-
Gippi
The way it pans out it reminds us of producer Karan Johar’s 2012 hit Student Of The Year. Only, the bling factor is a little diminished. It raises relevant points but the innocence or the lack of it seems manufactured.
May 2013
-
The Xpose
Entertaining pulp fiction that turns spoof-ish, thanks to the convenient twists.
May 2014
-
Mohenjo Daro
Gowariker puts in all the hard work and sincerity in the canvas and the mounting, in the seals and the statues but refuses to take the necessary leap of imagination to give us something fresh, something worth taking note of.
Aug 2016
-
The Ghazi Attack
It’s a straightforward, chronological, well-acted and intermittently engaging watch...
Feb 2017
-
Manikarnika
A flat retelling of the legend of Jhansi Ki Rani that aims at stoking nationalism but reduces the story to mere platitudes.
Jan 2019
-
Batla House
A needlessly convoluted and garbled interpretation of the Batla House encounter case which sides with the cops.
Aug 2019
-
Khiladi 786
If Rowdy Rathore, Dabbang or Singham is your idea of an entertainer, go for it. At least, these films don’t have any pretensions of being great, or even good, cinema.
Dec 2012
-
Lootera
...I found myself restless in my seat, bored by the indulgence of a filmmaker to turn what seemed like a short, fun story with a smart twist on paper into an unwarranted drama with epic delusions of tragedy.
Jul 2013
-
X: Past is Present
There is a big idea here, which gets communicated to the viewer at times and eludes at others.
Nov 2015
-
Bala
While nailing the finer and linguistic details, Ayushmann Khurrana’s latest falls into the old traps of predictable character arcs, shallow ‘woke’ arguments and didactic climax
Nov 2019
-
Identity Card
A stinging climax and the sprinkling of history of Kashmir in the end credits do make you sit up and take note but you have to be really generous to reach there.
Aug 2014
-
Hawaizaada
...despite all the painstaking effort that’s gone into recreating an era, is devoid of anything even remotely exciting and given the material and the premise, this is a criminal waste of an idea.
Feb 2015
-
High Jack
...a stoner film is a rare feat in Bollywood. But High Jack’s execution is far from exemplary with blood that looks like maroon cough syrup and actors that go overboard with their character portrayals.
May 2018
-
Tamasha
...could well be the next part in the Ranbir Kapoor-In-Evolution series of Hindi cinema that boasts of films like Wake Up Sid, Rockstar and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.
Nov 2015
-
Noor
Patronising as it may sound the film should have remained about Noor and her relationships alone. It’s when Noor’s professional side comes to fore that things start to crumble.
Apr 2017
-
Sameer
The much desired subversion gets far-fetched and messy than pointed and plausible. That’s where the film loses a grip on itself and its larger relevance.
Sep 2017
-
Love Sonia
Granted that it is based on true events and the filmmaker can plead allegiance to reality, but what is the purpose of a film on human suffering that limits itself to a series of headline-grabbing incidents?
Sep 2018
-
Junglee
There is a sweet stray dog and magnificent tuskers and an unintended nostalgia unleashed for Haathi Mere Saathi. I came out raving about Kulkarni's fitness and agility and Jammwal’s voice and jawline. But that wasn’t quite the point of the film, was it?
Mar 2019
-
Gangs Of Wasseypur
All that coolth and pop realism may do well with the die hard Kashyap cult but for the rest of us who paid to watch a bloody saga of revenge, it seems like a long wait at the circus.
Jun 2012
-
Sep 2013
-
Raja Natwarlal
Ultimately, con films work if your suspension of disbelief is rewarded at the end. Here one returns with mixed feelings.
Aug 2014
-
Feb 2015
-
Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana
Rajkummar Rao is earnest and tries to give his best to a film that doesn’t deserve it.
Nov 2017
-
Rangoon
...is an ambitious but overblown, overlong jumble because Bhardwaj decides to take on too many strands. And he doesn’t knit them well as a whole.
Feb 2017
-
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
...might be bringing a “new story” to Bollywood but plays out too flat, lightweight and facile to be of any consequence. Tell us another love story, please.
Feb 2019
-
Daddy
...falls in the shadow; adrift and astray, mislaid between what would have been aimed on paper, in the script, and what eventually plays out on the screen.
Sep 2017
-
Raid
In spite of these right noises things still don’t turn out rousing enough on screen. A messy climax and clumsy reveal further seal the deal.
Mar 2018
-
Motichoor Chaknachoor
The rough humour, even the political incorrectness, of a few lines works given the context of the place and its denizens but the film doesn’t know when to stop and how to stay sharp and pointed.
Nov 2019
-
Jal
The director and cinematographer don’t seem to be on the same page. It seems they are selling the same product to two different consumers.
Apr 2014