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Phobia
Ghost flick, psychological thriller, social commentary or all the above – in the end, Phobia is what you want it to be for yourself. It is also, without question, a superbly entertaining film.
May 2016
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May 2016
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Veerappan
In certain aspects of storytelling then, this is a film that cannot be ignored. It is however hard to get past the poor acting by Joshi and Ray and that overly loud background score.
May 2016
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Sarbjit
The true story of Sarabjit Singh Atwal is a tragedy of gargantuan proportions that is enough to move a rock to tears. Yet director Omung Kumar somehow manages to make a curiously unmoving film out of this inherently heartbreaking story.
May 2016
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Dear Dad
...is well intentioned but once it sets off on its journey, it does not seem to know where to go.
May 2016
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Azhar
...is a superficial look at the life of one of the most enigmatic and intriguing sporting stars this country has ever seen. It is an opportunity lost.
May 2016
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Traffic
Drama is intrinsic to these situations and to the larger, multi-cultural Indian reality, without the crutch of high-decibel songs or explicit moralising. If Team Traffic had understood that, this could have been a great film. As things stand, it is an uneven, unsatisfying ride.
May 2016
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Fan
...is far from being perfect, it urges us to think about issues relating to stardom, fandom, idolatry and public expectations from famous people without overtly appearing to do so.
Apr 2016
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Apr 2016
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Rocky Handsome
...high on style and visual gratification, but low on substance and passion.
Mar 2016
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Mar 2016
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Teraa Surroor
...this film is as flat as Farah Karimi’s enviably slim waist, as bland as Maggi Noodles without the Tastemaker and as pointless in its existence as the human appendix.
Mar 2016
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Jai Gangaajal
...is watchable. The film suffers sorely because Prakash Jha makes it too much about himself.
Mar 2016
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Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive
...is not crude or distasteful in the manner of low-brow comedies we have seen emerging from Bollywood in the past. It is just proof – since so many people seem to need proof – that comedy is one of the hardest things to achieve in the arts.
Feb 2016
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Aligarh
Despite a sterling performance by Manoj Bajpayee and other positives, Aligarh ends up being an inconsistent biopic – on the one hand providing a beautiful portrait of reclusiveness, yet elsewhere doing a disservice to a man to whom this country owes an apology.
Feb 2016
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Neerja
For a filmmaker to stir up such a high degree of emotion while making no obvious attempt to manipulate us is an amazing achievement. Neerja is outstanding.
Feb 2016
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Fitoor
The pain, the rejection, the searing desire for revenge, the all-conquering power of love – none of it is adequately conveyed in this film which, by the time its final scene rolled around, left me as cold and detached as Estella’s heart was when she first met Pip.
Feb 2016
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Ghayal Once Again
The script’s bigger failing though is that it skims over too many characters without giving them enough flesh.
Feb 2016
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Mastizaade
The double entendre seems to be drawn from pubescent schoolboys just beginning to discover the female mammary glands and cursed with particularly low IQs.
Feb 2016
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Saala Khadoos
As with most such films, the final outcome in the ring is not hard to predict here. The journey to that moment though is emotionally engaging and, after a point, nerve-wracking enough to draw cheers of delight.
Feb 2016
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Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3
As with politicians and the media, so it is with cinema – I guess we get the films we deserve. What next? Kya Super Stupid Hain Hum?
Jan 2016
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Airlift
...is Argo with a split personality, songs and questionable fidelity to facts.
Jan 2016
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Chalk N Duster
It is a mark of Bollywood’s extreme gender bias that the likes of Shabana and Juhi must, more often than not, compromise on quality if they wish to play heroines. These remarkable women deserve better than this clumsy, even if well-meaning, film. So does the teaching profession.
Jan 2016
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Chauranga
...is so low-key that it comes across as an unfeeling drama even though the screen is, at all times, busy with multiple pressing concerns.
Jan 2016
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Wazir
Although Wazir falls flat on its face as a thriller when you consider the question posed earlier in this review, it does work in other departments.
Jan 2016
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Bajirao Mastani
Despite its shortcomings then, this is a brave and beautiful film – beautiful to look at, beautiful in its position on religion, brave in its take on history, brave in its unwillingness to paint religious groups or its primary characters as black or white.
Dec 2015
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Dec 2015
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Dec 2015