Akshay Kumar’s ‘Entertainment’ misses the point entirely : it is dull and loud, with a brow so lowered that it reaches the floor.

We know that a Salman film is created solely to display his ‘andaaz’ designed to send his fans into a swoon. What makes ‘Kick’ interesting, apart from some unfettered Salman moments, is Siddiqui in full flow.

One man who can’t make up his mind between two women is classic brom-com, and there are some moments in here that come close to the real thing. But the story never really shakes off its tropes, and burst forth into its own. Das is an amiable actor, and is a good fit for the urban confused singleton, Tomatia’s ‘desi’ appeal as well as Nayar’s svelte swishness is used well, but overall, the film is drab.

‘Pizza’ will give you some nice chills, and a little twist in the end, which is not as a surprise as it should have been. A remake of the surprise Tamil hit of the same name, the film proves a point. That successful horror doesn’t need stars, it needs a solid script, and atmospherics.

The sequel of the 2012 ‘Hate Story’ gives us a new vengeful woman. She’s been wronged by, who else, a man. And she will stop at nothing to get back at him.
Singh is competent , but even he can’t do much with a plot that keeps him in repeat mode. Chawla shows occasional spark, but that’s not enough to front a full film. Even Sunny Leone’s pink lips, which she pouts most enticingly in a song, don’t do the trick.

‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’ scores with its likeable lead pair. Varun Dhawan still has raw edges and lets the effort show but he is right for Humpty the Dumpty who likes sitting on wall, and doesn’t mind a fall. As the designer ‘lehenga’-craving ‘kudi’ who turns into a girl who chooses substance over style, Alia Bhatt is vibrant and fresh, and the highlight of the film.

Was this meant to be a political awakening for two city-bred well-off ignorant-about-real-India young people? It would have been terrific if the plot had known what to make of it. But this is a story which ricochets from one awful point to another, involving the `ladka’ and `ladki’’s parents and extended families, and the `ladka’ and `ladki’ hurling themselves at each other’s throats, before getting back to more tender body parts.

‘Bobby Jasoos’ works till the time Vidya Balan gets to lead from the front: the courtship with her reluctant suitor is one of the high points of the film. But I wish this amiable, light-hearted yarn had more ‘zaika’ and ‘tadka’. And the songs are strictly unnecessary and uninteresting. Post-interval, the surprises leachout. So does the fun.

So it’s no surprise that the plot is besides the point. Like the previous ones, this latest is all about the noise that Bay can generate, and he is Hollywood’s biggest detonator, no contest. The endless car chases, explosions, crumbling buildings, are all tricked out at ear-shattering decibels. As is the main act of the robots transforming from cars to trucks to bots and back again, while getting down and dirty. Good for you if you like that sort of thing, and I am reliably told that there are enough fans of the franchise to line up for fresh installments, even if it is basically more of the same.

Sidharth Malhotra is watchable, he just seems so nice and wholesome all the time. It is Riteish Deshmukh who sweeps the stakes.

Suri is an innate story-teller, and can keep things moving. All he needs is a strong, all-the-way credible, original plot.