Bhoothnath Returns starts off with a fascinating premise but drags towards the end. Whatever connect the towering Bachchan makes with his viewer is rudely disrupted to accommodate mediocre songs or misplaced sentimentalism in a prolonged slide show of poignant portraits making Bhoothnath’s return quite a drag in the end.

It never quite establishes its chief motive. Instead Asthana’s tentative approach struggles to interrelate the pertinent issues, lend it dimensions and wisdom, resorting to simplistic conclusions when it cannot find the balance.

It’s the kind of film that expects you to find laughs in a man trying to thaw ice-cold soup with knives. It’s the kind of coy courtship where a NRI couple kiss the other’s lips by placing a hand in the middle. It’s the kind of reductive remake that could work best as a harmless half-hour sitcom. It’s the kind of experience that explains the need for phrases like ‘meh.’

For all its swagger and insolence, the script is full of silly loopholes, annoying clichés and glaring superficiality.

No matter how hard director Zafar tries to create an action hero that speaks Amitabh Bachchan/Anil Kapoor/Raaj Kumar, he fails to substantiate it with charisma that goes beyond surface value.

What could have been a relevant crowd-pleaser with a little effort from Sohail Khan and his writers is mostly a tedious and overcrowded drivel that shamelessly depends on Salman Khan’s strapping charisma to tide them over.

If only this was a made-for-radio special instead of a half-heartedly animated demo reel masquerading as a children’s fantasy. But dumbing down Mahabharat’s provocative and serious framework for a film that cannot even provide visual enchantment fails to fulfill it purpose even to its young audience.

Obtuse, dispassionate and inert, Ishk Actually is one of the drabbest films I’ve seen all year.

Boss is hell bent on assaulting the eardrums and senses with a vigorous spectacle of mindless action and screeching soundtrack.
Given the low benchmark of this genre, it’s akin to praise when I say Boss is neither as absurd as Rowdy Rathore nor as ghastly as Policegiri.

Besharam is so unbelievably sloppy and senseless, not even the best actors in the business can redeem it no matter how hard they try.

Regardless of Phata Poster Nikhla Hero’s uneven pace and indecisive disposition, Shahid Kapoor, armed with a kooky grin, gives it his best shot.