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Khoobsurat
Sadly, Shashanka displays none of the eccentric creativity that we saw in his earlier films, though he does create moments of charm.
Sep 2014
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Break Ke Baad
I'm officially instituting the two and three- quarter star rating on our show. This is for films, which show promise and sparkle but eventually don't deliver the goods.
Nov 2010
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Shamitabh
...a lovingly crafted film that doesn’t quite pan out. Which is a shame, because there is much to savour here.
Feb 2015
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Toilet
I must repeat that it’s refreshing to see Hindi cinema tackle such challenging subjects. But a film has to work as a film. This one does, in fits and starts.
Aug 2017
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Rock On 2
So there are elements that you will enjoy, but the film is felled by the undercooked writing.
Nov 2016
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Aakrosh
...has moments of power but most of these are copied, some even down to the dialogue.
Oct 2010
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The Attacks Of 26/11
...a powerful subject watered down by ineffective story-telling. This could have and should have been so much more.
Mar 2013
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Daawat-e-Ishq
...is the equivalent of an elaborate meal that begins with a mouth-watering appetiser but slowly loses flavour, aroma and deliciousness, so that by the time you reach dessert, you are exhausted, disappointed and badly in need of fresh air.
Sep 2014
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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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Pyaar Ka Punchnama
The plot is inert and the dialogue, vacuous. The film feels like it's in slow-motion. Nothing much happens for a very long time.
May 2011
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Ragini MMS - 2
The problem is that the characters are such insipid, low-IQ cretins that you are hoping that the murderous chudail gets them soon. The writing is so sloppy that eventually it becomes unintentionally funny.
Mar 2014
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Daas Dev
...is meant to be a study of power and what happens to those who lust for it. It’s a solid idea lost in execution.
Apr 2018
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Luka Chuppi
The writing by Rohan Shankar is consistently feeble. Scenes are stretched endlessly and the humour is limp.
Mar 2019
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Khiladi 786
Box office figures suggest that many people enjoy this school of cheerfully moronic cinema, but Khiladi 786 really isn’t my idea of a good time.
Dec 2012
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Jun 2015
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Force 2
John powers through all of this armed with his jaw-dropping muscles, limited acting skills and a ferocious sincerity. Sadly, sincerity is never enough.
Nov 2016
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Student Of The Year 2
You signed up for a fantasy and that’s precisely what director Punit Malhotra is providing. What you can complain about is the poor writing.
May 2019
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Toh Baat Pakki
...feels like eating left-overs that have been reheated too many times. It’s not very appetizing.
Feb 2010
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Jun 2012
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Aladin
Aladin, directed by Sujoy Ghosh, is a reworking of a beloved children’s story but it’s so convoluted that you can barely follow who is doing what to whom and why.
Nov 2009
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Tum Milo Toh Sahi
...the attempt here was a bitter-sweet love letter to Mumbai and its people but the film is fatally undone by the clumsy writing. The screenplay is static and the dialogue, superbly low IQ.
Apr 2010
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Ready
...made me laugh sporadically but beyond a point I could almost feel my brain cells shrinking and exhaustion setting in, one joke at a time.
Jun 2011
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Heroine
At one point in Heroine, a character asks: Iss glamour industry mein kaun fraud nahin hota. This film certainly is one.
Sep 2012
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Satyagraha
If good intentions were enough to make good movies, Satyagraha would be a masterpiece.
Sep 2013
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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
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Raat Gayi Baat Gayi
...pitched as a romantic comedy but is neither very funny nor very romantic.
Jan 2010
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Bharat
I know nothing about Korean history but by the end of Ode To My Father, I was weeping like a baby. The film is a masterclass in melodrama. In comparison, Bharat is bloated and inconsistent.
Jun 2019
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One By Two
The story by writer-director Devika Bhagat isn’t half-bad but these characters whine too much to be interesting company.
Feb 2014
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Happy New Year
I have a very high tolerance level for anything Shah Rukh is in, and yet Happy New Year was a slog.
Oct 2014