-
Tere Bin Laden
...a flair for irreverence, sharp political humour and deliberate tackiness.
Jul 2010
-
Mukti Bhawan
The astute casting and spare writing give the actors enough space to disappear into their roles.
Apr 2017
-
Chhapaak
...is needlessly uneven and sluggish at times, but it’s most powerful when it keeps things simple and stays on course.
Jan 2020
-
Qarib Qarib Singlle
Tanuja Chandra has had an extremely patchy directing career, but she redeems herself substantially...
Nov 2017
-
Badrinath Ki Dulhania
... it has an excellent lead pair whose mutual sparks can set water on fire, brilliantly written conversational humour, and an unmistakable feel for the throbs and tugs of young love.
Mar 2017
-
D-Day
It’s preposterous at the best of times but nevertheless very watchable despite a stretched denouement, song interludes and redundant scenes of intimacy and family bonding.
Jul 2013
-
Gali Guleiyan
...Bajpayee’s career-best performance prevents interest from flagging. The actor never loses Khuddus’s humanity, and portrays his plight with unerring rigour and poignancy.
Sep 2018
-
Om-Dar-Ba-Dar
...prevents easy analysis, let alone glowing reviews, but there is little doubt about its status as a rare gem from India’s arguably sparse trove of avant-garde treasures.
Jan 2014
-
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
...a showcase for Ranbir Kapoor’s comic timing and Katrina Kaif’s growing confidence on screen.
Nov 2009
-
Udaan
...flies on many counts. The movie tackles its themes with sobriety and honesty.
Jul 2010
-
Lucknow Central
...manages to make well-trodden material seem far more interesting than it actually is. Despite its unwieldy length and unconvincing climax, the movie is far superior to the similarly themed August 25 release Qaidi Band, with better developed characters, a better narrative and score and welcome humour.
Sep 2017
-
Neerja
Madhvani fulfils the brief of delivering a stirring and sensitive account of bravery at the risk of making the narrative predictable to a fault.
Feb 2016
-
Apr 2016
-
Game Over
Saravanan and co-writer Kaavya Ramkumar deliver a taut and highly watchable thriller that, despite falling short of its ambitions, has a clever take on the way in which violence against women gets imprinted on bodies and souls.
Jun 2019
-
Nov 2019
-
Mardaani
It’s efficient and watchable, but also cold and mechanical despite the sensationalism inherent in the material.
Aug 2014
-
Chef
Raja Menon’s overstuffed but enjoyable remake of the Hollywood movie has likeable characters and warm performances.
Oct 2017
-
Agent Vinod
...several shades lighter than Raghavan’s previous crime thrillers, Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddaar.
Mar 2012
-
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
The suggestion that emotional tangles can be unravelled by putting on a diving suit is daffy, but Zoya Akhtar's talent lies in creating rich characters that you're likely to remember afterwards even if you don't recall what they actually ended up doing.
Jul 2011
-
Pink
The movie considerably enriches the screen treatment of sexual assault, but the moment for fewer lectures and greater observation is still some years away.
Sep 2016
-
Peepli [Live]
Although it sags towards the end, Peepli Live is carried on the shoulders of its talented cast...
Aug 2010
-
Manmarziyaan
...Anurag Kashyap’s most emotionally resonant movie yet, injects considerable vim and wit into the most conservative and predictable of sub-genres: the love triangle.
Sep 2018
-
Gunday
It’s formula food for the present day, spiced with flamboyance, a fair sense of rhythm that occasionally slackens during the 153-minute running time, and a clear understanding of the meaning of popular entertainment, Hindi movie style.
Feb 2014
-
Bioscopewala
Walnuts and almonds have been swapped for a cranked-up bioscope in this latest film adaptation, which takes the original story in new, and sometimes interesting, directions.
May 2018
-
Love Sonia
Despite the disjointed narrative, which leaps from one idea to another, the unconvincing plot turns, and the unending agony that awaits Sonia at every turn, the movie doesn’t waver from its focus on the inherently exploitative nature of sex work.
Sep 2018
-
Budhia Singh
...fits the bill of the average sports biopic, but it rises a few notches above the Indian version of the genre.
Aug 2016