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Mukkabaaz
...is also a scathing critique of corruption in Indian sport, of the caste system, which keeps worthy men in chains and of extremists who spread mayhem under the cloak of religion. It’s a love story and a sports underdog story, which in the second half transforms into a suspenseful revenge drama. It’s a lot to weave together and ultimately Mukkabaaz becomes as exhausting as it is energizing.
Jan 2018
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Mubarakan
Director Anees Bazmee specializes in a genre that I call ‘cinema as lobotomy’.
Jul 2017
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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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Monsoon Shootout
The scenario might be new but the set-up and visuals we’ve seen before – the mean streets of Mumbai, killers, cops, slumlords, brothels, blood.
Dec 2017
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Mardaani 2
Ladaai ab bhi baki haai we were told in Mardaani. I hope Shivani will return for round 3. Let’s just find her a more layered script.
Dec 2019
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Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
...is a fanboy’s ode to the movies. Writer and director Vasan Bala goes back to his childhood and summons up the films he grew up loving – from Hong Kong martial arts movies to Manmohan Desai.
Mar 2019
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Manmarziyaan
Like love, this film is messy and flawed and glorious. You have to sign up for all of it.
Sep 2018
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Manikarnika
...Kangana has said that 70 percent of it is her work. If yes, then she is an effective storyteller but the actor in her undermines the director. Because the actor becomes larger than the narrative. But despite these flaws, Manikarnika reveals Kangana as an artist with boundless ambition and I’m excited to see what she creates next.
Jan 2019
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Luka Chuppi
The writing by Rohan Shankar is consistently feeble. Scenes are stretched endlessly and the humour is limp.
Mar 2019
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Love Sonia
The plot feels like it is designed to reflect newspaper headlines and everything gets resolved so easily that it seems implausible. But Sonia’s tortured face will haunt you.
Sep 2018
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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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Lipstick Under My Burkha
...has clumsy spots and contradictions. But there are moments here that you’ve probably never seen in a Hindi film.
Jul 2017
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Khandaani Shafakhana
The film wants to be funny but the writing is too weak and the feeble jokes are underlined with loud background music, cueing us to laugh. The film also wants to deliver a serious message about the importance of being open about sex – so entire scenes play out like public service announcements, in which characters espouse the cause.
Aug 2019
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Kesari
What does wobble is the writing, which needed to be tighter and more layered. The characters are all one-note and the film is 150 minutes long – the entire first half is an introduction to the characters and a build up to the battle, which only begins in the second.
Mar 2019
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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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Karwaan
If the story had more depth, these three could have worked magic. But Karwaan stays on the surface.
Aug 2018
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Apr 2019
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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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Kaalakaandi
But the psychedelic, anything-goes vibe is hard to sustain and energy levels take a definite dip in the second half. I felt like Akshat has bunged in twists so he can wrap up the narrative strands.
Jan 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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Sep 2017
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Judgemental Hai Kya
The ambition of the story – both in content and style – is very exciting. But Kanika’s screenplays seem to suffer from the soft belly syndrome.
Jul 2019
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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.
Jan 2020
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Jai Mummy Di
...the acting is bizarre, the writing is sloppy, the plot is incoherent and the background music is so purposefully annoying that you want to weep.
Jan 2020
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Jabariya Jodi
...is over-plotted – characters keep getting married, kidnapped, nearly married and separated. Folks slap each other, which counts as humor. And the narrative swings wildly like there is no one steering it.
Aug 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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Ittefaq
The best thrillers are those that can stand up to scrutiny. In these films, when you go back, post-reveal, and question what you saw, the premise still holds. Ittefaq doesn’t manage that. But it has enough verve and smarts to keep you hooked.
Nov 2017