An archive of Hindi movie reviews and ratings from 2010 to 2020.

Critic reviews and ratings

  • Meghna Gulzar documents Chhapaak's grim reality barefacedly without losing sight of its character's quiet determination to fight the reasons that make such heinous crimes possible in the first place.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...painfully confronts a devastating truth and it’s heartfelt throughout. Deepika Padukone anchors this incredibly courageous, soul stirringly uplifting & beautiful story of life and hope that stays with you.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...a beautiful, beautifully made film.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...Padukone's under-stated presence more than matches this picture's intention, as the film flits between a court-room drama, and anecdotal storytelling.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...subtly puts a lot of such debates into perspective. We should be proud of it. As we are, of Padukone fronting and backing it, of course.

    79

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is a sensitive film with a delicate, yet powerful, handling of a heinous crime against women, and an important story that needs to be heard.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • You look at Padukone, so far away from the dressed-up, made-up parts she’s done till now, and acknowledge an actor who wants to break out of her safe zone, to actually inhabit someone else’s skin even if it’s burnt. Yes, it’s worthy, but it’s also very watchable.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is a story that makes you sob and smile at the same time. It’s a sensitive, brave and gut-wrenching story that’s not easy to watch, but definitely worth telling.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • With another mature, cause-based film in her kitty, Meghna Gulzar has once again shown it's possible to marry art with mart.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • While this story lacks that tension, the horrific episodes of assault pack the proceedings with sufficient dread to leave one singularly disturbed.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • The extra effort to not make it exploitative is evident. The audience is guided to follow the victims’ lead—be with what is and what can be, rather than what has been. In the process, the film misses out on becoming an immersive experience, and we get a breezy film on a weighty topic.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...treads a fine line between hope and despair.

    69

    Critic rating (?)

  • Its strength is in its quietude. It goes about its business with minimal fuss. The film is both moving and important. And its leading lady is in very fine form.

    69

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  • ...has several parts that are delicately crafted. But the aggregation of the elements that constitute film does not somehow yield something greater than the sum of the parts. Nonetheless the parts that work do make Chhapaak essential viewing.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...may fall short to an incredible experience, but it will certainly leave you agitated, more aware and strangely hopeful. And that's a mission accomplished.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • Watch it for the beautiful and gut-wrenching combination of Deepika and Meghna.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • It’s this sparseness, minimalism and austerity in the telling and an essential quietude that lend Chhapaak an emotional force of its own though some may end up finding it measured to a fault.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is needlessly uneven and sluggish at times, but it’s most powerful when it keeps things simple and stays on course.

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • This isn’t the angry film I thought it would be. It is, surprisingly, filled with laughter and hope...

    59

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...is a brave attempt at highlighting an issue and the crime that exists in our society. At the box office, it will have a difficult journey since it is not a commercial entertainer.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...means well, no doubt, but the screenplay is surprisingly thin – surprising because of Meghna’s brilliance with Raazi and Talvar. Combine that with plotline weaknesses, an excessive effort to stay low key and the unexpected shot at being a conformist fairytale in the end, and the result is a film that seems curiously detached from its heroine, despite the devastating true story that inspired it.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • Padukone's quiet portrayal of Malti’s determination is moving, but I missed the poetic flourishes of Talvar and Raazi, and the little cameos that enlivened those films.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...hovers dangerously close to becoming a public service announcement. The messaging becomes bigger than the movie, which reduces the impact.

    49

    Critic rating (?)

  • ...the emotional resonance, moments of poignancy, that you expect from a Meghna Gulzar film, are missing. What is left is an uneven movie.

    39

    Critic rating (?)

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