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Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
Few filmmakers in Mumbai engage with ideas and issues of contemporary relevance as felicitously as Bhardwaj. He might have fallen short this time around, but even when he is not at his best, he is infinitely better than most in the business. A director who does not fear failure merits our support.
Jan 2013
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Mary Kom
The obviously questionable casting of Priyanka Chopra as the lead actress and the choice of the principal shooting locations are the least of the numerous glaring problems that mar first-time director Omung Kumar’s well-intentioned but excessively effusive Mary Kom.
Sep 2014
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Marjaavaan
...which is anything but a film to die for, writer-director Milap Milan Zaveri whips up a stale masala concoction that transports the audience right back to a Bollywood era gone by.
Nov 2019
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Margarita With A Straw
Do not pass up a sip of Margarita, With A Straw. It could be life-altering. If nothing else, it will soak you with its warmth.
Apr 2015
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Mardaani 2
...thanks to the solidity that the lead actress lends the film and the support she receives from the antagonist, Mardaani 2 is never less than riveting.
Dec 2019
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Mardaani
Director Sarkar receives high quality assistance from his principal technicians, who combine to keep Mardaani simple and focused on its clearly delineated plot all the way through.
Aug 2014
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Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
...is packed with delightful surprises, not the least of which are the ways in which it turns the genre on its head.
Mar 2019
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Mantostaan
The effort of actor-writer-director Rahat Kazmi is, therefore, irrefutably pertinent and praiseworthy. The result, alas, is uneven. Mantostaan is devoid of the gut-wrenching punch that Manto's seething pen could deliver at will.
May 2017
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Manto
...is a highly watchable, immediately thought-provoking cinematic work that does not have to deliver sledgehammer blows quite in the manner of Manto's more confrontational stories.
Sep 2018
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Manmarziyaan
...laced with humour and warmth, is a love story with flashes - only flashes, not a sustained flow - of inspiration.
Sep 2018
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Manjunath
Thank god for Manjunath, who is not a man but a metaphor for that rapidly evaporating cult of idealism that we thought died with Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
May 2014
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Manjhi
A lighter touch might have made Manjhi - The Mountain Man a markedly more convincing biopic.
Aug 2015
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Manikarnika
...is agonizingly soulless. Platitudes piled upon synthetic platitudes do not add up to great cinema, especially when none of the film's war cries delivers any bang for its buck.
Jan 2019
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Malang
If you are seeking manic, mesmeric madness, Malang certainly isn't the film for you. But it might just live up to modest expectations.
Feb 2020
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Malaal
...would have left as with no regrets whatever if only it had the courage to go all out to stress upon the power of love to surmount divisive forces at play in Mumbai and elsewhere. It abandons that topical concern and settles for a construct that drifts towards a tame, sanitized finish.
Jul 2019
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Main Tera Hero
...is a laugh riot, unapologetically mindless but infectiously boisterous and off-the-wall.
Apr 2014
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Main Aur Charles
Bollywood biopics usually tend to be horrendously bloated and overwrought. Main Aur Charles is anything but.
Oct 2015
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Mahabharat
There is a laboured attempt here to prove that animation has come to animated life in Indian cinema. Sadly, it ends up proving only the opposite. We've a long way to go.
Dec 2013
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Madras Cafe
...a sinewy and riveting espionage thriller that entertains without having to play to the gallery.
Aug 2013
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Made In China
The film isn't happy being just a comedy. It arrogates to itself a serious, larger purpose and takes a shot at earnest drama centred on performance anxiety. When sex and guilt go hand in hand, the film tells us, quacks and charlatans have a field day. On paper, the notion is great. On the screen, the result isn't.
Oct 2019
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Madam Chief Minister
...is a misfire that makes a great deal of noise without making much sense.
Jan 2021
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Madaari
... makes the right noises about the state of the nation and its people owing to the machinations of avaricious and insensitive politicians and crony contractors. However, the methods that the film uses in order to do so are rather fanciful, if not outright harebrained.
Jul 2016
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Maatr
Subtleties and nuances are obviously beyond Maatr. It deals solely in broad strokes. No matter how much slack you are willing to cut this film, it will still need some more in order to have its glaring gaps glossed over.
Apr 2017
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M.S. Dhoni
Instead of delving into the complexities of an international sporting career with its share of controversy, the patchy script glosses over the grey areas and concentrates squarely on lionizing Dhoni as a model sportsman.
Sep 2016
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Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana
...is just the kind of cinematic repast that those might have lost their appetite for Bollywood comedies could do with.
Nov 2012
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Luv Ka The End
I walked out of the movie depressed. If this is really what the youth wants, we should be afraid, very afraid.
May 2011
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Luka Chuppi
...isn't without its moments, but its downside overwhelms its strengths by a big margin.
Mar 2019
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Lucknow Central
Any good escape film requires detailed plotting, however, and Lucknow Central is frequently stupid.
Sep 2017