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Behen Hogi Teri
The lack of development of Binny’s character, which is aided by Shruti Haasan’s limited acting range, is the one black hole in an otherwise well-rounded romantic comedy humming with wit and astute observations of its cheerfully stereotyped characters.
Jun 2017
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A Flying Jatt
Since he also has a healthy stash of Hollywood DVDs, it’s clear that this Indian superhero is set for a bright future.
Aug 2016
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Feb 2017
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Indu Sarkar
...is a valuable addition to a slim catalogue of films about the excesses of the period even though it lacks the political insights of the better works about the Emergency.
Jul 2017
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Mukkabaaz
In trying to create a socially aware entertainer through Mukkabaaz, the director throws too many punches.
Jan 2018
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Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania
...an extended, 134-minute review of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge by a debutant writer and director who has watched the film closely enough to have his own spin on it.
Jul 2014
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Dil Dhadakne Do
...suffers from the butter-knife treatment when it actually needed a razor.
Jun 2015
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Total Dhamaal
When you throw so much at the screen, something is bound to stick. The screenplay, by Paritosh Painter, Ved Prakash and Bunty Rathore, has enough visual gags and punchlines to distract from the severely tacky visual effects and overwhelming familiarity of such movies.
Feb 2019
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Khajoor Pe Atke
There isn’t enough of a plot to extend over 119 minutes. With a tighter script and trimmer running time, Chhaya might have actually been on to something special.
May 2018
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War
The male leads, separated by a couple of generations and united by their ability to land punches and execute pirouettes without breaking a sweat, set the screen on fire. Fortunately for War, there is barely a scene without either of them.
Oct 2019
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Thappad
The bloated runtime of 141 minutes packs in many necessary truths, especially about the pernicious nature of patriarchy and the manner in which women enable discrimination. The overall message, of heeding the conscience even if it pricked just once, survives the needless wandering.
Feb 2020
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Gangoobai
Writer and director Priya Krishnaswamy keeps the proceedings simple and the emotions even simpler.
Jan 2013
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Revolver Rani
...has a bit too much going on at any given point, but it is cast well and has an interesting set of actors who give the material much-needed heft.
Apr 2014
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Karwaan
The 120-minute featherweight comedy is so content to embrace the big cliches associated with the road movie genre that it is almost possible to go along with the easygoing vibe and forget that there are larger questions at stake about the generation gap, lost dreams, and mortality itself.
Aug 2018
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Simmba
Ranveer Singh’s energy and flamboyance ensure that Simmba appears more engaging than it often is, and Ajay Devgn’s well-timed cameo rescues the film from being a write-off.
Dec 2018
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Speedy Singhs
...evokes nearly every Hollywood sport-movie cliche there is in tracing the transformation of the Speedy Singhs team from underdog to top dog.
Sep 2011
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Bajirao Mastani
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s sumptuous retelling of the legend is strong on romance but weak on statecraft.
Dec 2015
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Mar 2018
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Halkaa
Halkaa’s good intentions are never in doubt, nor are the efforts of the filmmaking team in illuminating a dark reality of Indian cities. But far greater subtlety, and a more realistic assessment of the problems faced by slum dwellers in building toilets, were needed to have made Pichku’s mission credible.
Sep 2018
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Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
The film captures the bravado of the revolutionaries, but not their unique madness.
Dec 2010
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Phantom
The plodding pace, choppy editing and amateurish exposition are relieved by slick action sequences, suitably dressed-up foreign locations and convincing production design.
Aug 2015
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Helicopter Eela
The start-stop narrative, which feels jerky and disjointed, contains the ghost of a screwball comedy.
Oct 2018
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The Sky Is Pink
The sincerity of the 149-minute film is never in doubt, but to have been effective, it needed stronger actors and less clutter and over-plotting.
Oct 2019
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Kaamyaab
Mehta consciously attempts to sidestep the cliches associated with meta-movies, but eventually succumbs to the lure of the actor staring at his reflection in the mirror and the nightmare about a shoot gone awry.
Mar 2020
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Vishwaroop
Vishwaroop’s story is preposterous at the best of times, but it is directed with 100% conviction.
Feb 2013
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Fanney Khan
The actors help the movie navigate the implausibility at the heart of the plot and its facile critique of a music industry in which talent is worthy of being recognised only if it is televised.
Aug 2018
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Madras Cafe
...points to the consequences of unthinking military intervention. It’s too bad that the movie is unable to make this point with lucidity or conviction.
Aug 2013