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Dhanak
To have a movie revolve around just two characters is hard but Kukunoor does it and how! He proves yet again why he is a filmmaker to reckon with.
Jun 2016
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Sanju
Under Hirani's light touch and unwavering optimism, the darkness of Dutt's life filled with too many misdemeanours to be overlooked as miscalculation, acquires the spirit of a sportsman, grit of a soldier, humour of a rascal and regrets of a son.
Jun 2018
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Mar 2010
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Shanghai
Shanghai is all Dibakar, who we must lift on our shoulders with grateful pride.
Jun 2012
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PK
...it is a rollicking mainstream entertainer with ambition to evoke some introspection, one with compelling moments and some genuine surprises.
Dec 2014
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Udta Punjab
...truly soars when being its own madcap beast, profane and powerful and preening.
Jun 2016
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Naam Shabana
Yet it is an aspirational film. Because the Naam Shabana India, though pretty close to what we have today, has still elements of the India we want to be.
Apr 2017
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Mar 2012
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Main Aur Charles
...tells its tale with calculated intent -- coolly, cleverly, taking its time -- mirroring the dry panache of its self-assured protagonist.
Oct 2015
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Dangal
Unlike the overblown Sultan with a somewhat similar milieu, Tiwari's account of inspiring reality is lot more understated in its approach.
Dec 2016
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Rockstar
...a simple, unspectacular tale, sometimes even predictable, but director Imtiaz Ali masterfully weaves in details that draw us in.
Nov 2011
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Udaan
Being young can be quite rewarding if you are willing to take charge, be responsible. Udaan is an enriching experience in highlighting the same.
Jul 2010
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Tanu Weds Manu Returns
...is not merely superior to its predecessor but the flamboyance and fun it provides is an implication we're not quite done with this mad duo and their quirky universe yet.
May 2015
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Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
The heart wants what it wants, and sometimes all we need is a compelling reason to cry. Thank you, Karan Johar. For this film feels like a sob.
Nov 2016
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Mukti Bhawan
... discards volubility for quieter storytelling or oversaturating its protagonists in quirk. Instead, Bhutiani juggles emotion and practicality to skilfully extract real, relatable humour out of ordinary circumstances.
Apr 2017
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Shikara
...there could not have been a better timing for a story that tells us what happens when religion becomes the sole criterion to determine who belongs where.
Feb 2020
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Badlapur
...is all fury and fog, a revenge saga that plays out with such eyebrow-singeing intensity that I could imagine a gravel-voiced narrator filling us in on dames and dreams and dark, stormy nights.
Feb 2015
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Bahubali
The first part of the epic leaves behind dollops of rip-roaring entertainment to relish till it’s back to finish what it started in perhaps even more jaw-dropping manner.
Jul 2015
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Margarita With A Straw
...a refreshingly, brutally honest film which ends up making the tiny mistake of adding an emotional, clichéd ending.
Apr 2015
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Rangoon
...haunts in unlikely fashion and, while the director's most straightforward picture, holds enough of its own marvels to justify multiple viewings.
Feb 2017
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Kadvi Hawa
...don't let anybody tell you that Kadvi Hawa is a manifesto for the fight against climate change or that it's an austere, unforgiving, movie. This is an intensely felt, beautifully expressed, sustained piece of cinema.
Nov 2017
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Raazi
...is a rarity. It is intense, riveting, clever, dark, sad, lyrical, heartfelt, relevant and understated.
May 2018
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Sonchiriya
Chaubey and Sharma recreate a bygone era's lore and legends, groom it like a Western, pace it like a thriller, infuse it with surprises and social relevance around lyrical visuals and impactful writing, even its booming dishkyaons hit harder than all the empty pooh-pahing we hear around us all the time.
Mar 2019
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Chhapaak
Meghna Gulzar documents Chhapaak's grim reality barefacedly without losing sight of its character's quiet determination to fight the reasons that make such heinous crimes possible in the first place.
Jan 2020
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Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns
...a theatrically indulgent entertainer, one that makes no bones about its pulpiness and stays well and truly juicy.
Mar 2013
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Neerja
Madhvani paces the film masterfully, making for a highstrung but justifiably emotional narrative.
Feb 2016
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Game Over
...is a nifty piece of work that recognises the durability of meaningful entertainment. Its feminist breakthroughs may not always seem practical, but its 'fight back' gusto had my vote.
Jun 2019
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Mubarakan
The Bazmee-Chahal-Janjua-Chawla quartet prove very convincingly that comedies need not always be about slapstick; that there is more to comedy films than vulgar gestures and crass jokes. That clean dialogues, written sensibly, entertain and charm the movie-goers.
Jul 2017
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Yeh Saali Zindagi
The idea is to project mess and chaos. Indeed surplus characters and subplots often make YSZ an overwhelming experience to endure. But if you are up for the challenge to explore Delhi's shifty facet, it's rewarding too.
Feb 2011
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Gangs Of Wasseypur 2
Like one of those unending strings of ladis, this is, then, a proper firecracker, even if far too long.
Aug 2012