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Shivaay
This film could've been one of the best-conceived action films in recent times, if only it could cut back on the melodrama, most dialogues and perhaps, Vir Das.
Oct 2016
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Sniff
That Gupte has the knack of weaving a mountain of a minuscule story is known and even here, while little happens, there's much mood and mayhem to keep you curious and interested through the proceedings.
Aug 2017
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Manjhi
A 124-minute film about a man trying to pull down a mountain could be like staring at a construction site while stuck in a traffic jam. But this one weaves in enough entertainment and thrill to be a lot more than that.
Aug 2015
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Ghayal Once Again
...if you're a Sunny Deol fanboy, this one ticks all: lung-tearing screams and crushing punches.
Feb 2016
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Budhia Singh
Despite being a film pegged on fighting over all odds, this one works not just as an inspirational watch, but for being an impression of the despicable state of affairs governing sports today.
Aug 2016
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Pari
Pari breaks away from typical Indian horrors even while it leans heavily on tested tropes...
Mar 2018
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Gold
Director Reema Kagti ticks all the boxes here but seems a bit afraid that the proceedings could spill over into forced patriotism.
Aug 2018
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Made In China
...inspire some giggles and the film makes for an interesting watch that also packs a relevant message.
Oct 2019
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Badrinath Ki Dulhania
...treading the fine line between preachy and peachy, this one keeps you intermittently entertained and interested in the proceedings, even while the shallow attempt at female empowerment seems a bit jaded.
Mar 2017
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Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
Director Shelly Chopra Dhar takes an anodyne approach in her narrative. It’s almost as if the pressure of how a lesbian love story would be received curbed her creativity and she picked the safer alternative at every turn.
Feb 2019
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Super 30
...delivers by excessively leaning on Hindi cinema’s oldest formula — detailing an underdog who strives to rise above his circumstances and even helps those less fortunate achieve ultimate glory.
Jul 2019
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A Gentleman
...this offering which packs in comedy, action and everything else, yet doesn't entirely fit into the 'masala' construct. Managing this is a feat in itself.
Aug 2017
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3 Storeys
...is a far cry from most mysteries and even while some of its turns and twists can be predicted, it manages to hold your interest and attention for a large part of the film. Something one can barely say of most films today.
Mar 2018
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Simmba
Shetty navigates a familiar ground here in this formula film mounted on a franchise that has proven its worth in box office gains. It’s not a film that will encourage one to rethink fundamental theories or alter societal thought, even though it aspires to be at one point. But it’s surely a masala entertainer that packs in laughs, drama, dishooms and a lot more
Dec 2018
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De De Pyaar De
Akiv Ali (director, editor) and Luv Ranjan (producer, writer, screenplay) know precisely what each scene in this film is supposed to do and score largely for the tropes they don’t introduce to this story. The build-up gets dangerously close to that tipping point from where one expects it to nose-dive, but it doesn’t.
May 2019
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Saand Ki Aankh
The story of these geriatric grannies who refuse to be determined by their circumstances, age or social barriers, and dare to stray beyond their defined perimeter to break through lends an inspiring narrative. In this regard, Saand Ki Aankh touches a necessary nerve.
Oct 2019
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Raees
SRK’s ardent fans have endured the actor’s terrible film choices for long. It’s about time they wake up and bite into the red chilly.
Jan 2017
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Judwaa 2
David Dhawan comedies scored for their nonsensical dialogue which would invariably rhyme without reason. But the lines here are alternately comic and cringe-worthy. That the veteran filmmaker hails from a period where little attention was paid to the final product, is also evident from the dated style in which this has been shot.
Sep 2017
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Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi
An issue with this one is that it sets up elaborate gags or even scenes which would be hilarious if fleshed out but then, there’s very little writing to fall back on.
Aug 2018
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Raag Desh
This one has a compelling story that allows one to look beyond semantics but half-heartedly fleshed out parallel tracks and jump cuts between the courtroom and the war zone, become much to bear.
Jul 2017
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Wazir
Chess is considered the most complex board game and one that provides mental stimulation; this film is neither complex nor stimulating. At best, it's a series of predictable ploys strung together with the backdrop of a revenge drama.
Jan 2016
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Udta Punjab
While the film wins for constructing jolting surprises, some of the performances are singularly unremarkable and the excessive and unnecessary violence is not exactly everyone's daily fix.
Jun 2016
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Rock On 2
...Shujaat Saudagar is fairly immersed in storytelling. But in the second half, the film nosedives like the film's lead, pouncing into the audience during a show.
Nov 2016
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Dhadak
Director Shashank Khaitan, who previously helmed Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, plays it safe with this Rajasthani runaway bride. Sticking to tested tropes, he barely reinvents the premise of the original.
Jul 2018
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Rustom
This one's worth a watch only for Akshay Kumar. But if you're looking for laughs, Esha Gupta could help too.
Aug 2016
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Behen Hogi Teri
It's easy to forsake this film as regressive and the society portrayed here as dated and disconnected from reality. But then, when have screwball comedies in Hindi cinema subscribed to being politically accurate or sensitive?
Jun 2017
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Welcome 2 Karachi
...isn't hilarious but has sparks of brilliance and is worth a watch.
May 2015
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Mubarakan
How many Arjun Kapoors are required to crack a comedy? Based on this film, clearly not enough.
Jul 2017
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Judgemental Hai Kya
It almost seems like writer Kanika Dhillon (Manmarziyaan, Kedarnath) invested more in layering her leads with assorted idiosyncrasies than in directing this story to a sharp fold. To construct outrageous sequences is brave, cinematic even. But to do so excessively just to hammer down a message that is apparent from the very first frame, is just tiring.
Jul 2019