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 👍