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Saaho
A lot of it is very high tech and clearly very expensive. At the end of the day though, what we get is not a film but a little boy showing off his toys to his playmates.
Aug 2019
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Mission Mangal
...is fun and educational at one level, but make no mistake about this: its veneer of progressiveness masks a highly conservative, prejudiced core.
Aug 2019
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Khandaani Shafakhana
...the best thing about this film is that it deals with a tricky subject without getting icky at any point. That apart, Khandaani Shafakhana is an opportunity lost.
Aug 2019
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Judgemental Hai Kya
...is based on an interesting concept, it is often funny and fascinating, but in the ultimate analysis, it does not make the grade.
Jul 2019
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Super 30
...comes across as a project that someone somewhere lost interest in at some point and then it all came apart.
Jul 2019
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Malaal
...an inexorably dull retelling of the clichéd conviction so many people hold in real life: that a good woman can reform even the worst of men.
Jul 2019
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Article 15
...is the best that Indian cinema can be in these troubled times if it chooses to hold a mirror up to our society, compelling us to confront the worst that we are and the best that we can be when we are not busy saving our own skins.
Jun 2019
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Kabir Singh
Kabir Singh and its Telugu forebear Arjun Reddy must rank among the most disturbing examples of the obsessive stalker hero being glamourised by Indian cinema.
Jun 2019
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Game Over
...is inventive, it is intelligent, it does not take the viewer lightly and above all else, it is terrifying.
Jun 2019
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Bharat
Far from being a Forrest Gump with Salman Khan, Bharat is mostly a plodding trek through post-1947 to contemporary India.
Jun 2019
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Nakkash
In terms of narrative style, Imam swings between naturalism and an occasionally operatic tone, which suits Nakkash well. The plot is not designed as a thriller meant to dazzle us with its twists and turns. It is instead a believable slice-of-life saga in a toxic setting.
May 2019
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PM Narendra Modi
...falls into the so-bad-it-could-be-fun category, except that it is not fun at all – it is, instead, an insult to viewer intelligence and viewer knowledge.
May 2019
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De De Pyaar De
...has been marketed as an older-man-younger-woman romance, but make no mistake about this: what it truly is is a vehicle for claims of universal male victimhood, better disguised than its co-producer and co-writer Luv Ranjan's three directorial ventures
May 2019
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Student Of The Year 2
SOTY 1 chose to spend more time on its characters’ bodies, make-up and wardrobes, its soundtrack and dance routines than on its writing, but proved to be entertaining in its own limited fashion. SOTY 2 seems not to even try.
May 2019
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May 2019
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Kalank
...it is fronted by such a likeable cast and comes in such pretty packaging. There is nothing pretty though about the lack of nuance in its portrayal of Hindu-Muslim equations...
Apr 2019
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No Fathers In Kashmir
For a fictionalised feature to shine a light on the most contentious aspects of Kashmir's tragedy - from hypocritical fundamentalists to half widows and mass graves - takes immense guts irrespective of which political party is in power at the Centre.
Apr 2019
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Notebook
...is not perfect, but like the sterling Kashmir waterscapes in the film camouflaging so much turmoil, and captured here so beautifully by cinematographer Manoj Kumar Khatoi, it too is worth a visit.
Mar 2019
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Kesari
Irrespective of what the 36th Sikhs' actual motivations were, obviously theirs was a historic last stand worthy of a film. When an honest army procedural could have had an impact, the team of Kesari chose instead to be a barely disguised propaganda vehicle and to chronicle this remarkable episode with self-defeating twists.
Mar 2019
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Mar 2019
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Mere Pyare Prime Minister
Despite its heartwarming intentions, liberal soul and some interesting actors, Mere Pyare Prime Minister is an underwhelming experience.
Mar 2019
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Mar 2019
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Mar 2019
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The Fakir Of Venice
Everything in the film feels half-hearted. Neither Farhan Akhtar’s charm nor Annu Kapoor’s commitment can save this semi-baked effort. To be fair to it, it is not excruciating or insufferable, it is simply immensely forgettable.
Feb 2019
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Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
...the strong screenplay is backed by an endearing cast.
Feb 2019
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Gully Boy
For a film that is about protest music, the music of anger and rebellion, Gully Boy is surprisingly quiet and extremely funny. Its understatedness and sense of humour are among the multiple reasons why it is also one of the best films to emerge from the Hindi cinemascape in recent times.
Feb 2019
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Manikarnika
Rani Lakshmibai was a great woman. She deserves better than a poorly written film that chooses to use her for its own self-serving ends.
Feb 2019
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Fraud Saiyaan
Warsi’s continuing career struggles may explain why he agreed to be a part of this formulaic, dull, misogynistic rubbish, but what is worse is that Fraud Saiyaan is a Prakash Jha Productions presentation, with the senior producer-director’s daughter Disha Prakash Jha as one of its producers. Seriously Jha-saab, why?
Feb 2019
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Simmba
Don’t be deceived by the apparent good intentions – women’s safety is just another excuse for Shetty’s macho hero to deliver speeches, take the law into his own hands, display his impressive biceps and single-handedly bash up groups of bad men.
Feb 2019