Sudhish Kamath
The Hindu
Shootout at Lokhandwala
2007 · The Hindu · Nov 2015
By no means is this an accurate account of events or can be taken seriously as a piece of docu drama. Shootout at Wadala is pulpy, kitschy, Bollywood masala that makes no bones about its intentions: To titillate.
Love Aaj Kal
2009 · The Hindu · Nov 2015
Indian mainstream cinema has not seen a more contemporary love story. It's a complete film — the dialogue is breezy and refreshingly candid; there's not a song out of place; the smart choreography adds to the richness of the narrative; the editing keeps it tight; and the visuals are rich with metaphors — the Purana Qila epitomises old world romance, and Meera is the restoration artist.
Love Sex aur Dhokha
2010 · The Hindu · Jul 2015
The ensemble is just brilliant, and at no point in the film do you see them as actors. This is reality cinema at its best with all elements you usually associate with the larger than life genre — romance, action, comedy, song and dance. But, most importantly, it holds a mirror to male-chauvinist society and shows us our ugly side — we at our most unflattering, despicable real selves. Yet, it leaves us with a little hope of what we are capable of doing. Clearly, the best film to have come out of Hindi cinema in ages.
I Am Kalam
2011 · The Hindu · Jul 2015
While many Indian youth (like Pitobash as Luvtund) grow up idolising film stars, we are really lucky to have Kalam. And it's a good thing that someone made a film to give kids a role model, someone they can become.
Wake Up Sid
2009 · The Hindu · Jun 2015
Everything about the film is so fresh (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy contribute a lot to this) that when the climax finally kicks in with a stock ending borrowed from Hollywood romantic comedies, it leaves you a little disappointed. But then, as you look back at Sid's journey, you smile and forgive the trappings of the genre. And, Wake Up Sid feels like a fresh morning breeze that wakes you up to a brand new day.
Hunterrr
2015 · The Hindu · Mar 2015
For all its mainstream packaging (you got to admit that the Bappi Lahiri track is catchy as hell), Hunterrr is an indie, grown-up version of the candid, sexual coming-of-age film Nagesh Kukunoor made with Rockford in the 90s. It has many moments that touch (and not just dirtily) your heart but a little sex may have given this film a little vigour. In its current form, this Hunterrr is more horny than trigger-happy. He just walks around with a gun and rarely fires — except once in the whole film.
NH10
2015 · The Hindu · Mar 2015
NH10 cannot be interpreted at a simple text and story level (Calling it a rip-off of Eden Lake would be as reductionist as stating that Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof is inspired by Spielberg's Duel) simply because a road trip is not about the car but about the road.
Dirty Politics
2015 · The Hindu · Mar 2015
Dirty Politics, that often feels like a poor man's Raajneeti, given the scores of extras crammed into every frame, should have rightfully been called The Eighties. Every bit of this film — story, structure, sensibility, stunts and moral — is from an eighties film. But then what else can you expect from the director of Aaj Ka Arjun and Phool Bane Angaray?
Badlapur
2015 · The Hindu · Feb 2015
When was the last time you saw a film with such meticulous attention to character detailing? The film might not land smoothly after this ambitious a jump but it is certainly an effort that deserves applause. Or as the believers say, Jai Sri Ram.
Shamitabh
2015 · The Hindu · Feb 2015
With the scale, budget, resources available at their disposal, Shamitabh makes you wonder: How much time did they spend on the script? Oh well, Piddly. They just recycled the obvious film clichés. Since R. Balki loves analogies and all things South Indian, Shamitabh tastes like reheated upma made from leftovers idlis.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2015 · The Hindu · Jan 2015
Birdman embraces the meta-narrative by becoming the duality it explores — the real and the make-believe. At any point, Birdman leaves it open to interpretation whichever way you want to interpret it because it is both. A serious arthouse film wearing a funny movie mask.
PK
2014 · The Hindu · Dec 2014
Hirani's PK is no doubt a very important and relevant film for all of us who have suffered enough due to communal tensions, fanaticism, polarisation and even heartless terrorism. Like all Hirani films, the second half relies on the hero becoming a champion of social reform via media with doses of drama and feel-good by asking the right questions, all predictably intercut with weeping viewers intensely touched by the points made.
Ungli
2014 · The Hindu · Nov 2014
A sloppy display of corporate social responsibility by a production house that usually indulges in fluff...
Roar
2014 · The Hindu · Nov 2014
Roar is a welcome reboot for the man-versus-beast thriller B-movie in India. And bad actors come with the territory.
Happy New Year
2014 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
Farah once again walks the line between spoof and tribute in this rather long, self-aware entertainer with enough moments to make you smile...
My Name Is Khan
2010 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
Before you get an impression that it's all dead serious… No, no it's not. No, no. It's highly entertaining, it's as mainstream and popular as Hindi cinema gets with the romance, song and dance, sight-seeing tourist attractions, music cues that trigger off the tear-glands and Shah Rukh Khan quips that will make you laugh whole-heartedly. His chemistry with a fantastic Kajol (Tere Naina is so goddamned romantic) alone is worth the price of admission but this film gives you much, much more.
Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami
2014 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
Idealistic little film with a lot of heart but inconsistent in tone...
Haider
2014 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
An absolutely delightful and lyrical adaptation of Hamlet that takes some liberties, for Kashmir's sake...
Bang Bang!
2014 · The Hindu · Oct 2014
Here's a Bang Bang dare. Watch it twice back-to-back without dropping dead of boredom...
Balwinder Singh... Famous Ho Gaya
2014 · The Hindu · Sep 2014
Strictly for those looking for juvenile laughs...
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost
2015 · The Hindu · Sep 2014
Watch out for this Qissa and prepare to have your mind blown....an uncompromising film with sterling performances by its actors...
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
2014 · The Hindu · Sep 2014
With sex and nudity censored out, this stylised film loses quite a bit of its character...
Mary Kom
2014 · The Hindu · Sep 2014
Priyanka Chopra rises above a generic script, predictable treatment and an extremely manipulative narrative.
Entertainment
2014 · The Hindu · Aug 2014
After showing traces of wicked humour, it is reduced to nothing more than a rich source of PJs.
Kick
2014 · The Hindu · Jul 2014
The film's downright stupid, a guilty pleasure at best — that once again has Salman do his thing that you've seen before. No matter what the reviews say, you're going to go watch it.
Fugly
2014 · The Hindu · Jun 2014
A silly, hackneyed rehash that lives up to the title.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
2014 · The Hindu · Jun 2014
How To Train Your Dragon 2 is proof of what you can do with the form, if the content has an emotional core that beats for what you feel so strongly about. Take the kids, fly with the dragons. It's one hell of a flight you just cannot miss this season.
The World Before Her
2014 · The Hindu · Jun 2014
Nisha's victory as a filmmaker lies in her ability to draw out candid responses from her subjects and letting us judge the truth without really trying hard to put a spin around the film.
Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty
2014 · The Hindu · Jun 2014
A trashy remake of a preposterous Tamil film...
Filmistaan
2014 · The Hindu · Jun 2014
Small film with a huge heart (and unrealised potential) that deserves to be watched for some lovely moments
Heropanti
2014 · The Hindu · May 2014
But thanks to a taut screenplay (credited to Bhaskar) and direction (Sabbir Khan of Kambakkth Ishq) Heropanti rises above the clichés, despite the two-decade-old plot of manufacturing consent from the father instead of just running away with his daughter, as characters remain largely true to the type until the very end (when the entire honour-killing endorsing community conveniently undergoes an instant change of heart.)
The Xposé
2014 · The Hindu · May 2014
Entertaining pulp fiction that turns spoof-ish, thanks to the convenient twists.
Muppets Most Wanted
2014 · The Hindu · Mar 2014
Muppets Most Wanted with its songs, colour, humour and action is certified fun for the entire family. The sly referential jokes will have the adults chuckling, while the dance, song and simpler jokes will please the bachcha party enormously.
Lakshmi
2014 · The Hindu · Mar 2014
A gritty film that works largely because of the subject and sensitive treatment if you have the stomach for gore.
Total Siyapaa
2014 · The Hindu · Mar 2014
You know the drill. If you've seen Meet the Parents. But Total Siyappa is actually a remake of Argentine film Seres Queridos, where a girl takes her boyfriend home to meet the parents, and chaos sets in when he accidentally drops frozen soup from the kitchen window. Suddenly towards the end, the makers remember the India-Pakistan subplot and give the lead pair a little to fight about.
Special 26
2013 · The Hindu · Dec 2013
Neeraj Pandey knows his craft. He knows to keep the pace going. He knows to keep you on your toes and surprise you through misdirection. Which is why it's also a little disconcerting that he compromised by putting the songs in, just to give the film mainstream appeal.