-
Phillauri
...is an unconventional Bollywood entertainer that is watchable all the way. It does not rely on star power. It draws its strength instead from an off-kilter screenplay
Mar 2017
-
Mardaani 2
...thanks to the solidity that the lead actress lends the film and the support she receives from the antagonist, Mardaani 2 is never less than riveting.
Dec 2019
-
Daawat-e-Ishq
...thanks to the likeable lead pair, the good-natured banter between them and the eventual intent of the film prevent Daawat-e-Ishq from slipping into total futility.
Sep 2014
-
Ugly
This may not be Anurag Kashyap’s best film, but it is infinitely and indescribably better than all the muck that mainstream Bollywood passed off for entertainment this year.
Dec 2014
-
Jugni
What the beautifully nuanced Jugni film has is a meaningful, if somewhat thin, plot peopled with eminently relatable characters.
Jan 2016
-
Manmarziyaan
...laced with humour and warmth, is a love story with flashes - only flashes, not a sustained flow - of inspiration.
Sep 2018
-
Milan Talkies
...manages to skirt around major bumps on the way. There are some no doubt, but the film never veers off its chosen course. If you let it grow on you, you will end up liking it.
Mar 2019
-
Go Goa Gone
...it’s crazy but cool. It gives you what you least expect and in ways that you least anticipate.
May 2013
-
Highway
Writer-director Imtiaz Ali has hit a road less taken. The result is a stylish two-hander that is defiantly unconventional, if not entirely satisfying.
Feb 2014
-
X: Past is Present
...for a cinematic pastiche that represents as audacious a leap into the unknown as this, a few quibbles here and there are no big deal.
Nov 2015
-
Sultan
...is a case of a superstar vehicle latching on to the current trend of sports films but failing to achieve the requisite grounding in the rough and tumble of the wrestling pits to evolve into a convincing drama.
Jul 2016
-
Feb 2017
-
Raag Desh
...blends details drawn from extensive research and some amount of fiction to rustle up a narrative that has enough drama to keep the audience engaged through its run time of two and a quarter hours.
Aug 2017
-
Saand Ki Aankh
...is never less than credible while being true to the impulse to craft an entertaining real-life chronicle. More than your money's worth, it is a film that delivers food for thought and emotional stimulation in one go.
Oct 2019
-
Kaagaz
The lead actor has to carry the weight of the entire film on his shoulders. He does so gamely, occasionally allowing his usual understated style to make way for a more demonstrative mode of acting.
Jan 2021
-
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
...does exude pronounced traces of the spirit of Dil Chahta Hai, but its essential rhythm is its own, stemming from the dynamics of a full-fledged road movie shot through with intelligence, emotion and, above all, humanism.
Jul 2011
-
Poorna
...is a large-hearted film: more a heartfelt portrait of courage than just another routine underdog film. Small gripes shouldn't offset its overall impact. It is considerable.
Mar 2017
-
Bol
...the message that the film delivers is urgent, heartfelt and of considerable import.
Sep 2011
-
Phobia
...is a canny flick that places known genre conventions in fresh light, the kind that bestows new life on them.
May 2016
-
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
-
Jul 2015
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Mission Mangal
...is watchable, if not always exhilarating, if you can get over its excesses.
Aug 2019
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
NH10
...an adventurous Bollywood film that breaks the shackles of convention and is none the worse for it. Eminently watchable.
Mar 2015