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Tanhaji
...has fluent action and a gleeful Saif Ali Khan, though its view of history is slanted and broad.
Jan 2020
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Mar 2016
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Zero
The flaws of Zero lie not in the physicality of the characters, but in the story. Too ambitious in its vision and indiscriminately illogical, Rai falters in exploring both inner spaces and outer space.
Dec 2018
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Zanjeer
...assembles the usual dose of slow-motion fight sequences, songs and flat comic sequences between the first frame and the last.
Sep 2013
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Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Runs on an unmistakable, foolproof formula: story is secondary; song, dance, costumes, and stars are supreme.
May 2013
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Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
The farcical humour has a few stray sparks, but this film, at 150 minutes, is a bellicose assault on the senses.
Jun 2013
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Why Cheat India
Hashmi seems to enjoy himself; if the writing was brighter and the other characters had more agency, the film might have played differently.
Jan 2019
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What The Fish
Given the wishy-washy story and the inept direction by Gurmeet Singh, the usually dependable actors, Kapadia and Manu Rishi, are unable to make anything out of it.
Dec 2013
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Welcome Back
Over its cruelly prolonged 150-minute running time, Welcome Back treats human intellect with the sort of disdain that’s remarkable, even for Bollywood.
Sep 2015
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Welcome 2 Karachi
The sort of derivative comic slop Arshad Warsi has had to wade through his entire career.
May 2015
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Wazir
Nambiar’s previous films have suffered from screenplays that are less than clever. This one reaches for cleverness, which is just beyond its grasp, and that mars what could have been an unusually dour, taut thriller.
Jan 2016
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Waiting
...walks the line between emotional resonance and emotional manipulation skilfully.
May 2016
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Vishwaroop II
Haasan has full control over Vishwaroop II – he’s the writer, director, co-producer and star – and yet it keeps getting away from him. The film never settles into a satisfying rhythm: irrelevant scenes are stretched beyond reason and important ones are rushed through.
Aug 2018
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Vishwaroop
Vishwaroop’s story is preposterous at the best of times, but it is directed with 100% conviction.
Feb 2013
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Apr 2012
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Veere Di Wedding
Everything about this film is deliberately put together, like the cushion covers co-ordinated with kaftans and teacups. If only, like Meera, who carries her girth with aplomb, all of Veere Di Wedding had been as natural and comfortable.
Jun 2018
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Veerappan
...we see flashes of the Varma of old, and he gets solid support from Bharadwaj and Jadhav’s performances. If only the screenplay had been tighter and the mood more suspenseful.
May 2016
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Uri
...has incredibly persuasive action sequences, but its military reserve can be stifling.
Jan 2019
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Ungli
The film has the distinct stamp of a brand of exaggerated, schmaltzy activism far from reality but in the garb of realism—the consummate example of this is Rang De Basanti, also D’Silva’s script.
Nov 2014
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Ugly
Ultimately Ugly rests on an irony, and although there are some masterfully-crafted scenes to build up suspense, none of it can hide the writer-director’s moral gaze—how depraved are you, he seems to ask, leaving his audience uneasy.
Dec 2014
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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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Tumhari Sulu
Kaul’s performance works wonderfully in tandem with Balan. Her Sulochana is everywoman but with a dollop of infectious optimism and Balan leaves you wanting more.
Nov 2017
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Oct 2018
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Tubelight
It’s nearly always excruciating when an actor with limited talent plays a character with limited intelligence. Normally, the charge against Salman is that he doesn’t do anything; here, he does so much that you’ll be begging for him to go back to his minimalist ways.
Jun 2017
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Trapped
Time games, inventive soundscapes, Rajkummar Rao: there’s lots to love in ‘Trapped’.
Mar 2017
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May 2016
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Total Dhamaal
Not for the first time, Kumar aims for It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and ends up with It’s a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad Film.
Feb 2019
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Toilet
Instead of sticking to social satire, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha takes on the mantle of an extended propaganda film—it’s just as tiresome, but with better production values and performances.
Aug 2017