Drive

#Drive - Is #Race on your mind? Then #DhoomMachale! 😏

Its basically a crude version of #Dhoom on 4 wheels, with an attempt to throw in the “thrill” of #Race. Extremely predictable, it fails to engage. May be thats why it was released directly to #Netflix. #SmartMove😬

#SushantSinghRajput is good (or may be I am biased 😜); #JackquelineFernandes is a bimbette as usual; #BomanIrani and #PankajTripathi are wasted; others are whatever!

Overall, nothing much to “drive” you crazy.

2⭐️ from me.

The Sky is Pink

#TheSkyIsPink - One of those films which could easily have been a documentary.

Since its a true story, there is no guesswork or “interpretation” necessary as such. The director seems to have put too much effort in trying to forcefully put in cuteness and humour but thats not hitting the right spot. The plot is woven well but after a point the same things keep repeating and one loses interest. Somewhere the gripping factor is missing.

Other than that, performances are tight; loved #PriyankaChopra and #FarhanAkhtar; #RohitSaraf is cute; #ZairaWasim is alright but does not achieve her potential which was seen in #Dangal.

Overall, an okay one time watch. The only major take away is that your business (sky) is your business (sky) and none of my business. 😬

2.5⭐️ from me.

Baat Toh Karo

#KhandaaniShafakhana - A mediocre attempt of broaching upon a so called taboo subject, using humour.

That said, the storyline is simple and somewhat unrealistic and immpractical. The comedy/wit could have been much better and only draws a few scarce laughs. However, this is a good stepping stone for more open-mindedness in #Bollywood and like they say in the film, #BaatTohKaro.

#SonakshiSinha and #AnnuKapoor are aptly cast; #VarunSharma is too silly and wasted; #Badshah’s acting talent is inversely proportional to his rap; #NadiraBabbar should have been more energetic; #KulbhushanKharbanda is old and cannot possibly show the range of a man from 50 to 80; he just looks 80 the entire time!

Overall, not too bad for a debutant director.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Kabir Singh

#KabirSingh - To like or not to like, that is the question. 😬

I was quite skeptical about watching this one; so much that I purposefully skipped it while it was in theaters. Must say I’m glad I did catch it.

While I absolutely disagree with such kinda of manical intensity bordering on madness, hats off to #ShahidKapoor for portraying the character so well! He owns the film, just like his character owns everything in it! The other cast is simply there because its not a one man show (well actually it is 😏).

The music is amazing. The story is quite typical and predictable.

Overall, its enjoyable if you are not too judgemental about the character’s behaviour and attitude.

3⭐️ from me.

Chhichhore

#Chhichhore - A class apart from other typical films of the college/hostel/friendship genre.

Some might say that the premise is unrealistic and silly but for me it struck the right chords and opened the doors to memory lane!

The characters are very real and we all have definitely encountered/been them during our college days; be it the one-track-mind #Sexa, the angry and foul-mouthed #Acid, the leader of the “mean gang” #Raggie, athletic #Derek or mama’s boy #Mummy. #SushantSinghRajput is perfect as the leader of the pack #Anni; was amazed to see #ShraddhaKapoor fit some role to the T though she reminded me constantly of #VidyaBalan. The entire supporting cast is near perfect- right from #VarunSharma, #TahirRajBhasin, #PrateikBabbar, #MohammadSamad to the canteen cook and the hostel desk employee!

The film is laden with jokes that are quite nonsensical but so perfectly executed that you are in splits. The music is quite hummable. After #3Idiots, I think this has the potential to become a classic.

Definitely worth a watch.

4⭐️ from me.

Batla House

#BatlaHouse - Another product of the realism/true story mill. It has all the elements of a typical police vs terrorism drama but something feels amiss.

#JohnAbraham looks old and stone faced most of the time; #RaviKishen is too bloated for words; #MrunalThakur needs some emoting and voice pitching lessons; rest of the cast does their bit well.

The overall flow is smooth but the end was somewhat abrupt and sudden. They could have spent a few more minutes on the climax easily considering they have spent about 5 mins reading the disclaimer at the beginning word by word in english and hindi both!

Overall, an okay one time watch.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Vacuum Cleaner

#VacuumCleaner - An absolutely fun #natak!

The start is slow and seemingly mundane but once it picks up, it maintains the high till the very end. The premise is familiar but unexpected (unless you already know!). The script, story, etc. are average.

The thing that takes it to another level is the brilliant comic timing and amazing performances by #AshokSaraf and #NirmitiSawant. They are an absolute delight to watch on stage. #PrathameshCheulkar stands out through his dance performance. Other actors are apt.

Overall, its very funny and good entertainment. Recommended watch for a relaxing time.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Not at all Kaadaaakkkk!

#AshrunchiZaaliFuley - A revived classic, this is somewhat incapable of engaging today’s audience!

The story is lucid and free flowing. However, execution should have been much better.

The sets look old (may be for effect but still meh); dialogues are good (some excellent) but verbose and heavy-duty which today’s crowd cannot fathom; character building and establishment of relationships between them is abrupt and insufficient; the blackouts between scenes are abnormally long and nothing much changes on set; and there are 2 extremely long intervals.

Although the audience tends to go berserk as #SubodhBhave enters, he was average. He has performed #Lalya much better in #AniDrKashinathGhanekar. For me, #ShaileshDatar steals the show as #Vidyanand. Rest of the cast is apt.

Overall, its average and not worth spending ₹500 on tickets as its impact has faded with time.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Dil Mein Mars Hai

#MissionMangal - The latest vehicle to launch Akshay Kumar’s career to greater heights!

It has the right elements to make you feel extremely patriotic and proud; and you should, considering the incredible achievement by #ISRO #India!

The story is obvious but very engaging. #VidyaBalan fits her character to the T; #SonakshiSinha is the right blend of pretty and fiesty; #TaapseePannu, #KirtiKulhari and #SharmanJoshi play their parts perfectly but there is limited scope to showcase their capabilities; #DalipTahil seems to have grown younger; #SanjayKapoor gives web series kinda vibes; rest of the cast is apt.

Editing could have been crisper; there is lack of balance in character sketches where background of some characters is overly built with unnecessary details while others are left half-baked.

When there are comic elements, #AkshayKumar knows how to rock-it! 😉Music is good and the #DilMeinMars anthem is catchy.

Overall, definitely worth a watch.

3.75⭐️ from me.

Ek Bandakhor Natak??

#TilaKahiSangaychay - A classic example of “char aane ki murgi bara aane ka masala”!

Kudos to #ZeeMarathi for the excessive advertising that piques viewers’ interest in this play.

Basically, it is a classic feminist story with a modern setting. It manages to stick to the point and is quite relatable for the most part.

I have always liked #TejashriPradhan and she is good in this one as well. #AstaadKale is much better on stage than on TV!

Overall, nothing much “bandakhor” about it.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Against all odds...

#Ananya - A tale reiterating that where there is a will, there is a way.

The story and characters are simple; the strength lies in the fantastic performance. The leading actress #RutujaBagwe ‘stands’ strong on her feet and carries the play ably on her ‘shoulders’ (pun intended). Rest of the cast is average. Some of the new actors need to improve their dialogue delivery as they often lose out on clarity of speech.

Overall, worth watching for the sheer hardwork put in by Rutuja Bagwe and her trainers in effectively portraying the character of Ananya.

4⭐️ from me - 3.5 for the inspiring play and 0.5 extra only for Rutuja.

P.S. Just one thing that could be better. The activities that Ananya does with her feet are not visible from the seats far from the stage (Beyond row E/F). Wonder if anything can be done for that.

Bhai ka Bharat

#Bharat - Lets just say this is something that only #SalmanKhan could have pulled off.

Lots of things don’t make any sense and yet are enough to make you stick around till the end. The “story” is a mashup of all kinds of storyboard ideas that must have floated around in the creative team’s office - they just threw it all in! The result is this superhuman named #Bharat - a jack of all trades and a master of them all and much more. 😉

#Bhai is a subdued version of his usual self with minimal #chichorapan and crass humour. #KatrinaKaif is cute. #SunilGrover, #SonaliKulkarni support well; #KumudMishra is wasted; #JackieShroff could give #Tiger a run for his money in looking young. 😝 Rest of the cast is picked from various webseries’ and is passable.

Loved the #Zinda song. #Hinglish lyrics with nonsensical rhymes like emotion-slow motion are just irritating!

Overall, must say though that this one is much better than last year’s Eid debacle called #Race3.

2.5⭐️ from me.