Soch ko badalna hai

#ToiletEkPremKatha - A crass and in-the-face film about stopping the crap - literally!

There is no beating about the bush about bushes/jungles/nullahs. The point is conveyed loudly and clearly.

All performances are strong. Bhumi Pednekar is very impressive while Akshay Kumar again proves that he is fungible in all kinds of roles.

Just one observation - the government is portrayed as a saint which was kinda too sugarcoated for my taste.

Otherwise the message is clear - Soch ko badalna hai. Hope for the best.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Euro Trip

Kabhi #SochaNaTha ki #AhistaAhista #JabWeMet #ImtiazAli, he, an erstwhile #Rockstar, who was #LovedUntilAajKal, would make a #Tamasha of himself by spewing a #Cocktail of European locations by coming up with a disaster called #JabHarryMetSejal!

There is not much in the story or the film as a whole.

SRK looks old. Anushka Ben has tried to put forth her Gujju best but thats just not enough.

The only good part was the locales - it was like a ghar baithe Europe ghoomiye kinda thing.

Initially I felt sad that we missed the beginning of the film but by the end of it I was missing home, my bed and everything outside the theater!

1.5⭐️ from me. 1 for showing me the best of Europe and 0.5 for my bachi kuchi loyalty for SRK.

Jagga Jasoos

#JaggaJasoos - A pantomimic musical journey through the life of a Barfi-esque teenage detective Jagga.

The film engages young and old alike but is more of a kids movie owing to its simplistic storyline lacking depth.

Ranbir Kapoor is delightful and at ease; Katrina is okay; Saswata Chatterjee is worth a special mention as #TootiFooti - totally diverse character perfectly essayed after his most remembered role of Bob Biswas.

The songs blend well with the plot but at times its a musical overload and one starts missing prose dialogues. Specifically loved the #GaltiSeMistake song.

Overall, thoroughly enjoyable film. 3.5 ⭐️ from me

Mom

#Mom - Average story standing on the strong shoulders of few good performances.

Sridevi is as at ease as ever and so is Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Akshaye Khanna is decent. Other cast is also alright.

Theme is relevant but some parts are quite over the top. After a point, comparison with the likes of #Pink kicks in and this one does not quite match up.

Overall, just a one time watch with nothing special to offer. 2.5 ⭐️ from me.

Tubelight

#Tublelight jal jaa...jal jaa...mujhe yakeen hai.......oops...nothing seems to be working! 😜

Bhaijaan's Eid release failed to shine this time!

Story is okayish but quite boring. Signature Sallu-giri is totally missing. Sohail Khan looks too chubby to be even considered fit for the army. Om Puri seems to have carried forward his character from Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Sorry Kabir Khan but your repetition of Sallu + cute kid formula just does not work this time.

Barely 2.5 ⭐️ from me. 0.5 for the cute kid Matin

Moderately Sweet

#Muramba - The lead actor jokes about typicality a lot and yet the film is quite typical in itself.

The story is simple and straightforward. There are some comic moments but overall even the 2 hrs or so seemed to drag in places.

The biggest plus point is the acting - Amey Wagh is much at ease; Chinmayee Sumeet portrays the emotional yet controlled mom perfectly; Mithila Palkar is cute and not bad for a new comer; for me, Sachin Khedekar stole the show with his effortless performance.

Overall, 3⭐️ from me

Class Act

#HindiMedium - A realistic, simplistic and genuine attempt.

It reiterates the dire state of affairs in the education business very effectively. Though the concept and execution is kinda ghisa-peeta, it still keeps you gripped till the very end.

Dialogues are witty; acting is top class.

Overall, a good watch. Hard to find flaws in this one.

4 ⭐️

Chi Va Chi Sau Ka

#ChiVaChiSauKa - Lighthearted, simple and free-flowing film.

Most of the characters are unlike real-life; not seen anyone so crazy about water conservation or a crazy animal lover who "growls" at animal references in conversations or a 70+ "wild" grandmother aspiring to remarry. That said, all of them together are fun to watch and effortlessly carry the narrative forward.

However, if you have seen the excessive promos on TV, then there's nothing much new in the film. The entire story and punches are part of the trailer.

Also the end was kinda rushed; as if someone hit the warning bell that time's up!

Overall a decent one time watch.

3 ⭐️. Would have been a 3.5 if i had not seen the promos before watching the film!

Cinematic Delight!

#Bahubali2 - Its grand!

Although the story is fairy-tale-like, the overall execution is superb.

Absolutely loved the ginormous sets that make #Mahismati seem so real that you want to cheer for your king and chant "bahubali bahubali...".

A well made closure to the first part, but "why katappa killed bahubali" was kinda predictable and made one wonder how we could not guess it! 😦

The cast is wonderful. Loved Prabhas as Amarendar Bahubali. Anushka Shetty looks very pretty in her princess getup. Sharad Kelkar has done a fab job in dubbing Bahubali's voice.

Overall, a good cinematic experience.

4⭐️ from me. #JaiMahishmati. Cannot believe this film comes from the same industry which also generates torturous stuff we have to endure on Set Max on daily basis!

Naam-Sab-Mat-Aana

#NaamShabana - More like "Naam-Sab-Mat-Aana".

Apart from a great performance by #TaapseePannu, there is nothing in it!

Is it so meh just to show that its a prequel to #Baby and the latter is an improvement? 🤔

Shabana's character is much identical to PeeCee's character from Quantico! Also the first half of the film drags on thus impacting the runtime. Other actors have very limited scope.

Overall, just so-so and can be given a skip.

2.5⭐️ from me. 2 for my loyalty to the franchise and 0.5 bonus just for Taapsee's performance.

Who's the boss??

#TheBossBaby- Truly ruthless and toothless!

A simplistic film with several funny moments and one-liners. Too many cute things which look cuter in 3D. 🙂

Loved the realistic concept with a mix of fantasy - from insensitive babies being selected in management and sibling rivalry to a baby manufacturing corporation, it has it all.

Overall, a fun one time watch.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Unspirited

#Phillauri - "Sau Saal Pehle Mujhe Tumse Pyaar Tha, Aaj Bhi Hai Aur Kal Bhi Rahega.."- that's pretty much the gist of the film!

The story is okay-ish and the performances average. There are few funny moments but the rest is mundane.

Music is decent with a couple of hummable tunes.

A typical Punjabi filmy wedding with a dash of spookiness, this is an average one time watch!

2.5⭐️

Trapped

#Trapped - A gripping, edge-of-the-seat thriller with a brilliant performance by Rajkumar Rao.

Though kinda unrealistic with some situations that make you feel "he could have just done ------ and escaped", its a good one time watch.

Warning: Some scenes, though very brief, are extreme and can make u go 🙈


3.5⭐️ from me.

Immortal

#AmarPhotoStudio - Whatta play!

A concept which has been seen in some form or the other in cinema has been brilliantly depicted! All performances simply fantastic.

Always admired #AmeyWagh as a multifaceted actor; was totally impressed by the spectrum covered by #SuvratJoshi; was great to see a totally different #SakhiGokhale and #PoojaThombre.

Overall, it was a timeless, effortless and amazing experience. 4.5⭐️ from me.

Please catch it if you haven't already! Missed my fangirl moment of personally meeting the stars just because it was too late in the night! 😶

Bad and Dull!

#BadrinathKiDulhania - More like bad-movie-lath ki dull-hania!

Solo release on Holi weekend might be the only reason why its running. The thought/concept is alright but the execution is immature and lacks grip.

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania was a pardonable offence for Varun and Alia as it was during their early days; this kind of stuff now is invitation to downfall.

For me, even Tamma Tamma did not raise the tempo of the film.

Overall, bad and dull. Please skip.

1.5 ⭐️ from me.

Powerful

#TheGhaziAttack - A film which makes its mark without any "A-list stars".

The story is crisp; narrative flows smoothly without any dips; acting is top-notch - be it Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni or Rana Dagubatti, each character is aptly cast. Taapsee Pannu is just there - with no scope to show her acting prowess! The ladies in the film (total 5 i think) seem to be there just to fulfil womens' quota. ;-)

Some parts are dramatic and totally masala-movie-esque but overall, a good movie. Definitely worth a dekko.

3.5 ⭐️

Jolly Good!

#JollyLLB2 - Thankfully a pretty decent watch after 2 disasters over last 2 weekends.

Although he is neither #Raees nor #Kaabil, the Jolly fellow ensures entertainment all the way through! :-)

Superb performance by Saurabh Shukla, ably supported by Annu Kapoor. Akshay Kumar is kinda unfit for the character but does not lose grip. Kumud Mishra is underutilized and so is Huma Qureshi.

The dialogues are quirky and the tact with which the seasoned actors deliver them make them even better!

Overall a good one time watch. Hard to find too many flaws.

4/5 ⭐️ from me.

Very Poor!

#Raees - 4 dialogues sum it all.

1. Hamare liye koi dhanda chota nahi hota aur dhande se bada koi dharam nahi hota - Thats why we have made this crappy movie

2. Baniye ka dimag aur miya bhai ki daring - Thats why we have cast SRK with a bimbette like Mahira Khan and still managed some chemistry

3. Din aur raat logo ke hote honge. Shero ka zamana hota hai - (Jo beet chuka hai). SRK seems to stand for "Should Restrict Krap" these days.

And finally, "battery nahi bolneka" - battery dead bolneka!

Barely 2.25 ⭐️ from me.

Feel like increasing 0.5 points for #Kaabil just for being better than this one!

Kaabil

#Kaabil - Felt like a ride back into the 80s/90s where movies had a typical formula - boy meets girl and falls in love; tragedy/tyranny strikes and revenge is sought; throw in some decent music and a dance number and masala movie taiyyar!

Kaabil is just that!

An okay-ish reminder of those days.

Overall a decent one time watch. 2.5⭐️ from me.

Whatever!

#TeeSadhyaKayKarte-After the initial half an hour, it was more like "tee kahihi karude. Me ithe kay kartey??"🙄

Just a so-so movie after having undergone the nagging promos for more than a month!

Concept/Story was kinda relatable but everything else was just about average.
The music is hummable.
The child actors seemed the most at ease.

Overall, nothing special, especially coming from a guy with a very good body of work which holds a high benchmark!
In fact, I think I saw some people actually "sada dreaming" instead of watching the film! 😬.

Just about 2.5⭐️ from me.

Dangal

#Dangal - The much hyped bollywood churn-out of this weekend turned out to be an extremely lengthy but inspirational saga.

The story was obvious but still had its moments - the struggle, resistance, grit, patriotism- all packed into one 3+ hour screenplay!

May be it was the sultan effect but somehow the wrestling bouts got boring after a point.

The performances are excellent and so is the flow of the narrative.

The length could have easily been managed in 2-2.5hrs.

The moral of the story basically was ki subah ka bhoola shaam ko ghar aa jaye toh usey Geeta Phoogat kehte hai!

Overall it was quite flawless but the concept was repetitive and boring after a point. 3.5⭐️

Kahaani 2

#Kahani2- yet another mediocre sequel.

The story was lucid, broaching upon a very serious subject. However, the approach was a bit too "hit in the face" and so were some of the scenes and dialogues. A little subtlety would have gone a long way.

Vidya Balan was effortless as usual, Arjun Rampal kinda restrained, with lot of character actors from the first Kahani supporting ably. Jugal Hansraj was a (un)pleasant surprise. I would have loved to see Bob Biswas and Rana again but alas!

Overall not bad. 3⭐️

A Slice of Life

#DearZindagi - Another "slice of life" film.

A very sensitive and relevant story brilliantly carried forward by Alia Bhatt.
Simply loved SRK's Jug - much at ease and extremely charismatic!
And thanks for the heavy dose of eye candy in the supporting cast! 😍😬

Among other things, the background score particularly stands out. Also noticed that the titles at the end specifically mentioned names of cast members featuring in deleted scenes!

All in all, a very good one time watch but not quite as high on the scale as English Vinglish.
Sorry Gauri Shinde - you set very high standards for yourself!

This is just about 3.5 ⭐️. Or may be 0.5 extra for Alia.

Breath of fresh air!

#Ventilator - Free flowing, simplistic movie with a great ensemble cast!

Each character actually has a character and none of them seem out of place.

Ashutosh Gowarikar should get back to acting rather than helming out period traumas like Mohenjo Daro. He is totally in the zone.
Jeetendra Joshi is amazing as usual.
Others are aptly cast. Loved the senior generation.

A little control on the length of the film would have made it even better. Also, I do not quite appreciate the crass toilet humour.

But overall, an excellent effort and good one time watch.

A Disaster Has (been) Made!!

#ADHM - A Disaster Has (been) Made
But
#ADHM - Anushka Does Her Maximum (to save the day)
Simple question to Mr. KJo - What were you thinking???

A pathetic mashup of several of his earlier films, this one lacks a plot, theme, feel, and whatever else that is required to make a fairly decent movie.
Arey bhai, "Pyar Dosti Hai" yeh toh Kuch Kuch Hota Hai se pata hai. Ab kya naya bataya 3 ghante waste karke? 😤

Ranbir is just about ok, Aishwarya not required, Fawad is for the cuteness while Lisa for dumbness. The only saving grace is Anushka Sharma - she's actually good!!

All in all, iss mein se kuch aur appreciate karna, ae dil hai mushkil!

Captain Cool

#MSDhoni - An untold story indeed! Perfectly showcases the struggle that he went through to achieve what he has.

Highs - Sushant Singh Rajput is near- perfect; be it the look, the technique or the acting. Other cast is also apt and the story is lucid.

Lows - Too lengthy. Could have wrapped up in under 2 hrs. Also, the cricket was repetitive and wicketkeeping, which is his forte, was not given any limelight!

Overall, I feel this one should have been made few years down the line, when he contributes something back to where he came from. The reciprocation angle is non-existent.

All in all, 3/5 from me.

Pink!

#Pink - The promos promised courtroom drama and the film lived up to the expectations. The story is known and the end is predictable but it still manages to keep you engaged all the way through.

The Highs - Apt casting and up-to-the-mark performances. Special mention to Taapsee Pannu and Kirti Kulhari.

The Low- Something was amiss in character sketches, especially Amitabh Bachchan's

Overall, 3.5/5.

Ek Baar Bhi Mat Dekho

#BaarBaarDekho - Student of the Year ko Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham wale life ke moments dikhte hai; Ultimately chahta toh hai woh apne pyaar ko Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna;

This basically summarises it! A mediocre attempt at a concept that could have achieved brilliance given the right treatment.

Overall, only one time dekko if u really want to! Else wait for the "World Television Premiere" 😁 2.5/5

Hidden Gem

#Rustom - Absolutely adheres to the hype created by the promos.

Akshay Kumar seems quite "at ease" as the naval commander; Ileana D'Cruz is extremely pretty and decent in her performance; Never thought Arjan Bajwa can look suave and charming but he does; the entire supporting cast is near perfect- be it Sachin Khedekar as the prosecutor, Anang Desai as the judge, Usha Nadkarni as the bai, Kumud Mishra as the editor or Pavan Malhotra as the policeman. Even the newspaper vendor boy is aptly cast!

The movie is detailed in its props and sets and manages to take you back to the Bombay of the 1950s. Although a one time watch, its a very impressive one. 4/5 👍