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Tumbbad
An issue with Indian horrors has been lack of imagination. A treasure chest that offers a gateway into a goddess’ womb, a cursed undead whose heart beats even while the body has disintegrated and several such constructs cover this concern. Writers Mitesh Shah, Adesh Prasad, Anand Gandhi and Rahi Anil Barve (also the director), deserve due credit.
Oct 2018
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Airlift
...director Raja Krishna Menon takes on this challenge of turning a story known to all into a compelling watch and pens a nail-biting plot that will keep you fearful, hopeful and yet, unsure and uncomfortable.
Jan 2016
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Sultan
He (Ali Abbas Zafar) builds the muscled monolith's narrative effectively to garner empathy for his turbulent journey.
Jul 2016
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Sep 2017
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Island City
Writer-director Ruchika Oberoi's Fedora prize at last year's Venice Film Festival for Island City is well-deserved. Her approach to storytelling could be variously inspired by many, but she delivers on the style and format to make this a compelling watch.
Sep 2016
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Mom
Debutant director Ravi Udyawar brings his advertising sensibilities to cinema to ensure every scene is precise.
Jul 2017
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Qarib Qarib Singlle
Tanuja Chandra ensures the proceedings are swift and plants turns in strategic points in the film which lift the mood just when things begin to look south.
Nov 2017
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Toilet
A propaganda or not, this one's watchable only for Akshay Kumar and his ability to hold it together.
Aug 2017
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Tiger Zinda Hai
Director Ali Abbas Zafar who got Khan to ditch his effortless stardom and sink into the mind and body of a Haryanvi wrestler in Sultan, is sharp and effective in assembling this war thriller, while also packing in sufficient masala for the Indian palette.
Dec 2017
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Following her impressive directorial debut in Nil Battey Sannata, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari approaches this romcom with the heart of a Sai Paranjpye and the wit of a David Dhawan. But the money here lies in the writing and Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari conveys even the mundane in a manner to evoke delight.
Aug 2017
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Hindi Medium
Director Saket Chaudhary deserves credit for putting together this comedy without making light of the subject itself.
May 2017
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Mukti Bhawan
Those hopeful for a rib-tickling comedy will be disappointed. This one is sharp, subtle and subliminally draws humour from misery.
Apr 2017
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Chhichhore
The devil surely is in Tiwari’s sharp dialogues that ensure the film is consistently breezy and even in the sentimental scenes, the message is dropped without sounding too preachy. That said, the film tends to sag a bit in the second half before managing to redeem itself before the climax.
Sep 2019
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Tanhaji
With filmmakers scrambling to convert historical accounts into big-screen spectacles, this one makes for a deserving tribute to a warrior who slipped through the cracks of history and arguably, was eclipsed by the Maharaj he represented.
Jan 2020
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Newton
Director Amit Masurkar packs in humour, tension and even adventure, in this political satire that despite being largely uneventful, keeps one interested and concerned about the proceedings on the screen.
Sep 2017
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Section 375
...this film dares to delve into the unchartered territory of convictions that disregard some of the equations pertaining to the case. If these often-ignored connections were to be highlighted, they may not undermine the heinous act but would surely put things in a new perspective.
Sep 2019
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Chhapaak
While this story lacks that tension, the horrific episodes of assault pack the proceedings with sufficient dread to leave one singularly disturbed.
Jan 2020
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Lipstick Under My Burkha
The film explores India's twisted relationship with intercourse. Patriarchy defines it as a male need delivered by a female who can barely voice whether the act evokes pain or pleasure. And it is this voice that the film deliberates while referring to 'sapne' and how Indian women can't dare to see them.
Jul 2017
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Sanju
Unsurprisingly, this one effectively carves him as a victim of circumstance, an addict of compulsion and as someone who was wronged by media reports and the public at large. But it also evens it out by presenting the actor as an unreliable boyfriend, a failure-of-a-son and a washed up actor who was notoriously unprofessional.
Jun 2018
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Fan
If you're an SRK fan, you don't care for approval. But even if you aren't, this one's a thrilling watch.
Apr 2016
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Kadvi Hawa
Films on how humans consistently pickle the environment tend to get too academic to hold one's attention or interest. Which is why a film such as Kadvi Hawa delivers the goods effectively and precisely without hammering it down.
Nov 2017
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May 2018
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Yeh Saali Aashiqui
...touches this necessary nerve, even if it may be a bit too dramatic in execution.
Nov 2019
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Bajirao Mastani
...the cinematic liberties that Bhansali takes to colour the Maratha warrior and his controversial choice of partner, makes this an intense drama with distractingly sharp photography.
Dec 2015
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TE3N
...Dasgupta is committed in manipulating precisely what the audience notices, assumes and predicts from what plays out on the screen.
Jun 2016
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Begum Jaan
Borrowing the tropes of saas bahu soaps, this one includes frequent close-ups and dramatic dialogues, intensified with gimmicks such as a sudden gust of wind blowing through them locks or a situational turn in the weather.
Apr 2017
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Hamid
...details Kashmiri cultural ceremonies and presents the Valley through the eyes of a local — something only a few filmmakers who’ve shot in the region have managed. But it also successfully manages to subliminally highlight the local sentiment without turning into a political statement — which is its biggest victory.
Mar 2019
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Uri
...if the film delved a little more into strategy and emotions, it could’ve been more inclusive, if not a more intense watch. Not the chest-beating JP Dutta-type jingoism, but just a dash on what drives these brave men would’ve gone a long way.
Jan 2019
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India‘s Most Wanted
Given the compelling material to work with at hand, this could’ve rendered a cracking, edge-of-the-seat watch. But predictable turns and lack of cinematic liberties fail to infuse the film with much-required tension.
May 2019