antithesis of a big-screen secret agent.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.2−1.2
Nayyi Navelli
The result is a film that neither looks pretty nor sounds right. Talk overshadows action and logic gets drowned out in the confusing din of clashing decibel levels
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Prahaar
The film stays focused on its avowed purpose, which ensures that it stays on course for the most part - not a mean feat at all.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.5−0.5
The Social Reckoning
It is passable. It could have been, nay, should have been, much, much more.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Drishyam: The Conclusion
Come for Ajay Devgn, stay for Jaideep Ahlawat. The former delivers the goods. The latter adds weight, the sort that makes an indelible impression. It all adds up rather neatly to make Drishyam: The Conclusion a worthy parting shot.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 7.0−1.0
Vibe
Vibe isn't deliriously funny, certainly not in the way that Madgaon Express was. But it has just enough steam to keep rolling without letting the missteps get in the way of the vibes that it wants to transmit. Vibe is Kemmu's film all the way, but it belongs more to the actor than the director.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Haiwaan
Priyadarshan goes all dark and deadly in a cat-and-mouse thriller. Matching Mohanlal is a tough ask, but Saif makes the most of the opportunity that the unusual role presents.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.3+0.7
Mirzapur: The Movie
A sprawling, bloody underworld drama with a sharp twist, though the film struggles to justify its expansion beyond the series' proven formula.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.4−1.4
Batwara 1947
Sunny Deol makes the most of the film's quieter moments and emotive scenes to add a kind of weight that is far more powerful than his fists of fury.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Ohh My Dog
Ohh My Dog is a film that is fun, gripping and charming. Watch the film if you love dogs and especially if you don't.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Bhai Tera Star Hai
Nothing, not even two immensely popular social media stars, can lift Bhai Tera Star Hai out of the trough that it insists on wallowing in
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.4+0.6
Dhamaal 4
Nothing that Dhamaal 4 throws up stays afloat long enough to give the audience anything to crack up over.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5−0.5
8.0
TRM 7.2+0.8
Baby Do Die Do
The film kills much of its own promise, squandering it on superficial trappings. Huma Qureshi is consistent, but the film is not.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.1−2.1
Cocktail 2
Cocktail 2's appeal is intermittent and fleeting. The film reduces relationships to a joke, failing to deliver meaningful cinema.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.9+0.1
Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai
A vintage David Dhawan comedy stuck in 1990s. This concoction is mindless but ultimately harmless.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Raja Shivaji
This Riteish Deshmukh Film Isn't Always As Sharp As Its Tiger Claw But Has Moments
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.2−1.2
6.0
TRM 6.1−0.1
O'Romeo
O'Romeo employs and mixes genre principles in ways that elevate even a standard vengeance saga to a level that is well above the ordinary.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.9+1.1
Mardaani 3
Rani Mukerji delivers a power-packed, unblemished star turn that should rank among the finest of her 30-year acting career.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.2+0.8
Border 2
Border 2 has come at a time when Hindi movies embrace jingoism with all their might.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 7.1−1.1
The Raja Saab
There is nothing remotely majestic about The Raja Saab, a mangled horror fantasy that borders awkwardly on the comedic and is frequently in danger of making a laughing stock of itself. Prabhas tries hard, very hard indeed, to lift the film out of its morass but it is all akin to tilting at windmills. The Raja Saab, the tale of a good boy, a granny, a Gothic mansion, a ghost and three girls, is a royal mess.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.6+0.4
Ikkis
Solidly acted and anchored by powerhouse performances, Ikkis rises above the average Hindi war film template. On the acting front, Jaideep Ahlawat dominates but both Agastya Nanda in his sophomore outing and Dharmendra in his swan song leave a deep imprint.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.00.0
4.0
TRM 4.8−0.8
Raat Akeli Hai - The Bansal Murders
Star turns from Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte elevate this classic whodunnit with strong performances, while the supporting cast delivers equally impressive work across the board.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.3+1.7
120 Bahadur
Farhan Akhtar's film is consistently watchable and the director fleshes out the Param Vir Chakra-recipient without overstretching himself.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.3−0.3
6.0
TRM 7.1−1.1
Thamma
Nawazuddin Siddiqui brings an exceptional level of flash and flair to bear upon the titular role.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
6.0
TRM 6.1−0.1
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari
As things stand, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is more froth than fizz.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Kantara - A Legend: Chapter 1
... a manic, sometimes befuddling, mix of history, myth, cinematic craft and performative power. When the disparate components and conceits blend well, it is an undeniably compelling watch.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.7−0.7
Baaghi 4
The film is directed by Bollywood newbie A Harsha, but it is more an action choreographer's movie than his
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.2+0.8
Coolie
Rajini's all-encompassing persona powers the film along when it tends to flag a touch or is in danger of losing its way a bit in a maze of sporadic subplots and backstories. Large swathes of Coolie pass muster (despite the lack of sustained plot cohesion) because the lead actor breathes life into the most important sequences.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.6+0.4
Son of Sardaar 2
Making the most of the scenic locales where the film plays out, he lends Son of Sardaar a veneer of shimmering brightness that once in a while serves to deflect attention away from the banality that runs the film to the ground.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.0−2.0
4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Sitaare Zameen Par
Aamir Khan's uplifting film has its heart in the right place. Aamir Khan effortlessly slips into the character of a temperamental man who is often mocked for his short stature.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.6+0.4
Housefull 5
The film is madcap all right but its pull-no-punches and respect-no-limits humour works against its own well-being
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.6−1.6
Thug Life
Not even Mani Ratnam's style and Kamal Haasan's presence are enough to pull the bacons out of the fire.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.8−0.8
Bhool Chuk Maaf
And as a time-loop comedy, it goes completely overboard with its central premise without being able to create a logical context for the perplexing goings-on in the life of a lad trapped in a limbo.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.8−0.8
Sikandar
An all-out assault on all things logical, Sikandar, written and directed by A.R. Murugadoss with the express purpose of giving Salman Khan's do-gooder bhai persona a leg up, has the airs of an emperor who can do no wrong. But nothing that the film does is quite right.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.2−0.2
The Diplomat
John Abraham does justice to the role, and Kumud Mishra, as always, and Jagjeet Sandhu, in the role of a shockingly detestable man, are both solid.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.1−0.1
Nadaaniyan
...saddled with the unbearable lightness of a story that rests on vacuous contrivances built around a clash of social strata and personal predisposition.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6
Superboys of Malegaon
Fuelled by measured performances that blend energy with restraint, the characters and the film are in reach for the sky, while staying firmly rooted to the ground.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.4+0.6
Chhaava
The film, has far greater depth than the top-heavy treatment that it deploys in order to pay tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.4−1.4
Dhoom Dhaam
Full marks to Yami Gautam and Pratik Gandhi for gamely trying to spice up a desultory ride.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.1−2.1
Mrs.
Mrs. gets as close to being a home run as a replication of a critically acclaimed, widely viewed film still fresh in public memory can be. Although shorn significantly of the compellingly and unsettlingly raw edge of the original, the Jio Studios and Baweja Studios production streaming on Zee5 makes its point forcefully enough not to be a wasted adaptation.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.4−0.4
Deva
Shahid Kapoor anchors the adroitly mounted thriller buoyed by a screenplay that, to great effect, significantly alters the plot of the film
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.2+0.8
5.0
TRM 6.1−1.1
Fateh
Sonu Sood delivers a no-frills lead performance that is perfectly in sync with the spirit and substance of the film.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.1−0.1
4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Baby John
Not that it does not try, but all its vim and vigour, delivered in the form of noisy, overwrought driblets, come to naught
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
Pushpa 2 - The Rule
Pushpa Part 2 goes hell for leather but large parts of the film are crushed under the weight of its own vaulting ambition. While it manages to avert that eventuality, it does stray into stretches that are unconscionably contrived, overstretched and mounted simply to reinforce the protagonist's aura of invincibility, logic and gravity be damned.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.0−1.0
5.0
TRM 4.9+0.1
Singham Again
By far the brightest spark in the film is Ranveer Singh. With his constant chatter, he is indeed funny for the most part.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
There is something intrinsically and inevitably amusing in even the most frightening of ghost stories if the anything-goes on-screen antics of spectral apparitions are taken in the right spirit. That explains why horror-comedies usually have a such a committed constituency. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, for all its flaws, is unlikely to face a dearth of takers this Diwali weekend.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.1−1.1
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
An Ungainly Mess That Sways Between The Absurd And Asinine
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.0−2.0
Jigra
Vedang Raina puts his best foot forward in the guise of the harried and tortured Ankur.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Devara: Part 1
Packed with relentless action and sweeping visual spectacle but devoid of genuine emotion, Devara: Part 1 is strictly for fans of movies that seek to thrive on their epic scale and star power rather than solidly original storytelling. The film's biggest undoing is its rather tame, done-to-death good-versus-evil construct, and barring a scene here or a shot there, it does not exactly soar to the heights one would expect from a production of this magnitude. Devara: Part 1 is a mixed bag where the parts that work, few and far between as they are, might whet the appetite of fans of big-canvas action, but the segments that fall short do not quite meet expectations.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
Sector 36
A portrait of a psychopath is never easy to pull off. Sector 36, inspired by the 2005-2006 Nithari killings, attempts the task without achieving much success
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Stree 2
If only the film had kept pace with the wonderfully clued-in cast, it would have been an unqualified success.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.5−1.5
Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba
Neither the addition of Sunny Kaushal and Jimmy Shergill to the cast nor the predatory creatures that are alluded to enhance the sting in the film's tail. But, for sure, the love story is more twisted than before.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Bad Newz
Triptii Dimri seems intent on concealing the sea of emotions swirling within and around her behind an inscrutable mask as the befuddled character fights to assert her right to decide what is best for her and her unborn babies.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.7−1.7
KILL
It is taut, tense and terrifically inventive with the acts of staggering violence that it executes inside the coaches of a train hurtling through the night. The film is definitely not for the squeamish.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.2−0.2
Jatt & Juliet 3
As for anything else in the film that might seem to fall short, Diljit Dosanjh steps into the breach and leavens it with his charm.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6
Kalki 2898-AD
Kalki 2898 AD has the firepower that an aspiring futuristic franchise needs and it harnesses it pretty well. So, for all its flaws, it does not ever careen out of control.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.5−1.5
Chandu Champion
A one-man show but trust Vijay Raaz to turn a supporting role into something much more than that. When he is on the screen, Kartik Aaryan has to concede ground to him.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.2−1.2
Munjya
he spotlight is on the eponymous creature but Abhay Verma as the boy struggling to hold on to his sanity does enough not to be overshadowed. Mona Singh, Sharvari Wagh and Suhas Joshi are all more than adequate in a film in which the focus isn't really on them.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.4−2.4
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is all clones, cliches and cacophony. It is infuriatingly fatuous, too. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan offers not a single shred that could considered a saving grace.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.2−2.2
Amar Singh Chamkila
The film is mournful and festive, animated and pensive, consciously crafted and seemingly spontaneous.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.9+1.1
Yodha
No matter how lenient you might want to be and how much of a Sidharth Malhotra fan you are, this pulpy action movie is a bumpy ride that lurches from one misstep to another.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.7−1.7
Murder Mubarak
The film does not rely on action for effect. And the script ensures that talk isn't dull. The editing keeps pace with the speed at which the investigation unfolds and the directorial flourishes ensure that the film is never less than riveting.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.7+1.3
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya
Once the novelty of the notion wears off - and that happens pretty quickly - there is little on offer here barring the fact that this is the first time that Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon have teamed up.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.7−1.7
Fighter
Fighter, an aerial action thriller directed and co-produced by Siddharth Anand, struggles to shake off its flat trajectory. However, despite Deepika Padukone adding to the star power quotient, the film feels vacuous and vapid. Hrithik Roshan does his best to lift the film as high as he can, but Fighter could have done with a more fearsome villain.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.1−1.1
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas bewitches even when it baffles. Katrina Kaif conveys confusion and vulnerability cloaked in occasional flashes of steely determination, and is helped a great deal by the contrast that Vijay Sethupathi represents.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.8+0.2
Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire
The mind-numbing power of unrelenting violence is on full display over all of three hours in the unabashedly gory Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire. All the blood-letting that the film revels in has a somniferous effect on the audience, lulling it into a desensitised state that serves to make the shocks somewhat palatable.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Dunki
Dunki is buoyed by an array of flawless performances, with the lead actor and Taapsee Pannu, playing a woman who is far more than just the hero's romantic interest, leading the way through the ups and downs. It strikes a neat balance between heart, head and soul, crafting an emotionally engaging tale with its fair share of twists that do not strain credulity beyond reasonable limits.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.7+0.3
The Archies
A vibrant colour palette, an array of wonderful musical tracks, the infectious verve of young actors, and a period story imbued with concerns of contemporary relevance propel The Archies into a zone where even the palpably facile is a whole lot of fun and marked by stylistic flair. The Archies has an easy-flowing rhythm thanks to a gallery of vivid characters that are never archetypal even though they possess clear-cut characteristics. A beguiling oddity. In style, substance and spirit.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.0
Animal
Animal is a sickeningly violent father-son action drama that is off-putting and tiresome, rarely pausing for breath despite Ranbir Kapoor's powerful performance.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.0−2.0
Sam Bahadur
Without the fine balance that Meghna Gulzar strikes between ambition and restraint, neither the spirited central performance nor its emotional (and cinematic) payoff would have been quite as remarkable.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.0+1.0
Tiger 3
Tiger 3 is overlong, overheated and over the top, but Salman Khan's star power and the film's spectacle prove there is always purchase from an irrepressible hero leaping off perches and landing on his feet. It is a film that, for the most part, stays on the rails.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.9−0.9
12th Fail
At a time when it is routine for Bollywood to make a completely hash of films inspired by true stories and real-life achievers, 12th Fail is a gentle little film that stays true to its purpose and strikes out hard in all the right directions. The film views the specific facts of one individual's experiences in the context of the general realities of an examination system while often going into granular detailing of the three-stage testing system, and the account assumes the form of a classic, universal and absorbing underdog saga.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.2−0.2
Khufiya
With the ever-reliable Tabu leading the way, the performances are right out of the top drawer.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Jaane Jaan
With the writer-director, the technicians, the music team and the actors at their very best, Jaane Jaan is an all-round triumph. Kareena Kapoor conveys a wide gamut of emotions in a performance marked by remarkable restraint, while Jaideep Ahlawat makes light work of an extremely demanding character, capturing the man's interiority and body language to stunning effect.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Jawan
Jawan is a strikingly meta vehicle in which a star communicates directly with his fan base and holds forth on themes that are crying out to be addressed. Jawan hits the bull's eye both as a movie that is out to entertain and a vehicle that demonstrates the power of a superstar endowed with a voice that is anything but ordinary.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.1−0.1
OMG 2
OMG 2 is a simplistic satire that, despite lively performances from Akshay Kumar, fails to deliver meaningful commentary on its subject matter.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.5−2.5
Jailer
The first half of Jailer is engaging for the most part. Its second half isn't half as riveting. In fact, it is sluggish and all over the place notwithstanding a couple of climactic twists that pack a reasonable punch.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.1−1.1
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
For all the subversion that runs through Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and pretty boldly at that, the film is a shiny but shallow family drama that uses disappointingly obsolete methods to serve up contemporary, pertinent theories about the need to be mindful in love, loyalty and language.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.2−2.2
Lust Stories 2
From the pulpy and playful to the putrid and puckered, Lust Stories 2, pretty much like its predecessor, is a mixed bag. The storytelling isn't always lusty. But when it is, there is enough zest in here for the occasional creases not to get in the way.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8
Adipurush
Adipurush, a bloated and vacuous cinematic version of a part of the Ramayana, does the epic or its civilisation-defining characters no justice at all. The ambition is mammoth but the imagination that the makers of Adipurush bring to the table is no bigger than the size of the computer screens that have been used to give the film its final shape. Adipurush is full of magic and miracles, but no trick that it rustles up over the three hours that it takes to peddle its wares can offset the consequences of the trivialisation of a great epic.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.9−1.9
Kisi Ka Bhai... Kisi Ki Jaan
Neither delivers the goods because the star falls between two stools and plummets to an all-time low. KKBKKJ, directed by Farhad Samji, is an insufferably ham-fisted affair that does not generate a single moment that could be regarded as passably entertaining. A bad film is a bad film. KKBKKJ is beyond bad.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.0−2.0
Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga
Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, despite its taut and precise screenplay, is at best passable fare. It neither climbs high enough to rise above the wobbles nor shrugs off the head winds in its way. Yami Gautam powers the film along especially when the ride turns somewhat bumpy.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar is indeed a case of much hollow hullabaloo about absolutely nothing. Ranbir Kapoor, when can shake off the all-pervasive frivolity, is the sole saving grace of a movie that is more vacuous chatter than genuine matter.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.6−2.6
Pathaan
Phenomenally entertaining and consistently engaging, Pathaan, for all the derivative genre components it compiles, is a spy thriller that crackles with energy. Shah Rukh Khan does not miss a trick in jettisoning his King of Romance persona and donning the garb of an unflappable, unstoppable action hero.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.8+0.2
Mission Majnu
Mission Majnu does not deliver a thrill a minute nor does it produce any exceptional degree of tension and suspense. An espionage drama that takes its own sweet time to warm up, it struggles to hold our attention with more talk than action for the most part, and neither the espionage nor love story strands are able to keep flaccidity at bay.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Cirkus
Cirkus is abysmally bad. It is a mind-numbing film that would have done the world a favour by not advancing beyond the script stage. The result is a great fall for both Rohit Shetty and Ranveer Singh.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.7−1.7
Qala
Fastidiously designed, heavily stylised and occasionally stolid, Qala is a music-themed, female-centric period drama that looks and sounds absolutely glorious. Powered as much by director Anvita Dutt's screenplay as by its cinematography, production design, soundscape and editing, the film delivers enough by way of theme and treatment not to be merely a surface-level sensory experience.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.4+0.6
Bhediya
Bhediya, both enjoyable and thought-provoking, is helped along by lively performances. Bhediya does a generally successful balancing act between farce and fable, with the director sustaining an unwavering grip on the tone and tenor of the narrative.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Monica, O My Darling
Full of knowing winks thrown the audience's way, Netflix's Monica, O My Darling, is a wildly entertaining film packed with twists and turns that keep on giving until the final fadeout. The smartly off-kilter Monica, O My Darling, adapted from Japanese writer Keigo Higashino's 1989 mystery novel Heart of Brutus, is an intriguing, enthralling work that deftly turns pulp into a precious cinematic pearl.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.5
Phone Bhoot
Phone Bhoot is wacky, wild and weird in a way that takes a lot of doing to get used to. The film's flights of fancy do not land on the right tarmac all the time, but it succeeds in assembling a bunch of gags that delivers some mirth, some madness, and a whole lot of manic moments. Phone Bhoot isn't an earth-shattering, game-changing deal for the genre but it has the feel of a full-on mad hatters' party where everything goes.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
Ram Setu
Poorly written, shoddily mounted and badly acted, Ram Setu is pure, self-serving and hysterical drivel that rides on the back of a Bollywood star who enjoys undisputed monopoly on the genre. Ram Setu is cinema that does nothing for the medium or the audience. It is a film about a floating stone but has no clue how to stay afloat. Avoidable even if you are an Akshay Kumar fan.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.2−2.2
Ponniyin Selvan: Part I
PS-1 is both exhilarating and enriching. Another dose would be just perfect. The sprawling, spectacularly mounted film is an ambitious, near-flawless adaptation of a much-loved literary work.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.1+0.9
Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva
Brahmastra Part One: Shiva is a spectacular production that benefits immensely from the VFX done by DNEG. The crucial action scenes, even as they strain credibility, throb with life and deliver their share of excitement. Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, ambitious and entertaining, has the makings of a blockbuster of the sort that Bollywood has been desperately seeking for a while.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.9+0.1
Liger
Terrible from the very outset, the only way it goes is down. Liger is absolutely unwatchable. It is a massive mess of a movie that Vijay Deverakonda's newfangled physique and action chops cannot salvage.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 2.8−0.8
Laal Singh Chaddha
Its flaws notwithstanding, it is a highly watchable film that hits the right buttons for the most part. Deftly crafted and consistently well-acted, the film's principal strength stems from its stress on the power of hope in a time of violence and venality.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.1−0.1
Raksha Bandhan
Aanand L. Rai's Raksha Bandhan has no business to exist in this day and age. It is a shockingly regressive family drama that would have us believe that girls are worth nothing if they are not married and domesticated. In a tone-deaf film, the lead actor is at liberty to slip in and out of his different avatars without having to worry about finer behavioural detailing.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.8−2.8
Darlings
Darlings, which ploughs a dark furrow all its own while making judicious use of genre elements while shunning standard narrative tropes, is watchable all the way. Alia Bhatt reveals yet again the full range of her natural ability to get into the skin of a character, and Shefali Shah serves as the perfect foil.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.6−0.6
Vikrant Rona
Take Sudeep out of the film and it would be a complete washout notwithstanding all the sound and fury that it whips up. Vikrant Rona is an interminable slog, an exhausting film that lurches from one thing to another without ever achieving total clarity.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Jaadugar
Given the film's trite premise and lumbering rhythm, neither the protagonist's half-hearted embrace of the Beautiful Game nor his well-meaning sleights of hand can prevent Jaadugar from being more messy than magical. Jaadugar is more faff than fun, more abracadabra than performance.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.0
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
Madhavan the actor does a fine job of traversing a wide spectrum of moods, but Madhavan the director isn't in the same league. He lags behind to the detriment of the film as a whole. Part hagiography, part tearjerker, Rocketry - The Nambi Effect is a missed opportunity of a massive magnitude.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Vikram
The result - released in Hindi as Vikram: Hitlist, Kamal Haasan's first release in four years - isn't without its share of flaws but it is never less than exciting: a potent, persuasive medley of genres. Vikram: Hitlist is a lively blend of a slow crackle and a frenetic full-steam-ahead rhythm.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.5−0.5
Runway 34
Ajay Devgn, with a consistent performance that never goes off the radar, powers Runway 34. But with its gears in order and enough fuel in its tank, Runway 34 makes a smooth landing.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.9+0.1
Jersey
The cricket on view suffers the repercussions of overkill and tends to be monotonous, predictable and exaggerated. While Shahid Kapoor's star turn holds the film together with an impressively restrained and layered performance, Jersey is ultimately hindered by the flatness of the one-way cricketing action that gets in the way of the family drama.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.2−1.2
KGF Chapter 2
K.G.F. Chapter 2 is a battering ram of a movie. It is designed to pound the audience to submission. It is only for Yash fans and for those who feel an assault on the senses is a form of cinema. But if you love your eardrums and have had your fill of the super-heroic exploits of an underdog-turned-top dog hero, K.G.F. Chapter is best avoided.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Attack: Part 1
Moreover, despite the tautness of the tale and the crisp editing by Aarif Shaikh, Attack does not deliver the level of non-stop, nail-biting excitement that one expects from a movie of this nature. Certainly not consistently enough. The cinematography is strikingly fluid all right but the visual effects are of an erratic quality and have room for improvement.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
RRR
In S.S. Rajamouli's new and characteristically overblown action extravaganza, bowdlerized history yields a misshapen monster of epic proportions. The film rings hollow because it never pauses for breath and does not grant its two male protagonists anything akin to recognizable human qualities. RRR is a willful mockery of a history that is crying out for more thoughtful and respectful treatment.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.8−2.8
Bachchhan Paandey
Bachchhan Paandey is about the making of a film but it provides a two-and-a-half-hour demo on how not to make a film. Bachchhan Paandey rides squarely on the starry, over-the-top presence of Akshay Kumar. Bachchhan Paandey is a massy and messy potboiler that wilts under its own weight.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.7−1.7
Maaran
Dhanush's third straight direct-to-OTT platform release is a listless crime thriller that even the otherwise dependable actor can do little to salvage. Maaran is a muddled mish-mash of generic tropes that simply do not add up to a cohesive whole. Maaran is a misfire on all fronts.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5
Radhe Shyam
All pomp and show, Radhe Shyam is a godawfully turgid romantic drama that sucks the air out of the genre with crushing gusts of bombast and pomposity. Radhe Shyam is an ill-formed love story that is hard to fall in love with.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9−0.9
Gangubai Kathiawadi
Alia Bhatt puts all doubts to rest with a marvellously lively performance that grows steadily on the audience. Gangubai Kathiawadi is a deeply felt account of that endeavour that seeks its goal against all odds, evolving into a rousing account of a tough-as-nails woman who takes on several whimsical brothel madams and rivals.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.00.0
Gehraiyaan
A smarty-pants, lathery relationship drama that labours under the delusion that it is giving the genre a massive makeover, Gehraiyaan isn't unlike the rented yacht on which many of the film's key scenes take place. For all its fancy trappings, the film is all at sea. Owing to an uninspired, laboured, superficial narrative, it sinks in a puddle of its own making.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.1−2.1
Badhaai Do
A felicitious, level-headed blend of entertainment and social purpose, Badhaai Do makes light work of a difficult theme and drives home its message without breaking into song and dance over it. The film unequivocally champions the cause of individuality and inclusivity while delivering an engaging story that is funny, thought-provoking and intriguingly angular in one fell swoop.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.4+0.6
Mahaan
Karthik Subbaraj's overlong Tamil crime drama Mahaan, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, alternates between the massy and the trashy but it does so with unapologetic flair. Unfortunately, neither the ethical questions that arise nor the emotional complications that are triggered by the father-son confrontation assume proportions that can elevate Mahaan to the heights that could do justice to the title. The film's gloss is strictly surface level.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
Bhoothakaalam
Bhoothakaalam is a veritable marvel, a genre film that approaches the supernatural with just the right blend of scepticism and tempered belief. Sadasivan orchestrates his austere material with precision and finesse to deliver a minimalistic, well-crafted thriller that employs horror movie tropes without falling into the usual traps of the genre. A must watch.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.8+0.2
Atrangi Re
Aanand L. Rai's Atrangi Re has an unusual premise all right. But try as hard as it and A.R. Rahman's lively musical score may, the love story is unable to convert its pivotal plot twist into anything more than a single-trick show. The film also takes an appallingly cavalier stance on mental trauma and its long-term effects.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Tanhaji
Watch Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior for its surface gloss: one attribute that the film has no dearth of.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Dabangg 3
The drab storyline scrapes the bottom of the genre barrel despite an impressive performance from Kichcha Sudeep.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
Panipat
The burden on Arjun Kapoor is too heavy for him though he rises manfully to the challenge.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
The Sky Is Pink
Aisha is fleshed out with charm and conviction by Zaira. Farhan provides the perfect foil to the poised Priyanka.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.2+0.8
Joker
This Portrait Of A Villain Leans On Joaquin Phoenix's Astounding Brilliance...As a portrait of anxiety and nihilism stemming from poverty and systemic oppression, it is magnificent.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.1−0.1
War
Powered by two loose-limbed and resolutely stone-faced male leads, Hrithik and Tiger, War is all style and no substance.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.4−2.4
The Zoya Factor
The Zoya Factor could have been a thoroughly enjoyable comedy. It ends up being a scrappy, erratic knock where a few crisp strokes are hopelessly outnumbered by a host of ungainly heave-hos. The film does not hit the sweet spot often enough to translate into either a truly rousing cricket film or a memorably moving love story.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Saaho
Saaho may, like so many other shrill, gory actioners of the recent past, end up make pots of money. But that will not take away from the fact that it is egregiously turgid. A Telugu superstar attempting to break into Hindi cinema should have chosen better.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.8−0.8
Batla House
The film leaves you with a feeling that it had the potential to be an absolute humdinger. But stray flashes apart, the dramatized true story drifts too far from the heart of the matter without delivering the expected drama
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Mission Mangal
This isn't Mission Magnificent. But it isn't Mission Mangled either. Mission Mangal is watchable, if not always exhilarating, if you can get over its excesses.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.9+0.1
Jabariya Jodi
If only there was a conjurer's trick that could turn Jabariya Jodi into a coherent whole. But even if any such sleight exists somewhere in the world, the director clearly isn't aware. Steadfastly puerile, Jabariya Jodi, a film that appears to have been made under duress by a group of people playing blind man's buff, is a big splotch of utter nonsense.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.4−2.4
Khandaani Shafakhana
The character-driven, female-centric film looks erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and low sperm motility in the eye.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 4.6+2.4
Judgementall Hai Kya
What is commendable is that Judgementall Hai Kya delivers the message without turning preachy or self-conscious. The breezy flow of the narrative, which isn't broken until parts of the second half begin to seem a tad indulgent, ensures that we are invested in the plight of the characters all the way through.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.4−0.4
Super 30
Super 30 has been shot on studio sets rather than on real locations, so do not look for the real sights and smells of Patna. That is one of the key problems with Super 30: it tells a true story but it never rings true. Nothing in the film is less convincing than the lead performance. The idea to bronze up Hrithik Roshan so that he can impersonate Anand Kumar is anything but super: it is a formula that equals zero.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.7−1.7
Article 15
Sinha draws many of its plot elements from newspaper headlines of recent years, the principal one related to the 2014 Badaun gangrape and killing of two girls and the 2016 Una flogging of Dalit men and employs them methodically to probe caste and gender fissures and fault lines. It remains true to the demands of the plot without losing control over its principal purpose - administering a bitter pill with just a hint of a sugar coating. It works wonderfully well. Article 15 is a not to be missed film.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.4+0.6
Kabir Singh
Shahid stretches himself very thin trying to convince us that Kabir Singh is a present-day incarnation of Devdas.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.4−2.4
Game Over
Game Over, which is presented by Anurag Kashyap, is not without its share of failings, but director Saravanan is clearly endowed with an exceptional sense of the potential of the cinematic medium to probe complex aspects of humanity. Taapsee Pannu, as she has been in her recent outings, is never less than convincing. While she may be the primary reason why you must go out a watch this film, it certainly isn't devoid of other intrinsic merits in terms of substance and execution.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.00.0
TRM 5.8
Student of the Year 2
Tiger Shroff leads a fresh bunch of students in film so last decade in its thinking and packaging that sitting through it is like straying into a Bollywood time warp.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.8−0.8
Setters
The film remains a middling affair because it asks many important questions but answers only a handful with any degree of clarity.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.1−0.1
Blank
Karanvir, Ishita get their moments in the sun but are not allowed any shots at cornering the limelight. That privilege is reserved for Sunny-Karan.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.3−0.3
Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame strikes emotional chords more frequently than superhero movies usually do. It is almost as if the passing away of the universe that this remarkable franchise has created and sustained over the past decade is leaving behind a massive void. Mercifully, we know that in endings lie many beginnings. If this is how magnificently one cycle has ended, there is every reason to hope that the ones that are in the works will be worth the wait.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.8+0.2
Photograph
Rafi tells his customers that it is the sunlight in the Photographs that they will remember long after their visit to the tourist spot. That is true of this film as well. The languid grace and unswerving geniality inherent in the making stand out. They enhance the radiance of the overall cinematic composition and make Photograph a film that will stay etched in our memories awhile.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.1+0.9
Kalank
Kalank has unmistakable contemporary resonance because it celebrates the transformative power of love and reconciliation in a time of rampant discord. It is worth a viewing not only for what it says, but also for how it says it.
Full review ↗TRM 4.6
Romeo Akbar Walter
This entire final episode is as bizarre and as difficult to digest as the weird name he adopts. The final throw of the dice gives India an edge in the war in the fictional account that the film conjures up, but it does little to rescue Romeo Akbar Walter from its dispiriting somnolence.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Badla
Badla is a crime thriller that lifts itself out of the limitations of the form by spotlighting questions of guilt and retribution without diluting its edgy quality. The film's multiple twists and turns will work best if you haven't seen Contratiempo. But even if you have, the quality of the acting and the technical finesse on show - Avik Mukhopadhyay's unobtrusive yet effective camerawork is especially noteworthy - make Badla an unmissable film.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.3−0.3
Luka Chuppi
Luka Chuppi isn't without its moments, but its downside overwhelms its strengths by a big margin. It offers shallow entertainment at best. Watch the film only if that is good enough for you.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Total Dhamaal
In a film like Total Dhamaal, the actors are reduced to such chumps that the animals that they run into in the climax - elephants, chimps, tigers, lions, gorillas and other poor creatures who deserve much better - seem to look as askance at them as the paying audience. If nothing else, Total Dhamaal is a great leveller - it reduces all of us, critics included, to dunces, some willing and some not-so-willing. But that would be only if you go anywhere near it. The choice is yours.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.0−2.0
Gully Boy
In an era of which Bollywood is increasingly passing off pulpy apologies for demagoguery for cinema, Gully Boy could have been a fitting riposte. It just doesn't go far enough to pose discomfiting questions in keeping with the art of the street rapper. But all said and done, Gully Boy can be whole-heartedly commended for its craft, fascinating characters and RANVEER SINGH. He absolutely kills the slow-burning rapper act. What's more, he does with a lot of energy to spare.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 7.3−1.3
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha... goads the audience to think differently without trying to deviate from its primary purpose, which is to deliver entertainment. It does the latter well enough and yet does not overly dilute its off-kilter vision. No mean feat that.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.1+1.9
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Manikarnika is agonizingly soulless. Platitudes piled upon synthetic platitudes do not add up to great cinema, especially when none of the film's war cries delivers any bang for its buck. Save yours and give the film a miss unless you like the sound of misfires.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 5.9−3.9
3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
The Accidental Prime Minister
Anupam Kher must be commended for putting in a lot of hard work, but his portrayal simply doesn't work
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.9−0.9
Uri: The Surgical Strike
Vicky Kaushal plays a steady hand and delivers the goods to an extent that, at times, seems wasted on it
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.0−2.0
Simmba
Simmba is the kind of film that derides toxic masculinity while ill-advisedly celebrating unbridled virility as a necessary component of law enforcement. Instill fear in the hearts of the wrongdoers, Singham advises Simmba. And how, pray, do you do that? Simmba advocates throwing due process out the window and embracing another flagrant form of lawlessness. And that can only be dangerous.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.7−1.7
Zero
Zero, riding on SRK's back, reaches for the stars. But its astral ambitions are thwarted by a lack of imagination and genuine understanding of the minds of people struggling to ward off undeserved ridicule and earn rightful recognition. But whoever expects such niceties from a movie that rarely rises above the level of unalloyed bilge?
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.7−0.7
Aquaman
Jason is a potent force, bringing forth the dimensions of the struggle of a hero who is at first reluctant to jump into battle
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Kedarnath
While Sushant Singh Rajput does much of the heavy lifting with a great deal of flair, the biggest asset is Sara
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9−0.9
Bohemian Rhapsody
The film is never less than watchable because the performances are first-rate even when the writing isn't.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.2−0.2
Thugs of Hindostan
Glitzily mounted but caught between solemnity and fluffiness, Thugs of Hindostan might entertain large swathes of the audience, but it is ultimately too tacky and unconvincing to lay legitimate claims to being India's answer to Pirates of the Caribbean. It isn't even a poor copy.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.1+0.9
Baazaar
Saif Ali Khan Is Rock-Solid In A Passable Film...But Rohan Mehra struggles to tide over his limitations while Radhika and Chitrangada make their presence felt
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5−0.5
Namaste England
Parineeti Chopra And Arjun Kapoor Ham Aimlessly Through Infantile Drama...
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.1−1.1
Badhaai Ho
Badhaai Ho is a sweet little gem informed with gentle wit and infectious warmth. The slice-of-life storytelling, which is appreciably enhanced by solid performances from a wonderful cast, is marked by control and sensitivity.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.7+0.3
First Man
The overall result, despite being somewhat stodgy and purposefully solemn in parts, is a gritty, real, revelatory tale bracketed within a larger canvas that dovetails into its wide but coherent expanse a decade of US space missions and a multiplicity of narrative strands. Well served by a lead actor who allows the subject to subsume his starry personality, First Man has the craft and the class to be a befitting tribute to one of the most monumental moments in the history of space exploration.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.1−0.1
Andhadhun
Watch Andhadhun with your ears, eyes and minds open. You will come away with your senses heightened.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.5+0.5
Pataakha
With Sanya Malhotra's Full-Throated Performance, It's A Cracker Of A Film...This is a cracker of a film that blends the dynamics of a rustic burlesque with a stylised cinematic sensibility
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.5−0.5
Manto
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Is Phenomenally Good As The Anguished Writer...Nandita Das' film can be described as the Garam Hawa of our times
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.5+1.5
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Shraddha Kapoor is occasionally fetching but what unfolds on the screen is precariously low on wattage.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.0−1.0
Manmarziyaan
Abhishek and Vicky give their roles all they have but the screenplay does not give them the bandwidth reserved for Taapsee...
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.00.0
Gali Guleiyan
Gali Guleiyan is obviously not a conventional entertainer. Just as well. The film stands out because of the balance it attains in depicting a man sinking steadily into incoherence and yet clinging to his humanity. If for nothing else, watch Gali Guleiyan for the joy of witnessing a lead actor in full flight getting into the skin of a completely fettered man. It's a master class of rare resplendence.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.5+1.5
Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se
You do not need to subject yourself to its surfeit of action, comedy and melodrama unless you are an inveterate fan of the Deols, collectively or individually. What Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se offers purely as a cinematic outing isn't worth your time.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 2.8+0.2
Stree
Stree plays an unwavering hand in demonstrating that dread can be unbridled fun when it serves a larger thematic purpose. Go watch this spine-tingling film. It is completely madcap but there is method in its manic madness.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Satyameva Jayate
In the 'morality' tussle between a putative saviour and an unflappable defender of justice, it is cinema that takes a major beating. Satyameva Jayate, truth be told, is a film that has no apparent reason to exist. Not a shred of it is original. At best, it makes a silly spectacle of beating a dead, decomposed horse. At worst, it is a product of a tendentious mind. Satyameva Jayate is nonsensical, with nary a nod to logic.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.6−1.6
Gold
Akshay Kumar hogs the footage but it is the other actors who do the fancy dribbling on the acting front.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.0−2.0
Vishwaroop 2
It repeatedly fires blanks - noisy but of no use. Has a movie sequel ever been so pointless?
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.0−1.0
Fanney Khan
But in a film that glides in and out of the make-believe, it is no big deal if the love story, which anyways runs parallel to the main narrative track of the film, flirts with the unreal. Isn't that what cinematic plots hinging on the realization of impossible dreams are supposed to be? Fanney Khan is that - and more. Embrace it. It will do no harm.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.4+0.6
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3
That statement could well be directed at the makers of Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3. The title has a resonance thanks to the impact that the film's two predecessors had made. Frittering it away on a flimsy Russian roulette-style effort isn't a good idea. So when the team decides to come up with another follow-up - the final moments of this film suggest that the fourth may not be far away - it will have to go all guns blazing. Or not at all.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.8+0.2
Soorma
Soorma is more drag than flick, a hockey film sans genuine impetus. It is nowhere near the league of Chak De India despite telling a story that is no less intense than a wrongly victimized coach's struggle for redemption. Come to think of it, the Shimit Amin film was made over a decade ago. Why hasn't the Mumbai movie industry delivered another sports drama quite that good? The reason is obvious: Bollywood just doesn't do sports well. Its rules militate against the genre. Soorma, a wasted opportunity, demonstrates why and how.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.6−1.6
Sanju
Sanju is the film that it is because of the infectious energy Ranbir Kapoor injects into the film. An absolute must-watch.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.9+1.1
Race 3
Well, the climax of Race 3 does pack some punch - both Salman and Bobby drop their shirts - but it is a case of too little too late...
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.4−0.4
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran
John Abraham does his best to lend some frisson to his role, but he is weighed down by a ridiculously fanciful screenplay...
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.2−2.2
Omerta
In recounting a widely documented tale, the screenplay hits the right thriller buttons. When violence is perpetrated indiscriminately and without any moral context created with the aid of a detailed back story, it can only be deeply disconcerting. Omerta is just that and therein lies its success.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.1+0.9
Blackmail
Feckless men on the back foot, wily and strong-willed women with transgressive tricks up their sleeves and a set of nondescript lives hurtling towards hell in an irreversible tailspin: Blackmail has them all. Sadly, in the end, they do not add up neatly enough to yield a genuine cinematic corker.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Hichki
Rani Mukerji's energetic, engaging performance apart, Hichki is a huff-and-puff show marked by too much mush and fuss. But it has just enough to keep tearjerker junkies interested.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
7.0
TRM 6.1+0.9
3 Storeys
For all its flaws, 3 Storeys is still worth watching because it seeks to engage with the audience in a manner that is anything but run of the mill.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
Aiyaary
Aiyaary wants to be a daring thriller that calls out smarmy politicians and arms dealers. But it only fires blanks. It begins with a disclaimer that its storyline is strictly fictional and that it has the utmost respect for the political class and the military establishment. The film lives up to its word. At the end of all the sound and fury, the purported targets are left unscathed. Only one poor cornered ex-soldier puts a bullet through his throat.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.4−1.4
Kaalakaandi
Kaalakaandi may not be for all palates, but the film has enough spice for those in the mood for an off-the-beaten-track Bollywood experience.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.8+1.2
Ribbon
For all that is going for it, Ribbon falls a trifle short of hitting home, but it does provide enough evidence to suggest that Rakhee Sandilya has it in her to be a director to watch.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
A Death in the Gunj
A Death In The Gunj is a chiselled gem of a film - as resplendent as it is sobering.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.2+0.8
Chef
Chef serves up a feast garnished with subtle spices. Its aroma is mild and delicate, but the after-taste lingers on for long. Watch it: Chef is a film that is easy to fall in love with.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.7+1.3
Haseena Parkar
The only actor who stands out a tad amid the ruins is Rajesh Tailang in the role of Haseena's defence lawyer Shyam Keswani although he, like everybody else in the cast, is hopelessly trapped in a stilted script. Nothing, therefore, can salvage this insipid biopic from the morass of mediocrity.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.6−0.6
Baadshaho
One is sure that there will be takers for this piece of cinematic tripe, but the audience deserves better. There can be no two ways about that.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.8−0.8
A Gentleman
The rubble that bust-ups result in resemble the film as a whole. It is pretty while it lasts, but strangely bland overall. A Gentleman is a pileup of little ideas gone haywire. They could have done with more breathing room.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.7−0.7
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz hurtles towards an insipid, unintelligible climax, which includes a bout of Russian roulette between two adversaries. It is, in the end, much ado about nothing because the outcome of the life-and-death contest is as predictable as everything else in the film.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
When a Bollywood filmmaker turns cheerleader for a government drive, especially when the jury is still out on its success rate, you know you've been had. Unless you believe in this kind of propagandist stuff, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha is as avoidable as what it rightly rails against - open defecation.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Mubarakan
in trying to squeeze every ounce of hilarity out of its scrappy screenplay, the film goes overboard with its excessive cheeriness and swerves into the realms of inanity. In the bargain, it loses its way completely after delivering a fairly breezy first half.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.6−1.6
Mom
Not always an easy watch - it isn't meant to be - MOM wields a heavy mallet, but it does so with purpose, precision and panache.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.4+0.6
Hindi Medium
It isn't possible to completely dislike Hindi Medium. So, ignore its hiccups and watch it for the relevance of the questions it poses and the remarkable quality of the acting.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.5−1.5
Baahubali 2
Rajamouli is an exceptional storyteller and craftsman. It is in excess that the strength of Baahubali 2 lies and it makes no bones about it...
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 7.1−2.1
Pinneyum
Pinneyum is clearly the work of a maestro who has nothing to prove: undemonstrative but staggeringly impactful.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 5.6
Noor
Sonakshi's film shows the mundane but essential pursuits of an ambitious but confused middle-class girl...
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
Maatr
Subtleties and nuances are obviously beyond Maatr. It deals solely in broad strokes. No matter how much slack you are willing to cut this film, it will still need some more in order to have its glaring gaps glossed over. It's never easy to disguise a garbage dump.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.3−1.3
Begum Jaan
Vidya Balan could count this performance as another feather in her already overflowing cap...
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.00.0
Poorna: Courage Has No Limit
It is a rare Hindi film that travels to the heart of rural landscape...
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.4−0.4
Naam Shabana
Naam Shabana, for all its avowed aspirations, it rarely ventures beyond the trite and tested. Watch it only if standard-fare action dramas do not put you off.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9−0.9
Badrinath Ki Dulhania
Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan's film is a pulpy, uneven romantic caper that strives to pass itself off as a mellow tale of patriarchy, love, honour and ambition
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.7−1.7
Commando 2: The Black Money Trail
Commando Karanvir Singh (Vidyut Jammwal) is a superhero-crusader without the Superman costume. His guiding principle is: Jab tak jaan hai koshish karte rehna hai. He tries too hard. It weighs down the film
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.1−1.1
Rangoon
Rangoon is wholeheartedly recommended but with a rider: it isn't a stroll in the park because it demands patience and concentration. It definitely helps that the cinematography (by Pankaj Kumar) is so lustrous that you simply cannot take your eyes off the screen.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.0+2.0
Lion
Lion isn't a thunderous roar. It's more a soulful, reassuring purr that reverberates gently into the recesses of the heart, curls up in a cozy place, and works its subtle magic. In one word, magnificent.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.5+0.5
Running Shaadi
Taapsee Pannu and Amit Sadh's romantic comedy could have been a laugh riot had it been half aware of where it was headed. It is let down by blotchy writing, is a pointless crawl
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
The Ghazi Attack
The film delivers many a riveting moment and is bolstered by the talent of a few capable actors. Its plot however, is devoid of any mystery...
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Jolly LLB 2
Jolly LLB 2 does well not to take itself too seriously. It has the feel of a good-natured banter between friends rather than that of an inflated inquest conducted from a pedestal. Scintillating? No. Enjoyable? Absolutely.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.2−0.2
Kung Fu Yoga
Imagine yourself in the place of the lion. If you don't find your innards in a knot by the end of the film, your head will certainly be in a spin. You won't, for sure, be breaking into dance.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.1−0.1
Kaabil
Some of the action seems far-fetched and the way Rohan uses his ability to mimic voices in order to create disarray among the cops and the thugs is near-farcical. Yet, when he gets down to committing the perfect crime, leaving no trace behind of the destructive act, Kaabil acquires some momentum and heft.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.9−0.9
Raees
Shah Rukh Khan Is On Top Of His Game, Nawazuddin Siddiqui Snaps At His Heels...Shah Rukh Khan shrugs off his defining starry mannerisms, embraces physical attributes and accessories designed to convey an air of to-hell-with-the-world insouciance
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Ok Jaanu
OK Jaanu is watchable because it does occasionally touch both the heart and the ear. But it is never able to shrug off the fluff that clings to its body.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.00.0
Haraamkhor
Haraamkhor isn't a ground-breaker, but it certainly is worthy of applause for its fearlessness and for the impressive quality of the acting.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.9−0.9
Dangal
Dangal is the kind of sports film that usually eludes Bollywood. It knows the rules inside and out and meticulously plays by them without ever succumbing to dreary predictability. Dangal is an outright winner - a film that will pin you down and keep you in its grip all the way through.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 8.00.0
Kahaani 2
As far as thrillers go, Kahaani 2 isn't the last word. But it certainly isn't the same old story. Its understated style and riveting core make it well worth a watch.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Dear Zindagi
Dear Zindagi pulls at the heartstrings. It is also loaded with genteel humour. But what works above all is that the pop philosophy/psychology that underlines the drama at the film's core isn't the least bit pulpy. Recommended without reservation.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.6+1.4
Tum Bin 2
The audience might not be overly dukhi with Tum Bin 2, especially owing to its commendably sophisticated soundtrack. But this sequel is unlikely to have anybody asking for more.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.6+0.4
Force 2
It's the sheer predictability of this narrative form that drags Force 2 down a few notches. Be that as it may, it is an entertainer that passes muster. And if you are a John Abraham fan, there can be no reason whatever to give Force 2 a miss.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.2−0.2
Rock On 2
As a musical, Rock On 2 does not hit rock bottom at any point. But for the most part, the film finds itself trapped in rocky terrain. So its flow is staccato.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.5+0.5
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is by far Karan Johar's best film to date: mature, sure-handed and thoroughly entertaining. It employs the devices of mainstream Bollywood, but does so with an acute awareness of exactly where to draw the line so as not to stray into overt bubblegum territory.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.1+1.9
Shivaay
Visually, there is much going for this film, especially with cinematographer Aseem Bajaj making the most of the striking Balkan canvas and painting breathtakingly pretty pictures on it.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
31st October
Its theme is of pressing relevance. Yet, 31st October doesn't leave a lasting impression. It isn't half the film it could, and should, have been.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 3.9+1.1
Inferno
Inferno is a must for fans of Hanks. But watch it also for Irrfan. Steady as a rock, he doesn't put a foot wrong despite being in a predictable film that doesn't get everything right.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.8+0.2
Saat Uchakkey
Saat Uchakkey is far too undercooked a broth to pass for what it wants to be - a zany, off-the-beaten-track entertainer. It veers off the rails all too quickly and never returns anywhere close to getting back on course. Stay out of the way.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.5−1.5
Mirzya
Mirzya is a colourful but tepid tableau populated by pretty but comatose marionettes that even Gulzar's poetry cannot stir to life.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.7+0.3
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
The film plays out less like an engaging life story than an in-your-face big-screen advertorial. Only the very gullible or the very generous would be inclined to take M S Dhoni - The Untold Story as anything more than an image management company's attempt to bolster and extend the power of a lucrative brand that is nearing the end of its currency.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.3−2.3
Parched
Parched isn't a miserablist tale that wallows in despair. It is a tale of a rampaging, rollicking, uninhibited rebellion by women who find allies in a vibrating mobile phone and a decked-up three-wheeler getaway bike.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.4+1.6
Banjo
Rarely does a film press so much noise into service to achieve so little in the end. Heed this warning: don't get within the earshot of Banjo.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.4−1.4
Akira
The film certainly has its moments, and Sonakshi does her career no harm by revealing a new facet of herself, but Akira isn't blockbuster material.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
Island City
Laced with sly wit and captivating storytelling feints, Island City touches heights that Hindi films do only once in a blue moon. It is absolutely unmissable.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.2+1.8
A Flying Jatt
The lowbrow comic-strip spirit of A Flying Jatt extends to the film's rough-hewn production design. Nothing that appears on the screen, neither the houses nor the props, looks real.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.3−1.3
UNindian
UNIndian, as a film, has its own share of pitfalls to negotiate. It occasionally resorts to contrived means to get around its loose ends. Yet, in the ultimate analysis, the film never trips irretrievably.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.0+1.0
Happy Bhag Jayegi
Happy Bhag Jayegi isn't the kind of film that will have audiences rolling in the aisles. But it might occasionally induce faint smiles on some faces.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Rustom
Rustom is largely inoffensive, even passable in the main, but could have been infinitely better had the screenplay not been so utterly conventional and unimaginative.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
Mohenjo Daro
Mohenjo Daro is stuck in the past and not just in terms of its substance. What the film clearly says is that both director Gowariker and Hrithik need to move on and reinvent themselves.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5−0.5
The Legend of Michael Mishra
The Legend of Michael Mishra is an unmitigated disaster: so ham-fisted that it's all fingers and thumbs pointing in no particular direction.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 2.6−0.6
Budhia Singh – Born to Run
The film celebrates an improbable dream and mourns its untimely death, both with infectious passion, and ends with a fervent appeal on a behalf of a social media campaign to put Budhia back in his running shoes. Not a bad idea at all. Overall, Budhia Singh - Born to Run is worth running all the way to the nearest multiplex for.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 6.7+2.3
The BFG
There can be no denying that The BFG is a captivating family entertainer that delivers bushels of old world enchantment. Don't miss it.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Dishoom
The audience sits through the cacophony hoping for a genuine knockout blow to be delivered somewhere down the line. It never materialises. Dishoom doesn't land a single half-decent punch.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.5−1.5
Kabali
The problem with Kabali, to put it simply, is that it is a weak film weighed down by a multiplicity of characters and a web of interconnected stories about a dead wife (Radhika Apte), an unknown daughter (Dhanshika), a fidgety young lieutenant always at Kabali's service (Dinesh Ravi), and a whiny girl whose sob stories never end (Riythvika).
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Madaari
Madaari might be worth the price of a multiplex ticket solely for Irrfan's flawless one-man show.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Ice Age: Collision Course
Ice Age: Collision Course is never able to shake off the been-there-done-that feel that envelopes it from start to finish.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.1−0.1
Sultan
Sultan is a Salman Khan film made solely for the superstar's fans. It has everything to please its target audience. It has megahit written all over it.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.5−0.5
Shorgul
Shorgul is so horridly ham-handed that it merits no rating as a film. But for the statement that it strives to make, no matter how feebly and incoherently, it deserves one star. And that is all it's worth.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.8−1.8
Raman Raghav 2.0
Extending Kashyap's continuing probe into the horrors of dehumanisation, Raman Raghav 2.0 dives deeper into the cesspit than any of the director's earlier films - to deliver a dystopian study that is at once fascinating and nauseating.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.9+1.1
Udta Punjab
Udta Punjab is not family entertainment, but it is an undeniably magnificent - and purposeful - commercial Hindi film. Do not miss it.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.8+1.2
Dhanak
The screenplay is the star in Dhanak. With Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria drawing the audience effortlessly into the tale, it takes on magical dimensions. And, of course, it is impossible not to mention the ever-dependable Vipin Sharma in the role of the deeply concerned but powerless guardian whose own dreams are no less touched by benign madness. Do yourself a favour: make sure Dhanak is a part of your plans this weekend.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.7+1.3
Do Lafzon Ki Kahani
That actually reflects the state of Do Lafzon Ki Kahani as a whole. It is a cinematic calamity. One question: what is more abominable - the soap opera that the heroine is hooked to or this insipid and lachrymose tale? It is a toss-up. Walk into this storm only if you have the disposition to withstand the ugly gusts.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.8−0.8
Te3n
It isn't an edge-of-the-seat humdinger. The motivations of its key characters are at times rather fuzzy. And it suffers from a pronounced Kahaani hangover (which is not surprising given that director Sujoy Ghosh is the producer). But Te3n is never less than eminently watchable.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Housefull 3
The onus is eventually on Akshay, Riteish and Abhishek to give the film some direction. But all that they do is flow along with the mindless tale, often hitting dead-ends from where there can be no return to sanity. Housefull 3 is strictly for fans of the franchise. Are there any left?
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.3−1.3
Phobia
Phobia is a canny flick that places known genre conventions in fresh light, the kind that bestows new life on them. Watch this film for the many surprises it springs and, of course, for Radhika Apte in full flow.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.4−0.4
Waiting
An understated and superbly acted film about loss, grief and the human need to cling on to the physical presence of loved ones, Anu Menon's Waiting is at once heart-wrenching and uplifting.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.5+0.5
Veerappan
This film is another reminder: it is time to launch a manhunt for the Ram Gopal Varma that Bollywood watchers once knew. Or, else, let us just move on just as Hindi cinema has done from the heydays of the gangster flick.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.6−1.6
Sarbjit
With the star not shining all that bright and the actors in the mix not allowed to play the game their way, Sarbjit is a well-meaning outing that fails to do justice to its subject. Watch it only if you are an Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan fan no matter what.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
One Night Stand
No matter how hard the director tries to liven up the proceedings, the absence of genuine substance prevents One Night Stand from rising above the irretrievably banal.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.3−0.3
Traffic
Traffic, both the original and its Hindi version, will forever bear testimony to the magnitude of the loss that Pillai's untimely death represents for cinema. This is a fitting swan song: an unmissable film.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 5.5+2.5
Baaghi
Low on genuine emotion, Baaghi is only as engaging as a badly designed video game.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.6−1.6
Santa Banta Pvt Ltd
This is a film that has no saving graces at all: not worth wasting time or money on, even if you happen to be a diehard Boman Irani fan.
Full review ↗1.0
TRM 2.5−1.5
Nil Battey Sannata
Nil Battey Sannata is easy to recommend. It is light-hearted, easy on the eyes and mind, and full of heart. This film says a great deal about a girl-child's struggles, a mother's hopes and the ways of the education system. But, in the end, Nil Battey Sannata is also a good old story about life and its vicissitudes.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.00.0
Laal Rang
A small film whose impact is enhanced manifold by Randeep Hooda's presence, Laal Rang also has other bright spots. But cottoning on to them might call for patience. Spare some, and you might just find Laal Rang worth your while.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.1+0.9
Fan
Fan works for the most part because it has the fabulous SRK act as a 'young' star-struck boy. His energetic performance is worth the price of the ticket - if not more.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.8−0.8
Love Games
Love Games is a Vishesh Films offering. So it does not lack surface gloss. But it simply isn't enough to hide its lack of depth. Best avoided.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.7−0.7
8.0
TRM 7.5+0.5
Ki and Ka
With its promising premise undermined by erratic execution, Ki And Ka is only intermittently watchable.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.8−0.8
Rocky Handsome
This 'nowhere man' seems intent on a slow, unsteady walk back to where he has come from. Nowhere. That pretty much sums up the film. Rocky Handsome is strictly for fans of ultra-violent action movies.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.2−0.2
Kapoor & Sons
Director Shakun Batra keeps it all on a tight leash and skillfully mines the multiple conflict points as much for the humour inherent in them as for the dramatic frisson that they generate. Kapoor And Sons is intense and incisive in its observation of human inadequacies but is always entertaining.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.2−0.2
Teraa Surroor
Does Teraa Surroor have any redeeming feature at all? Well, the length is a bit of a relief. The film's runtime is 15 minutes under two hours. So, it isn't as patience-trying as it otherwise might have been.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.5−0.5
Jai Gangaajal
Jai Gangaajal is likely to be a letdown for those who expect it to be a worthy follow-up to Gangaajal. But if you go in without too many expectations, you might find parts of its fairly palatable.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.8+0.2
Zubaan
Zubaan stretches itself too thin at times in trying to raise its narrative tempo. In its quieter moments, however, it does manage to get its voice heard. Watch it for the latter bits - and for Vicky Kaushal.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.4−0.4
Bollywood Diaries
If only the disparate elements were better dovetailed into the larger picture it seeks to paint, Bollywood Diaries might have had more to write home about. It is disappointing that it doesn't because the premise did have a great deal of promise.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.2−0.2
Aligarh
Mehta strips the tragic true story of all vestiges of overt sentimentality. Instead, he fills the depths of the understated but intensely moving drama with genuine, unsettling emotion. So, in addition to being a portrayal of the gay experience in an unjust and insensitive society, Aligarh is a human drama with universal resonance. It encapsulates the plight of all dissenters.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 7.3+1.7
Neerja
It is a powerful story that tugs gently and delicately at the heartstrings. It does not go overboard on attacking the lachrymal glands. But when it does, it is bang on.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.6+0.4
Sanam Re
Sanam Re is a surefire cure for insomnia. Its air of somnolence is so pervasive that a yawn a minute is absolutely guaranteed.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.7−0.7
Fitoor
There is so much to admire in Fitoor that it is easy not to be put off by its ponderous pace and lack of contextual detailing. Go for it because there might not be too many better films than Fitoor this year.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.0+2.0
Ghayal Once Again
...watch Ghayal Once Again at your own risk and only if you can withstand the relentless onslaught it unleashes.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.7−1.7
Sanam Teri Kasam
Sanam Teri Kasam is excruciatingly painful. The torture it inflicts has as much to do with its length as with what transpires between the start and end points. This is an unmitigated disaster, a travesty of the medium that only a miracle can save from sinking without a trace.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.5−1.5
Saala Khadoos
Saala Khadoos, for all the storm that it seeks to whip up in the ring and outside it, does not string together enough points to be declared an outright winner. It has enough heart. It's the heat that is missing.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.4−0.4
Airlift
Airlift is a film that every Indian, and every Bollywood buff despairing for genuinely high quality storytelling, must watch.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.0+1.0
Jugni
Looking for a film that delivers more than just superficial entertainment? Jugni is the end of your search.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.00.0
Chalk N Duster
...is the unkindest cut. If you have any respect for your teachers - past present or future - give this film a miss.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.2−2.2
Wazir
Wazir is at best a one-time watch, if only for the academic interest of viewing Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in the same film.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Chauranga
Watch Chauranga because it is honest, provocative and piercing. It announces the advent of a promising new voice in Mumbai's independent cinema.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.3+1.7
Dilwale
Watch it for Kajol and, to a lesser extent, for SRK. The rest of the actors on this vehicle, barring Varun Sharma on an occasion or two, are mere passengers.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.1−0.1
Bajirao Mastani
Bajirao Mastani is for those that think history is boring. There isn't a dull moment in this colourful and dramatic film that embraces excess with unabashed abandon.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.7−0.7
Kajarya
Kajarya is a powerful and important film that finds vestiges of genuine humanity in an area of impenetrable darkness. But it offers no false hopes. This film is for discerning audiences who have a stomach for the bitter truth.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 5.8
Angry Indian Goddesses
Angry Indian Goddesses is a must-see and not only because it is unlike anything Hindi cinema has produced before. It strikes a fine and rare balance between thematic gravitas and breezy entertainment.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.3+1.7
Tamasha
Tamasha is at best a one-time watch because of the sparkle the leads lend to it. It could have been so much more.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.2−1.2
X: Past Is Present
X: Past Is Present has its share of dull, grey patches, heightened by the hollow philosophy on life and art that K spouts in his weaker moments. But these are few and far between. From the heady to the humdrum, the film drifts much like the protagonist himself, but, like him again, makes it to a reasonably meaningful destination.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.4+1.6
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
The overwrought PRDP might not be that bad, but it is syrupy to the point of being unendurable. Only for Salman Khan fans.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
He Named Me Malala
He Named Me Malala is a must-see for anybody who cares about the world and the cause the protagonist stands for.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.6
Main Aur Charles
Bollywood biopics usually tend to be horrendously bloated and overwrought. Main Aur Charles is anything but. If that isn't enough of an incentive, watch it for Randeep Hooda's alluring French drawl and Adil Hussain's sturdy presence.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.4+0.6
Titli
In a film in which nobody smiles, Raghuvanshi's character embodies the sole ray of hope and the debutante makes no false moves. The same is true of the film as a whole. Titli is an unflinching, insightful chronicle of our times. Do not miss it.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.5+0.5
Shaandaar
While it does not live up to its title as a package, it fulfils much of the expectations that the audience might have from a film produced jointly by Karan Johar on the one hand and Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap on the other. It brings together two different worlds and succeeds in striking a balance between the two. For that, and for much else, Shaandaar deserves hearty ovation.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.7+1.3
2.0
TRM 2.9−0.9
Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2
About the only relatively likeable performance is delivered by Sunny Singh, who plays the boy who is reduced to running errands for the girl who has him in her thrall. But not all the pyaar in the world can compensate for the pea-brained piffle the film dumps on the audience.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 5.2−3.2
Jazbaa
Overall, Jazbaa feels like a wasted effort, a clear case of superficial style triumphing over substance by a fair distance. But it has just enough for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan fans to justify a trip to the multiplexes. Jazbaa, however, is just as much, if not more, Irrfan Khan's film.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
Singh Is Bling
What is irretrievably amiss with the film is that nothing it says manages to drift anywhere near some degree of coherence.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.3−2.3
Talvar
One of the high points of Talvar is a long climactic sequence in which two investigating teams sit across a table and have a go at each other as they strive, with no holds barred, to get their respective points across. Talvar is a must watch.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.2−0.2
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karu
Even if one walks into Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon with zero expectation, the film would still be hard pressed to measure up. Verdict: If you have any pyaar to spare, shower it on better fare.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.4−1.4
Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls is only about sex and sleaze presented on the pretext of unravelling the decaying innards of Bollywood and the cricketing world. It talks incessantly and very loudly about spot-fixers, sex racketeers, cheating husbands, corporate loudmouths and builders seeking a toehold in showbiz but never makes any sense at all.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.2−1.2
Welcome Back
Naseeruddin Shah gives Wanted Bhai his best shot, but this baddie isn't half as flashy or colourful as Feroz Khan's RDX. Welcome Back is stuck in the past. Why go there?
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5−0.5
Kaun Kitne Paani Mein
Kaun Kitney Paani Mein goes where Hindi cinema rarely ever does. For that alone it deserves to be seen.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.0+1.0
All Is Well
For audiences that are disposed towards accepting the kind of climactic twists that All Is Well fabricates - the most ridiculous of which is saved for the very last - the film might pass muster as a one-time watch.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 3.4+1.6
Manjhi: The Mountain Man
Manjhi - The Mountain Man pays a price for exactly the opposite - it errs on the side of excess. Its makers go overboard with the sturdy but rather stolid pieces available to them. A lighter touch might have made Manjhi - The Mountain Man a markedly more convincing biopic.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Gour Hari Dastaan
At no point does the film fully convey the deep sense of frustration and helplessness that Gour Hari Das would have felt in the course of his 32-year struggle to prove that he was indeed a freedom fighter. Owing to its undeniably relevant theme, Gour Hari Dastaan does have some archival value. If only it had more to offer, it would have come far closer to being the triumph that it – and its subject – deserved to be.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Brothers
It makes so much noise that any sensible point about brotherly bonding and filial fidelity that it might be trying to make is completely drowned out by the decibels. Take your earplugs along.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.7−1.7
Bangistan
It careens out of control before you can say bang and hurtles scratchily down a path that hits a dead-end all too quickly. Stay out of the way. If you really desire to visit Krakow, pack your bags and spare yourself a Bangistan detour.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.9+0.1
6.0
TRM 6.5−0.5
I Am Kalam
I Am Kalam shows how beautiful small can be, especially when the heart is in the right place and the mind is clued in.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.5+1.5
Masaan
Dripping pain and poetry in equal measure, the film presents intertwined stories of repression, rebellion and repentance set against the funeral pyres of a Varanasi cremation ghat. Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi deliver a pair of luminous performances that stay with you long after the film is over. This dazzling debut film is an unmissable gem.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 7.7+1.3
Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a supercharged cross-border drama that goes all out – and then some – in delivering its message of subcontinental peace. Watch Bajrangi Bhaijaan even if you aren't an inveterate Salman Khan fan. Harshaali will steal your heart.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.6−1.6
Bāhubali: The Beginning
Scale of ambition: gargantuan. Quality of VFX: out of the ordinary. Content: only occasionally gripping. Final impact: pretty strong.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 7.2−1.2
Guddu Rangeela
A lighthearted film about a deadly serious subject could have easily gone horribly wrong. Guddu Rangeela doesn't. It is lively, droll and occasionally thought-provoking. Barring the stray rough edges, Guddu Rangeela is eminently watchable.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.1+0.9
Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho
An ensemble cast of seasoned character actors who know their onions inside out but aren't quite sure of their Haryanvi dictions raises Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho a few notches above the median. Recommended with a rider: this certainly isn't time-pass fare.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 3.9+2.1
ABCD 2
For dance freaks, there is much on offer. For lovers of cinema, ABCD 2 is a hazy blur of a movie.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.4−1.4
Dil Dhadakne Do
Hindi cinema history has seen one big film about "loving your parents". Dil Dhadakne Do is about "hating your parents" and in the process compelling them to change their ways. Yawn! Dil Dhadakne Do is a snoozefest and a surefire cure for insomnia.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.3−1.3
Welcome to Karachi
Only the foolhardy would underestimate Bollywood's ability to do worse, but it is unlikely that you will see another film this unabashedly daft this year. Resist the itch.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.9−1.9
Tanu Weds Manu: Returns
...is as entertaining and engaging a film as any that Bollywood has delivered this year. Do not miss it.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.1−0.1
Bombay Velvet
What you leave the hall with is a sense of disappointment. Bombay Velvet has neither the softness of velvet nor the sweep of the city it is an ode to. Unlike its pugilist protagonist, the film punches well below its weight.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Piku
A warm, charming and bittersweet family drama, Piku turns the genre completely on its head. The result is a magnificently original film that delivers a memorably unique movie experience.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.3−0.3
Gabbar is Back
Clearly, nobody put the makers of this film through the paces. They might have then known how to make the best of their limited cinematic resources and craft something less mucky. Watch Gabbar Is Back only if you are a diehard Akshay Kumar fan.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
Avengers: Age of Ultron
There can be no denying that Avengers: Age of Ultron is expertly mounted and spiced up with a dash of humour. But the quality of the ride, in its totality, is uneven. Watch it for the spectacle, not the substance.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.7−1.7
Court
The multilingual Court (Marathi, Hindi, English and Gujarati, with subtitles) is an exceptional cinematic achievement: a film that no cinema lover can afford to miss.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 8.1+0.9
Margarita, with a Straw
Do not pass up a sip of Margarita, With A Straw. It could be life-altering. If nothing else, it will soak you with its warmth.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 6.7+2.3
Ek Paheli Leela
What you choose to focus on - the sexy siren who apes everybody from Zeenat Aman to Aishwarya Rai or the visual compositions that caress the natural beauty of the locales - will determine what impact Ek Paheli Leela will have on you. Feel free to have your pick. But to be honest, spare yourself the trouble. Ek Paheli Leela is simply not worth it.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.6−1.6
Dharam Sankat Mein
Dharam Sankat Mein, an official remake of the 2010 British comedy The Infidel, is certainly not half as horrid as the aforementioned monstrosity. But it is not in the OMG league either although that is quite clearly where it aspires to be. On one count at least, this film should pose no sankat to anybody. It is easy to rate Dharam Sankat Mein: one star for intention, but only half for execution.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.6−1.6
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy
...a cinematic delight that deserves a sustained run in the multiplexes.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.5+0.5
Yahaan Sabki Lagi Hai
Yahaan Sabki Lagi Hai is about people screwed up as much by the system as by their own follies, but the final impact of the film is not as gloomy as the title might suggest. Give it a shot.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 3.9+2.1
Hunterrr
The promising premise at the heart of Hunterrr is marred by a loopy, laidback storytelling style. The film is too long, too languid and eventually too loose to leave a lasting impression.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.7−0.7
NH10
NH10 is an adventurous Bollywood film that breaks the shackles of convention and is none the worse for it. Eminently watchable.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.8−0.8
Dirty Politics
Dirty Politics is just plain bad. Give it a miss and put your Holi weekend to holier use.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 2.5−0.5
Ab Tak Chhappan 2
Does Ab Tak Chhappan have any redeeming feature at all? Well, it has no songs. But, then, who would feel like singing when trapped in a darkened hall where Ab Tak Chhappan 2 is playing? Stay away unless you are a diehard Nana Patekar fan.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.4−0.4
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
It should to be held up as an example of what a mainstream Bollywood banner can achieve when it lends its clout to an out-of-the-box idea executed by a director who clearly knows his onions better than most in the business today.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.8+0.2
Badlapur
Badlapur might not be in the Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddar league, but it is a happy sign that Sriram Raghavan has left Agent Vinod behind.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.9−0.9
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost
Qissa is that rare cinematic treat that no genuine film lover should deprive himself/herself of.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.1+0.9
MSG: The Messenger of God
Thank your stars if you manage to survive this ordeal with all your faculties in one piece. But why would you take the risk in the first place?
Full review ↗TRM 1.6
Roy
Recommended only if you want to use the auditorium for a relaxing catnap. Roy will not wake you up.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.1−0.1
Shamitabh
Shamitabh is recommended only for its storyline, the quality of the performances and its technical brilliance. While Bachchan is indeed the selling point of the film, Shamitabh might have benefitted had Balki gone a little easier on his obsession with the ageless superstar.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Hawaizaada
Hawaizaada has a lush texture and the manner in which director of photography Savita Singh uses light, shade and visual depth is outstanding. Much as Hawaizaada is the cinematographer's film, it also gives the production designers much scope to push the boundaries.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.3−0.3
Baby
Baby is a dreary drama that meanders from one action sequence to another without making the audience any wiser.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.3−2.3
Dolly Ki Doli
For all its obvious flaws and failings, Dolly Ki Doli is not completely unworthy of the 100 minutes that it demands from the audience.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.2−0.2
Alone
Alone is strictly for those that have an insatiable appetite for cinematic concoctions that serve up the dual dose of sex and horror. Stay away if you have had enough of Bips and her deadly on-screen dalliances with the nether world.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.6+0.4
Crazy Cukkad Family
Crazy Cukkad Family has no dearth of crazy characters, but they simply aren't zany enough...A wild goose chase is always avoidable, especially when it assumes the form of a full-fledged film.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.1−1.1
Tevar
Tevar is somewhat tolerable only as long as Bajpayee is on the screen, or when Raj Babbar, as the hero's police officer-father, and Subrat Dutta, as the villain's principal henchman, are allowed to do their bit. That apart, the only meaningful attitude (tevar ) that is visible in Tevar is inevitably exuded by the Taj Mahal framed impressively by cinematographer Laxman Utekar.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Ugly
This may not be Anurag Kashyap's best film, but it is infinitely and indescribably better than all the muck that mainstream Bollywood passed off for entertainment this year.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 7.2−1.2
PK
PK is a winner all the way, a film that Raj Kapoor, Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt would have been proud of had they been alive. Rajkumar Hirani is without a doubt their most worthy standard-bearer
Full review ↗10.0
TRM 7.4+2.6
Action Jackson
Action Jackson, a surefire Golden Kela contender, could give Humshakals a run for its money. Give it a miss.
Full review ↗1.0
TRM 2.6−1.6
Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain
It has its shares of flaws and lows, but Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain is still a must-see film for the courage of its conviction, if for nothing else.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.7+0.3
Ungli
Ungli has a few attributes that you will not usually encounter in a Karan Johar production. It has no big stars, no elaborate song and dance set pieces and no major love story. But when a film is more interesting for what it isn't than for what it is, giving it a miss might be the most prudent option.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
Happy Ending
If you expect Happy Ending to get somewhere, you are watching the wrong film. Do not expect the world from Happy Ending and you might actually find in it enough enjoyable patches to make a trip to the multiplex worth your while.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
Kill Dil
Watch Kill Dil if you have plenty of time to kill. It is unlikely to deliver much joy to your dil, though.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.4−0.4
Rang Rasiya
This film has been in the cans for several years, but given the timelessness of the story it tells and the crucial issues it addresses, it has lost none of its relevance. Rang Rasiya is as good a film as any you have, or will, see this year. Strongly recommended.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.0+1.0
The Shaukeens
The leading lady of The Shaukeens ditches her boyfriend because, in her words, "he made fun of my creation and called it stupid and obnoxious". That is it: those are the very adjectives that would best describe this unfunny, eminently avoidable film.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.9−1.9
Super Nani
Super Nani takes upwards of two hours to articulate something that all those weaned on Bollywood potboilers have known for ages. While doing so, it ratchets the decibel levels up to breaking point. ...To put it simply, Super Nani is a super bore.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.00.0
Happy New Year
There is no dearth of gloss in Happy New Year, but everything else in the film, including the content and its treatment, are allowed to go for a toss.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.4−1.4
Tamanchey
This hackneyed tale of a trio of law-breakers who struggle to keep out of harm's way only to discover that crime does not pay has no clear sense of place.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.7−0.7
Bang Bang!
Bang Bang is strictly for Hrithik Roshan fans and for those that do not want an action flick to be anything more than just that.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.3−0.3
Khoobsurat
Khoobsurat is a pretty good show. It is both funny and flashy, but its many flourishes are delivered in measures that religiously avoid excess.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
Mary Kom
The question is: should you watch Mary Kom? You should, the simple reason being that we owe it to the pugilist who has gone where few Indians have ever gone – to the pinnacle of her sport – and stayed there long enough not to be remembered as a flash in the pan.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.1−1.1
Raja Natwarlal
What Raja Natwarlal lacks is authentic humour and genuine sparks of inspiration. As a result, despite the consistently retrained acting all around, it fails to be anything more than desultory.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5−0.5
Mardaani
Mardaani is obviously Rani Mukerji's film and she dominates the show all the way through. But a few of the other actors, too, are given enough space to make a mark. Because Shivani Shivaji Roy is not your average action 'hero', she might not appeal to Dabangg junkies. But for everyone else, Mardaani could be well worth a trip to the multiplex.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.8+0.2
Katiyabaaz
Katiyabaaz is both entertaining and unflinching in its depiction of an India that lags light years behind the rest of the civilised world but isn't willing to give up without a fight. This powerful little film is a must watch.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 7.1−0.1
Singham Returns
Singham Returns has a fair sprinkling of angry wisecracks that might draw spontaneous whistles and loud claps from those that love violent fights to the finish. One can only hope that this is indeed the end, and another sequel isn't lurking in the future.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.3−1.3
Entertainment
If this is entertainment, what, pray, is torture? Run for cover. The dog scores over the rest of the cast because the animal does not have any dialogue to deliver nor any song to swing to.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.0−2.0
Kick
Kick provides a kick only sporadically. For Salman Khan fans, that should be good enough.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania
To be fair, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania does have some warm passages. But the overall package that it adds up to is about as appetizing as a bottle of beer gone flat. Recommended only for Bollywood junkies that love their froth served in receptacles that have no depth.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.0−1.0
Bobby Jasoos
Bobby Jasoos has no item numbers, no cheap thrills, and none of the usual trappings of a wannabe blockbuster. But it has Vidya Balan in fine fettle, and that should be reason enough for you to go out and watch the film.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.3+0.7
Ek Villain
The biggest of the villains in Mohit Suri's Ek Villain is the screenplay itself. As a whole, this film, besides its surface flair, does not have too much to fall back upon. Watch it only if that is good enough for you.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9−0.9
Humshakals
Humshakals is consistent in one respect: the only way it goes is down. The gags turn more and more grotesque as the film progresses, ending in such an unseemly heap that it becomes impossible to fathom what the hell is going on. Heed the warning: Humshakals is infinitely more insufferable. Even if you possess plenty of himmat, use it elsewhere.
Full review ↗1.0
TRM 2.5−1.5
Fugly
Like many a Bollywood flick that has gone before, Fugly is about a quartet of well-meaning pals presumably fresh from college and in quest of a meaningful future. One of them is the strong and brooding type (Mohit Marwah) who runs adventure camps for foreign tourists in Leh. For all its pious posturing on the safety of women, Fugly has no qualms about treating the lead actress merely as eye candy.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.4−0.4
Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty
Holiday lacks the sustained intensity and urgency of an edge-of-the-seat spy thriller. The script does not allow Akshay Kumar to be the no-nonsense action hero that would have held the film in better stead. His lover boy act only dilutes the larger-than-life persona of the fearless and single-minded mean machine that he is supposed to be.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
CityLights
CityLights isn't a feel-good entertainer. It is a film that shocks, provokes and seeks to prick our collective complacency and apathy. That obviously adds up to infinitely more value than the price of a multiplex ticket.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.8+1.2
Hawaa Hawaai
Don't expect cheap thrills from Hawaa Hawaai. It proffers none. But if it is genuine entertainment that you are looking for, your search ends here.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.7+1.3
5.0
TRM 4.1+0.9
Revolver Rani
A Kangana Ranaut film seems to be increasingly acquiring the proportions of a genre unto itself. It needs neither saleable male co-stars nor the tried-and-tested conventions of Bollywood blockbusters. Revolver Rani may lack star power, but it has no dearth of firepower.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.6+1.4
2 States
2 States is good for a one-time watch. The unabashed shallowness of a Chetan Bhagat book meets the inane glitter of a Karan Johar-Sajid Nadiadwala production in 2 States. The result is the creation of a third state – the state of overpowering indolence.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.0−1.0
Bhoothnath Returns
Boman Irani's mean politician caricature isn't menacing enough to give anybody sleepless nights, leave alone a ghost who rocks. Will Bhoothnath Returns be able to bhooth-capture the box office? It might not lose its deposit, but it does not look like it is in with a chance to romp home with a big margin.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Main Tera Hero
Main Tera Hero, for all its excesses, is held together by its sustained comic energy. The sillier it turns, the better it gets. The film has enough laugh-out-loud situations for the audience not to be overly put off by the screenplay's obvious rough edges. Give Main Tera Hero a shot. Not quite vintage David Dhawan, but it comes pretty close.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Dishkiyaoon
A gangster flick with a complement of dark, twisted characters and a plot burdened with an overload of twists, Dishkiyaoon is high on style but low on substance.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.3+0.7
O Teri
O Teri is only for those that are of tough disposition or are blessed with the ability to take any load of bunkum in a darkened movie hall.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 2.8−0.8
Ragini MMS 2
Why are the characters in our horror films so intellectually challenged? Ragini MMS 2 is specially suffused with morons...Ragini MMS 2 is so enamoured by its luscious leading lady's lusty past that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Neither horrifying nor sexy, the film is like a conflicted schizophrenic seeking a closure to his identity crisis blocking out the sunlight from all the windows in his home and running around in circles all over his darkened home.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.4−0.4
Lafangey Parindey
Lafangey Parindey soars just high enough to stand a fair chance of garnering mass applause.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.1+0.9
Gang of Ghosts
It deserves a quick, unceremonious burial. Moral of the story: Never rake up ghosts of the past.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.6−0.6
Sixteen
Sixteen pulls no punches when it matters. But it remains a warm, endearing film even when it gets down to tackling the bitter truths of life. Simple but never simple-minded, this is a must watch.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.5+1.5
Bewakoofiyaan
Bewakoofiyaan scores with its disarming simplicity. Even as it doesn't soar to dizzying heights, it is never less than watchable.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.6+1.4
Gulaab Gang
The film's much-touted feminism seems especially counterfeit when a ruffian is forced by members of the gang to drape a sari and perform an impromptu dance, the implication being that, for a man, there can be no humiliation worse than that. Women who weave their own pink saris and are determined to put all pigs in their place, even if they are in the make-believe world of Gulaab Gang, should be the last people to enforce a stereotype that Hindi films have perpetuated for decades.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.5−0.5
Queen
Don't miss Queen for anything. It is a sparkling little gem. Both the actress and the director use that element of gaucherie in the character to great effect, crafting a believable and adorable heroine who evokes both empathy and enchantment.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.8+0.2
Shaadi Ke Side Effects
Shaadi Ke Side Effects is recommended because, despite its flaws, it is passable fun while it lasts.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.6−0.6
Highway
Highway is a must watch as much for what it is as for what it isn't. It is not a typical romantic drama, nor an average love story. It is a road movie with a difference.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.3−0.3
Gunday
It really is difficult to keep a two-and-a-half-hour film from losing its wheels when its engine room is bereft of the propellant of genuine inspiration. Gunday is like the dusty minefields it is set in. Its loud explosions deliver loads of coal, but no trace of any diamonds. It is certainly not the ideal date film on this Valentine's Day weekend.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9−0.9
Hasee Toh Phasee
It is an unpretentious little odd-couple romantic comedy. But the plot of Hasee Toh Phasee is a conundrum that takes some doing to crack. The film works primarily because the lead pair is in fine fettle, flowing along with the unstoppable tide of fluffiness while adding their own angularities to the proceedings.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.1−1.1
One By Two
Halfway through One By Two, one minor character, a poetry-spouting police officer, mentions "inspiration ki hawa". This little film certainly could have done with much more of that rare commodity.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.5+0.5
Jai Ho
Jai Ho is a tale that is about as exciting – and just as empty – as the spiel of a politician going to the polls.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.2−2.2
Miss Lovely
For filmgoers who love cinema that pushes and prods them into new directions, no matter how baffling, Miss Lovely is bound to be a memorable treat. Strongly recommended.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.3+1.7
Yaariyan
Yaariyan talks about a whole lot of other things – friendship, trust, patriotism, race attacks and tolerance – but makes no sense at all. It would make perfect sense to give this film a miss.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.0−1.0
Dedh Ishqiya
From dilkashi to junoon, the start and end point respectively of Khalujaan's take on the seven stages of love, the film has them both and everything in between and beyond.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.4+0.6
Mr Joe B. Carvalho
Nobody has clearly told the makers of Mr Joe B Carvalho that it is in extremely bad taste to poke fun at disability. This film should have been denied a censor certificate on that ground alone. Be warned. Jo bhi karlo but stay well clear of Mr Joe B Carvalho if you value your money – and sanity.
Full review ↗1.0
TRM 2.5−1.5
Sholay 3D
The effect of 3D is felt only occasionally, but this is a restored print that should do the rounds in 2D format as well. Sholay was a landmark Hindi film, and a repeat run can only help today's moviegoers appreciate the sheer scale of the ambition and achievement that it represented. Sholay was an event when it hit the screens way back in the mid 1970s. Its reappearance in a new format may not create quite the same ripples, but Sholay, 3D or not, is definitely worth a revisit.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 8.4−0.4
Dhoom 3
This time around, the bikes, babes and brawls formula is dished out even more liberally than before. So, for the most part, Dhoom: 3 is a high-voltage action flick that relies squarely on known methods of the genre. But watch it all the same for Aamir Khan and the hi-jinks.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.00.0
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
One can well imagine the huge wave of disappointment that would have assailed the nation when, at the 1960 Rome Olympics, the legendary Milkha Singh missed a medal in a photo-finish. Over half a century later, the overstuffed cinematic re-enactment of that 400 metres race and the historical and biographical events leading up to it is no less of a downer.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.6−1.6
R... Rajkumar
From this critic's point of view, watching this film is like being trapped, for all of two-and-a-half excruciating hours, in a torture chamber with no escape channel in sight. It is a dreadfully painful and numbingly grotesque drama that could put one off Bollywood action flicks for a while.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.1−1.1
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela
If you are drawn by the raw magnificence of the setting and the inevitable excitement of the occasion – after all an SLB offering cannot but be an event film – here's sound advice: your travel agent could do a better job of getting you to Kutch. Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is all body and no soul.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 6.4−2.4
Satya 2
Run for cover and give Satya 2 a miss. It is a whimper for there is no bang in the Satya buck anymore.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.1−0.1
Krrish 3
If there is any worthwhile takeaway from Krrish 3, it is simply this: the titular masked messiah is an 'idea' and there is a superhero in each one of us.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Mickey Virus
Despite the many virus attacks that the screenplay faces, Mickey Virus is a passable film.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.8+0.2
Shahid
Go and watch the film – it is one of the most important films to come out of Mumbai in a long, long time. Shahid deserves more than just a standing ovation. It deserves accolades for standing up to be counted and narrating the kind of story that is usually buried under mainstream media cacophony.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 7.4+1.6
Boss
Boss, needless to say, is Akshay Kumar's film all the way and there are several moments in it when he comes across as perfectly cut out for such antics.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9−0.9
Besharam
Besharam, rambunctious and robust, does not offer much by way of narrative novelty. But like Dabangg, it sets a crackling pace and does not flinch from the prospect of going over the edge in its pursuit of cheap thrills. Watch Besharam primarily for Ranbir Kapoor and the zany climax in an old-world warehouse where the ghosts of many Hindi movie heroes of yore are invoked.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.0+1.0
Phata Poster Nikla Hero
Stay away from this film if you value your time and money. And if you still insist on giving it a shot, do remember that there is no refund on the ticket. That is what you will be asking for well before the joke winds up.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.8−2.8
The Lunchbox
Gorge into it and savour its lingering aftertaste. The Lunchbox holds riches that aren't likely to be forgotten in a hurry.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 8.4−0.4
Satyagraha
Parts of Satyagraha make perfect sense but, on the whole, it never comes close to clicking into top gear. It leaves you more disappointed than angry.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.2−0.2
Madras Cafe
Madras Cafe is not your average Bollywood thriller. It crackles with genuine energy and is marked by true empathy for humanity. It is an unqualified triumph.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.8+1.2
Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara
It has enough going for it – a no-nonsense script, a clipped pace, punchy dialogues and spiffy cinematography – to justify its 160-minure runtime. Yet Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara! falls well short of being quite as engaging as the film that it is a sequel to.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.6+0.4
Love in Bombay
Love in Bombay is loud, over the top, and without the slightest pretension to subtlety, but it is marked by a certain degree of innocence that sometimes makes popular Hindi cinema of the 1970s and 1980s tolerable even when they are risible.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.9
Chennai Express
Chennai Express is a full-on masala film that is completely unapologetic about its intentions. And that is its USP.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.3+0.7
B.A. Pass
BA Pass combines the bone-dry quality of a chiselled short story and the stark directness of a minimalist tragedy to deliver a taut, gripping film about the hell that a big city can be behind the bright neon lights and the living room glass cabinets stacked with flashy dolls. Not to be missed.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Issaq
All that Issaq manages to be, despite all the sparkling compositions that the cinematographer strings together, is an unconvincing story of ill-fated love. It is not at all easy to sit through.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.4−0.4
Bajatey Raho
Bajatey Raho does not play it right. Off-key and overly contrived, it is a pretty ordinary effort that is not even mildly engaging.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.8−0.8
Ship of Theseus
Doubtless, Ship Of Theseus is an extraordinary achievement. To miss it would be tantamount to missing one of the finest Indian films of recent times.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 8.00.0
Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya
Watch Ramaiya Vastavaiya only if you have the stomach for unbridled lunacy.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.5−1.5
D-Day
D-Day is replete with such unusual touches. It is another matter that all of them do not eventually come together to make a cohesive whole. Yet, for all its flaws, this is a film good enough to merit a trip to the multiplex.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.7−0.7
Policegiri
For a film that is as spectacularly dumb, Policegiri makes far too much noise. The actors holler at the top of their voices, the action sequences are mind-numbingly silly, the background score can pierce through any cotton-wool shield, and the storyline is all sound and fury, and little else.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.7−1.7
Lootera
Now the big question: will a film like Lootera work at the box office? The question is irrelevant. It wouldn't matter, at least from the critical point of view, even if it were to fail to get its point across to an audience weaned on Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardar and suchlike. It would still be a magnificent film.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.1+0.9
Raanjhanaa
If you are among those that helped Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani rake in all those crores at the box office, you owe it to yourself (and to the cause of popular Hindi cinema that entertains with more than just song and dance and star power) to vote for Raanjhanaa with your feet.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.5+0.5
Ankur Arora Murder Case
It is a well-meaning, proficiently crafted and competently acted drama about the wages of medical skullduggery. But Ankur Arora Murder Case fails to make a strong enough case for itself.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.2−0.2
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
Like all Indian films these days, Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 starts with a disclaimer asserting that no animals were hurt during the shoot. Isn't the poor orangutan an animal? It must be terribly 'hurt' at being treated with such disdain by mankind!
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.4−1.4
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Neither the romance nor the drama that the film seeks to whip up can salvage it from being just another harmless romp aimed at an undemanding audience that is comfortable with swimming at the shallow end of life.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.9−0.9
Gippi
For all its attempts to look and feel different from the run-of-the-mill, Gippi is pretty obviously not the ultimate film about adolescence.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.5−0.5
Go Goa Gone
Pretty much the same could be said of the film as a whole – it's crazy but cool. It gives you what you least expect and in ways that you least anticipate. That is a rare attribute for a Hindi film. I am going with three stars for Go Goa Gone.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.7+0.3
Aashiqui 2
Fluffy and flaky, Aashiqui 2 is simply not peppy enough to paper over its cracks. It does not strike any chords. There aren't too many highs in its hackneyed saga of songs and sighs.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.0−2.0
Bombay Talkies
Such moments of epiphany are rare in Bombay Talkies. One is left with the feeling that a once-in-a-century cinematic experiment should have had more heart and heft.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.7−0.7
Shootout at Wadala
The film is generally entertaining without attaining the sort of innate quality that could attract favourable comparisons with Ram Gopal Varma's Satya and Company or Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda. But that could hardly be a reason to write off the film.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.4−0.4
Ek Thi Daayan
The riveting parts of Ek This Daayan are far outnumbered by the limp moments. Yet it is worth a watch owing to the idiosyncratic treatment of a done-to-death genre.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Chashme Baddoor
If the original was a soothing and timeless melody, this is a raucous and forgettable item number. Give it a shot if you must, but don't expect the world from it.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Commando
Despite all the bravura technical effort that has clearly been put into Commando, the end result simply isn't compelling enough to merit more than two stars.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.2−1.2
Nautanki Saala
The film deserves full marks for intention, if not for execution. But give me Nautanki Saala! any day after the merciless assault of Himmatwala and Chashme Baddoor!.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.3+0.7
Aatma
Aatma is meant to send shivers down the spine and shock the viewers out of their seats. All it does manage to do is set off a few mild waves of cold bemusement.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Mere Dad Ki Maruti
Mere Dad Ki Maruti is a winner, an easy film to like. Go right ahead.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.1+0.9
Jolly LLB
Barring the off-kilter musical score, which is completely out of sync with the predominantly naturalistic drift of the film, Jolly LLB is a jolly good film.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.9+1.1
Himmatwala
To each his own. But you don't really have to subject yourself to this monstrous assault on the senses, even if you are blessed with loads of himmat.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 3.6−0.6
Dabangg 2
Dabangg 2 is every inch of the way the critic-proof film that it is meant to be. No matter how many holes you might spot in its uncomplicated, wafer-thin narrative edifice, Bollywood's most bankable megastar's onscreen deeds, at a bit of a stretch, would serve to paper over all of them.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.7−0.7
Khiladi 786
All said and done, Khiladi 786 is not half as bad as Joker. But is that saying much?
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.1−1.1
Talaash
Talaash is intelligently structured – it goes back and forth in time as the investigating officer struggles to piece together the mystery behind an unexplained fatal road mishap involving a male movie star whose speeding car veers off a sea-facing road and plunges into the water.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.6+0.4
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns
As for the film as a whole, there can be no room for any doubt. It is recommended unequivocally.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.5+0.5
The Attacks of 26/11
Ram Gopal Varma is still not back to his best and The Attacks of 26/11 isn't an unqualified triumph. But it is certainly watchable.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
I, Me Aur Main
Chitrangada strikes the right notes for the most part and Prachi Desai lends a bubbly energy to a few of the scenes. Both Zarina Wahab and Mini Mathur bring a touch of warmth to bear upon an otherwise hopelessly soggy film.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Zila Ghaziabad
Zila Ghaziabad is unalloyed trash. It is headed straight for the dump yard – stay well clear.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.5−1.5
7.0
TRM 7.4−0.4
Murder 3
Murder 3, a thriller that vacillates between the taut to the toxic, packs enough punch and panache to keep the audience glued, if not sweep them off their feet.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.9+0.1
ABCD: Any Body Can Dance
Take your pick. There is a whole lot of dancing talent on show here. It is the packaging that lets down the performers -- and the viewers.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.4−1.4
8.0
TRM 6.7+1.3
Vishwaroopam
A slew of fine supporting performances by Rahul Bose, Jaideep Ahlawat and Shekhar Kapur, among others, adds weight to an already formidable film. Vishwaroop is a must watch.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 5.9+2.1
6.0
TRM 5.6+0.4
Race 2
This is a wreck of a movie strictly for action junkies who might be looking for a feverish two-and-a-half-hour ride that is far more giddy than heady.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.7−1.7
Inkaar
Sexual harassment in the workplace isn't the kind of premise that Hindi cinema tackles every other day. In that respect, Sudhir Mishra's Inkaar is anything but an average Mumbai film. For the most part, it steers clear of the convenient certitudes that underpin popular movie narratives.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.3+0.7
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is marked by an adventurous streak that is commendable: Bhardwaj pushes the goofy storytelling style all the way through to the bitter end. It is another matter that the strategy boomerangs frequently.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.7+0.3
Table No. 21
The drama is woven around a welter of lies, betrayal and brutality. The lead pair is trapped in a web that is as much of their own making as it is of the man who manipulates them like a master puppeteer. But rarely does this dark thriller hit home with sufficient force.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
Life of Pi
Grab a piece of this Pi. It is a must watch. In terms of both the scale of its ambition and the exquisite perfection of its execution, Life of Pi is pure magic.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.1+0.9
Rockstar
Rockstar has a Sufi soul. If only it had been set free and allowed to go the whole hog!
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 6.3−1.3
Ra.One
RA.One is like a colourful Popsicle that looks tantalising, tickles the palate while it lasts, but leaves no particular after-taste. Sound and fury? Loads of it. Significance? Not much.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.6+0.4
U R My Jaan
Watch Jab Tak Hai Jaan not just for the obvious sentimental reason but for the fact that it shows, for one last time, what Bollywood will miss now that the undisputed master of romantic sagas is no more.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 5.5
Mausam
Mausam could quite easily have ended up being a stodgy, strenuous and self-conscious drama. Writer-director Kapur, the accomplished actor that he is, orchestrates the emotional ups and downs of his tale with a commendable degree of moderation for the most part. Mausam is certainly worth a viewing.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.7+1.3
That Girl in Yellow Boots
It is well-nigh his most controlled film to date: the style, fluid and unobtrusive, complements the theme rather than overshadow it.
Full review ↗9.0
TRM 6.1+2.9
Bodyguard
Bodyguard is an out-and-out Salman Khan film meant to be taken in the festive spirit of the season. Love it or lump, chances are that its backers will be laughing all the way to that bank while you, if you aren't willing to give its excesses a long rope, will be tearing your hair out in exasperation.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.6−1.6
Not a Love Story
The lovers are anything but loveable characters. And this tale is a tragedy woven around the ugly face of love. Downbeat? Yes. But it's engaging and watchable – if for nothing else, for the flashes of the RGV of yore.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.9+1.1
Chala Mussaddi... Office Office
Chala Mussaddi doesn't take us anywhere we haven't been before. Worse, it makes awfully rough weather of getting wherever it is headed. Avoid this trip if you value your time and money.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.1−0.1
Singham
Singham is an old-fashioned but rousing Hindi commercial film that pretty much restores one's faith in this often-maligned brand of cinema. It has super-duper hit written all over it. No matter how dismissive you might be of films that have no space for shades of grey, chances are that Singham will disarm you, if only for a bit.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 5.7+2.3
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara does exude pronounced traces of the spirit of Dil Chahta Hai, but its essential rhythm is its own, stemming from the dynamics of a full-fledged road movie shot through with intelligence, emotion and, above all, humanism.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.3−0.3
Chillar Party
Is Chillar Party, then, a perfect children's film? Saying that would be a bit of a stretch. The characters are less nuanced individuals than recognisable types, etched out and christened on the basis of their defining traits.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 6.00.0
Murder 2
Even if Murder 2 fails to tide over the bad reviews and gets bogged down at the box office, it seems pretty certain that this is the film that could well be the turning point of Prashant Narayanan's career.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.1−0.1
Son of Sardaar
Son of Sardaar is a vengeance drama in the garb of a slapstick comedy – a tangled mess that has no way of working its way around the sloppy screenplay, co-written by director Ashwni Dhir himself.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 4.8−1.8
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
Watch Jab Tak Hai Jaan not just for the obvious sentimental reason but for the fact that it shows, for one last time, what Bollywood will miss now that the undisputed master of romantic sagas is no more.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.5+0.5
Student of the Year
It definitely isn't the film of the year. But if you like your entertainment to be served up with glitzy but pulpy garnishing, pirouette your way to the nearest screen by all means. If you don't, go for it only if your life depends on it.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.4−0.4
8.0
TRM 7.3+0.7
Kismat Love Paisa Dilli
KLPD is a messy jumble that lurches almost blind from one free-for-all situation to another in the fond hope of tickling the funny bone. It ends up trying the patience of the audience. Stay away!
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.4−1.4
English Vinglish
If you don't, you might actually feel a little lump in your throat. That is the kind of film English Vinglish is. It would work strictly for those who can discount the film's oversimplified worldview.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 7.0−2.0
OMG! Oh My God
So, despite the high fun quotient inherent in the concept and the steady flow of droll one-liners from the principal players, OMG never rises to particularly great heights either as an entertainer or a social message-oriented drama.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.9−0.9
Heroine
The film that Bhandarkar has made is indeed disappointingly mechanical. Mercifully, Kareena does demonstrate that she has a feel for the character. But, then, why wouldn't she? After all she plays herself in Heroine.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.6−0.6
Joker
Give Joker a miss if you value your sanity and money. It gives commercial Hindi cinema a bad name.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 3.4−1.4
Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi
Though a bit on the sluggish side, Shirin Farhad Ki To Nikal Padi is warm-hearted and generally watchable without being exhilarating.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.3−0.3
Ek Tha Tiger
Ek Tha Tiger isn't what one whould rate as great cinema, but it isn't just harmless fun. The pacifist message dovetailed into its core lends the film a far greater degree of relevance than Bollywood spy thrillers generally strive for.
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.3+0.7
Gangs of Wasseypur – 2
The revenge, filmed with an operatic slo-mo rhythm, is bloodier than anything you would have seen before. But if you liked Gangs Of Wasseypur, there is no reason why won't have another blast watching GOW II. But be warned: be sure that your stomach for blood and gore doesn't give way.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 6.3+1.7
Jism 2
This film is designed to be Sunny Leone's ticket to a place in the Bollywood sun, but it isn't quite love-all in her favour. Yet, Jism 2 has enough soul not be swamped by a curvaceous body. It is more than just another 'booby' trap of a film.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 4.1+1.9
Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum
The film is ostensibly targeted at the teen segment and it might even find some takers there. But it barely passes muster as a sex comedy. It's crude, crass and completely clueless.
Full review ↗2.0
TRM 4.7−2.7
Cocktail
Cocktail has just the right mix of fizz and flavour to allow the occasional and inevitable crinkles of triteness to flow well below the surface. It is definitely worth a visit to the multiplex.
Full review ↗6.0
TRM 5.3+0.7
Bol Bachchan
Be warned. Bol Bachchan is a comedy so absurd that it could reduce you to tears of despair. Conversely, if you have the stomach for such rampant silliness, it might propel you into paroxysms of delight. The call is entirely yours.
Full review ↗3.0
TRM 5.0−2.0
Maximum
But all said and done, Maximum isn't a washout – not by a long chalk. It is well crafted and superbly acted. Sonu Sood in particular leaves a lasting impression as the police officer under fire for excesses committed in the line of duty.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 4.1+0.9
Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1
It may not be for the faint-hearted and the prissy. Gangs of Wasseypur is a heavyweight knockout punch. You're down for the count!
Full review ↗7.0
TRM 6.4+0.6
Teri Meri Kahaani
Teri Meri Kahaani is pretty much like the loves of the film's male protagonist – it pours out all it has. But what it has simply isn't enough.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 4.3−0.3
Ferrari Ki Sawaari
Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a thank you note to Sachin Tendulkar for inspiring a whole generation of young Indians to pick up the willow and knock the cricket ball around with intent. It would have made its point a lot better had it been as crisp as a Sachin cover drive or as heart-pounding as the thrill of a Ferrari at full throttle. It's neither.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.8−0.8
Shanghai
Here at long last is a Hindi film that dares to defy the conventions of its chosen genre. Shanghai is a no-frills but searing political thriller that is under-wired with intelligence and nerve, both cinematic and ideological.Shanghai draws much of its strength from a taut screenplay (Urmi Juvekar and Dibakar Banerjee) that never overplays its hand and leaves a lot to the imagination of the audience.Shanghai projects the dark, dank, redolent-with-danger innards of small-town India to absolute perfection.The film articulates a simmering rage at the sorry state of affairs in a country that is purportedly poised on the cusp of economic superpower status, but it does so neither through screechy bluster nor by means of preachy sermons.
Full review ↗8.0
TRM 7.4+0.6
Rowdy Rathore
Riddled with an array of loud, lame and specious contrivances, Rowdy Rathore plays out pretty much like a comic-book fantasy rendered in the form of a live-action film. Go for it if you must, but don't expect the earth from it.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 5.1−1.1
Ishaqzaade
Sadly, Ishaqzaade isn't quite as pulsating as the plot line might suggest. The script throws up some surprises all right, but the story of inter-religious love does not have legs robust enough to gallop all the way through to the end with sustained energy.After a startling end to the first half, the film's pace drops several notches in the second half as the lovers seek refuge in Chand Bibi's brothel. If only Arjun Kapoor's dialogue delivery had greater punch and Parineeti Chopra could pull off the emotional moments without going shrill, Ishaqzaade would have been a markedly better film.
Full review ↗5.0
TRM 5.4−0.4
Dangerous Ishhq
At the concept level, Dangerous Ishhq does have something going for it beyond the stereoscopic 3D that it has been filmed in. Hindi movie fans are accustomed to high-pitched reincarnation dramas in which characters are reborn in order to complete unfinished business a la Karan Arjun. But this one isn't only about rebirth.
Full review ↗4.0
TRM 3.3+0.7
Aiyyaa
The Deshpandes are no ordinary brood. And Aiyyaa is no ordinary film. Wildly wakda (read twisted) in more ways than one, it is a film that defies definition.It careens from the dreamy to the delirious, the realistic to the raucous, and the perfectly logical to the utterly nonsensical as it turns many a time-honoured convention of Hindi commercial cinema on its head.Many might find its loud, outré storytelling style somewhat difficult to comprehend and digest, especially in the context of the film's slice-of-life love story predicated on a willing suspension of disbelief. Aiyyaa takes time to warm up, slips into dull patches at times and occasionally teeters on the edge of a certain dissonance. But the subversive spirit that drives the absurdist core of Aiyyaa is well worth embracing.
6.0
TRM 4.6+1.4