While credit must be given to writer-director Rumy Jaffery for focusing on the issue of corruption noble intentions don’t necessarily make a notable work of art. Certainly Gali Gali Chor Hai(GGCH) must have sounded amusing and topical on paper.It is a savagely stinging satire on the harassment of the average law-abiding middleclass man, played with arresting earnestness by Akshaye Khanna, in the hands of various touts, middlemen, law enforcers, goons and politicians all of whom infest the tranquil city of Bhopal with the destructive determination of termites eating into a ‘system’ that has long ceased to be if any consequence , moral or ethical.

It’s all too pretty, too predictable and too soft and gentle to make a lasting impact.

If only we knew what was so funny. Loot is a hoot. And a painful reminder of the collapse of the comic caper in Bollywood in a heap of inadequacy. The writing reaches a stalemate even before the actors warm up to their roles.

It is the underused Purbi Joshi as Himesh’s overbearing girlfriend who steals the show. She imparts a sense of lived-in authenticity to her role, almost at times going beyond the script in search of her character’s lost soul. Why don’t we get to see more of this pretty talented girl in our films?

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster creates a world far removed from Guru Dutt’s classic, and yet the two works are miraculously joined at the hip. Almost every character from the Guru Dutt film is replicated if not parodied in Dhulia’s film.

The crumbling sepia-toned interiors and colour tones scream out a message of live and let live. But it’s too late, Dhulia’s characters are felled by their own greed and lust.

Khap should be commended for attempting a socially-relevant theme with some amount of detachment and equanimity. Should love between cousins or people from within one family be sternly discouraged just because the village panchayat feels it is damaging to the social framework?

Sahi Dhande Galat Bande is a kind of unique effort. It teases the conscience awake. It’s a warm and honest film that looks with unblinking directness at issues which are more relevant now than ever. If Anna Hazare were to see this film he would surely smile.

You leave the film with the painful sound of crashing dreams reverberating in your ears.

Shagird is not devoid of merit. The Patekar characters affinity to vintage film songs gives a centre to an otherwise-doddering tale of desperate corruption.