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Shanghai
...demands some patience … this is not one of those films that sucks you in right from the first scene. It takes its time to draw you in. When it does though, the sadness is inescapable.
Jun 2012
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Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns
It’s such a joy to be able to say this in a Bollywood that rarely makes good sequels … Saheb Biwi aur Gangster was a fun political thriller; SBAG Returns is even better.
Mar 2013
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Pagglait
Sad, sweet and funny by turns, it is a special film about a woman redefining happily-ever-after and about a death breathing life into the one left behind.
Mar 2021
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Island City
Ruchika Oberoi’s understated style, on-point writing and sense of humour are significant new additions to the Indian cinemascape. Island City is a sorrowful yet amusing, acutely observant film.
Sep 2016
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Sixteen
...don’t go looking for a massive epic and what you’ll get is what it is: NOT a nostalgia ride harking back to your own youth, but a realistic slice of urban, upper-crust teenaged life as it is today.
Jul 2013
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Pizza
I was scared witless in the first half of Pizza. The second half slows down, but it still had me hooked.
Jul 2014
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Mar 2013
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Masaan
There can be no greater measure of the effectiveness of a film than that the dreams of its characters become ours, their heartbreaks become our heartbreaks, their joys our very own. That is the kind of film sweet little Masaan is.
Jul 2015
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Feb 2013
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AK vs AK
...is unusual, fun although it dips, breezy despite the grimness that takes over as it rolls along, and such an unexpected Christmas gift from Bollywood.
Dec 2020
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May 2016
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Maximum
Maximum needed a more imaginative title. That single word does little to convey the quiet grimness of this violent-yet-mellow film that has stayed with me since I saw it.
Jun 2012
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Sep 2017
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Kedarnath
This is the natural order of things, the way the world was meant to be: men and women falling in love without social interference, humankind co-existing with the rest of the planet without interfering with the environment in the name of development and human welfare, so that no one gets to ask, “where did you land up in our midst?” because you see, we were all “always here”. Point well made, Abhishek Kapoor.
Dec 2018
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Dangal
...may be confusingly cautious around popular notions on the parental front, but in the matter of sporting achievement it does not mince words: silver is second best, it tells us unequivocally, and there is nothing wrong in aiming for gold.
Dec 2016
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Phata Poster Nikhla Hero
It’s sweet, funny and goofy, a good ol’ clean comedy from Bollywood after a long time.
Sep 2013
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Saala Khadoos
As with most such films, the final outcome in the ring is not hard to predict here. The journey to that moment though is emotionally engaging and, after a point, nerve-wracking enough to draw cheers of delight.
Feb 2016
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Nov 2015
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Sui Dhaaga
...so rewarding, so amusing, so steeped in tenderness, affection for the characters and positivity that it makes the ride with Mamta, Mauji and their charmingly eccentric family and friends completely worth it.
Sep 2018
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Kaagaz
...is an enjoyable and important film, held together by its largely assured direction and by Tripathi, one of contemporary Bollywood’s finest actors.
Jan 2021
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Zed Plus
Dwivedi is best known for the mega-teleserial Chanakya and the National Award-winning film Pinjar. Despite some rough patches, Zed Plus is a worthy addition to that formidable CV.
Nov 2014
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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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Dec 2015
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Fan
...is far from being perfect, it urges us to think about issues relating to stardom, fandom, idolatry and public expectations from famous people without overtly appearing to do so.
Apr 2016
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Dhanak
There’s a whole constellation twinkling at us off screen from this warmly appealing, life-affirming film.
Jun 2016
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Raag Desh
If you plan to watch it, do not go looking for Border or LOC Kargil. This one is more akin to Sankalp Reddy’s Telugu/Hindi The Ghazi Attack (2017), albeit even more under-played and also less swish on the production front. Raag Desh is a docu-drama, not a high-pitched weepie.
Aug 2017
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Pari
The fact that the star has chosen to produce this shockathon (she is one of the few female actors in Bollywood to turn producer) speaks volumes about the risk-taking streak she has brought to her career so far.
Mar 2018
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Bajirao Mastani
Despite its shortcomings then, this is a brave and beautiful film – beautiful to look at, beautiful in its position on religion, brave in its take on history, brave in its unwillingness to paint religious groups or its primary characters as black or white.
Dec 2015