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Kuldip Patwal
This is a whodunit in a way as you want to know who should be pinned for this tedious watch.
Feb 2018
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Padmaavat
Following the noise around this film, one can't help but scrutinise it for objectionable depiction. But even if Bhansali suspends reality in his immersive world, it's a strike from reality we'd like to hold on to.
Jan 2018
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My Birthday Song
While the objective of psychological thrillers may vary, a reliable yardstick would be its ability to leave one unsettled. My Birthday Song hopes to achieve this by leaving the audience dazed and confused. But incessant reliance on tropes and lack of focus, leaves one disinterested and bored — even before the big reveal.
Jan 2018
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Vodka Diaries
...at best, leaves one mildly confused and occasionally concerned about its erratic proceedings. It also weaves an elaborate ruse to rationalise the scattered plot.
Jan 2018
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1921
Relying on jaded tropes such as flickering lights, grisly halls, smoky corridors and chalk-faced spirits, there's little here that we've not seen in desi horror films in the last few decades.
Jan 2018
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Kaalakaandi
Delhi Belly writer Akshat Verma is brave to embark on this celluloid experiment which has a few well-imagined sequences. If only he would have invested more in storytelling and character development, this could have been a memorable watch.
Jan 2018
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Mukkabaaz
Anurag Kashyap fans may be a bit disappointed here. The filmmaker who doesn't hold his blows, seems constricted in telling this story. Not that there aren't enough bloody noses and hammered eyes, but the overall treatment seems to be tweaked for universal appeal.
Jan 2018
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Tiger Zinda Hai
Director Ali Abbas Zafar who got Khan to ditch his effortless stardom and sink into the mind and body of a Haryanvi wrestler in Sultan, is sharp and effective in assembling this war thriller, while also packing in sufficient masala for the Indian palette.
Dec 2017
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Monsoon Shootout
...there's little intensity as it all seems constructed and trite. Also to be pinned for this half-baked product would be the film's editing which is embarrassingly choppy—not in an indie way—but like the-editor-dozed-off-on-the-keyboard way.
Dec 2017
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Fukrey Returns
If one approaches this one as a comedy, it would be mildly satisfying as it sporadically strays into the thriller space and the strategically-planted comic elements seem forced and constructed. But hope for nothing, and you won't be bitterly disappointed.
Dec 2017
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Tera Intezaar
Sometimes, films are made without a recognisable motive. Did the producer want a selfie with Sunny Leone or Arbaaz Khan to inaugurate a jewellery store? We'll never know. But surely, the story and concept of this film were an afterthought which never got addressed in the bargain.
Dec 2017
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Firangi
There are films that seem bearable when you go in with zero expectations and there are those that disappoint even when you're prepared to have your brains grilled. No prize for guessing which category this one falls in.
Dec 2017
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Julie 2
Modestly-budgeted sleazy fests of the kind rarely invest in story and plot and get right down to delivering the goods. Julie 2 shatters this notion and packs in so much plot, it will make your brains rot.
Nov 2017
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Kadvi Hawa
Films on how humans consistently pickle the environment tend to get too academic to hold one's attention or interest. Which is why a film such as Kadvi Hawa delivers the goods effectively and precisely without hammering it down.
Nov 2017
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Ajji
Evolving from shorts to full-length, director Devashish Makhija makes a remarkable debut. Having delivered in a format where every frame must offer something novel to justify its presence, Makhija manages to keep affairs crisp, pointedly aggressive and consequently, effective.
Nov 2017
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Aksar 2
...for those looking for a suspense-thriller, the twists and turns here seem more unnecessary than unexpected and the predictably painful expressions inevitably culminate in a headache.
Nov 2017
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Tumhari Sulu
Director Suresh Triveni draws from his ad-film experience to assemble a tightly-knitted story but loses focus in the second half.
Nov 2017
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Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana
If the noble cause of this film was to train societal soch, the regressive characters could've at least gone through a mindset makeover by the climax. But the only transformation here, happens for those in the audience — greying guaranteed.
Nov 2017
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Qarib Qarib Singlle
Tanuja Chandra ensures the proceedings are swift and plants turns in strategic points in the film which lift the mood just when things begin to look south.
Nov 2017
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Ittefaq
If one were to list the things that counter this film's ability to deliver as a tight thriller, it would be a long one. While it's unfair to compare, if this remake were to be viewed as a standalone watch, it would still barely hold up.
Nov 2017
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Ribbon
This is the opposite of a feel-good film. What's particularly unsettling is that it refers to a reality that's closer to home, and not borrowed from an occurrence in an isolated Gurgaon highway or a small-town tragedy.
Nov 2017
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Ranchi Diaries
This one could pass for a B-grade film under the guise of a C-grade one.
Oct 2017
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Chef
It takes a very American premise that deals with chefs, critics, foodtrucks and paternity visits, and attempts to put a desi tadka on it. Unfortunately, what you're left with here is as insipid and uninspiring as watery dal.
Oct 2017
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Tu Hai Mera Sunday
Director Milind Dhaimade balances the parallel stories in the film evenly and with an underlying vulnerability. He allows his characters to demonstrate their traits and only occasionally, becomes a little too preachy.
Oct 2017
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Judwaa 2
David Dhawan comedies scored for their nonsensical dialogue which would invariably rhyme without reason. But the lines here are alternately comic and cringe-worthy. That the veteran filmmaker hails from a period where little attention was paid to the final product, is also evident from the dated style in which this has been shot.
Sep 2017
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Bhoomi
Inevitably, a cheerful opening sequence is followed by the heinous act that leads to much shared trauma. And once all else fails, the victims devise a way to seek justice on their own terms. Bhoomi is no different.
Sep 2017
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Haseena Parkar
Why director Apoorva Lakhia found this subject or the material compelling is a mystery.
Sep 2017
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Newton
Director Amit Masurkar packs in humour, tension and even adventure, in this political satire that despite being largely uneventful, keeps one interested and concerned about the proceedings on the screen.
Sep 2017
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Simran
Director Hansal Mehta, whose realistic and cinematic portrayals in films such as Aligarh and Shahid have proven the deft and detailing of his work, fails to straddle genres here and Simran seems like a classic case of too many cooks pickle the undhiyo.
Sep 2017
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Sep 2017