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Pad Man
...a superman without the cape, is a memorable character. Like the real Pad Man, Lakshmi is self-deprecating and very funny – especially in the climactic speech at the United Nations. I wish the film matched his sparkle.
Feb 2018
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The Sky Is Pink
...is sincere and heartfelt but it never gets raw or messy. Until that final stretch, it doesn’t pierce your heart the way this subject should.
Oct 2019
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Ribbon
The problem with Ribbon is that debutante director Rakhee Sandilya doesn’t provide any new insights.
Nov 2017
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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.
Mar 2020
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A Gentleman
...despite the clunky plotting, A Gentleman never becomes a crashing bore. Credit must go to Sidharth Malhotra, who is in almost every frame.
Aug 2017
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Chhapaak
...hovers dangerously close to becoming a public service announcement. The messaging becomes bigger than the movie, which reduces the impact.
Jan 2020
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Motichoor Chaknachoor
...the film doesn’t become memorable in the way that other small-town tales like Dum Laga Ke Haisha or Bareilly ki Barfi or Stree were. But it’s passable entertainment. And sometimes that’s enough.
Nov 2019
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Tubelight
...is cinema as a sermon. Which makes the film flat and emotionally unconvincing. The good intentions and lectures on yakeen don’t translate into a gripping narrative.
Jun 2017
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Kedarnath
...feels like it belongs to an earlier decade. Apart from Mukku’s character, there is little that is fresh or contemporary.
Dec 2018
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Dhadak
Shashank is the successful maker of frothy romances. Here he steps out of his comfort zone but not enough to tackle head-on, the ugly truth of caste. The hurdles are more palatable and consequently, synthetic.
Jul 2018
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3 Storeys
This isn’t a film that lacks ambition but it never becomes one that is essential.
Mar 2018
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Simran
...is a brilliant performance trapped in a sloppy screenplay - ironical given the headline-hogging, fall-out between writer Apurva Asrani and Kangana Ranaut over writing credits. Actually, the writing is the weakest part of the film.
Sep 2017
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Fanney Khan
Even when the film becomes a slog, Kapoor saab, as I call him, stands tall.
Aug 2018
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Mar 2019
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Tiger Zinda Hai
...is flat out exhausting. The story is much too long and convoluted. The frame is filled with characters but apart from Tiger, none of them make an impact. And for me, the weakest link is that there is nothing that moors you emotionally.
Dec 2017
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Hichki
...is a genuinely earnest film made with heart. But it doesn’t take enough risks and consequently doesn’t touch a raw nerve in the way that Taare Zameen Par did. But it’s always nice to see a talented actress with all guns blazing.
Mar 2018
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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.
Dec 2019
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Jab Harry Met Sejal
Imtiaz and Shah Rukh coming together should have created a romantic classic. Instead Imtiaz has made his weakest film to date. Jab Harry Met Sejal doesn’t touch your insides. It’s not truthful enough to move you.
Aug 2017
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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.
Mar 2021
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Sep 2017
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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.
Feb 2020
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Daas Dev
...is meant to be a study of power and what happens to those who lust for it. It’s a solid idea lost in execution.
Apr 2018
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Junglee
The elephants are on point but the humans have the depth of cartoon characters.
Mar 2019
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Thackeray
A celebratory epic that’s less about a leader’s psyche than his penchant for punch lines.
Jan 2019
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Romeo Akbar Walter
This material had the potential to be a suspenseful espionage drama. But the film is too drab to soar.
Apr 2019
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Nov 2018