An archive of Hindi movie reviews and ratings from 2010 to 2020.

publication

Film Companion

Highest rating for
Lowest rating for
Number of reviews
144
Average rating
45

Order by

Date

Title

Rating

  • Radhe

    ...yet another loud, numbing, pointless paean to the cult of Salman Khan. Radhe is so free of coherence and craft that it hurts.

    09

    May 2021
  • Saina

    Eventually, authenticity isn’t as important as capturing the essence of a person and evoking emotion. Saina, shining with sincerity and hard work, also misses this crucial point.

    49

    Mar 2021
  • Mumbai Saga

    ...slick editing, green-toned filters and the painfully loud sound design (there isn’t a car in this film that doesn’t screech to a halt) are too limited to fill the hole that is the story.

    39

    Mar 2021
  • Roohi

    ...a film that wants to juggle many balls – horror, comedy, feminist messaging, a love triangle, a bromance – but ends up dropping almost all of them.

    19

    Mar 2021
  • Coolie No.1

    The earlier Coolie No 1 had a cheery lunacy and a degree of innocence that allowed the ridiculous plot to play out as an extended joke. Govinda’s effortless clowning helped viewers to ignore the more problematic parts of the film. But in 2020, the narrative is dated and offensive on so many levels.

    19

    Dec 2020
  • Kaamyaab

    The film has heart but it doesn’t deliver the emotional heft or depth that a showbiz film like Luck By Chance did because the writing isn’t sharp enough.

    49

    Mar 2020
  • Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

    In an interview, Ayushmann described Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan as an introduction to homosexuality for an average Indian homophobe. The film might work as that. But for those of us who aren’t in this target group, it doesn’t connect enough. Though it’s heartening that with this film and Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga last year, Bollywood has at least begun the conversation.

    49

    Feb 2020
  • Bhoot – Part One

    Bhanu plays with the usual horror tropes – creaking doors, found footage, mirrors, children, dolls and cell-phones not working exactly when you need them. Which isn’t the problem. You pretty much sign up for this when you go into a horror film. The trouble is that beyond the first hour, the screenplay gets repetitive and increasingly silly.

    29

    Feb 2020
  • Love Aaj Kal

    ...is a confounding film about confused people. Perhaps writer-director Imtiaz Ali was attempting to have the storytelling reflect the emotions of his leads. The result is an unholy mess.

    39

    Feb 2020
  • Jawaani Jaaneman

    ...doesn’t become more than the sum of its parts. I’m a big admirer of Nitin’s first film Filmistaan, in which he combined humor, pathos and depth with a skillful lightness. I wish Jawaani Jaaneman had delivered more.

    49

    Jan 2020
  • Street Dancer 3D

    For the running time of this film – two hours and twenty-four minutes – people are pirouetting, leaping, flipping, contorting and moving their limbs in impossible ways. Watching them, I thought – if the script was half as nimble as these gifted people, this film would have been a smash. Sadly, that is not the case.

    39

    Jan 2020
  • Panga

    Some will argue that Panga is too sanitized and optimistic. The actual struggle of a mother picking up a career again is much harder. Of course it is. But for now, I’ll take the warmth and hope that this film offers. I think you should too.

    59

    Jan 2020
  • Tanhaji

    ...there is no room here for nuance or arcs. Actors play outsized, one-note characters. The Marathas, with a few exceptions, are valiant, noble warriors who sacrifice their lives for their motherland. The Mughals are largely avaricious usurpers who demand ‘jaat’ and ‘jaan’.

    39

    Jan 2020
  • Chhapaak

    ...hovers dangerously close to becoming a public service announcement. The messaging becomes bigger than the movie, which reduces the impact.

    49

    Jan 2020
  • Panipat

    This is writing by committee and it shows on screen – instead of an organic story, we get a fractured, leaden structure that moves from one scene to another with the help of a voice-over and animated maps.

    39

    Dec 2019
  • Bypass Road

    My takeaway from Bypass Road is that perhaps it isn’t such a good idea to let an actor write a script, play the lead role, co-produce the film and have his brother direct it. Because then what you get isn’t a film, it’s a showreel.

    19

    Nov 2019