Instead of being a story about looking at historical from a lesser-seen perspective, we get a tacky movie which soon seems like an exploitation flick.  The move to weave in a contemporary sexual assault attack reeks of emotional manipulation and lacks coherence. What is meant to be an act of valour in the filmmaker’s eyes comes across as a crude gimmick. Begum Jaan for all its good intent is a misfire of epic proportions.

Badrinath isn’t always successful in its continuous attempt to tickle and touch the heart. There are set-pieces that never quite work such as a scene where a man’s molestation by a gang of men is supposedly a source of amusement and a superfluous audition to find a groom. Despite a share of dull moments, Khaitan does manage to give some tropes refreshing spins and does well by emphasising on the significance of respect in a relationship. He doesn’t shy away from highlighting Badri’s and Vaidehi’s imperfections. The biggest takeaway from Badrinath is that a woman leads the way and saves the day. She alters the hero’s mindset and makes him a more considerate man. A better title would have been Vaidehi Ka Dulha.

The boy-meets-girl story of the first half hour is a cloying affair. Rajesh Roshan’s dated soundtrack consists songs that drag the proceedings. It doesn’t help that Gupta, who hearts item numbers in clubs, throws in a terrible one in “Saara Zamaana”. The sudden mawkish tone in between the action furthermore disrupts Kaabil. Much like Mohenjo Daro, which showed that one man alone cannot save a civilisation, Hrithik Roshan alone cannot save the film.

Shah Rukh Khan is the star but you’ll cheer more for Nawazuddin Siddiqui…

Ali brings little other than a few visual flourishes to the original. OK Jaanu is a carbon copy which lacks the emotional cadence and vigour of the original.

Lacking the pace of the first half, Kahaani wavers in the second even after its leading lady gets to her feet. Kahaani 2 has a story worth telling and a heroine worth rooting for  but sadly it doesn’t match up to the thrills of its predecessor.

The memorable moments here are between Bhatt and Khan albeit most of them are already seen in the many teasers. Khan with specks of white hair in his beard and understated approach here will remind viewers of the good old days of Chak De India! and Swades respectively. But the lifeline of Dear Zindagi is its heroine who at 23 is at the top of her game.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is at best a good watch for Ranbir Kapoor fan[girl]s who have been waiting to see the actor play the lover boy with a musical bent. That Ranbir is back and here he is even lip-syncing the songs with conviction.

For a film about music none of the tracks scored by Vishal-Shekhar make an impression, with a few being indistinguishable from the other thanks to Jadhav’s extravagant staging and Bosco-Caesar’s uninspiring choreography. Banjo limps to its 137-minute running time leaving the viewers not high on great music but low on a listless outing.

Despite sticking to the tried-and-tested, A Flying Jatt doesn’t quite take off as an action comedy. The makers, knowingly or unknowingly, do give a few interesting spins. Most foreigners will struggle with India’s pollution and heat but Jones’ Raka is show to thrive on it. D’Souza leaves the door open for a sequel. But given that Flying Jatt has come of age by the end of the film and scaled new heights – he even flies into space – D’Souza and writers will have to come up with something more substantial to justify the superhero franchise.