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Phobia
...is a canny flick that places known genre conventions in fresh light, the kind that bestows new life on them.
May 2016
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Dear Maya
...does not deliver conventional entertainment nor does it favour high drama. If anything, the film's even pitching proves that Sunaina Bhatnagar does not mind taking risks. And that is just the sort of filmmaker that Bollywood needs many more of.
Jun 2017
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Jul 2015
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Kesari
...has enough self-sustaining fire to be a well-above-average film. And with Akshay Kumar doing the heavy lifting with unwavering enthusiasm, the star's fans will find it easy to get into the swing of this tale of extraordinary courage in the face of daunting adversity.
Mar 2019
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Nakkash
...only skims the surface of a complex theme. Instead of raining hammer blows on politics that is driven by discord and distrust, it manages to inflict only a few pin pricks on its target. Be that as it may, any film that has its heart in the right place - Nakkash does - merits commendation.
May 2019
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Chhapaak
...has several parts that are delicately crafted. But the aggregation of the elements that constitute film does not somehow yield something greater than the sum of the parts. Nonetheless the parts that work do make Chhapaak essential viewing.
Jan 2020
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Mission Mangal
...is watchable, if not always exhilarating, if you can get over its excesses.
Aug 2019
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Kaamyaab
The screenplay is insightful, if not blindingly revelatory. And some of the directorial sleights are commendably in tune with the demands of the material...
Mar 2020
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Bala
...benefits no end from the quality of the performances as well as from its empathy for the idiosyncrasies of small town folk, but it is the writing that is its Samson's hair: the film's power flows principally from it.
Nov 2019
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Dhoom 3
...is fun while it lasts, but it might not leave the viewer with the sense of having watched a film that is truly unique.
Dec 2013
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NH10
...an adventurous Bollywood film that breaks the shackles of convention and is none the worse for it. Eminently watchable.
Mar 2015
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Gully Boy
In an era of which Bollywood is increasingly passing off pulpy apologies for demagoguery for cinema, Gully Boy could have been a fitting riposte. It just doesn't go far enough to pose discomfiting questions in keeping with the art of the street rapper. But all said and done, Gully Boy can be whole-heartedly commended for its craft, fascinating characters and Ranveer Singh.
Feb 2019
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Pataakha
Take it or lump it, Pataakha packs exaggerated flourishes of the kind that aren't all that common in Bollywood films that aren't strictly driven by mainstream impulses.
Sep 2018
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Game Over
Taapsee Pannu, as she has been in her recent outings, is never less than convincing. While she may be the primary reason why you must go out a watch this film, it certainly isn't devoid of other intrinsic merits in terms of substance and execution.
Jun 2019
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Ra.One
It delivers more than your money's worth in terms of pure entertainment. It is impressively shot, technically good enough to pass muster and the hi-jinks drama has the pace to keep tedium at bay.
Oct 2011
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Bewakoofiyaan
...scores with its disarming simplicity. Even as it doesn’t soar to dizzying heights, it is never less than watchable.
Mar 2014
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TE3N
The slow-burning drama about crime, tragedy, guilt and retribution has the potential to repay the patience of those that don’t switch off their brains when watching a film.
Jun 2016
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Monsoon Shootout
...has the sinews of a high-octane, action-packed Bollywood underworld tale. What defines it more significantly is its overly arty packaging. It turns the film into a stylish, if a touch laboured, piece of cinema.
Dec 2017
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
...is definitely worth a watch provided you do not expect the world from it. It is happy to be what it is: a modest barfi from nondescript Bareilly.
Aug 2017
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Mardaani
Director Sarkar receives high quality assistance from his principal technicians, who combine to keep Mardaani simple and focused on its clearly delineated plot all the way through.
Aug 2014
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Yahaan Sabki Lagi Hai
...is about people screwed up as much by the system as by their own follies, but the final impact of the film is not as gloomy as the title might suggest. Give it a shot.
Mar 2015
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Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
Few filmmakers in Mumbai engage with ideas and issues of contemporary relevance as felicitously as Bhardwaj. He might have fallen short this time around, but even when he is not at his best, he is infinitely better than most in the business. A director who does not fear failure merits our support.
Jan 2013
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Bajirao Mastani
There isn't a dull moment in this colourful and dramatic film that embraces excess with unabashed abandon.
Dec 2015
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Jagga Jasoos
If Jagga Jasoos, for all its deviations, passes muster, it is largely due to a pivotal star turn that is worth its weight in gold and the heartily surreal touches that Basu imparts to this colourful, imaginative fantasy.
Jul 2017
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Aug 2010
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Cocktail
...has just the right mix of fizz and flavour to allow the occasional and inevitable crinkles of triteness to flow well below the surface.
Jul 2012
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Manjhi
A lighter touch might have made Manjhi - The Mountain Man a markedly more convincing biopic.
Aug 2015
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Aiyyaa
It careens from the dreamy to the delirious, the realistic to the raucous, and the perfectly logical to the utterly nonsensical as it turns many a time-honoured convention of Hindi commercial cinema on its head.
Oct 2012