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Manmarziyaan
Like love, this film is messy and flawed and glorious. You have to sign up for all of it.
Sep 2018
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Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
...a slow-cooked feast. It simmers and thickens and leisurely acquires a rich and long-lasting flavour. The film requires patience. You will have to indulge director Dibakar Banerjee as he indulges himself.
Apr 2015
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Cocktail
He (Imtiaz Ali) creates a love triangle that references Archie's comics, the 1980s television show Three's Company and the oeuvre of Aditya Chopra-Karan Johar (foreign locales, decadent Western lifestyle, superior Indian values) and yet feels new.
Jul 2012
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Phobia
...is satisfying and fun — both words you don’t get to use often with Hindi horror films.
May 2016
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Lipstick Under My Burkha
...has clumsy spots and contradictions. But there are moments here that you’ve probably never seen in a Hindi film.
Jul 2017
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Dekh Tamasha Dekh
...a combination of farcical, funny and depressing. How many movies can you say that for?
Apr 2014
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Queen
Ultimately Queen is Kangana’s triumph. I left the theatre thinking about Rani and how the rest of her life would pan out. It’s not often you do that with a Bollywood character. This one is special.
Mar 2014
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Mar 2012
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Robot
...is exhausting. You won’t have much energy left when it’s done. But this roller-coaster ride should be experienced.
Oct 2010
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Andhadhun
With precision and control, Sriram constructs a theatre of the absurd. The surroundings – high-rises, leafy streets and old houses in Pune – seem perfectly normal but what’s happening inside is deliciously twisted. There’s murder, betrayal, sex and a mountain of lies. In short, you can’t look away.
Oct 2018
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Raanjhanaa
...despite these flaws, I’m recommending that you see it. Especially for Dhanush who proves that eventually looks don’t matter. Neither does size. All that towers is talent.
Jun 2013
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Ishqiya
I know its only January but I think its safe to say that Ishqiya is the most crackling film you’ll see this year. It’s feisty and sly and very, very sexy.
Jan 2010
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Love Sex Aur Dhokha
...the film is a worthy experiment created by one of Bollywood’s most imaginative and original directors. Let me warn you that it is a polarizing film. You’re going to either love it or you’re going to hate it.
Mar 2010
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Shahid
Shahid is Raj Kumar’s triumph. His Shahid has strength, anguish and a controlled anger, but also real charm. His smile lights up the frame. See Shahid for him.
Oct 2013
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Stree
Director Amar Kaushik and writers Krishna D.K. and Raj Nidimoru create a horror-comedy, which turns out to be subversive commentary on the position and treatment of women in India. It’s clever and very funny.
Aug 2018
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Stanley Ka Dabba
...has an inherent sweetness and honesty that will stay with you long after the film is over.
May 2011
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Dil Dhadakne Do
So be prepared to get restless in the first hour, but once Dil Dhadakne Do gathers momentum, it will force you to care about this frustrating, flawed family.
Jun 2015
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Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar
Dibakar and Varun orchestrate a masterful takedown of Indian masculinity and capitalist greed and corruption.
Mar 2021
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Barfi!
...for me, Barfi was a singularly frustrating experience there was so much to like, but the film never became more than the sum of its parts.
Sep 2012
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Aug 2016
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
There is little here that will stay with you but while it lasts, you’ll have a smile on your face. And that’s exactly what this amiable film is designed to do.
Aug 2017
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Rocket Singh
...never becomes more than the sum of its parts but still I recommend that you make time for it. Just be prepared to be patient.
Dec 2009
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Dhobi Ghat
...is an acquired taste. Either the film will sink into your skin like a slow ache or it will be bewildering and downright boring.
Jan 2011
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Citylights
...is persuasive. And it will hit you harder if you haven’t seen the original.
May 2014
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Ittefaq
The best thrillers are those that can stand up to scrutiny. In these films, when you go back, post-reveal, and question what you saw, the premise still holds. Ittefaq doesn’t manage that. But it has enough verve and smarts to keep you hooked.
Nov 2017