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Baaghi 2
...is an improvement on the generic Tiger action movie. At least the action is grounded in some emotion.
Mar 2018
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Hichki
...is a genuinely earnest film made with heart. But it doesn’t take enough risks and consequently doesn’t touch a raw nerve in the way that Taare Zameen Par did. But it’s always nice to see a talented actress with all guns blazing.
Mar 2018
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Raid
...aims for a gritty realism but the characters are painted in broad strokes. Eventually the punch is predictable but after a few stumbles, it does land.
Mar 2018
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3 Storeys
This isn’t a film that lacks ambition but it never becomes one that is essential.
Mar 2018
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Pari
...asks the big question – are human beings in fact the biggest monsters? I say the biggest horror is a lame script.
Mar 2018
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Welcome to New York
...this incoherent mess of a film plays out more like an extended skit or a school play.
Feb 2018
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Feb 2018
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Feb 2018
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Pad Man
...a superman without the cape, is a memorable character. Like the real Pad Man, Lakshmi is self-deprecating and very funny – especially in the climactic speech at the United Nations. I wish the film matched his sparkle.
Feb 2018
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Padmaavat
I’m an admirer of Sanjay’s passion and rigour, of his operatic sensibility and his commitment to creating epics. He isn’t subtle but he always plays for broke. To steal a line from the poet Robert Browning – Sanjay’s reach always exceeds his grasp. That’s what a heaven’s for. This time he doesn’t quite get there.
Jan 2018
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Vodka Diaries
...a film so preposterous that within a few minutes I started to feel a little embarrassed for the actors on-screen.
Jan 2018
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Mukkabaaz
...is also a scathing critique of corruption in Indian sport, of the caste system, which keeps worthy men in chains and of extremists who spread mayhem under the cloak of religion. It’s a love story and a sports underdog story, which in the second half transforms into a suspenseful revenge drama. It’s a lot to weave together and ultimately Mukkabaaz becomes as exhausting as it is energizing.
Jan 2018
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Kaalakaandi
But the psychedelic, anything-goes vibe is hard to sustain and energy levels take a definite dip in the second half. I felt like Akshat has bunged in twists so he can wrap up the narrative strands.
Jan 2018
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Tiger Zinda Hai
...is flat out exhausting. The story is much too long and convoluted. The frame is filled with characters but apart from Tiger, none of them make an impact. And for me, the weakest link is that there is nothing that moors you emotionally.
Dec 2017
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Monsoon Shootout
The scenario might be new but the set-up and visuals we’ve seen before – the mean streets of Mumbai, killers, cops, slumlords, brothels, blood.
Dec 2017
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Dec 2017
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Ajji
In some scenes, it feels like the director is almost reveling in your discomfort. The bleakness snuffs out the humanity of these characters. The ugliness is so unrelenting that you begin to ask, why am I subjecting myself to this.
Nov 2017
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Nov 2017
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Ribbon
The problem with Ribbon is that debutante director Rakhee Sandilya doesn’t provide any new insights.
Nov 2017
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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
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Chef
...the film is too bumpy to leave you satiated. But it is a pleasant enough diversion.
Oct 2017
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Sep 2017
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Haseena Parkar
In the hands of director Apoorva Lakhia, writer Suresh Nair and actor Shraddha Kapoor, this material becomes the stuff of unintentional comedy.
Sep 2017
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Simran
...is a brilliant performance trapped in a sloppy screenplay - ironical given the headline-hogging, fall-out between writer Apurva Asrani and Kangana Ranaut over writing credits. Actually, the writing is the weakest part of the film.
Sep 2017
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Baadshaho
If you are willing to buy into the ridiculous premise, the first half has moments of fun but in the second, Baadshaho becomes like a flat comic book.
Sep 2017
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A Gentleman
...despite the clunky plotting, A Gentleman never becomes a crashing bore. Credit must go to Sidharth Malhotra, who is in almost every frame.
Aug 2017
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
...has sparks of originality but they get buried in a convoluted story that is tired and tiring.
Aug 2017