Kaalakaandi assumes  many identities and  eventually abandons  all  of them for that one core truth that controls our destiny.

Death .This film  dares to laugh in  face  of  mortality.That’s  what makes it so  brave  and unique.

If you have an appetite  for blingy blandness served  up with dollops of self-deprecatory tongue-in-cheek humid humour,go for it. But be warned. There  is nothing here  you would want to take  home to sleep over with.

The  performances are purely functional,  with  the veteran Lin Shayegrimacing  really hard to convey intensity. The rest  of the cast  doesn’t even try. The only serious aspect of this fatigued  horror film  is  the cinematography  by Toby Oliver which is sinister and sleek, suffused in  dark dystopian hues that the  films’s mood  and tenor just cannot watch.

Beautiful  to behold and  possessing a  soul to match The Greatest Show  reveals the unexpected musical  side to Hugh Jackman’s talent. Who would have  thought he had it in him?!   The musical  format brings out the best in all the actors in this gem of  a movie. Innovative,  colourful and clogged with that quality which Barnum invented—showmanship—this big-screen experience is just the way to end the  year.

TZH looks like many other anti-terror films including Baby and NaamShabana. And if you really want to see a taut intensely-felt take on the same plot about the kidnapping of nurses in Iraq, try the Malayam film Take Off.

Those who think Kapil’s days are  numbered  should make  it a point to see what unrehearsed  energy he  brings to even the most  mundane  conversation about a  bar  of soap.

It  is  a little startling  to see seasoned actors like Pankaj Tripathy, Rati Agnihotri and RaviKissan  pitching in with bombastic  performances. But then, bombast  is  the  need  of the hour. Julie 2  is an oldfashioned high-pitched melodramatic take on an actress’ journey from zero to wow. It has  plenty  of unexpected twists and  turns  in the plot,not all of them convincing  . The narrative neatly  balances  the engaging and  the corny.

Tumhari Sulu is  more remarkable for its central performance then  for actualizing the performance  into a state  of  durable renewability. Often, the  storytelling gets sluggish, and the narrative faces the  imminent danger of  losing the audience.
But then, Vidya Balan takes charge over and over again. And as in life, so in the film, we realize all  is not lost.

Do yourself a favour. Don’t watch this pale inert uninvolving remake. Watch the original.And see why Rajesh Khanna was the greatest star-actor ever.

Secret Superstar is a heartwarming portrayal of girl power. A  bit of  restrain and some muted melodrama  would have taken this film much further.It has long sturdy legs. But chooses not to go far enough.