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Titli
Unrelentingly grim, morally unmoored, Titli festers like a sore on your consciousness.
Oct 2015
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Dangal
...bends a little to accommodate its superstar, but has plenty of charm and grit.
Dec 2016
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Sep 2016
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Newton
...can say with confidence that Newton thrilled me like no other Hindi film this year.
Sep 2017
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Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
...Vasan Bala manages something rare: a delirious pastiche with a heartbeat.
Mar 2019
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Court
...is absolutely worth raving about, and that it might be one of the most original films to come out of the country in a long time. But its insights are hard-won: you have to be willing to wait and watch until the point of each scene...
Apr 2015
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Island City
As a tonally tricky, slyly subversive mood piece, it finds itself in a very small group of Hindi films. It’s also an intriguing new entry in the long tradition of films that explore the spiritual heartache of living in Mumbai.
Sep 2016
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Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
Fans of Bhardwaj, meanwhile, will be happy he’s back filling the screen with life and colour after the strangely acrid 7 Khoon Maaf last year.
Jan 2013
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Talvar
By turns witty and thoughtful, devastating and emotional, it’s up there with Masaan and Dum Laga Ke Haisha and the one or two other stirringly well-written films of the year.
Oct 2015
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Article 15
...might not comfort the afflicted, but there’s every chance it will afflict the comfortable.
Jun 2019
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Udta Punjab
It’s fascinating to see how the diverse acting styles of the leads meld or clash with each other throughout the film.
Jun 2016
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Gully Boy
If Gully Boy earns its props by the time it’s done, this is testament to its immersion in, and respect for, the world it springs from.
Feb 2019
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Raman Raghav 2.0
...is as unpleasant as it is gleefully amoral and perversely enjoyable.
Jun 2016
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Trapped
Time games, inventive soundscapes, Rajkummar Rao: there’s lots to love in ‘Trapped’.
Mar 2017
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Apr 2015
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Sonchiriya
There’s a question that recurs through Sonchiriya: what is a dacoit’s dharma? At one point an answer is given: to protect one’s people and caste, to live and pass away in the ravines, to die from a bullet. A fatalistic response, and a bracingly nihilistic film.
Mar 2019
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Raazi
Like she did in Talvar, Gulzar assembles and marshals an expert ensemble. It’s a pleasure watching a detail-oriented director like her collaborate with an actor like Bhatt, who has a knack of making the tiniest gestures count.
May 2018
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Happy Bhag Jayegi
I’m having a hard time remembering the last time I watched a Hindi film this silly but still found myself laughing.
Aug 2016
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Waiting
...walks the line between emotional resonance and emotional manipulation skilfully.
May 2016
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Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
...is undoubtedly a spectacular action film. It’s also a tradition-bound, caste-conscious macho militarist fantasy.
Apr 2017
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The Sky Is Pink
...errs on the side of caution, keeping the impending tragedy in view at all times, but wrapping everything in good vibes and the kind of courage you have no option but to admire.
Oct 2019
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Bajirao Mastani
Bhansali might be one of the last exponents of the grand old Bollywood style. Melodrama is not only something he’s comfortable with, it’s the air his characters breathe.
Dec 2015
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Neerja
Kapoor, in a break from her usual achingly hip persona, presents Bhanot as a believable mixture of quick thinking and barely suppressed panic.
Feb 2016
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Haraamkhor
...with its unadorned, unflinching treatment, Haraamkhor is a difficult film to shake off.
Jan 2017
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Children Of War
...a welcome indication that some Hindi filmmakers are starting to look outside India for stories. That Devvrat tackles his subject head-on is something else to feel encouraged about.
May 2014