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Manmarziyaan
For a director whose narratives are propelled more by dramatic incident than by character psychology, Manmarziyaan represents a bit of an experiment. Though the film is perpetually busy over its 150-odd minutes, there’s little forward movement, and a lot of sideways shuffling.
Sep 2018
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Stree
...an amiable comedy with a couple of good ideas, too many jump scares and the most confusing ending I’ve seen in a long time.
Aug 2018
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Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi
...isn’t a total bust: there are intermittent laughs, and the Indian and Pakistani characters are treated with generosity. But to set a film in China and then spend 135 minutes sneering at the Chinese is, to put it plainly, opportunistic and childish.
Aug 2018
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Gold
The story itself is a nice idea, but that extra beat, that crucial unwillingness to trust the viewer, reveals the film’s insecurities.
Aug 2018
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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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Karwaan
Irrfan precisely spits out the acerbic dialogue written by Hussain Dalal. He’s a delight, whether in the foreground or background – wooing a veiled woman in a hospital ward or cajoling an ageing musician. Thanks to these two talents, Karwaan manages to navigate the pot-holed script.
Aug 2018
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Karwaan
Some of the pit stops in Khurana and Adhir Bhat’s script (based on a story by Bejoy Nambiar) feel gratuitous and the characters never reach out and touch us.
Aug 2018
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Fanney Khan
...is a well-meaning feint at the issue of body-shaming and an exhortation to not give up on one’s dreams. Yet, it also shows the yawning chasm between intent and execution into which so many Hindi films fall.
Aug 2018
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Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3
The weakest of the trilogy, this story takes exceedingly long to set up the key players and their motivations.
Jul 2018
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Dhadak
By replicating the narrative but tossing in caste almost as an afterthought, Dhadak shows the limitations of mainstream Hindi cinema.
Jul 2018
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Soorma
Writers Shaad Ali, Suyash Trivedi and Siva Ananth gently follow a linear narrative to recount Singh’s story but the screenplay feels rather lazy and the drama of Singh’s inspirational story is barely felt.
Jul 2018
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Sanju
It’s a warts-and-all film that hedges its bets: Sanju baba is rarely kept apart from the viewer’s sympathy.
Jul 2018
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Bhavesh Joshi Superhero
...is caught in a peculiar bind: it’s a bit too competent to be dismissed, but not original or striking enough to dispel the feeling that it’s all been done before.
Jun 2018
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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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Parmanu
Abraham goes all-out in portraying the sincerity and blinkered nationalism of Raina, but the character feels two-dimensional and flat.
May 2018
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Raazi
Like she did in Talvar, Gulzar assembles and marshals an expert ensemble. It’s a pleasure watching a detail-oriented director like her collaborate with an actor like Bhatt, who has a knack of making the tiniest gestures count.
May 2018
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Omerta
Mehta’s frequent juggling of timeline and location means the jag and jump of the filmic technique matches the fragmented nature of the narrative. The chaos is needed, for though there’s some shock in Omerta, there’s little surprise.
May 2018
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Daas Dev
There are so many vested interests in this microcosm of UP politics that I wished I had a cheat sheet to keep track of who is who and why they are betraying and killing each other.
Apr 2018
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Beyond The Clouds
...had it not been Majidi making this, it’s debatable whether Beyond the Clouds, which feels like an artily rendered patchwork of stock Mumbai film moments, would have been on anyone’s radar.
Apr 2018
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Baaghi 2
The ridiculousness of such scenes almost distracts from the noxious nature of this film, which dilutes its near-constant violence with cheaply bought nationalism.
Mar 2018
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Hichki
...often comes across as parachute filmmaking—dropping in on a problem just long enough to prick the viewer’s conscience and make them feel like they’re watching something meaningful, but avoiding any sort of meaningful engagement.
Mar 2018
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Mar 2018
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3 Storeys
The problem with 3 Storeys is the screenwriting; Althea Kaushal’s three stories don’t match moods or stay on the same beat.
Mar 2018
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Feb 2018
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Pad Man
...is sanitised and sweet, and its message is not just to encourage the use of sanitary pads, but that with the right motivation, imagination and a whole lot of patience you can solve problems with ingenuity
Feb 2018
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Padmaavat
...the Karni Sena has unwittingly been protesting a wet dream of Rajput pride. Pride beyond logic, pride in defeat, in suicide, in abetting suicide.
Jan 2018
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Kaalakaandi
...it is technically inconsistent and the narrative doesn’t quite pull together. You are waiting for the loose plots to come together as the film nears its end, but that does not happen quite to satisfaction. You are left with some doubts, a lack of closure, like there’s maybe something that slipped between the writing and the final edit.
Jan 2018
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Mukkabaaz
...is a bracing start to the movie year—overstuffed, enjoyable and urgent. It doesn’t have big stars, but feels like a commercial movie in a way that Bombay Velvet didn’t.
Jan 2018
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Monsoon Shootout
...although Kumar’s film is emotionally wanting, it is technically accomplished and skilfully engaging.
Dec 2017