Vinayak Chakravorty
India Today
Most Divergent Takes
- Fast & Furious 6 (2013)7.0 vs TRM 5.6+1.4
- Go Goa Gone (2013)7.0 vs TRM 5.6+1.4
- Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)6.0 vs TRM 4.8+1.2
- Highway (2014)5.0 vs TRM 6.2-1.2
- Life of Pi (2012)8.0 vs TRM 6.8+1.2
Silver Linings Playbook
2012 · India Today · Nov 2015
The uncomplicated tale about two people on the edge leaves a warm afterglow, leaving scope for the mind's juices to flow. Silver Linings Playbook is exceptional for eight reasons really, evidenced by the film's eight Oscar nominations. It is in the running for best director, film, adapted screenplay, editing, actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress.
Shootout at Lokhandwala
2007 · India Today · Nov 2015
SAW is entertaining fare if you are willing to overlook authenticity, and the fact that the pace is sluggish in portions of the second half. Overall, it is a gangsta trip throbbing with adrenaline rush and Gupta does well to underplay the melodrama so as not to dilute the impact.
Terminator Genisys
2015 · India Today · Jul 2015
He's back, and he's a burn-out this time around.
Bombay Velvet
2015 · India Today · May 2015
Bombay Velvet tries to be a classic fable. It would have been, if Kashyap had focussed on writing his film as he does on set design. Pardon the cliche, but that is the film's epic flaw.
Unbroken
2015 · India Today · Jan 2015
Jolie's film clicks as an inspirational work. Cliched as its tone is, Unbroken manages to make you feel thankful about life in the end.
Sonali Cable
2014 · India Today · Oct 2014
The film ends up a clumsy attempt at entertaining, almost like those pirated prints of brand new releases that local cablewallahs would often telecast on the sly in a bid to retain subscriber base.
Sex Tape
2014 · India Today · Oct 2014
The film tells a rather predictable story, with the sex tape factor coming into play merely as a tool to trigger off the chain of events that comprises the narrative.
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
2013 · India Today · Oct 2014
But the film crumbles in the climax, giving you an end that is too filmy for satisfaction. The end is one that bars Vishal's latest from becoming an exceptional effort. For everything else it is worth, this is the first real whopper coming out of Bollywood this year. Go for it.
Finding Fanny
2014 · India Today · Sep 2014
Watch Finding Fanny in its English version rather than the Hindi one. The punchlines would seem sharper. It would also let you understand why the naughty pun about the film's title is not a cheap trick. Although never openly explained, the English version leaves behind a merry wink over that bit.
Singham Returns
2014 · India Today · Aug 2014
Stronger writing could still have redeemed the plot but Singham Returns moves from a laboured first half to a lifeless second. Sporadic shots at drama are drowned by the film's preachy tone. No attempt is made to understand just what the black money problem is all about. Rohit Shetty better stick to making nonsensical films. They sure make more sense than his sensible ones.
Humshakals
2014 · India Today · Jun 2014
It would be wrong to say Humshakals is an irrelevant film. It takes mainstream Bollywood comedy to its lowest level yet. Look at the brighter side. May be things can't get worse than this in the future.
Fugly
2014 · India Today · Jun 2014
If anything, it works for him unwittingly in the stray comic scenes.
Grace of Monaco
2014 · India Today · Jun 2014
The film ends up a hagiographic bundle of confusion - the usual trap that biopics often fall into. That's sad, given the enigmatic character it set out to portray. Grace Of Monaco is a cold and beautiful saga.
Dallas Buyers Club
2014 · India Today · Mar 2014
The '80s setting of the story gives it an edge as Ron and Rayon work around the system to bring aid to HIV victims. The film is really worth a watch for its lead cast. While McConaughey, ferocious and funny at the same time, comes of age as a leading man, Leto gives his complex role an understated resolve.
Highway
2014 · India Today · Feb 2014
Watch Highway for Alia and Randeep if you must. For a two-film-old, Alia's screen presence is incredible. She gets every nuance, every energetic burst and trauma about Veera just perfect. If there is an element of the fragile about her beauty, Ali has tapped it well.
Saving Mr. Banks
2014 · India Today · Feb 2014
Yes, it does sound like a smart self- PR trick on Disney's part to hawk the idea as a fullfledged feature, but you don't mind it because it makes for a captivating watch. Toplining all attractions about the film is Tom Hanks' brilliant portrayal of Walt Disney. The equation of tension he shares with the inimitable Emma Thompson, cast as Mary Poppins author PL Travers, is intelligently crafted, too.
Hasee Toh Phasee
2014 · India Today · Feb 2014
Smile and get phasaao-ed by this one. It is a different flavour of candyfloss.
American Hustle
2014 · India Today · Jan 2014
David O. Russell's new film is America's sweetheart flick at the Oscars this year. It rises above all influences though, to shell out a crime drama wholly original - at the same time funny and deep, and surely carved out with the awards season in mind.
Dedh Ishqiya
2014 · India Today · Jan 2014
Dedh Ishqiya makes desi go dangerous all over again. It's a whopper of a start for Bollywood in 2014. In a line, not to be missed.
Dhoom 3
2013 · India Today · Dec 2013
In the end of it, if you still like Dhoom 3, it is because of Aamir. There is a vital twist about his role in the film that bars any discussion on his performance. All we'll say is go watch Dhoom 3 for Aamir.
Special 26
2013 · India Today · Dec 2013
In his new film, Pandey is out tormenting the high and mighty who thrive on black money. A nation with growing doubts over its judicial system would lap this up, and Pandey's Special 26 plays to the galleries while forwarding what he feels should be the right treatment for such enemies of the state.
R... Rajkumar
2013 · India Today · Dec 2013
The film does not leave you with a single memorable scene despite its loud effort to impress. Prabhu Dheva clearly loses track of his own film early on. The first half is a jumble and the second seems too long.
Kai Po Che!
2013 · India Today · Dec 2013
We are looking at New Bollywood, evolving exactly as it should. Stirringly topical, solid in the comment it leaves, and yet never losing focus on the classic entertainment formula that has forever driven our commercial cinema. What's more, it sets the stage for three new exciting talents in the bargain too.
Gori Tere Pyaar Mein
2013 · India Today · Nov 2013
It is left to Kareena to salvage the show, which she does to an extent. In the end, the burden of a boring script is too overwhelming for her to leave an impact. Tooh hoots - sorry, two stars - for all of it, what else.
Thor: The Dark World
2013 · India Today · Nov 2013
The focus here is not so much about narrating an original adventure as it is about how engagingly the film narrates a predictable storyline. The climax as well as its build-up make for all-out fun. Bring on Thor 3, but serve it with a few surprise spins.
Krrish 3
2013 · India Today · Nov 2013
Watching the extravagant affair that Krrish 3 is, you realise the film's failure to scale exceptional heights is not necessarily about its tech-specs. It lies in the fact that the story reveals no ambition at giving the superhero genre any extra dimension as, say, The Dark Knight flicks or Iron Man have done in Hollywood despite not losing out on the fun factor.
Gravity
2013 · India Today · Oct 2013
Gravity is a film that reminds you what the magic of the movies is all about. It makes you fall in love with cinema all over again.
Riddick
2013 · India Today · Sep 2013
If you can take an overdose of violence without much logic, this is your film.
We're the Millers
2013 · India Today · Sep 2013
The film's biggest plus is its cast. The 'family' of four totally fits the bill. Aniston, curves in place, makes a spirited Rose and is particularly a treat to watch.
Kick-Ass 2
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
The first one worked for its bizarre novelty. Kick-Ass 2 tries banking on those unique traits. The film also had ready material to encash (it is based on a hit comic book series of the same name). Yet it doesn't quite get the mood of the franchise right. What you have here is a formulaic rehash that never quite captures the maverick madness of the first film.
Madras Cafe
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
The film tells a story we already knew. Yet it scores because of the way Sircar maintains intrigue, teasing viewers with regular twists. Irresistible stuff if you love brain work in your movies.
Chennai Express
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
He always had the lung power. This time Shah Rukh Khan, in a bid to prove he still remains at the top of his game, is out gunning to score with lungi power. Chennai Express is a loud and crazy experience, so what if you might just forget all of it even as you hit the exit door after the show. It's got the lungi power while it lasts.
The Smurfs 2
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
Wholly catering to the little ones, The Smurfs 2 does a neat enough job blending real action with animation. The Paris visuals are a treat, too. But the film is low on original gags. While Gosnell's trademark slapstick is in place, it lacks the gentle humour of the original Belgian series it is based on. The Smurfs 2 is just not 'smurf' enough.
R.I.P.D.
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
The film latches onto the 3D fad for obvious reasons, but the impact is lost out because lot of the action seems choppy and predictable. I couldn't help notice how the few good jokes here actually have nothing to do with the story. For an action comedy, that's not funny.
The Wolverine
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
It isn't the best of the mutant series. It's just a sharp marketing trick aimed to please Jackman fans, and it works just fine.
B.A. Pass
2013 · India Today · Aug 2013
It's not quite popcorn & cola stuff but if you are forever hungering for cinema of a different taste, check this one out.
Bajatey Raho
2013 · India Today · Jul 2013
Not much the cast can do to salvage this one. Bajatey Raho would be your option this weekend only if you consider there is no other major Hindi release.
Lootera
2013 · India Today · Jul 2013
The good thing about Bollywood's GenNow top lot is most of them are trying to make a difference, beyond the obvious stardom circus. Lootera underlines why the standard Bollywood romance need not be about a crazed loverboy chasing the girl. Love stories, the film reminds you, can have layers too.
Monsters University
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
Unlike most Hollywood toon flicks lately, Monsters University doesn't try catering to viewers across the board and strictly targets children. Still, there is something in it for all true-blue toon lovers. The creative team has come up with some really funny characters for this one. Steve Buscemi as the voice of the nerdy Randall for one is exceptional.
Raanjhanaa
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
Raanjhanaa harks back to the way Bollywood used to make love stories once upon a time. With some imagination, the effect would have been nostalgic, too.
Man of Steel
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
The film is a fun watch. But Man Of Steel won't redefine its genre as, say, The Dark Knight did. Watch it for some amazing 3D action and the odd burst of humour.
Fukrey
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
Fukrey caters the standard package of bromance that has been hot among Bolly buffs. It looked wild in the promos. Not the same can be said of the film itself. Fukrey would have worked better if the screenplay revealed more imagination.
Fast & Furious 6
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
If Fast & Furious 6 clicks, it is because the film manages to make you believe the first five of the series never existed. This sequel is driven by a passion to regale normally spotted in first films of any series.
The Hangover Part III
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
You do not, should not, and cannot tell the same joke thrice. It no longer remains a joke. Todd Phillips must know as much. But the lust for cashing in on a box-office friendly business model is evidently irresistible.
After Earth
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
It is neither a spectacular mainstream adventure nor the genre-bender experiment you would expect from Shyamalan. Maybe, M. Night should forget boys who fight baboons and go back to boys who see dead people.
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
2013 · India Today · Jun 2013
The Deols thunder, the PYTs preen, the action is good and the comedy lame. Two extras in orangutan suits get to shake their booty to Sheila ki jawaani. The next level of Bollywood item dancing obviously, after Sunny Leone.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
2013 · India Today · May 2013
A slightly more mature Ayan as storyteller, and technically his craft is a few notches higher too. Yet just like Bunny, Ayan's cinematic idiom still seems trapped in a happy-go-lucky teenage universe.
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns
2013 · India Today · May 2013
In essence, the sequel follows the basic pattern of the first film - only the twists this time are more imaginative, the story more complex and thrills smarter.
Life of Pi
2012 · India Today · May 2013
You would struggle to find another film that so fluidly blends the tech-specks with aesthetic finery. Life Of Pi is a visual spectacle, and the 3D here is the best you have ever seen (yes, it's better than Avatar).
Bombay Talkies
2013 · India Today · May 2013
Bombay Talkies lets us celebrate ourselves as viewers. It leaves a warm afterglow reminding us that cinema in India flourished thanks to its audience.
Gippi
2013 · India Today · May 2013
Riya Vij is spontaneous as Gippi. The mom-daughter chemistry between Riya and Divya Dutta is natural, too. But the film could have done with some solid writing, notably in the second half. Gippi is a coming-of-age flick that doesn't quite come of age.
The Great Gatsby
2013 · India Today · May 2013
Amitabh Bachchan, in a one-scene cameo as Meyer Wolfsheim tells the world what we always knew: Big B is an actor who needs just that one scene.
Go Goa Gone
2013 · India Today · May 2013
Go Goa Gone is your film if you like your humour with a dash of black. The sexy beaches of Goa will perhaps never be the same again on the Bollywood screen.
Aurangzeb
2013 · India Today · May 2013
The classic second-half gaffe. You have a cracker of an idea, the build up is great too, and then gross lack of imagination turns everything into a mangled mess post interval.
Ishkq in Paris
2013 · India Today · May 2013
It was almost as if Preity Zinta had made the film in her heydays - the last decade - and brought it out of cold storage only now.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2013 · India Today · May 2013
The film is trademarked by Nair's love for opulent frames. The ethnic Sufi score in the background adds to the rich tones on screen. Indeed Mira Nair always manages a new twist when it comes to presenting eastern exotica for the West.