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Inkaar
...what could have been an engrossing take on modern-day relationships in a frantic, workaholic culture is single-handedly destroyed by warped publicity and ridiculous conclusions.
Jan 2013
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Phillauri
Lal’s insistence to maintain room temperature humour and downplay a frothy premise robs Phillauri of fizz in its comedy.
Mar 2017
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Dear Dad
Though elegant composed and filled with warm possibilities, Dear Dad stays awfully impersonal communicating only from a distance to tread a tediously linear path.
May 2016
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Made In China
Alternating between pedestrian comedy and overwrought drama, Made in China's biggest problem is its inclination to repeatedly digress, resulting in fleeting interest in its helter-skelter proceedings.
Oct 2019
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Mahabharat
But dumbing down Mahabharat’s provocative and serious framework for a film that cannot even provide visual enchantment fails to fulfill it purpose even to its young audience.
Dec 2013
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Rock On 2
Sure, it's a good-looking film featuring several long shots of people blessed with ridiculously gorgeous balcony views but its deadpan emotionality renders it bland. Soulless.
Nov 2016
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Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aaata Hai?
...labours hard to be metaphoric and of significance.
Apr 2019
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Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive
...is completely devoid of whimsy. And, if it aspires to be a satire, there’s little bite or ambition in its pedestrian approach and trivial resolutions.
Feb 2016
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Khandaani Shafakhana
Khandaani Shafakhana’s aspiration to bring sex out in the open through its protagonist Baby Bedi’s efforts at running a sex clinic in a prudish small town is all very noble. But director Shilpi Dasgupta’s flimsy storytelling and comic timing of a subject, in the same space as Vicky Donor and Shubh Mangal Savdhan, neither enlightens nor entertains.
Aug 2019
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Rann
There are a couple of moments in Rann...reminiscent of vintage Varma. Then again, a messy climax, witless and uninspired writing and shoddy, detail-free narrative ensure these memories are washed out as soon as they are formed.
Jan 2010
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Tubelight
If Tubelight had a real story and wasn't just flip-flopping between monotonous episodes of fluky coincidences treated like divine intervention and cursory battle scenes devoid of danger, urgency or tension, it might have earned some points for heft and affability.
Jun 2017
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Total Dhamaal
...would be unwatchable without Madhuri's spunk and bossy swag playing off Anil Kapoor's bellyaching, bugged half's protests. This jodi deserves a better film. And you need no brains to know that.
Feb 2019
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Sep 2017
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Jan 2011
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Begum Jaan
In its preoccupation with drama, Begum Jaan neglects to reveal its soul. As a consequence, you feel nothing for the characters, their cause or fate.
Apr 2017
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Mohalla Assi
Philosophy, politics and practicality cross paths in Mohalla Assi's ambitious premise. Except it is directed in such an unwieldy fashion that instead of rich satire, what emerges is a lumbering flab of incoherence and opinion glut.
Nov 2018
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Force
For a genre that works purely on moronic logic and one-note screenplay, Force never had much to accomplish in the first place. But its complete lack of individuality or snap makes it a boring, banal, blah and bleak experience.
Oct 2011
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Parmanu
...can scream 'desh' all it wants and turn up the volume as loud as it likes to make a big deal. But it's ultimately a cursory glance at a tough tactical choice and tame recreation of a controversial reality whose face is a stiff star.
May 2018
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Khatta Meetha
...projects itself as a witty satire with reference to someone as reputed as Laxman but its uneven mood shift from ironical to intense augmented by cheesy dialogues like 'Keechad mein baithe suwar ki tarah sust kyon ho?' begs you not to be taken seriously.
Jul 2010
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Gunday
Occasionally, blemished scripts too are salvaged by solid performances. Gunday is inconsistent on that front as well.
Feb 2014
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Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon
...the few jokes that do work in this illogical, tardy drivel have more to do with how idiotic they are then amusing.
Sep 2015
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Mar 2016
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Maatr
...would like to believe its relevance comes from true events that headline news channels regularly, but its typically Bollywood tropes to attain justice modelled on the likes of Aakhri Raasta and Mohra is not half as engaging.
Apr 2017
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Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety
Pedestrian wit works best around actors who don't just go with the flow, but shape it to suit their comical timing. That's the difference between performers and parrots. But the underwhelming leads of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety don't seem to know the difference at all.
Feb 2018
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Ab Tak Chhappan 2
...is so terribly obvious in its deviousness, there’s not even a smidgen of surprise to expect.
Feb 2015
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Shab
...Onir documents the most intimate facets of his characters lives with confounding distance. Blame it on the sloppy screenplay and flimsy characterisation, but not a single character elicits any sort of emotional response -- good or bad.
Jul 2017
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Luka Chuppi
Between not taking itself seriously and spewing gyaan over how to win youth votes, Luka Chuppi cannot decide what it wants to hide and where it needs to look.
Mar 2019