-
Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns
...far more densely plotted than the first movie and has many more characters, but there’s no change in the theme—the struggle of feudals possessed by an immense sense of entitlement to remain relevant in a democracy.
Mar 2013
-
Fireflies
The pace can be quite taxing as you wonder when he will reveal the point of his study of human relationships, fettered emotions, and final resolution.
Oct 2014
-
Mar 2017
-
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
-
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
Runs on an unmistakable, foolproof formula: story is secondary; song, dance, costumes, and stars are supreme.
May 2013
-
Aug 2015
-
Tanhaji
...has fluent action and a gleeful Saif Ali Khan, though its view of history is slanted and broad.
Jan 2020
-
Shuttlecock Boys
...will not induce happy sighs or tears, but the simple, spirited storytelling makes it worth a watch.
Aug 2012
-
Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga
...is too slight to be this year’s Bheja Fry or Welcome to Sajjanpur, but there is no doubting its relevance and sincerity.
Mar 2013
-
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
-
2.0
A film that pivots around technology and artificial intelligence should have laid as much emphasis on artificial (special effects, computer graphics, robots) as intelligence. But writer-director Shankar’s focus is largely on visually wow-ing the audience.
Nov 2018
-
Love Wrinkle-free
It’s musical, chilled out, quirky and the pace is susegad (laid-back).
May 2012
-
Bareilly Ki Barfi
...it lacks bite, which Rao, playing a rather toothless individual, supplies.
Aug 2017
-
Revolver Rani
...has a bit too much going on at any given point, but it is cast well and has an interesting set of actors who give the material much-needed heft.
Apr 2014
-
Chef
Like the original, it’s a film that’s easily consumed, even if, like the original, the emotional beats being stressed are amusingly obvious.
Oct 2017
-
Baar Baar Dekho
In her first film as director, Mehra moves everything along briskly but is unable to add her own visual touch to the impossibly bright and beautiful Dharma house style.
Sep 2016
-
Laal Kaptaan
For the second time this year, Hindi cinema takes a run at a revisionist Western. Laal Kaptaan doesn't come together as satisfyingly as Sonchiriya, perhaps the best theatrical release of 2019.
Oct 2019
-
Bombay Talkies
...while they unfold, the stories hold up in their half-hour individual length. But after you have left the theatre, it is not gratification you feel, but the short-lived aftertaste of a music video or a good commercial.
May 2013
-
Happy Ending
Listless and phoney though it is as cinema, Happy Ending has some chuckle-inducing moments, and one secret weapon in Govinda.
Nov 2014
-
Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Whether you’re a sceptic or a fan, it’s almost impossible to withstand Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s calculated emotional assault. But it’s also tough to shake the feeling that you’re being played.
Jul 2015
-
Ittefaq
The look and feel is in place and so is the big twist. These two factors make Ittefaq a serviceable thriller, but not a genre-defining experience.
Nov 2017
-
Vishwaroop
Vishwaroop’s story is preposterous at the best of times, but it is directed with 100% conviction.
Feb 2013
-
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
-
Mar 2019
-
Jawaani Jaaneman
Having set itself up nicely in the first hour, Jawaani Jaaneman finds itself with little to say in the second.
Jan 2020
-
Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi
...is an awkward film, interspersed with some heartwarming scenes.
Aug 2012
-
Dishoom
There’s far more emphasis on style than script, but Dishoom won’t disappoint fans of the buff leading men.
Jul 2016
-
Super 30
...is on track as long as it steadily plugs away at the real life story of a teacher in Bihar who coaches underprivileged children for the IIT-JEE examination. But when the film starts to doubt whether this is enough, it comes undone.
Jul 2019