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Tanu Weds Manu Returns
This isn't the first time Rai has left us gasping for more at interval point, only to overindulge with his treasure trove of actors.
May 2015
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Bombay Velvet
...a moderate Hollywood imitation; significant for the craft it brings on screen, but little more than an excessive footnote in a universal genre.
May 2015
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Kuch Kuch Locha Hai
Before another male director has Leone play a nurse so that innuendos revolve around body exams and instruments, I suggest a blanket ban on bananas and Indian sex comedies.
May 2015
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Gabbar Is Back
...by the time the same plot is passed through four commercial factory machines, nothing is decipherable. Gabbar is the end of it hopefully, with nothing left to squeeze out.
May 2015
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Jai Ho! Democracy
The only thing dark about this parody is the way it spirals out of control after a promising start...
Apr 2015
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Kaagaz Ke Fools
...this one is presented in a dated and garish manner that makes you wonder if the filmmakers think this is actually a groundbreaking concept.
Apr 2015
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Ishq Ke Parindey
Our filmmakers have milked the cross-border eternal romance angle dry. It's hard to tell if it's Indo-Pak tension that provides fodder for these done-to-death stories, or the stories that actually create tension between the nations.
Apr 2015
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Nanak Shah Fakir
...this movie partially works for being just that-an ambitious biblical moving picture, for the diehard faithful as well as young adults.
Apr 2015
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Court
It is unyielding, funny, mundane, occasionally boring and thought provoking, if only in hindsight.
Apr 2015
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Barefoot To Goa
I understand the aspiration for meditative storytelling in order to soak in its innocence, but the silence is deafening.
Apr 2015
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Apr 2015
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Ek Paheli Leela
...is just an insincere, lavish and titillating compilation of every item song ever made.
Apr 2015
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Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
It's good, but I'd much rather enjoy this director's cheeky experiments with characters and convention, over pulp and form. Banerjee is the truth, but must he prove his versatility?
Apr 2015
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Paisa Ho Paisa
...I hoped against hope for the screening to be interrupted by a giant April Fools banner. But nothing happened. The joke is still on us.
Apr 2015
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Yahaan Sabki Lagi Hai
Perhaps it is the filmmakers' intention to irritate viewers with irritable characters and existential rants, but it soon becomes an irritating watch.
Mar 2015
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Dilliwaali Zaalim Girlfriend
...yet another confused adaptation of the Khosla Ka Ghosla template.
Mar 2015
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Mar 2015
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Dozakh
The climax, potentially a brave black-and-white triumph of humanity over religion, must have looked iconic on paper. This depth, however, is dissolved by an archaic display of craft.
Mar 2015
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NH10
On its own, NH10 is atmospheric, well acted, moody and crafted with a definite vision. A little more writing and less 'inspiration' would have made this its own distinct film.
Mar 2015
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Hey Bro
...what we get is Andaaz Apna Apna sidekicks, leopard-printed heels, ping-pong sound effects, classic dialogues 'remixed' as rap songs, and skimpy numbers that rhyme 'rude' with 'dude' and 'mood'.
Mar 2015
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Dirty Politics
I feel sorry for the crew that works hard on these goodwill efforts, for they're at the mercy of unprogressive creative minds.
Mar 2015
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Coffee Bloom
The story of a man-child torn between remorse and wounded love is a complex one to tell. This was perhaps the one natural environment that needed some indulgence, an atmospheric sensual aspect that could have atoned for awkward storytelling.
Mar 2015
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Ab Tak Chhappan 2
This sequel will only dilute memories of the original. Unless you're looking for 56 shades of dull, dated and contrived grey.
Feb 2015
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Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Director Sharad Katariya takes more than a leaf out of this slice-of-life book, and gently constructs—with a remarkable eye for detail—one of the sweetest little fairytales in recent times.
Feb 2015
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Badlapur
Badlapur is as uncomfortable as it gets, but it's also as good as it gets. Exemplary craft apart, this film also reiterates the importance of challenging convention—an art long abandoned for the haze of commerce.
Feb 2015
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Qissa
Anup Singh goes where few Indian filmmakers have gone before, forcing us to dive face-first into an uncomfortable 20-year tale of social, moral and ethnic disintegration.
Feb 2015
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Roy
That the graph remains unhurried, almost meditative in its approach to storytelling, is down to the director's striking sense of imagery and framing (supported by stylish camerawork), his atmospheric and well-planned use of string-heavy background themes, and his extensive treatment of their chatty chemistry.
Feb 2015