Even Deshmukh’s usually reliable comic timing cannot come to the rescue, and Oberoi seems to have little to do but twirl his moustache and act menacing. And in the ultimate cop-out, the robbers are redeemed and turned into Robin Hoods, stripping the film of the last vestige of honesty.

The romance in this romantic comedy is non-existent, but thankfully the wit and sparkle in the humour make it a fun watch.

Vijan doesn’t seem to have the directing chops to make this kind of film, and at 154-minutes, “Raabta” is much too long and overwrought. Sanon and Rajput drum up chemistry in the beginning and try to make their parts work, but Jim Sarbh is out of his depth. He is uncomfortable as the villain and unintentionally funny when he tries to portray the charming psychopath.

If you have ever been to a small town for your summer holidays, listened in wide-eyed wonder as adults swapped stories around the dinner table and spent languid afternoons lying on the grass, then Konkona Sen Sharma’s “A Death in the Gunj” is just the film for you.

If you ignore the cinematic merit and focus on the film merely as a wistful trip down memory lane, “Sachin – a Billion Dreams” is a fulfilling watch.

If the aim of the film was to evoke nostalgia, it works in the sense that you yearn for the time when Bollywood knew how to make a love story, and romance didn’t have to be this laboured.

Bachchan tries hard to channel his inner Vito Corleone for the third time even as the rest of the cast dart piercing looks at each other. Amit Sadh as Cheeku channels so much intensity that you would be forgiven for thinking he was a soldier going off to fight at the border. Thankfully, Ronit Roy is the exact opposite, playing Gokul with dependable efficiency. But that is hardly enough to salvage a film that, like its protagonist, is a mere shadow of its earlier avatars.

…the film would probably go down as campy and often over-the-top where the actors arch their eyebrows at every opportunity and warriors use palm trees as weapons of war.

 It is because Rajamouli never lets up in his attempt to deliver a spectacle that has to be enjoyed in theatres that “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” is a worthy conclusion to this epic series. It may not up the ante from the last film, but it doesn’t let up on the pace either. For an Indian film, that is no mean feat.

Raveena Tandon, in her first full-fledged movie role in six years, is the other saving grace. She is hardly known for her acting prowess, but makes a sincere attempt in “Maatr” to depict the agony of a mother in the throes of guilt and grief.

For all its appearance of a historical film, the events in “Begum Jaan” seem far removed from the time. There is barely any evidence of the churn taking place in India or of the communal tensions at the time. Mukherji doesn’t seem to be able to tie together the twin themes of partition and the exploitation of women.