Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain
...has enough sense to confront the lovelessness that characterises far too many middle-class marriages, but not the courage to get to the heart of the problem.
May 2018
Khajoor Pe Atke
There isn’t enough of a plot to extend over 119 minutes. With a tighter script and trimmer running time, Chhaya might have actually been on to something special.
May 2018
Raazi
...the movie is unable to liberate itself of the outlandishness and questionable themes of the novel on which it is based.
May 2018
102 Not Out
The movie, based on Saumya Joshi’s popular Gujarati play of the same name, sticks so closely to its stage origins that it feels as though we are actually watching a filmed play. In the final bits, the cheesy humour makes way for cloying sentimentality...
May 2018
Daas Dev
Few films can survive the weight of so much loftiness and ambition. Daas Dev goes off the rails in its opening scenes and fails to return to course.
Apr 2018
Beyond The Clouds
By ignoring the cynicism that marks the average urban poverty saga, Beyond the Clouds ends up being a fairy tale woven around people living on the periphery. There is none of the painful honesty of Salaam Bombay! nor the wish fulfillment fantasies of Slumdog Millionaire in Amir’s adventures.
Apr 2018
Nanu Ki Jaanu
Suspense is thin in a movie with three major characters. The staggering incompetence on display ensures that the events are neither funny nor frightening...
Apr 2018
Baaghi 2
Tiger Shroff is still waiting for the movie that shapes his limited emoting abilities and limitless action skills into a character who embodies the times.
Mar 2018
Baa Baaa Black Sheep
It is a measure of the movie’s staggering incompetence from start to finish that even veterans such as Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Kay Kay Menon do not manage to leave a trace.
Mar 2018
- Mar 2018
Hate Story IV
The scenes between Tasha and the expressionless hunks lusting for her are about as erotic as watching a light bulb being changed.
Mar 2018
3 Storeys
Mukherjee directs his cast well and creates a convincing middle-class milieu, but the hothouse of desire, deceit and death that Mayanagar supposedly represents simply does not emerge from the lightweight and toothless material.
Mar 2018
Welcome to New York
Chakri Toleti’s comedy is shallow as the film industry it is meant to spoof.
Feb 2018
Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
The disposable soft-focus songs and foreign locations cannot gild the coarseness of Ranjan’s view of modern romance.
Feb 2018
Aiyaary
...tackles a bold subject, one that is worth exploring alongside the frequent tales of battlefield valour. There is palpable and relatable outrage at the rot within the system, but the response is inchoate and not particularly clever.
Feb 2018
Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz
There isn’t much of a plot to stretch over 116 minutes, but there are enough cute moments of youthful angst and Kolkata chic to prevent a total washout.
Feb 2018
Pad Man
...the movie contains no astonishment or surprise. But in proceeding exactly as depicted by the trailer, Pad Man proves that sometimes, the message is far more important than the way in which it has been communicated.
Feb 2018
Kuldip Patwal
Kohli’s amateurish handling of the subject and inability to ensure a smoothly paced narrative ensure that the movie is a trudge from start to finish.
Feb 2018
Padmaavat
Although Padmaavat lacks the leap of imagination that is required to make the centuries-old story relevant for contemporary times, the movie coheres better than some of Bhansali’s previous efforts.
Jan 2018
My Birthday Song
...has just about enough meat for a short fictional film, but even that would have had to have better writing and less amateurish performances to leave traces.
Jan 2018
Vodka Diaries
The ones who have guessed the direction in which the plot is going will have all the time in the world to ponder over why the talented Menon agreed to be a part of such dross.
Jan 2018
Mukkabaaz
In trying to create a socially aware entertainer through Mukkabaaz, the director throws too many punches.
Jan 2018
Kaalakaandi
...Mumbai can be like after dark – unpredictable, dangerous, exciting and strangely fulfilling. Anything can happen, but unfortunately little does in Kaalakaandi.
Jan 2018
Tiger Zinda Hai
The explosive Khan-Kaif combination turns out to be a damp squib, undone by staggering ambition and matching incompetence.
Dec 2017
Monsoon Shootout
...the movie works perfectly as a neo-noir thriller set in a city where nothing goes according to plan. One moment has several scenarios in Monsoon Shootout, but the outcome – smart writing and direction – remains the same throughout.
Dec 2017
Fukrey Returns
Theoretically, a sequel offers up the opportunity to fix the flaws of part one and strengthen the story. In reality, this is unlikely to happen when your source material was unworthy of a follow up.
Dec 2017
Firangi
...is highly overstretched, and squanders its comic potential despite having a comedian as its hero.
Dec 2017
Kadvi Hawa
Panda creates a convincing world of genteel blight, packing in details of rural lives driven to ruin by the weather and an indifferent government. But the story is too sketchy even for its 99-minute running time.
Nov 2017