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Dhanak
...one stayed invested and smiled along only because of the adorable actors with Bollywood references adding to the cute appeal. But it needed a lot else.
Jun 2016
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Mom
Three months ago, we saw Raveena Tandon trudge the same course in Maatr. The shadow of that film hangs too heavy on Mom. Not only are the titles similar, the films themselves seem like identical twins, with Mom turning out to be the relatively better made of the two. But, only slightly so.
Jul 2017
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Stree
Between scares, laughs and trying to be feminist, the film does tend to get unwieldy and spreads itself too thin. The three elements play out inconsistently. But on the good side, as in some of the recent Bollywood films, Stree has a quaint sense of place, eccentric characters, a few madcap sequences and some sharply written, consciously irreverent lines to keep one engaged.
Aug 2018
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No Fathers In Kashmir
Kumar comes with a solid background in documentary filmmaking and has sound grounding in the politics of the State (Inshallah, Football and Inshallah, Kashmir), the reason one would have expected a far more searing and incisive account in the film than what one eventually gets to watch.
Apr 2019
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Ribbon
Despite an evident lack of flourishes and drama; a straight, linear narrative; no major ups and downs, nor sideways swings and an unadorned style Ribbon manages to engage.
Nov 2017
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Barfi!
Much too crafted and self-consciously gorgeous; feels eminently facile and plastic—tries way too hard to please.
Sep 2012
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Sulemani Keeda
An in-group Versova film that needed more to say hello to the world? Yet another variation of Luck By Chance, albeit from the margins?
Dec 2014
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Jagga Jasoos
The Broadway musical format does give Jagga Jasoos some captivating moments but they don’t quite add up to an entertaining film.
Jul 2017
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Tanhaji
Little then to get excited about yet another Hindi film that aims to make Indians proud of who we are by taking us back to the past, right to the end of the 17th century, when we used to be the “sone ki chidiya”, till “baahari taaqat” (the foreign invaders) came and split us apart.
Jan 2020
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The Japanese Wife
...is engaging and emotive only in parts and not profound enough to linger on in your mind.
Apr 2010
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Feb 2016
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Dil Dhadakne Do
The instant connect of a Honeymoon Travels Private Limited, however, goes amiss.
Jun 2015
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Zubaan
...is a film that you stay with till the end even as you rue that it could have been so much better.
Mar 2016
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3 Storeys
Intrigue, trickery, unpredictability and a sting in the tail. Yet this compendium of stories refuses to fly.
Mar 2018
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Gippi
...soon the designer exterior, in which the real emotions are ensconced, begins to get overbearing and irritating.
May 2013
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Sanju
Ultimately, the film is not as much about the flaws in the hero as about him being wronged by the media which is yet a convenient villain.
Jun 2018
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Sultan
Wish there was more time and complexity given to Aarfa and her relationship with Sultan. You can sense the gloomy, bleak, problematic layers in it but the film refuses plumb the depths of it. Then it wouldn’t have remained a bhai film.
Jul 2016
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My Birthday Song
Some spit and polish and this could have been a rare good Hindi thriller.
Jan 2018
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Dil Dhadakne Do
Zoya makes it pretty clear that her heart beats for women and for overhauling gender roles and expectations.
Jun 2015
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Badrinath Ki Dulhania
...Khaitan, is careful in gently nudging the societal system than daring to go radically against it – in short he doesn’t believe in upsetting the applecart.
Mar 2017
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Mission Mangal
With the nation’s conscience keeper Akshay Kumar at the helm and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech featured in a special appearance, the idea behind Mission Mangal quite clearly is to ignite our supposedly latent nationalism.
Aug 2019
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B.A. Pass
Starts off rather well, but as the film progresses the treatment gets too ham-fisted.
Aug 2013
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Sep 2018
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Setters
Chaudhary gets the milieu, lingo and the social nuances and hierarchies right and has a fabulous ensemble of actors, some in smaller roles, but the film doesn’t hit a high note.
May 2019
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Global Baba
...a biting recreation of the world of god men, perfectly well-timed considering the goings-on around us these days.
Mar 2016
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Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
...is the latest in the brand of cinema that isn’t so much as plot driven as it is focused on characters, relationships and interactions.
Oct 2016
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Tumhari Sulu
The story of a homemaker turned night time RJ is full of interesting possibilities but gets stuck in the familiar conflict zone between career and family.
Nov 2017
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Airlift
...would have been a better film without this nationalistic bluster but has a bigger potential at the box office now with the Republic Day just round the corner.
Jan 2016
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Simran
What’s interesting is that her Praful is never built as a role model. The filmmaker remains non-judgmental about her; the audience doesn’t know what to make of her. I found that strangely liberating: an on-screen woman you can’t pin down or put in a straightjacket; for a change.
Sep 2017