Manjhi tries to be many things – a biopic, a social drama, a love story, a superhero flick with bad special effects – and fails to be good at being either of them.

Brothers is supposed to be an action drama but it ends up being an action comedy. Characters cry here at the drop of a hat. That’s because three leading males have a lot of issues.

There are far too many songs, all of which seem akin. It is not just that Jaanisaar doesn’t draw viewers to the epic romance of Ameer and Noor, it also fails to evoke any animosity for the British who are shown here to destroy Awadh. That is ultimately the film’s undoing – its inability to make viewers care about anything in the film.

Good intent doesn’t translate into a good movie. As Pravin and Hafeez engage in religious discourse, they get a better understanding of their own religion. But these scenes are so contrived that they irk more than enlighten. By the time the wannabe terrorists have a change of heart and head and turn peace activists, the audience is exasperated with the events.

With the sluggish first half in which Kamat gives Tabu a dramatic slo-mo entry, the more suspense-driven second half is a vast improvement. Kamat just about holds it together as he takes a will-they, won’t-they approach to the Salgaonkars and engrosses viewers into their fate. Nonetheless, you’ll be better off watching the Malayalam original.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan is by far the best film in the Swachh Salman Abhyan series. It will give his fans the Bhai they want and the remaining a Salman Khan who isn’t always larger-than-life character. That is the film’s biggest accomplishment.

The biggest flaws of the film, which was reportedly shot in 2011 and nobody wanted released until Ranaut struck big, are its shoddy screenplay, bland characters and unfunny jokes. It’s a mind-numbing watch.

…won’t make you scream but thankfully it doesn’t make you yawn either. It just has enough of creatures to hold your attention.

What was Vidya Balan thinking when she agreed to play a distressed, self-sacrificial, traditional wife making the most foolish choices for herself? How is it possible to waste Rajkummar Rao’s talents? Why does Emraan Hashmi, who here is a rich hotelier and ahem India’s most eligible bachelor, look so jaded and blank? Where is this gorgeous lily field in Bastar, Chattisgarh?

The laughter tracks in the background score are desperate attempts to remind audiences that these are humorous moments. You may think that looking for accuracy and insight in a film like Welcome 2 Karachi is expecting too much, but if the generous creative liberties taken don’t result in an entertaining film then one has to fault the filmmakers even more. Welcome 2 Karachi is a comedy of errors with few laughs and more exasperating sighs.