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Andhadhun
Missing the beginning, end and anything in the middle would then severely imperil what could be the most fun you’d have at the movies.
Oct 2018
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Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
There’s an innocence and transparency, a steadiness of tone and tenor, a perpetual energy and the delectable thread of whimsy that knits the film through and through.
Mar 2019
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Thappad
...writers Anubhav Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul do well in turning a solitary slap into larger exploration of male entitlement. They weave a dexterous but concise and economical narrative that, even while focusing on one woman’s life, turns it into the story about every woman. And every man.
Feb 2020
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Pink
...it’s good to have a film stating categorically, even if a trifle simplistically, that a no is a no is a no.
Sep 2016
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Sonchiriya
It’s an intricately woven script which strings many threads and themes together—crisply, economically with hardly a note out of place. The sure-footedness, self-assurance all adding to a deadly impact.
Mar 2019
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Queen
...a squarely mainstream film. Simplistic? Undemanding? Perhaps. But ultimately it is immensely warm and winsome, pressing just the right emotional buttons.
Mar 2014
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Jun 2012
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Chauranga
...is a lot more muted and quiet in its rage. But the thread of protest runs through it nonetheless...
Jan 2016
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Love Sex Aur Dhokha
...is remarkable in the way it experiments with the digicam to create a novel, audacious narrative.
Mar 2010
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Udta Punjab
...ultimately for me Udta Punjab is not about the story, the four main characters, their acting or the music even. It’s about relentless exposure to a gut-wrenching reality for 148 minutes that I am still trying to process.
Jun 2016
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Gully Boy
...it’s a classic, empathetic underdog story with a crowd pleasing, feel good finale about turning your imperfect reality into a long-cherished and impossible fantasy.
Feb 2019
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Raman Raghav 2.0
...is a taut thriller, full of energy and brimming over with tension.
Jun 2016
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Dangal
Even as the film touches a chord, it makes one compare and contrast it with other Indian sports films, and not glowingly at that.
Dec 2016
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Lipstick Under My Burkha
Shrivastava’s women are identifiable, their predicaments and problems are easy to relate to. What adds more conviction to the portrayals are the persuasive performances by all the ladies at the helm.
Jul 2017
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Qarib Qarib Singlle
...is a happy confluence of many things besides an absolutely entrancing, candid and un-self-conscious Khan who makes acting seem utterly easy and effortless.
Nov 2017
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Mulk
Instead of talking to the converted, director Anubhav Sinha manages to use the conventions and tools of mainstream cinema to go beyond the liberal echo chambers and try and reach out to the masses. That, in fact, could well prove to be Mulk’s biggest strength.
Aug 2018
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Kapoor & Sons
There is something very finely calibrated and nicely measured about the entire package that is Kapoor & Sons.
Mar 2016
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Ankhon Dekhi
...a film that moves, provokes, sets you thinking and questioning but doesn’t provide you any easy answers. But it does take you on an enriching journey within if you allow yourself to flow with its current.
Mar 2014
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Budhia Singh
...manages to break away from a whole lot of principle arcs and formulae even while remaining squarely within the conventions of a typical Indian sports film.
Aug 2016
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Raees
Quite like Big B’s Vijay, Raees is anti-establishment, an outlaw and also a Robin Hood figure...
Jan 2017
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Kashmakash
...the entire dubbing effort detracts from the nuances and feel, making the conversations seem affected and halting. I'd have preferred to see the original Bangla version with Hindi subtitles.
May 2011
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Poorna
Despite the low budget Poorna does a fair, if not extraordinary, job of bringing mountaineering on to the big screen.
Mar 2017
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Jul 2013
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No One Killed Jessica
Gupta has the onerous task of telling a story (Jessica Lall murder case) which most of his viewers would already know. Nonetheless, he manages to keep the familiar quite engaging.
Jan 2011
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The Lunchbox
Little deft touches, pitch perfect acting. A film that makes you smile through its sadness.
Sep 2013
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Sniff
The one complaint I had with Gupte’s previous outing, Stanley Ka Dabba, was that, like so many of our children’s films, it came with a message attached. Sniff is not weighed down by that. It’s the reason why I am happy with it, but many a righteous adult might end up considering it simplistic and slight.
Aug 2017
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Article 15
Sinha lays the onus of the societal transformation on the privileged. They have to alter the lopsided canvas.
Jun 2019
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Saand Ki Aankh
...the bad prosthetics do irk and irritate at the start, but slowly you begin to overlook the cakey make-up on the faces of Pednekar and Pannu and begin warming up to the place, its people, stories, struggles and, most of all, a matter-of-fact rustic sense of humour.
Oct 2019