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Malang
The film is unintentionally funny at points, mildly clever in its second-half and there is a hint of pertinent discussion about encounters and justice within the system but all that is eclipsed by the multitude inane reasoning in the film, that gives you neither sukoon nor mazaa.
Feb 2020
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Shikara
Containing the narrative to a ‘human and personal’ experience, the filmmaker buries politics under the garb of ‘love and hope’
Feb 2020
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Shimla Mirchi
...with its over-the-top narrative clichés, would still be counted among the most avoidable films, even if it were to release in the 90s.
Jan 2020
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Bala
While nailing the finer and linguistic details, Ayushmann Khurrana’s latest falls into the old traps of predictable character arcs, shallow ‘woke’ arguments and didactic climax
Nov 2019
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The Sky Is Pink
It’s such a pity that the film has a powerful true story as its source material, yet its sole obsession is to make you either laugh or cry. The Sky Is Pink is perhaps better off titled, ‘Sometimes Happy Sometimes Sad’.
Oct 2019
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Dream Girl
Ayushmann Khurrana’s knack for social satire is marred by a script and aesthetics more suitable for television than cinema
Sep 2019
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Section 375
The film not only provides validation to all those dismissing sexual harassment cases as having ulterior motives but also does great disservice to women, who have only recently had the courage to risk social stigma and share their stories with the world.
Sep 2019
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India‘s Most Wanted
If the argument is in favour of providing a thrilling experience, the film doesn’t deliver in that department either. There is restraint and there’s boredom — this one falls under the latter.
May 2019
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De De Pyaar De
The film’s craft adds to its staleness and anachronistic feel. As much as the film wants to be an iconoclast, it reinstates the same conservatism it pretends to take down.
May 2019
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Hum Chaar
Despite the millennial setting and characters, Hum Chaar feels oddly anachronistic.
Feb 2019
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Evening Shadows
The intentions may be well-placed but the outcome is a series of loud and tired cliches, which permeate the film so deeply that the subject of homosexuality appears to be the only “original” aspect of it.
Jan 2019
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Helicopter Eela
...is a loud, tone-deaf mother-son coming-of-age saga that lacks insights and observational humour.
Oct 2018
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Pataakha
...has everything that makes it a perfect fit in Vishal Bhardwaj’s oeuvre: literary adaptation, feisty women, rustic hinterland, unapologetic use of dialect and free-flowing gaalis. Yet, the film doesn’t feel contrived or formulaic.
Sep 2018
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Love Sonia
Granted that it is based on true events and the filmmaker can plead allegiance to reality, but what is the purpose of a film on human suffering that limits itself to a series of headline-grabbing incidents?
Sep 2018
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Paltan
J.P. Dutta’s brand of war films has a set recipe: take a stale base of background stories, layer it with some moments of valour, sprinkle some sappy songs and toss it all up with a healthy serving of heavy-duty dialogues.
Sep 2018
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Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3
The film is a thriller crafted as a drama, which dilutes its pace and rhythm. Whatever little momentum the thriller aspect of this film creates, is washed out by the lacklustre drama that constantly interjects the narrative.
Jul 2018
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Dhadak
Universally, teenage love is rebellious, radical and effective because of its tenderness. That sense of fragility is missing in Dhadak’s narrative. Instead, there’s a feeling of artificiality to their romance...
Jul 2018
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Parmanu
...has all the ingredients to be a propaganda film – from “desh ke liye shaheed (martyred for the nation)” dialogues to caricaturish portrayal of the enemy (American CIA and Pakistani ISI) to obscurantism and oversimplification of a complex mission.
May 2018
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Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain
The subject could have been relatable to a wide Indian audience who are bound in an arranged marriage, but Mishra is neither convincingly awkward as a repentant husband nor staunchly belligerent as a patriarchal one.
May 2018
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Khajoor Pe Atke
Underneath the amateurish execution, sentimentality and clichés, lies an enjoyable fare best relished for the comic timing of its actors.
May 2018
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Raazi
There’s a lot going for Raazi yet there’s a nagging lack of novelty — whether it is the film’s plot, message or Bhatt’s ability to cry.
May 2018
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A Gentleman
It wants to be a plush action drama, but evidently lacks resources, so settles at being a haphazardly shot ambitious film.
Aug 2017
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Mubarakan
If you survive the visual overload of mediocrity, the booming background music playing throughout will leave you with tintinnabulations of dhol, even long after the film is over, constantly reminding you of the torture you’ve endured.
Jul 2017
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Indu Sarkar
If the film is Bhandarkar’s effort to cash in on the nationalist wave of the current times, it surely will bag some brownie points from the current government.
Jul 2017
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Raag Desh
...the tension, excitement and exhilaration in a story so potent is diluted by a choppy narrative that is reminiscent of a soporific history class.
Jul 2017
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Munna Michael
The makers may walk home with money, Shroff with more fame, but the audience will return with a message that you could get away anything as long as it is cloaked in song and dance.
Jul 2017
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Shab
The filmmaker embellishes Shab with generous dollops of mainstream Bollywood grammar, while you keep wishing he breaks free and implements a restrained approach, like with his earlier works. But what you end up with instead is a farrago of unrealised ideas, where no particular story shines through.
Jul 2017
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May 2017
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Hindi Medium
Despite a promising funny start, Hindi Medium eventually dwindles into an absurd progression of preachings.
May 2017