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Madaari
...is saved to large extent by its eponymous lead Irrfan Khan, who manages a striking performance, despite the predictable storyline.
Jul 2016
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Machine
With a filmography jam-packed with adaptations, why director duo Abbas-Mustan lose the plot here, is perhaps because there was no source material to go back to. If there was, it was surely not worthy of a remake.
Mar 2017
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Maatr
This may not be as edgy or dark as NH10, but packs in the same amount of trauma.
Apr 2017
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M.S. Dhoni
While this would qualify as an average watch, in a cricket-crazed nation like ours, this hagiographic tribute serves as the highlights of an iconic match — packed with best shots, wickets and commentary to match.
Sep 2016
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Lupt
Hindi films featuring aatmas and pretaatmas have forever stuck to a clichéd construct — creaky chairs, flickering bulbs, plastic dolls that bleed from their frozen eyes and a symphonic crescendo that culminates in a chalk-faced apparition appearing with a jolt. Lupt is hardly any different...
Nov 2018
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Mar 2019
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Sep 2017
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LoveYatri
...Hindi cinema has evolved and a happily-ever-after following a series of misadventures and misunderstandings is a jaded construct most don’t warm up to anymore.
Oct 2018
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Feb 2016
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Love Sonia
In his directorial debut, Tabrez Noorani is so consumed in narrating the dangerous reality of survivors of sex trafficking that he ignores the fact that he has to also engage audiences with his characters — for them to actually feel their plight.
Sep 2018
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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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Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laddoo Deewana
But it’s not just the plot, even the execution is below average and the cinematography leaves much to be desired.
Apr 2017
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Laal Kaptaan
It’s debatable whether this story could be told in a more compelling manner or not. But it’s surely one that didn’t warrant the runtime (155 minutes) and the action scenes could’ve used some aesthetic flourishes.
Oct 2019
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Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3
...a series of juvenile jokes, mostly dated, fried in fresh batter, with the better ones given away in the trailer.
Jan 2016
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Kuldip Patwal
This is a whodunit in a way as you want to know who should be pinned for this tedious watch.
Feb 2018
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Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz
The film’s story has barely much to offer but Onir carefully crafts emotionally-charged sequences that keep you interested and curious about the proceedings — even while the end is predictable.
Feb 2018
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Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon
This film is reminiscent of the goofball comedies that worked in the 90s. The dialogues may not be rib-ticklers but the tone and interpretation of a situation could earn a chuckle or two.
Sep 2015
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Ki & Ka
When R Balki made his foray into Hindi films in 2007, he had an unadulterated approach to the medium. That vision seems to have, over time, become too formulaic and fails to garner more than half a chuckle.
Apr 2016
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Khandaani Shafakhana
Debutante filmmaker Shilpi Dasgupta needed a nudge in the right direction to get all the pieces to fit and to tie the loose ends.
Aug 2019
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Khajoor Pe Atke
Enough fodder for a black comedy? Perhaps, but this one goes a bit overboard, and the practical humour they hoped to conjure seems only too laboured.
May 2018
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Kesari
Apart from delivering as an inspiring tale of unparalleled bravery, it also drops subtle hints on the early cracks that eventually went on to corrode the colonial rule.
Mar 2019
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Kedarnath
The jaded construct of throwing two people from diametrically different worlds and hoping they’d be drawn if not fascinated by the other’s niceties may have worked from Jab Jab Phool Khile to Raja Hindustani but in 2018, it doesn’t cut it.
Dec 2018
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Kaun Kitney Paani Mein
With time one forgets where this film was supposed to head and wraps up with a predictable end. It labourously and repeatedly drills home each point till one exits the screen.
Aug 2015
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Katti Batti
An obvious flaw would be his (Nikhil Advani) inability to tell an endearing love story that's remotely relatable.
Sep 2015
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Karwaan
This one can be summarised with a dialogue from the film which rings true for the overall mood it manages to evoke — “Aaj ke zamaane mein ‘not bad’ bhi badi baat hain.”
Aug 2018
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Kapoor & Sons
Director Shakun Batra has matured from a filmmaker solely capable of romcoms to one who can infuse depth into characters and script relationships in all its verity.
Mar 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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Kabir Singh
Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga barely alters his original script to localise this Telugu import. While most lines seem verbatim translations, some of the rage seems to have been diluted for a more universal appeal. In any case, snipping off 40 minutes from the runtime would’ve surely helped.
Jun 2019