Category - Reviews

Maneesh Sharma’s FAN is Shah Rukh Khan’s most critically-acclaimed films in recent times, as the film has...

Shah Rukh Khan. The name means a lot of things to a lot of people. To some, he’s a movie star, to some he’s...

Maneesh Sharma’s FAN has released in the United Arab Emirates and the first show has just concluded. We will be updating this page with all the Twitter reviews that we can find of the film. So bookmark this page and visit once every couple of hours! Review by our reader Syed from Dubai I watched Fan in Dubai today 9:15am show by taking off from my work! This is the movie I was waiting for a very long time. Fan is all about SRK vs SRK.. You will love every scene.. Thank God there are no songs to divert.. But the actor in SRK will keep you glued to the screen from scene one! Every one knows the story from the trailer itself but what makes this movie special is the treatment and SRK’s performance.. I’m pretty sure that FAN will cross 200crore this time! You can watch it multiple times.. Especially the climax when SRK superstar says to FAN SRK that (removed because of spoilers) Best scenes from FAN: 1) When Chandana enters real SRK house and thrashes his awards 2) The actual reason why superstar SRK hates Chandana 3) The scenes which involves Chandana to define the superstar SRK 4) The way Chandana stays in the same hotel and same room where actual Superstar SRK stayed when he first came to Mumbai from Delhi 5) climax scene My rating : 5/5 Saw @iamsrk's #fan. It's def. watchable, but more thrills would have made it riveting. Khan as the superstar is good, stalker: not so much. — Manjusha (@ManjushaRK) April 14, 2016 Just saw #Fan. Take a bow @iamsrk. Actually take 2!! Nailed it. Swades & Chak de fans rejoice. Our Shahrukh is back! pic.twitter.com/gLfZYVbKye — Tarana Raja (@TaranaRaja) April 14, 2016 What a terrific n Zabardast film #FAN and what a great acting of @iamsrk! It's Full of human emotions. My 4* to first half. — KRK (@kamaalrkhan) April 14, 2016 Whole world can learn from director Maneesh Sharma, how to totally destroy a film in 2nd half with great nonsense. My 0* to 2nd half of #Fan — KRK (@kamaalrkhan) April 14, 2016 Intermission – Asli Maza toh Ab aayega…. Gud fitsy half with Intermission point 3.25/5 #FAN — Gud.Bad.ugly (@Movieception) April 14, 2016 Superb takeoff after intermission. Loved it #FAN — Gud.Bad.ugly (@Movieception) April 14, 2016 Superb Second half…. Totally unexpected Climax. Shut up n Give that National Award to Gaurav Chandna. #FAN Dont miss it – 3.75/5 — Gud.Bad.ugly (@Movieception) April 14, 2016 @FanTheFilm A COMPLETE WATCH OUT MOVIE!!ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE BY OUR VERY OWN @iamsrk..BOTH AS GAURAV AND ARYAN!????? — Faraaz Mohamed (@frz_aju) April 14, 2016 Just watched #FAN … OMGGG OMGGGGGG… Shah rukh khan u rocks.. Luv U GAURAV… The best story… The best direction… The best actor .. — Ronak (@ronak9412) April 14, 2016 Sorry it's not just #FAN ,Its #FantasticFan .. Luv VVVVVVVV U GAURAV @iamsrk .. — Ronak (@ronak9412) April 14, 2016

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Love Games’ Review – 1.7 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Love Games Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: While Vikram Bhatt has given us some fine films, we cannot expect anything less from this filmmaker when it comes to this genre of erotica. He masters it and Love Games reinstates the same. The film has ample love making scenes shot aesthetically. The plot, like other Bhatt films, explores the deep, dark and dangerous sides of humans with several twists and turns and handling them comes naturally to the director. A special mention to a scene shot at the hospital, wherein Alisha rushes to attend a serious patient. While the actors in the scene play their parts with conviction, the scene also portrays how a hospital handles the chaos with authenticity. Though the story moves with a good flow overall, there are several dips in the plotline. In fact, certain portions look a tad bit stretched, especially in the second half. It should have been a Ramona film all the way. Considering the way this good girl gone bad character should wow the audience, the Citylights girl Patralekha fails to match up to the pedestal of this Priyanka Chopra-meets-Rosamund Pike (from Gone Girl) sort of character. May be it is her debut film’s demure girl image or may be it wasn’t the character for her, but Patralekha’s act as Ramona could be termed as a ‘casting woe’. On the other hand, Gaurav Arora does a decent job of playing the depressed and helpless character of Sam Saxena, who resists to abide by Ramona’s mean and cruel ways. Tara Alisha Berry, however, has surprised her with her good performance as a doctor. While she debuted in Mastram, this actress has come a long way we believe. Her confidence as a doctor is impressive. Blue eyed boy of television Hiten Tejwani, who charmed the audiences with his perfect son avatar in serials, has by far given us one of his most disappointing performances. Other characters help in taking the movie forward. Love Games Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India Rating: It’s sad to see a director like Vikram Bhatt succumbing to subjects like these, which are now becoming a T-Series trademark. Making an erotic thriller is one thing; making an unreasonable B-grade flavoured flick quite another. The last 20 minutes of the film are phenomenally tacky; you stay glued to your seats only to find out how worse can it get. Love Games Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: Love Games introduces us to cocaine snorting and friends with benefits within minute before providing a peep into the lonely lives of its protagonists, but then it becomes murkier. Ramona’s obsession takes the center-stage and Sam gets pushed to play a victim, but the film loses the shock value in the process. It’s not something we haven’t witnessed before. Once the surprise factor dies down, we’re left with only fast paced action, but disappointment greets us right there because Love Games is a lift-up from many similar films. Words hold no meaning after a while. Come on, we have been there, heard that. Newcomer Gaurav Arora looks confident and has shown some potential, but it’s very difficult for anybody to stand out in a film meant to explore the uncontrollable sexual urge of its heroine. Patralekha is the highlight of Love Games. She did a good job in Hansal Mehta’s Citylights, but this role demanded a certain kind of language and body movement from her. She tries her best to hold everything together, but she is all alone in her pursuit. Love Games Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: As for the acting, the less said the better. The obviously promising Patralekhaa, saddled with a dodgy accent, tries far too hard to do justice to the role of the amoral femme fatale. The effort shows. Tara Alisha Berry is pretty much in the same boat. No matter what she does, there can be no rising above this insipid screenplay. Debutant Gaurav Arora, despite reasonable screen presence, makes a complete hash of trying to balance the boyish with the bad-ass. Love Games is a Vishesh Films offering. So it does not lack surface gloss. But it simply isn’t enough to hide its lack of depth. Best avoided. Review by Namrata Thakker on Rediff Rating: Overall, the film tries to offer something new and it does to an extent. But if you have watched Cruel Intentions, Love Games will not appeal to you. The first half of the film is all about love games, sexual boredom and intimate scenes. The story takes off in the second half but it misses the mark because of its predictable story, cliched dialogues and all-too-easy screenplay. Patralekha plays her character well, in a wicked, twisted way. But there are times when her dialogue delivery is a bit off. She does look sexy. Gaurav also does well but there are times when he goes a little overboard. Tara Alisha Berry is good but she doesn’t have much screen time. Hiten Tejwani has a few bold scenes with Patralekha but he looks very unconformable. His character hardly adds anything to the story. It would have been better if his character was explored more. Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: Bolly plots are bust. The Bhatts’ long-standing promise of giving us fully adult men and women bursting with carnal desires and twisted motives used to be backed by storylines. This one gives up quickly. All sorts of things crop up—blood, bodies, guns, murder, and dollops of confusion wrapped in eye-popping improbability. Missing the point you are? Bunging in a kiss we are. Uh oh. Conclusion? Some of the smooching looks professional, about the only thing that does. As for the rest, bye bye, two hours, which will never come back. Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: “Roses are red, violets are blue…Sex can be messy, love can be too…” On this note, begins this amateurish film. Vikram Bhatt’s Love Games tries to be a tempestuous tale about temptations. But his bright concept is far from being well-fleshed out. There were a bunch of interesting ideas which never intertwine with the narrative. Review by Urmimala Banerjee on Bollywood Life Rating: Though it has some bold quotient, Love Games is quite traditional at heart. Every character has a justification about why they behave in that manner. Patralekha’s acting, a tight screenplay and editing are the highlights. Those who just want to pass time for a couple of hours won’t be disappointed with this one. Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: It would be unfair if I say it is an unseen tale of sex, mystery and betrayal but somewhere down the line, director Vikram Bhatt manages to sail through with his typical midas touch. The screenplay keeps you glued till the climax. Nevertheless, ‘Love Games’ is a typical Bhatt camp film where women and mystery play a pivotal role. Debutant Gaurav Arora is refreshing. He has immense potential to pull of a solo hero ‘Bhatt’ film with his balanced facial expressions, chiselled body and a boy next-door image but he needs to spruce up his dialogue delivery skills a tad bit. Beautiful Tara Alisha Berry is so convincing that you empathies with her when she cries. With every new film, she is surely getting better. Post her d-glam debut in ‘Citylights’, Patralekhaa tries to don a sex and drug addict in which she shines but not too bright. Her cruel laugh, steamy lip locks are to look for, however I still feel that Patralekhaa was not the right fit for such fierce role. Review by Kriti Tulsiani on IBNLive Rating: There are so many comparisons in the film that will make you go ‘yuck, yuck, yuck’ and not because they’re planned sexual innuendos but because they make no sense whatsoever. Such as, love being compared to scuba diving or a bull’s reaction to red fabric being equaled to blackmailing and so on. It seems Bhatt’s signature plot is pretty much a staple for him now. While it might have worked for him in ‘Murder’, it surely fails to do wonders this time and end up making you laugh with disbelief that what you just saw was actually shown. Review by Shaheen Parkar on Mid-Day India Rating: Considering that making films autobiographical is a speciality of the Bhatts, Vikram has drawn inferences from people around. Sam’s character owns an in-flight catering business — one of Vikram’s former lover’s exes was in the same business. But that’s where it ends as the director takes recourse to sketching typical characters who have come from broken homes and abusive relationships. That is the only reason they are playing the game. Though the film has good production values, by the end of the first half, you can easily predict what is going to unfold on screen. Wonders don’t cease to surface in the second half. What the film lacks is the thrills and spills in the game. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: A downer here: in this mirage of ‘highs’ (many characters are on a staple of mountains of Colombian talc) is Patralekha, who shone in the 2014 indie hit CityLights. In Love Games, her ability to juxtapose a frozen face of manic bewilderment and outbursts of hearty guffaws is enough to suggest that the lights have long gone out. For newcomers, Gaurav Arora and Tara Alisha Berry, this may not be the launch vehicle they hoped for. That said, both reveal glimmers of promise and deserve a second chance. From the banner that championed the cause of smut and bore the flag for mediocre madness on the big screen, this one is curiously different. And perhaps unintentionally, writer, director and lyricist Vikram Bhatt has lent a surrealistic edge to B-graders with this wonder. Love Games is a bad trip, but it’s a trip. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director Vikram Bhatt puts in steamy lip-locks in the film, perhaps the film’s sole selling point. But why does an erotic thriller have to be such a mess with over-the-top characters, implausible developments, sketchy execution (a small push leads the car to leap off the cliff and into the air) and a finale that is as outrageous as it is predictable. Love Games Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The middle portions drag to the fullest with repetitive scenes and some unwanted tracks. The moment the novelty factor is established the screenplay goes on a stagnating point.The makers could have elaborated more on the novelty factor of the film, rather than focusing more on the age old love story.The back story of Gaurav fails to get established due to which you fail to connect with his character.. There should have been more detailing in characters of Gaurav, Patralekha and even Tara Alisha Berry.The directorshould have played more with the adult theme and add some thrills in the film. The second half of the film drags to the fullest due to its bland story line which has been shown in many films.Gaurav Arora has good screen presence but, fails to carry the film on his shoulder, solely. Rukhsar was totally misfit as an over glamorous psychologist. HitenTejwani was wasted. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: There is death, and destruction of a premise that could have been a wonderful thriller if only the whole movie had been handled with a little more finesse. If you can forgive the awful open mouthed kissing scenes and not laugh at the so-called ‘rough’ lovemaking, the movie does have some merit. It just becomes too twisted too glibly. And the logic just dies. Review by IANS on Zeenews Rating: The biggest drawback of the film is its writing. The script is far-fetched and unrealistic. The characters are flawed, especially those of Ramona and Alisha. Being the protagonists, Ramona and Alisha’s characters are two-dimensional and their graphs are not fully developed. The dialogues too are unintentionally funny and are packed with some interestingly novel similes and metaphors. It is amusing to hear Ramona tell Sam: “You are like a fire brigade, you only come during an emergency.” The songs are typical pub numbers and they go with the flow of the narration. Overall, the film has sleek production values and, though frothy, it is a decent adult film. Best Rated Films in 2016 Neerja – 4 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Aligarh – 3.6 stars Zubaan – 2.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Teraa Surroor – 1.7 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘The Jungle Book’ Review – 3.8 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] The Jungle Book Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: One would expect a sweet fun filled adventure, especially with Disney remaking everyone’s favourite childhood story. But THE JUNGLE BOOK is far from it. In fact the film that combines live action with impeccable CGI animation is quite literally a visual masterpiece. Faverau does a brilliant job of interweaving the gags that we remember from the TV show and the darkness that hides within the lines of the book. This coupled with spot on voiceovers and life like animation takes the audience on a roller coaster ride while following the adventures of Mowgli. Neel Sethi, the 12 year old who was chosen for the part of Mowgli after auditioning over 2000 kids, fits the role perfectly. Not once does he underplay or over emote in any sequence, given the fact that the lad most probably shot major parts of the film against a green screen, a feat that even the most experienced actors might find hard to pull off. The Jungle Book Review by Shalini Langer on Indian Express Rating: This is The Jungle Book reinvented for 2016 by a director who knows just how to mix the heavy blows with the light touch. It’s a little more reminiscent of the jungle and the book than the 1967 Disney classic, a lot, lot darker, and yet, ultimately as exuberant, with a surprisingly strong and novel message at the heart of it, in a story that already didn’t lack for them. The Jungle Book Review by Reagan Gavin Rasquinha on The Times Of India Rating: If you go to the cinema to watch a movie that will draw you into a fantasy world of wonder, Favreau’s retelling of this story – which so many of us remember from childhood – manages to weave that magic. We all know how the story plays out. With the panther Bagheera’s (Kingsley) help, Mowgli (Sethi) tries to stay away from Shere Khan. He also encounters the devious python Kaa (Johansson), a super-sized orangutan with a soul-singer’s baritone named King Louie (Walken) desperate to obtain the ‘red flower'( which is fire) and of course, Baloo the grizzly bear (Murray). These are the key characters, but you’ll also be delighted to discover a few new entrants along the way as well. It all builds on the charm of the 1967 film, which by itself is a must watch for any child. The Jungle Book Review by Aseem Chhabra on Rediff Rating: The film is realistic looking so it is very believable that we are somewhere in a jungle in India and not in a studio in California. The plot of the film is more or less the same as that of the animated work, with a minor change to the ending. The Jungle Book Review by Jyoti Sharma Bawa on Hindustan Times Rating: Just like the animals, the director turns jungle into a place of fear and, yet, home. From a burst of sunlight and colour in its happy moments, it seamlessly turns into a mist-filled horror with predators lurking at every corner when the mood takes it. Every little detail in this film is rendered with such precision and love that though dangerous, it has enough joie de vivre to carry you along. Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: The Jungle Book is a classic genre film that harnesses the inherent strengths of the source material to rustle up a captivating drama that is both epic and intimate. Is it scary, as Pahlaj Nihalani would have us believe? Not the least bit, if one discounts a scene in which Shere Khan lunges at Mowgli. For sure, there isn’t a dull moment in The Jungle Book. Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today Rating: At less than two hours, editor Mark Livolsi has tried to keep the film crisp, but he hasn’t been able to eliminate the drops in pace, especially in the first half. The narrative picks up steam post interval. The encounters with Shere Khan and their anticipation keep one hooked to the screen. John Debney’s versions of the songs from the 1967 Jungle Book blend into the story seamlessly. Bare Necessities, I Wanna Be Like You and Trust In Me are all reminiscent of their respective originals. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Among the voice-overs, Nana Patekar packs the precise amount of grunt in his dialogues to intimidate and Om Puri’s crackling vocal chords lend him the ability to assume a stern yet amiable uncle image. But the popular favourite will be Irrfan Khan as the lovable, lazy lump of a bear, Baloo. Even his whines and worries score high on cute quotient. Jasleen Singh offers an excited and enthusiastic Mowgli and Shefali Shah as his wolf mother, Raksha Ma, furnishes much concern, care and affection. Priyanka Chopra as the slithering sultry voice of Kaa does little to make the python seem any more sinister and getting Bugs Bhargava Krishna to make a mawali don of King Louie backfires, as it strips the mighty monkey of authority and caricatures him. At a time when works of Blyton, Keene and Kipling fail to interest children — who’d rather swipe away mindlessly on their tablets — this one is a pleasant reminder of what worked once. While the original story has little mystery and would even seem like a lame fantasy today, this adaptation, thanks to its visual bravado, makes it a contemporary classic. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: The story still has the power to make you smile as well as cry and little Neel Sethi as Mowgli will charm you once again. This new Disney is all grown up and very, very welcome. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: The Jungle Book is not just about special effects and technical wizardry. Jon Favreau deserves a pat on his back for infusing the film with scenes that provoke strong emotions. The scenes where Mowgli and his wolf-mother Raksha part ways is sure to bring a lump to your throat while Mowgli’s wolf brother Grey, who pines for his human sibling will make you want to reach out and hug the little tyke. Shere Khan’s hatred for Mowgli is the stuff of nightmares while the final David versus Goliath battle between Mowgli and Khan is simply breath-taking. In conclusion, Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book is a treat for viewers of all ages! Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life Rating: Now for the acting part. If any Oscar jury is reading this, it’s my humble request to nominate Neel Sethi in the acting category. The kid’s performance is mind-blowing! It’s not easy to act with nothing but reference points and green screens, but Neel’s performance is what makes everything so believable.Not only is the kid cute, his performance can even give takkar to acting legends. Even the rest of the voice cast, including an affable Bill Murray and a hypnotic Scarlett Johansson is so spot on. Special mention must be given to Idris Elba and Christopher Walken’s casting (they so remind us of their characters in Beasts of No Nations and True Romance respectively). However, forget the top class visual effects…forget the brilliant motion capture technology used here…the real hero of the film is the director Jon Favreau. The man who is the reason why Marvel Cinematic Universe exists in the first place (He directed Iron Man 1 and 2), has taken so much painstaking efforts to bring your childhood back to you. And when I say childhood, I mean not the Shinchan and Pokemon one, but the era before that – the ’90s one! More than the kids, it’s the parents who will enjoy this movie more. And we have to thank Jon Favreau for making us relive our childhood. Review by Raghav Jaitly on Zeenews Rating: Director Jon Favreau has successfully managed to portray animal emotions and make the audience connect with them. Mowgli’s internal battle to find identity among foreign species will keep you looking for answers. Also, the movie reflects how humans are potentially capable of destroying natural habitat of animals. This is one of the major reasons why the wolfpack wants Mowgli to be raised as one of them and not the humans. ‘The Jungle Book’ is a visual masterpiece that will entice the audiences of all groups. If you are looking for a break from the modern film culture, then don’t waste a moment and grab tickets immediately! Review by Samrat Choudhury on Deccan Chronicle Rating: The film is very well produced. The effects are spectacular and the performances are good. It is entirely worth watching, but its implicit politics is as troubling as Kipling’s was. Favreau’s version is a story of man versus beast, and perhaps even of man versus nature. It is a story where apes want desperately to become humans – an old colonial way of laughing at natives who want to become sahibs. It is a place where razing people’s home to the ground to win the fight is collateral damage that someone else can fix. It is, in other words, a recognizably real story that perpetuates the colonial and Orientalist worldviews in an unbroken tradition through the centuries from Kipling to Disney to now. Review by Bryan Durham on DNA India Rating: The good thing about Neel Sethi as jungle boy/man-cub Mowgli is an endearing smile and a face filled with wonderment. For all we know, he must’ve worked only with green screens, making him the only actor we see, the animals are mostly CGI, using the latest photorealistic animation techniques and motion capture technology. It speaks volumes of the boy’s maturity and acting skill in the face of ‘tricks’ that serve to create the illusion of reality. And that’s where we imagine Jon Favreau’s experience comes handy. Not only does he ensure that Neel doesn’t go over-the-top with expressions or articulation. And that’s a blessing. Most child actors sacrifice innocence in emotions for a more worked-on performance. Review by Johnson Thomas on Mid-Day India Rating: Favreau’s treatment eschews kid friendly conventions and stays clear of sweetened ingratiation. The attempt is to make the coming-of-age experience as grittily thematic, realistic and conscionable as possible. The photo-realism is breathtakingly original and the CGI rendering of the animal fold is exceptionally credible. The drama and treatment may border on conventional but the animal renditions are definitely not. Cinematographer Bill Pope and the VFX team led by Robert Legato and Adam Valdez integrate real time sequences with animation so brilliantly that it’s difficult to pinpoint the differences. It’s seamless, proportionate and way above anything that has come before. A must-see for all – irrespective of species, age or gender! Review by Rajeev Masand on IBNLive Rating: How do you remake a film that has meant so much to so many people? Good thing director Jon Favreau has the answer. In refashioning Disney’s seminal hit in live action, using the latest computer effects and a whole ensemble of Hollywood A-listers to provide voice-work, Favreau creates an entirely immersive world and a visually stunning film that brings something new to an old story. The Jungle Book Review by Indiaglitz Rating: In the process, the film considers the literal problems that mankind can leave upon nature, the true meaning of family and the journey of self-discovery that all children must eventually realize and start upon, all put together with breath taking visuals and insight that’s never too sentimental or obvious. Newcomer Sethi, in his first feature appearance, is as instrumental as the movie’s artistic and technical achievements, considering the fact that he’s still a kid put into test with so much of motion capture around. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: The magic of this adaptation is that the animals who appear more humane than human beings, never look down at mankind as sub-human species the way they did in Kipling’s novel. Lurking somewhere in the folds of this enrapturing tale of jungle etiquette are unspoken homilies on the complex relationship between Man and Beast, beautifully and fluently bridged by director Jon Favreau as he sets out to create a world that yokes Man and Nature in a clasp so captivating it makes you gasp. Don’t wait. Just go out this weekend with the kids and re-live one of the most cherished children’s stories told from an adult perspective and yet miraculously maintaining an artless innocence that makes this film entirely winsome experience. And so what if Priyanka doesn’t sing in the Hind version. The film is suffused in the music of the soul. Review by meeta on Wogma Rating: The film flows along smoothly from one scene to another. But, in some of the fast-paced chase sequences, a few edits – a fall from one rock to another; a swing from one branch to another – are rather badly done. Yes, yes, they are few and far between; and they pass by too quickly to leave a mark. The Jungle Book enthralls with its technical expertise and with its story-telling too. One of those films that takes you back to your childhood and becomes a lovely memory for today’s children. Neerja – 4 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Aligarh – 3.6 stars Zubaan – 2.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Teraa Surroor – 1.7 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars

Ki and Ka has received mixed reviews from critics. We have compiled 12 reviews so far, out of that 8 reviews are 2.5...

R. Balki’s Ki and Ka releases at a time when ‘content-driven’ films are finding an audience, in fact there hasn’t been a better time to release a good multiplex film. Ki and Ka perfectly fits into that space. The concept is unique for moviegoers and with an acclaimed director like R. Balki at the helm, you expect an entertaining film with a message. Does Ki and Ka work? Do the lead pair work up some chemistry? Does the film entertain? Let’s find out!

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Rocky Handsome’ Review – 2.1 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Rocky Handsome Review by Indicine Rating: Nishikant Kamath is out of form with this film. What’s lacking is a narrative coherence and a soul to the proceedings. He shows the emotions but hardly anything registers in the viewers’ hearts because the action is too bang-bang loud. The action here supersedes the storytelling and that’s what derails the film. The scenes are cut in a confusing manner and the tone is too depressing. The tone mismatch is a byproduct of the director’s decision to remake the Korean film. The cinematography of Rocky Handsome is top notch and probably one of the best things about the film. The production design is good too. The detailing of Goa and the drug racket is worth the effort. The action choreography is marvellous, especially in the last few scenes. Credit must be given to the Thai action choreographer. The music of Rocky Handsome is nothing to write home about. Songs like Rock The Party should have been left behind in the last decade. Rocky Handsome Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: ROCKY HANDSOME has a story (Ritesh Shah) that is extremely average, which could have been much better. The same holds for the film’s screenplay (Ritesh Shah) that definitely could have been tighter at many places. Despite the fact that the film has a small runtime, the film’s story and narrative looks highly disjointed at places, which may just act as a speed breaker with the audiences’ likings. The film also sees many clichés, which just could have been avoided. The flip side is that the film boasts of some of the high-octane action drama (including the blood soaked action punches and gun fights) that Bollywood has never witnessed before. The film’s adrenaline rushing action provides reasons enough to keep the audiences engrossed till the end of the film. The film’s first half takes some time to firmly establish the plot; the real story starts post the kidnapping of the girl and her mother. One has to give it to the director Nishikant Kamath for having wonderfully combined nail-biting action in the song ‘Teri Toh Yaad Sataye’. One word to describe the unusual combo of fight and song is ‘outstanding’. The USP of the film, however, has to be its climax, wherein John Abraham enters the villain’s den and the action that follows after that. One really has to applaud Nishikant Kamath for the way he has presented the film – extremely stylish. Rocky Handsome Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews Rating: The biggest let-down are the bad guys who run a drug and organ-racket cartel. They are unintentionally laughable and come across as a bunch of clowns who mouth ridiculous dialogues. Lines such as ‘never hunt a wounded lion’ and evil laughter to underline the meanness of a character isn’t exactly inspiring. Even director Kamat, who plays the bald unscrupulous criminal Kevin Periera, isn’t memorable in his first acting role. But the same cannot be said for Abraham’s ripped torso, which is rock sturdy. We wish the film stood on a steady ground, too. Watch this if you are an Abraham loyalist, otherwise it’s a good idea to duck this all-brawn-no-brains film. Rocky Handsome Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: Rocky Handsome may seem a jumbled up version of John Abraham to some, and this is the third time he is playing Kabir. Too much of self-introspection and alter ego, eh? John Abraham … err … Rocky Handsome is a very average film with some finely executed action sequences on display. But, make no mistake: Don’t expect anything more from this film. Rocky Handsome Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: Cinema is a poignant medium where even fleeting screen time can effectively establish lingering emotionality. All it asks for are compelling performers. Rocky Handsome hasn’t got any and no decibel of background score can amplify phony affection nor can clunky dialogue sounding less like conversation and more as awkward Hindi subtitles. South Korean filmmaking isn’t one to hold back on violence. Gore and grace go hand in hand in its nimbly choreographed combats. Rocky Handsome disappoints on that front too. Kamath spends a sweet amount of time building up the hero’s arrival on the scene and projection but as soon as it’s slaughter time, the camera slips in a crazy rush to document the bloodshed. What survives is limp and spiritless. Rocky Handsome Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: John Abraham’s Rocky Handsome is a ?double?: the screen splits into two, with both Rocky and Handsome ?come ?striding towards us, just in case we were confused. He ?only? appears bad, see, he’s actually a good guy with a terrible past. The rest of the space is filled with an eight year old (Diya Chalwad) who’s made to talk like she’s double that, and given a relationship with our hero which is meant to tear you up, but feels faintly creepy. Theres a young woman with a drug habit. ?Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, you come upon the ?gracious Suhasini Mulay trucked out? as? a sleazy peddler of kids. Everything is all over the place in this Goa over-run by ‘Roosis’?,? and dark? night clubs, and organ traders, and scenes of extreme, hard-core violence. Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The movie is so busy falling over itself to look stylish and slick that it forgets to focus on the emotional aspect altogether. There is zero connect between the two central characters, Rocky and Naomi, and the script goes haywire at many places, but the director was evidently concentrating on making the movie look cool by getting the cameras go back and forth with heavy doses of flashbacks and slow-mos drizzled in between. Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Rocky Handsome is a rare Hindi film that is set in the coastal state and yet stays away from the beaches. The beaches that appear in the film are located in Seychelles and seen only in flashbacks to happier times in the hero’s life. A man from nowhere – the protagonist of Ramgopal Varma’s Satya – had strayed into Mumbai in the late 1990s and redefined Bollywood’s underworld dramas for good. This ‘nowhere man’ seems intent on a slow, unsteady walk back to where he has come from. Nowhere. That pretty much sums up the film. Rocky Handsome is strictly for fans of ultra-violent action movies Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: John Abraham has finally got a role that fits him like a glove. A character acutely challenged by his inability to convey any emotion, who allows his fists to do the talking and his daggers do the dancing. If he could’ve shed a few kilos, he could’ve managed a few more flying kicks. Nishikant Kamat playing a bald Goan druglord is impressive, perhaps even more than he is behind the camera. Shruti Haasan’s cameo doesn’t contribute much to the film or her filmography. Given the film’s single-minded obsession with crime and given the setting, it could’ve well been titled Madgaon Vice. But since the lead here is also the producer, we’ll let this pass. Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: Cut to 2016. Nishikant Kamath has given us some intensifying moments on screen with his crisp direction and edge-of-the-seat moments. Now comes ROCKY HANDSOME, which is as imaginative and as naive as RGV KI AAG. Not only Nishikant Kamath, but Also John Abraham, whose production this is, decides to go the RGV way. Johnny boy decides to call it ROCKY HANDSOME, ensuring that viewers know that he is handsome. You are Johnny, of that there is no doubt! The movie is all about Johnny boy’s khadoos looks, well-toned body, some flashbacks, and some very good stylized fights. Johnny boy fights well. He is a killer. He works for an intelligence agency. He even takes off a bullet lodged in his abdomen, at his home. Doctor saab is not required. Rocky Handsome Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The story has shades from a Korean film ‘The Man from Nowhere’ followed by some glimpses from ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. The story takes lot of time to get established and till then the film looks quite abrupt. There are lots of stuffs happening in the film but, at the same time nothing concrete takes place in terms of the screenplay. The narrative pattern is slow and at times bland. The emotional bonding between John and Dia fails to connect due to which the whole setup of the film seems bit weak. Director Nishikant Kamat made his mark with some good films like ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’, ‘Force’ and ‘Drishyam’. Thus, it’s a big letdown from this ace director who has displayed his potential in different genre and out here manages to deliver a half-baked product which only works in its brilliant action sequences.John Abraham fails to connect in the emotional scenes due to weak writing. Nishikant Kamat and Teddy overacts and hams to the fullest. Shruti Hassan, Suhasani Mulay, Shiv Subramanium and others are wasted. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Nishikant Kamat the director (shows up on screen as the main villain) and all his goons try hard to sound thuggish. But everyone speaks in such thick Marathi accents, you wonder why the film is set in Goa. It’s a sound effects heavy film. So you will come away with a headache and the amplified stabbing sounds, ‘Khach-khach-khach-khach’ (yes, like apples being sliced!) stay with you longer than reasons why Handsome has a ‘code word’ Rocky assigned to him. Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala Rating: The action of the film is impressive but without much emotional context, it fails to leave an impact. Also, the film uses more knives than all the episodes of Masterchefs put together. It looks sharp and slick initially, alas turns into an unnecessary gore fest towards the end. There is also a certain Shruti Haasan who comes, sings a song, shows skin and disappears. We are not told what happened to her. The director doesn’t care. Honestly neither do we. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: Like mentioned earlier, the action sequences are quite slick and Kamat has certainly pushed the envelope as far as that department is concerned. Had Kamat given the same attention to the screenplay, the characterizations and the dialogues, the film might have ended up being a decent rip-off. But the predictable storyline, the below average dialogues and the caricaturish characters, might surely prove to be the film’s undoing, notwithstanding the awesome action scenes. All in all, Rocky Handsome comes across as a film trying too hard to be ‘ohh-so-cool’. Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life Rating: Rocky Handsome falls in the trap of making everything too complicated. Sometimes less is more and Kamat fails to realise that. His story and the format of switching between the past and present gets annoying. Also the baddies never really manage to scare us. These bad guys are shown to be capable of doing the worst thing imaginable yet they never really hold our attention. Diya Chalwad who plays the little girl and is a very important part of the film fails to create any emotional connect with John. Her one scene where she breaks down looks too rehearsed. An important action scene that happens in the restroom of a club is edited so badly that you almost get a migraine. Nora Fatehi gyrates to the Bombay Rockers track while John beats up some goons in the washroom. The climax is too rushed and doesn’t really give us a closure of any sort. Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today Rating: However, underneath all the stylised action sequences and slick long shots in the rain, Rocky Handsome is not all flawless. The crispness of the story is lost in parts, and it is a bit difficult to keep your attention from swaying through the course of the film. In all, Rocky Handsome is a decent one-time watch for non-fans of Abraham. For a John Abraham fan, the film clicks several boxes. Above all, Rocky Handsome is a sumptuous feast for action-lovers. Watch it if you swear by punches and kicks and special, hitherto-unseen-in-Hindi-films martial arts. Review by Renuka Vyavahare on The Times Of India Rating: Barring the fast-paced fist and knife fights, the movie fails on various grounds. It is a classic case of style over substance. And sadly, it doesn’t look stylish either. The Hindi remake of a Korean film struggles to blend action and emotion. Its need to infuse drama kills the thrill of its sleek and ruthless action. Also, the whole patriotic backstory for Kabir further spoils the aura of his mysterious hoodie sporting character. The climax is stretched for way too long. Shruti Haasan looks pretty in her special appearance, adding life to the lovely song Rehnuma. John Abraham as the lean, mean, killing machine is perfect for the role of Kabir. It’s the execution and poor dialogue that makes this film a damp squib. Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India Rating: The film’s biggest drawback is Nishikant’s inability to connect the action with the emotion in the film despite the fact that he had all the material. He fails most in establishing the bonding between Rocky and Naomi – which is actually the premise for all the action. Instead, there is more focus on Rocky’s past (Shruti Hassan), which has nothing to do with the film’s main plot-point. The screenplay by Ritesh Shah is very weak; the dialogues actually make the film look archaic at times. The director’s choice of actors in other roles is also disappointing – not one stands out, including Nishikant himself who plays the villain. The little girl meant to melt your heart ends up annoying you with her grown-up lines and acting. Rocky Handsome is meant for hard-core action fans. And for those who want to discover a bigger (much, much) and better John Abraham. Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: However, despite good performances from the leading cast, the film fails to hold the viewers’ interest. The pace in which the story moves ahead and the combination of many situations fail to leave an impact. In fact, cinematographer Shankar Raman has shot the film so well that you are always telling yourself, ‘okay wait the film will get better’. Then there is the background music, which again hits on the right note. The tracks really stand out in scenes bringing the boring screenplay of Ritesh Shah to life. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: It is unequivocally evident from the start of this dark gripping thriller about damnation and tentative redemption that Kamat is a director who understands John’s physicality as well as his emotional strengths. Kamat uses both the qualities to create a man doddering on the edge of self-destruction. At mid-point when John in shirtless splendour is required to display his heroic swagger by a camera that loves beauty as much the ugliness of existence, we know what Rocky doesn’t. Review by Raghav Jaitly on Zeenews Rating: Director Nishikant Kamat was not at all a bad choice for the antagonist and he decently takes his character forward as per demand of the script. Not to forget his directorial brilliance that takes this gripping storyline up a notch. If you are looking forward for nerve-racking with a pinch of emotional turmoil, then without-a-doubt ‘Rocky Handsome’ is what you need. Review by meeta on Wogma Rating: Rocky Handsome came out as rather poorly written than anything else. Maybe, we could have excused the lapses in execution and narrative had it been for a gripping story or even if it had somewhat interesting characters. Pure action it wanted to show you and that it does well. Review by Rajeev Masand on IBNLive Rating: Kamat, who has become something of a ‘remake specialist’ in Bollywood having last adapted Force and Drishyam from South Indian hits, fails to adapt the essence and the spirit of the original Korean film to this copy-paste hack job. This is lazy film-making of the highest order, and the only thing that deserves any mention are the relentlessly violent but riveting action scenes, including a few stylishly shot rain sequences. John Abraham performs these portions convincingly. He’s in beast mode for the bulk of the film, and there’s a strange thrill in watching him dispatch the bad guys systematically. He’s sincere even in the quieter bits with the little girl next door, but eventually let down by the corny dialogue and a script that’s steeped in cliché, right down to the assassin’s tragic back-story. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director Nishikant Kamat makes films like Dombivali Fast, Mumbai Meri Jaan and Drishyam and then churns out films like Rocky Handsome. It’s puzzling, really, how talented filmmakers often choose to make sub-standard films for whatever reason. Kamat portrays the story in an old-school fashion with more knife fights than guns, hand-to-hand combats where the hero beats an entire army into pulp, and an item song interspersed with action. There’s a scene when the hero is upset and it suddenly starts raining (this moment is almost comical, when it should be making us emotional). The only action scene that one remembers is the finale round, where our hero gets to kill a villain in a rather innovative manner. But a film can work only if the viewer is emotionally invested in the character and their journey. That’s the reason Rocky Handsome doesn’t work neither as an emotional drama nor an action flick. This could’ve been a far better film. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2016 Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Teraa Surroor – 1.7 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Zubaan – 2.6 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars Aligarh – 3.6 stars Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars

John Abraham is known as Action Abraham for a reason. The man is one of the rare leading actors in Bollywood who knows...

Kapoor & Sons is currently the second most critically acclaimed film of 2016. The reviews are as good as Akshay...

Shakun Batra is one director that we’ve had our eyes on, to deliver good films ever since he debuted with the sublime and atypical story of love (not a love story) like Ekk Main Aur Ek Tu. Now he’s back with another quirky looking film Kapoor & Sons and has assembled quite a cast. It doesn’t look like a typical Dharma Productions film and we hope Shakun has stuck to his guns and has delivered another quirky entertainer. Does it pay heed to our expectations?

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Teraa Surroor’ Review – 1.7 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Teraa Surroor Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: The film’s director Shawn Arranha, who has, in the past, directed Hide & Seek, (comparatively) springs a surprise with TERAA SURROOR. His direction in building the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat till the end. One has to give it to him for having successfully directed Himesh Reshammiya and extracting a performance from him. Certain scenes in the film stand out completely (like the introduction scene of Naseeruddin Shah is simply fantastic and the way the suspense gets unfolded is something that needs to be applauded). Having said that, one does feel and realise that even though the film’s story may not boast of novelty (it could have been much better), it does keep the viewer engaged till the end and how! On the negative side, the film’s pace in the first half acts as a villain (‘drags endlessly at places’). Scenes like the escape from Ireland to Mumbai could have been explained in a better manner. If that wasn’t enough, even the ‘infusion’ of too many songs in the first half slows down the pace of the film. It’s only in the film’s second half that we get the answers to all the mystery. Overall, the film’s screenplay could have been tighter which is a must-need in suspense thrillers. Teraa Surroor Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life Rating: You might love him or hate, but there’s no denying the fact that Himesh has a strange appeal to the audience that transcends age groups and other barriers. In Tera Suroor, Himesh does a fantastic job of playing to the gallery and giving his audience what they want. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and plays on the former without letting the latter get better of him. As Raghu his physical transformation is remakrable and while it might look odd and weird in the posters of promo, the film does justice to why he’s managed to shed those kilos and look ripped. Music of course is the trump card of the film. Through the course of the film there is a background track that plays as an ode to the prequel. Tera Suroor has several tracks that will remind you why loved the original sound track so much. The camera work is good in the action scenes and both Shekhar Kapur and Naseeruddin Shah add drama to the story. Farah looks great on the big screen, we wish she had more to do in the film though. The stand out moments are the ones where Himesh does some dialoguebaazi and his patriotic dialogues when a random firang tries to take off on an Indian in a gun practice alley. Teraa Surroor Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Teraa Surroor dives deep into a sea of mothballed ideas. No wonders the exercise yields no pearls. Tera Surroor is a follow-up to the 2007 Himesh Reshammiya starrer Aap Ka Surroor. The lead actor, who is also, of course, the music director, sports a beefed-up look that only accentuates the limits of his facial expressions. Himesh holds on to a single expression all through the film. Whether he is dodging a bullet, shooting down gangsters or merely in the midst of a lovers’ tiff, he betrays no semblance of emotion. The lead actress, debutante Farah Karimaee, is the perfect foil for Himesh. She remains equally ‘unmoved’ by all the trouble that she lands in. The locations are beautiful and they are captured in all their glory by cinematographer Maneesh Chandra Bhatt. Teraa Surroor Review by Suhani Singh on India Today Rating: For all its intent to be a slick action flick, Teraa Surroor is desperately short on novelty and entertainment. This is another yarn of a hero on a rescue mission facing an enemy with vengeance on his mind. It is the sort of film in which all the goons Raghu fights in Dublin are Indian and it is blatantly obvious that all the action sequences are shot in India with no attempt made to even disguise it. If anything Teraa Surroor of not keeping your girlfriend entertained and the perils of friending unknown people on Facebook. Barring a few whistle-worthy scenes which amp up Reshammiya’s quest to take himself seriously so much so that it borders on hilarious, there is nothing remotely engaging about this very listless love story. Kapur sums it up with his apt line: “I hate love stories.” Teraa Surroor Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: The action is impressive; the background score by Himesh too is designed to a nicety. The songs, and the sound are familiar, yet have that ‘distinct something’ that make it soothing to the ears. The signature tune by Himesh is something that will stay forever. The film belongs to Himesh until Anirudh is revealed at the climax. For a full five minutes thereafter, though the scene looks ridiculous, the guy who plays Anirudh injects a much-needed sense of maniacal energy. If you love the Himesh brand of music, good action with a decent plot that engages you till the end, TERAA SUROOR is not a bad option this week. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: The makers of Himesh Reshammiya’s latest release Teraa Surroor have just added some more masala to this plot to come up with a boring fare, which is further marred by unimpressive performances and a weak screenplay. Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: True to his reputation, Himesh Reshammiya — the only valid reason for Teraa Surroor’s existence, does not show any expression. Not even one. Not even a quarter. Teraa Surroor Review by DNA India Rating: Dublin. That’s the best thing about the movie. The picture perfect locales are the only saving grace of the movie that otherwise has little to boast about. Naseeruddin Shah, Shernaz Patel and Shekhar Kapoor somehow find their way into the movie and do whatever they can for it. But obviously that’s not enough. The movie is often unintentionally funny. Not something you’d want to spend your money on to experience. The songs are passable, with some being reprised versions of hits like Ishq Samandar from Kaante and the famous track Tera Surroor. Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Coming to Himesh Reshammiya as an actor and a performer. Is he able to pull off the character of a gangster (Raghu)? This one scene when he tries to teach a foreigner a lesson who tried to insult an Indian is worth the mention. The dialogues, the execution and the background music just makes the entire scene look perfect. The actor looks lean flashing a great physique and had lost considerable amount of weight to play the character. From the writing point of view, his role his well sketched showing his background and circumstances, which made him what he is. However, in portions the story line felt weak and partially dragged which leads to losing interest in knowing Raghu’s journey. Review by Renuka Vyavahare on The Times Of India Rating: On paper, Teraa Surroor sounds like an edge-of-the-seat action thriller. However, the execution is far from it. Instead of mounting tension, which is crucial for this genre, the film is inundated with umpteen songs and romantic flashbacks that eventually kill the pace and continuity. The use and abuse of infinite Slowmo sequences is another issue. Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: About the only thing I enjoyed, apart from a few flashes of pristine Dublin, was Shekhar Kapur’s grizzled walk-on appearance as an Indian diplomat with a troubled marriage. The about-to-be-divorced wife (Monica Dogra) plays a lawyer and manages many scenes with Kapur, who gets to deliver the best dialogue in the film: I hate love stories, he says. And smiles. Review by Rajeev Masand on IBNLive Rating: Neither suspenseful in its execution of the escape, nor in the big reveal of the mastermind behind Raghu’s problems, the film seems to exist for no other purpose than to showcase Himesh and his limited talent. I’m going with one out of five for Teraa Surroor. The one star is for the gorgeous Dublin locations, and for the infectious music. Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The script holds a lot of interest but the patchy, amateur execution kills it. In his attempt to give it a Hollywood thriller kind of treatment, debutant director Shawn Arranha goes haywire with the camera angles and shots, and never finds his foothold back. What he ends up delivering is a lot of unintentional amusement — nowhere close to the ‘stylish’ film it is intended to be. Review by Saumil Gandhi on Mumbai Mirror Rating: The idea with Teraa Suroorr was to make an ‘entertainer’, that popular Bollywood idiom. The first half an hour lives up to the promise with everything motoring along briskly. A Tarantino style entry for Himesh, a brief car chase in Dublin, and the heroine in distress calling to her hero for help. The writers disappear from this point onwards. Teraa Surroorr ends up feeling like an extended music video bent on eulogizing Himesh Reshammiya. It is full of slow motion frames, slashing sound effects, and retrofitted songs. Through it all, we have a self-conscious Himesh in tight close-ups; a tortured soul, a real hero wading through circumstances that would pull ordinary mortals down. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director Shawn Arranha adds in dollops of unsubtle nationalism in the film. Like the scene where someone mocks that Indians aren’t adept at shooting (why that is interpreted as such a big insult, is puzzling), leading our floppy-haired hero to indulge in some nationalistic dialogue-baazi, with a gun in his hand, and retaining the above-mentioned expression (scroll up for details). Arranha also makes the villain deliver his backstory monologue with echoing words. Heck, even TV soaps don’t do that (or do they?). The only thing worse, at that point, is the background score. This film is an experience. And strictly meant only for Himesh Reshammiya and fans. Teraa Surroor Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The story takes its own sweet time to come on the right tracks and keeps dragging a lot. The jail-break scene, despite of being interesting and engaging, lacks the hardship. Everything seems so easy and predictable. The finale part should have been more impactful.The director is highly letdown by his writers who should have been more creative. The punch factor was highly missing in the film.Farah Karimaee has hardly anything to offer in terms of her role and performance. Monica Dongra, Shernaz Patel, Kabir Bedi and Shekhar Kapur are highly wasted. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: A sulky, almost bored Himesh Reshammiya (the hero) who is supposed to be an assassin lazily lifts the gun, there are flashes of light and quick cuts and crash, boom, bang, he has shot eight people. Then with the same bored look he stands in front of a chap who nods his head and the chap walks over to a girl who has been dancing. The girl comes over. They are in a bedroom, and obviously this is to be a seduction scene. Even here, he does not touch her. We only have close ups of her writhing in ecstasy. You see him look bored at what just happened. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: Teraa Surroor is not the best of thrillers. But it’s sensible and sexy. And by that I don’t mean unclothed female bodies. The city of Dublin is made to look inviting and intriguing. If only the actors, and that includes the male actors, didn’t use so much makeup. It mars the natural beauty of the locations, captured by cameraman Maneesh Chandra Bhatt with touristic affection topped by some residential pride. Review by Meeta on Wogma Rating: The interesting bit is that if you sit back and try to summarize the story of the film, it is not too bad. With a little more work on making it real, it could have been a half-decent film. But see, that was not what they were aiming for – a watchable film. Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: Teraa Surroor’s music is its biggest attraction, provided you’re a Himesh fan like me. The first half keeps featuring one song after another and you feel blessed. But then comes the interval, following which the movie turns into an illogical chase that ends nowhere. Even the movie’s glossy cinematography and sleek editing couldn’t be of much help. Himesh Reshammiya has tried hard, but it’s still not working for him. Farah Karimaee may get some films if looking good is the only criterion. Naseeruddin Shah is Naseeruddin Shah and Shekhar Kapur is Shekhar Kapur, absolutely undiluted. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2016 Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Zubaan – 2.6 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars Aligarh – 3.6 stars Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Jai Gangaajal’ Review – 2.3 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Jai Gangaajal Review by Indicine Rating: Jai Gangaajal is a film that has its heart in the right place but falters due to the uneven narrative. The story elements and cases of torture shown in the film have all been seen before. Coming down to it, Jai Gangaajal doesn’t offer anything new. The screenplay is a test on the nerves especially in the second half. The dialogues, however, are ingrained in the Hindi speaking milieu of the setting. Technically, Jai Gangaajal is well aligned with the nature of the film. The cinematography captures the rough terrain of the land, the editing is decent. The action scenes seem a bit unrealistic which takes the audiences farther away from the film. The background music also blares too loudly and sometimes it becomes difficult to even hear the dialogues. Jai Gangaajal Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: When it comes to directing of films belonging to the ‘political thriller’ genre, Prakash Jha has been very good at it. JAI GANGAAJAL only acts as yet another testimony to the same. While the story establishes itself in the engaging first half, the second half revolves around the confrontation between Priyanka Chopra and corrupt villains. In the second half, the camera is not on Priyanka Chopra, but on Prakash Jha, which totally takes focus away from the central character. Despite all the odds, Prakash Jha manages somehow to keep the viewers on the hooks with his engaging narrative. Jai Gangaajal Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews Rating: Director Prakash Jha, who makes an attempt to act with his rogue cop role, should stick to what he does best: direct his actors. He’s endearingly earnest, but he lacks charisma — that intangible quality that makes actors magnetic on the big screen. Also, he sounds a lot like veteran actor Nana Patekar. Jai Gangaajal is crammed with issues such as corporate greed, debt-ridden farms, lawless cities and frustrated civilians, but there’s no particular direction to all that chaos. Jai Gangaajal Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life Rating: The film’s biggest failure is that it doesn’t offer anything new in terms of plot. In fact, it uses the same narrative as the original Gangaajal – a honest cop wanting to cleanse the system, a malicious villain, a rogue cop turned good and public becoming lynchers. Though the film is promoted in Priyanka’s name, she is saddled with bad characterisation and scenes that don’t make much of an impact. The film looks more like Prakash Jha’s acting vanity project, as his character is the only rounded one here, and he walks away with the best scenes and dialogues. After the aforementioned lynching scene, the film just meanders on and on, testing our patience and also turning unintentionally funny at times. The climax, for lack of better words, is horrible, especially when Prakash Jha suddenly turns Superman! Unlike the original film, there is a lack of sense of realism here even when topical subjects are discussed. The film also has glaring loopholes like Prakash Jha’s car having an MP registration though the film is set in Bihar, a child killing a hefty man etc. Actors like Kiran Karmarkar and Rahul Bhatt are wasted in miniscule roles. Jai Gangaajal Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Director Prakash Jha puts himself in front of the camera as a corrupt officer who wakes up to moral values too late in the day. He gives himself a last chance after a shocking incident turns into an eye opener for him. However, there are few concerns about the film. Prakash is dealing with too many issues at the same time and that leads to the film losing its steam. Also, during the film one expects to see more of Priyanka and her cop role. However it takes you to a personal self discovery route of Prakash’s character which felt far stretched. Jai Gangaajal Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: Prakash Jha gives himself a chance to play a cop, a crooked one who has a change of heart towards the end. There’s Manav Kaul as the local thug turned politician with scores of his goons and then there is Priyanka Chopra, the Dabaang police officer, Abha Mathur, who does a Bajirao Singham on screen. There’s much maara-mari, draamebazi before the film culminates the way you expected it to. Jai Gangaajal Review by Zeenews Rating: ‘Jai Gangaaja’ triumphs, but sadly, only at places – at other times you are inevitably reminded of ‘Gangaajal’, only wishing if the movie had the same flesh and rawness as the one before. That said, watch ‘Jai Gangaajal’ merely for its performance by Jha and Chopra and some of the other supporting cast. As far as the story is concerned – it’s the same old wine in new bottle. Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today Rating: It is Prakash Jha’s omnipresence in his acting debut that doesn’t quite fall in place. Out of the 2 hour 38 minutes that Jai Gangaajal runs for, Jha is ubiquitous in a way that gets unbearable after a point of time. Get the man out of the frame for some minutes, and Jai Gangaajal is a decent watch. The one person you want to see more of on screen is Priyanka Chopra. And that is where the film fails to satisfy its viewer. On his part, Manav Kaul impresses as the diabolical Babloo Pandey. Ninad Kamat, on the other hand, never quite manages to strike fear even when he’s at his menacing best. Rahul Bhat’s social worker-ish avatar is believable, but seems out of tune at times. Jai Gangaajal falters in getting its point across, if there is one, that is. The film works in parts, largely because of the fabulous performances of Chopra and Kaul. But then, the problem that seems to have found a place in Prakash Jha films of late – that of losing way thanks to a convoluted plot – plagues Jai Gangaajal as well. Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Priyanka Chopra, who is nearly always in neatly starched police attire and appears far too glossed-up for the role, does her very best to lend the character the requisite gravitas. But even when she is at her most admirable, for her action-star persona is unable to propel the film out of its inertia. Prakash Jha has a perpetual all-knowing smirk on his face in the early portions of the film – well, he is the director and he should know – but his performance gets infinitely better after Bhola Nath Singh is assailed by a wave of qualms in the second half. Jai Gangaajal is likely to be a letdown for those who expect it to be a worthy follow-up to Gangaajal. But if you go in without too many expectations, you might find parts of its fairly palatable. Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: Prakash Jha is the hero of Jai Gangaajal if screen time is our consideration. In any case, you need to spread wings to make a 158-minute film engaging. But, it has to be said that Jha has done justice to his role. He is restrained in dialogue delivery and really effective in emotional scenes. The narrative keeps dragging with strange terms such as ‘Madam Sir’ and ‘Suicide Murder’. It seems the idea is to create an isolated world which is uncertain about its future and the usage of words. The constant urge to back these terms up with scenes also hampers the flow of the narrative. As a result, a powerful scene comes up and then vanishes into oblivion without providing a build-up to the next one. In the process, we get individual sequences that work on their own, but couldn’t gel as a whole. Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: Priyanka Chopra’s too-sophisticated unmade-up-make-up is very distracting, even in her few convincing moments. And the film goes on for far too long, even when we know how all of it will end, and even when we are thoroughly enjoying Jha’s authentic’ leheja’ : ‘aap ko koi galat misguide kiye hain’, he says, and we smile. Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The story (by Jha) tackles an extremely disturbing trend of mob lynching, but what is also disturbing is that the story teller himself seems to be sympathetic with the mob and appeared to have no clear ethical stand on it. Manav Kaul is very good as ever, but it is Ninad Kamat who steals the show as he brilliantly plays the role of ruthless Dabloo Pandey, who wouldn’t stop at anything to achieve what he wants. One must admit here that Jha surprises with his ease in front of the camera and decent acting abilities, but quite often the camera focuses a little too indulgently on him. Jha yet again successfully revisits the world he’s so familiar with, the rampant hooliganism, the fascinating and colourful lingo that we are all familiar with, largely thanks to Jha’s earlier films. At two hours forty minutes, the film is a bit too long and tends to get predictable at many parts. Jai Gangaajal Review by Indiaglitz Rating: ‘Jai Gangajaal’ is not a bad film and has some enjoyable scenes to cherish. Sadly, the repetitive screenplay, half-baked characters and dragging length makes the movie look like a never ending stale drama. Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: Once Jai GangaaJal loses sight of all else to become only about his half-baked atonement it drags and dodders from the weight of its stocky dialogues, tediously cosmetic revolt and a leading man of very limited screen presence hogging all the limelight. Review by Bryan Durham on DNA India Rating: Prakash Jha debuts as an actor with this film. And one has to say, he’s a natural at it. But enough about him. This is Priyanka Chopra’s film. And while she does justice to her role as Abha, it is her doggedness that shines through. As the director, Jha builds the framework in which to let Abha grow and develop her character, even though the graph is a tried-and-tested one. Strong female cops are no novelty in Bollywood, but they are rare, and Jha’s attempt to bring PC in to be the lynchpin of his good-vs-bad drama deserves applause. That and of course, his social commentary through the film. Review by Srijana Mitra Das on The Times Of India Rating: In contrast, Manav Kaul, usually a sure-shot scene stealer, appears distracted, briefly coming into his own, licking his lips as he savagely beats BN, but lacking consistent power. However, the dynamics between BN and Dablu convey crackling tension, their face-off electric. While Ninad nails wicked, waddling Dablu, fattened on the gory good life, Prakash comfortably portrays a character happy with shades of grey – until he discovers khaki. Review by Rajeev Masand on IBNLive Rating: Jai Gangaajal doesn’t offer anything you haven’t seen before, especially in the director’s own previous films. It’s also interminably long at nearly 2 hours and 40 minutes. Priyanka Chopra and Prakash Jha’s performances keep you engaged and invested despite the familiar narrative, but by the end you’re overcome by the unmistakable feeling of exhaustion. Review by Saumil Gandhi on Mumbai Mirror Rating: The film is technically average and the dubbing is noticeably off on several occasions. Mr Jha’s “supporting role” probably gets equal, if not more screen time than the actual lead, and could have done with a sharper edit. The shots, in general, lack inspiration. If there’s only one way to show Priyanka’s jeep leaving the police station, or reveal a hanging body, why show the scene so many times? Small things like varying the physical setting of certain scenes could have lifted the film, and it’s detailing like this that is missed the most. Prakash Jha before the camera has an undoubtedly better run in Jai Gangaajal than Prakash Jha behind the camera. It may be by design or by default, but it leaves the film on middling ground. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Prakash Jha is superb as the cop who is content being corrupt till Abha Mathur inspires him to do better. Manav Kaul is delightfully menacing and makes for a formidable villain. Ninad Kamat plays power-hung W Pandey wonderfully, and Murli Sharma is fabulous as Munna Mardaani, who ruthlessly beats up people, but weeps when he sees his boss defeated. The rest of the supporting cast does well. The film is a comment on honest officials vs. ruffian politics in mofussil India, but then we’ve seen this so many times before. What sets the film apart is Jha’s sure-footed storytelling (though he sticks to his tried-and-tested formula) and Priyanka Chopra’s dazzling performance. This one straddles the two worlds of being a reasonably accomplished film as well as a crowd-pleaser. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: He takes almost two and a half hours of film footage even though Priyanka Chopra is propped up as the hero of the film. And no matter what the scene is, no matter how cool Priyanka Chopra is trying to be, the multi tasking director-savior steps into the scene. It’s such a self-indulgent, self promotional film for Prakash Jha, it’s a tragic waste of the supposed INR 100 crore budget. After a while, you start checking out if the baddies change clothes through the movie. They don’t. And you don’t care. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: There is nothing seriously wrong with Jai Gangaajal. Prakash Jha’s heart bleeds for the downtrodden. The problem is, so do the characters. Everyone is shown running with or away from lathis and hockey sticks. Jha gets battered and thrown into a drain. Jai Gangaajal begs for ruminative moments. These are never granted in a film that pelts down brutality mercilessly. Review by Meeta on Wogma Rating: There is another character in the film that is vying for your attention. All. The. Time. The background score. It is relentless. It is loud. It doesn’t go with the film. There were a few scenes in the second half when it takes a break and they are beautiful. Those scenes made me want to see the film once again with the background track turned off. It wouldn’t be a surprise, if the film becomes better manifold. As it stands though Jai Gangaajal engages you while you are in the theater – maybe making you a little fidgety towards the end because it is over 2.5 hours. But once you are out and think about it, if at all, you realise it is not too out of the ordinary. Except that you want to watch more of Prakash Jha as an actor. Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Movietalkies Rating: Prakash Jha, who makes his acting debut with this film, has done a decent job and is sure to impress. Notwithstanding the fact that his character more or less resembles that of Mukesh Tiwari’s Bacha Yadav, we truly liked Jha for his underplayed intensity and his realistic portrayal of a cop from North India. Unfortunately, Manav Kaul lacks the gravitas required of a Bollywood baddie and is not an effective villain at all, though Ninad Kamath as the debauched Dabloo Pandey gave us a pleasant surprise with his performance. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2016 Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars Aligarh – 3.6 stars Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Zubaan’ Review – 2.6 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Zubaan Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: The film has an extremely tight and engaging screenplay (Sumit Roy, Mozez Singh). Mozez Singh, who makes his directorial debut with ZUBAAN is definitely a name to watch out for. The ease with which he packages and delivers a sensitive film like ZUBAAN is simply exceptional. The hard work that he has put in as a director in ZUBAAN yields him rich dividends in the film. The film just does not look like being directed by a debutant director. The best part about his direction is that, places wherein any director could have either gone astray or over-the-top, Mozez Singh maintains his pace. All of this contributes in making the film a memorable affair to watch. The second half is not as watertight as the flawless first half, because, the film dips in second half… only to pick up pace again towards climax. The film also has many noteworthy scenes. For example, the conflict between protagonist and family (wife and son) has been shot really well. As for the performances, the film rests majorly on the shoulders of its lead cast Vicky Kaushal and Sarah Jane Dias. ZUBAAN, which happens to be Vicky Kaushal’s second film (his debut being MASAAN), also sees him grow superlatively as an actor and also leaps and bounds to become the scene stealer of the film. On the other hand, Sarah Jane Dias, besides looking good, has also contributed immensely towards the film. Her performance in this film will definitely go down as one of her most memorable performances. The other actors too bring in top notch performances in the film, which helps the film’s progress in a smooth manner minus any guffaws. Zubaan Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: Zubaan has a feeble story which doesn’t do justice to its technical finesse. It is hardly appealing in the first hour but with solid performers like Vicky Kaushal and Manish Chaudhari, the film soars over its runtime. Zubaan Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: Vicky Kaushal has done a commendable job and so has the rest of the cast comprising Chaudhary, Malik, Chanana and Dias. But despite this, the story lacks conviction and a soul, as a result of which, Zubaan doesn’t really touch you. Had the makers focused on a single plot point, the movie would have been at least acceptable, if not likeable. Zubaan Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Zubaan stretches itself too thin at times in trying to raise its narrative tempo. In its quieter moments, however, it does manage to get its voice heard. Watch it for the latter bits – and for Vicky Kaushal. Zubaan Review by Saumil Gandhi on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Zubaan is a film that does a lot of posing and posturing, but lacks focus to be taken as a serious narrative. It has a voice somewhere in the deeply spiritual roots it lays claim to. Sadly, it is drowned in too much noise for us to make any sense of it. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: The music that intrudes in the story is so amazing, that you tend to coast with the tunes, forgetting your beef with the story. Some shots are breathtaking, others make you wonder if it was the same team that made you sigh in pleasure not moments before. I like films made about urban unease, and that sense of loss and disconnect, but here it just seems shallow. And that’s why the film seems to be pretty but unbelievable. Also the subtitles disappear after the first few minutes, so all that Punjabi (even though Bollywood songs have taught the common folk much) may escape comprehension. You come away with mixed feelings even though you really loved the idea of ‘tumhari zubaan kuch keh rahi hai…’. Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: There’s no denying that Zubaan fits the frame of most of the rags to riches stories, but these frames have been shot with a lot of thought. The camera work of the song ‘Music is my art’ demonstrates the faultless use of a confined space. At the same time, the magical surrealism of open, vibrant spaces fire your imagination, and you start dreaming of a similar space. The song Dhruvtara is a perfect example of that. Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life Rating: Zubaan is a film made with a lot of love and it shows in every frame. Swapnil Sonawne’s camera work is stunning and lights up every scene as if it was a part of our lives. Mozez uses human emotions like suffering, loss, love, jealousy to make his characters interesting. You get drawn into Dilsher’s world because of Vicky Kaushal’s award worthy performance. He’s already shown promise with Masaan and now Zubaan only reinforces our faith in him as an actor to watch out for. The supporting cast too is exceptional. Sarah Jane Dias keeps it subtle not going over the top or getting screechy in the difficult scenes. Both Raaghav Chanana and Manish Chaudhry are able to make us cringe watching their difficult father-son relationship. The music of course is eclectic and different. There are beats from a 80?s Madonna song to a traditional Gurbani that become part of the films soundtrack. In fact the music is a pivotal aspect of Zubaan lending its characters a language when words fall short. Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India Rating: First time director Mozez Singh has chosen a simple story, which may not be a crowd pleaser but it’s a moving story that will connect with your soul. There’s a beautiful sentiment at its heart that you will discover for yourself. It a delicate and brilliantly told story of overcoming your insecurities and embracing your true path. What it lacks in terms of star power it makes up with a unique story by Mozez and Sumit Roy and great acting by Vicky Kaushal. His performance dominates the film whether he is cowering or being cocky. Manish Chaudhari provides brilliant support. The most touching part of the film is the father-son relationship, which is also the crux of the film, as you later realise. Zubaan is a visual treat thanks to Swapnil Sonawane. Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: The core of it is in the way Kaushal and Chaudhari manouever around each other, testing each other, and when the director keeps it grounded, it comes off real and strong. But then everything gets filmi and wispy. The writing is patchy, with Kaushal not coming off as striking as he was in ‘Masaan’ : he’s good yes, he makes us watch, yes, but is already familiar. And the climactic passage is too stretched. Singh clearly has a voice, though, and a talent for creating twisty drama. Pity the plot dips and the tone shifts, which results in the film speaking in parts, and being muzzled in the rest. But the music is lovely: in many places, I listened more than I looked. Review by Raja Sen on Rediff Rating: The whole film emerges, sadly, like one of those ads where you can half-hum the song but you forget what it was for. Look, Zubaan isn’t a bad film. It is decently made and reasonably well acted, especially by Manish Chaudhari who conquers the screen in his swaggering role of a boorish businessman. Kaushal is immensely earnest, and Raaghav Chanana brings some nuance to his part of the insecure son — whenever the script allows him. Perhaps we ought to take a cue from the strikingly-haired French hip-hop dancers who pat the hero and heroine on their shoulders when they finally do kiss, and treat this boring little film with what it demands most: indulgence. Review by Asira Tarannum on Deccan Chronicle Rating: The first half is crisp and the story moves smoothly, but during the second half the story moves a bit too fast leaving the audience confused. The direction is good but the editing is not up to the mark. Hats off to producer Guneet Monga for backing another unconventional subject where the boy makes a mistake and realises his true calling and reiterating the fact that we all have to move out of our comfort zones to find our true calling. Review by Suhani Singh on India Today Rating: Even if you are to buy into the opposites attract theory, Singh fails to convince as to what makes Amira and Dilsher click. Far more engaging are Kaushal and Chaudhary who combine well together to present the fascinating protégé-mentor relationship. Here, we see Dilsher’s hunger to succeed such as when he beats up his rival just so that he can get to work with Sikan, tries to impress the construction magnate by stealing a music CD and belittles Sikan’s son Surya (Raghav Chanana). These scenes tell more about Dilsher than his introspective but dull conversations with Amira. It doesn’t help that Singh is eager to focus on Dilsher’s redemption. And just like that Zubaan, like its hero, stumbles. Review by Shomini Sen on IBNLive Rating: The film manages to engage you most of the time particularly because of its actors. Vicky Kaushal, who made a remarkable debut in ‘Masaan’, gives a strong performance yet again. It is on his shoulder that the film lies. And he delivers. From being the under confident young boy from Punjab to becoming self assured confident right-hand man of a real-estate baron- Kaushal’s transition on screen is remarkably smooth and natural. Supporting cast Manish Chaudhary, Raghav Chanana also play their part well and do justice to their characters. Wish Sarah Jane-Dias’s character was more defined. She plays Amira, a popular singer, who has her own conflicts to fight. But she is also the person who encourages Dilsher to pursue music. While we know her character’s importance to the Dilsher’s story – it somehow doesn’t come out that clearly in the film. Why do they fall in love? How does she inspire him to take up music again? Those things remain sketchy. Review by Shubha Shetty Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The film holds a lot of promise but doesn’t really live up to it. A more clear-minded script as well as a steadier hand at direction would have done wonders to this film. However, Singh scores as he makes soul stirring music (composed by Ashutosh Phatak) an intrinsic part of the film. However, standing above the film and the script is Kaushal’s absolutely brilliant performance. The young actor, who impressed us with his debut performance in Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan (2015), is at admirable ease in front of the camera and while slipping into the role of the traumatised, stammering Dilsher. Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: Mozez had the script, brilliant music and super, way beyond performances, but he spoils the broth by trying to add too many ingredients all in one go. All through the first half, even though the plot is going all over, I try to stay interested mainly because the two characters of Dilsher (Vicky Kaushal) and Gurcharan Sikand (Manish Chaudhary) have me invested with their intensity and portrayal of their characters. Both are a study in brilliance. If only the clarity in the plot was taken care of, Mozez would have had a scorcher on his hand. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Debut director Mozez Singh displays potential and gives us a film that has its moments, despite the weak areas. Zubaan, then, remains a film akin to a great story build-up, only to reveal a rather tepid finale. Zubaan Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The screenplay related to the family drama has been presented in an interesting and intriguing manner. The politics, treachery, secrets related to the family of Manish Choudhary, is one of the key elements of this movie. You will enjoy this part of the film and would love to see more of it. There are many good scenes which manages to keep you glued to the silver screen. The cinematography is good and goes with the flow of the film. Music is very essential part of this film and music director Ashutosh Pathak manages to give us some decent songs. ‘Tu Hain Tera Khuda’, ‘Druvtara’. ‘Kori Pukaar’ have been brilliantly choreographed followed by ‘Music is My Art’ which is the most popular song from the film. Director Mozez Singh’s last film ‘White Noise’ (2004), ended up as a disaster and in contrast to that ‘Zubaan’, is a great film to watch. One will love the whole intense family drama but might not connect to the musical and romantic part of the film. Vicky Kaushal gives one more good performance after ‘Masaan’. Sarah-Jane Dias looks glamorous. Manish Choudhary is powerful. Raaghav Chanana is superb in his role. Meghna Malik and others lend good support. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: Besides an outstandingly contemplative performance by Vickey Kaushal, Zubaan gives us a brand new directorial talent Mozez Singh (again, is this really his first film?!). Mozez has a rare ability to create a drama of dissent in his plot without resorting to excessive melodrama. There are passages in Zubaan where we see the director’s vision of an individual held ransom by his ambitions. And we are shaken in a rejuvenating way. Zubaan is an exhilarating journey of self-discovery, and far far more accomplished work than this week’s other release Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangaajal. Review by meeta on Wogma Rating: The only saving grace then are the performances. Vicky Kaushal performs as if he is carrying a very huge burden on his shoulders – that of carrying the film. It gets an eager and sincere act out of him, but the load is unnecessary. Each time I watch Manish Chaudhuri, he instills and reinforces in me a fear – this character can do just about anything. Raaghav Chanana too does well as the insecure son who wears a mask of strength. However, performances and gray characters aren’t enough to make Zubaan enticing. The story tries to do a little of everything. Therefore, every thing comes across as half-baked. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2016 Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 2.3 stars Aligarh – 3.6 stars Bollywood Diaries – 2.5 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Ishq Forever – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive’ Review – 2.3 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Indicine Rating: Director Abhishek Sharma clearly wants to make a more pertinent point about America’s foreign policy through this film but laces it with satire and a comedic overtone. Does it work? Well, not really. A lot of jokes get repeated to death and the pertinent points get lost in translation. It is not a failed effort at all as a lot of the gags work very well and leaves the audiences in raptures. It feels like a lot of time has passed between the first film and the sequel, but still the script seems unpolished and unfinished. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: The movie is entertaining when you have the most unusual Olympics for terrorism. The mere idea is very funny. Piyush Mishra brings in the maximum smiles throughout the course of the film. He is first rate. The problem with the film is that it builds up excitement but then falls flat. Such is the story throughout the course of the film. Pradhuman Singh is a let down. He’s not exciting enough. Manish Paul plays himself. He makes you smile at times. There’s nothing substantial. Sikandar promised a lot during the promo but he is loud and over the top. Moreover his make up is too tacky. Ali Zafar in a cameo is wasted. Big time. The song ‘Six Packs’ that is picturized on him is atrocious to say the least. The needless extended cameo of President Obama was needless. The screenplay is credited to Neha Sharma and Abhishek Sharma while dialogues have been written by Pradhuman. Writing is lackluster. Good in parts but average at most occasions. The dialogues are patchy too. When the references to weapons of mass destruction or Junior telling David, “I can blow your trumpet”, you know there’s intelligence at work. Piyush has punchy dialogues. But overall, a lot of forced humour is at work. Gags don’t work if the timing between the actors is missing. VFX are uneven too. The American Helicopter is created out of VFX and it is neat but most of the VFX apart from that are tacky. Chandan Arora’s editing is decent since the short duration of the film gives it a breezy feel. Chaudhary Amalendu’s camerawork is average. Dhruv Dhalla’s music isn’t worth writing about. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: There’s more packed into the script this time around, and a little more energy and pace. But the problem of repetition persists: once you’ve slung out a joke, do not bring it up again. Or, if you have to, make it more fun. Lots of jibes at the contrasting working styles of Hollywood and Bollywood abound: the first time around, it’s funny, then less so, and so on. You don’t laugh as much as you should, because successful satires need to be tighter. The one actor, hard to recognize under all the make-up, who proves to be a complete funster is Sikander Kher in a ‘double-role’: as the Yank operative assigned to the Osama job chewing on a broad accent which doesn’t drop, as well as the pot-bellied Hollywood ‘producer’ David Chaddha, he is a hoot. ‘Tere Bin Laden’, Part 2, generates start-up potential, some smiles, some laugh-out-loud lines, but it keeps petering out. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life Rating: While the funny scenes are plenty, there are also moments that don’t take off, especially the track with local terrorist leader Khalil. Ali Zafar’s cameo also doesn’t do much to create any interest in the film. In fact it serves as a distraction from the main plot. The jokes and gags are at times repetitive and revolve around Osama and President’s scenes. The challenge was to rise above the brilliance of the first part and retain the essence of the plot. Unfortunately Dead or Alive is stuck somewhere in between. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: The answer is somewhere in the middle. Tere Bin Laden – Dead or Alive is way better than The Shaukeens, but doesn’t match the wit of the original. The film is very self indulgent. Everybody gets their share of screen time. From newspaper clippings featuring the producers Shetty sisters to a film director called Sharma, a lot of throwback props are used. Sometimes they work, but mostly they don’t. Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala Rating: The plot of an Osama doppelganger torn between Americans and terrorists is funny indeed but loses punch because of lazy writing and loud performances. This is Manish Paul’s second film, (no, I am not counting Tees Maar Khan) after Mickey Virus. Alas, he is still caught in his Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa anchor avatar. He smiles too much, emotes too much, distorts too much and raises overacting to the power of 80. Pradhuman Singh as Osama’s lookalike fails to do wonders with a badly written character. Piyush Mishra, a fabulous actor otherwise, grunts and grimaces through his lines without much reason. Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive, is seldom on the right side of that line. For want of the inspired writing that launched the franchise, it rests mostly on deadwood ideas that are as insubstantial as they are prone to rapid disintegration. Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is best avoided unless a bunch of characters running around in circles is one’s idea of entertainment. Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews Rating: The show belongs to Paul, Singh, Kher and Mishra. These four actors took it upon themselves to make this comedy a glorious rip-roaring affair. While Kher had a tendency to lean towards caricature, the relatively unknown Singh is spot on with his Punjabi accent and expressions. Paul does his bit to make this film immensely watchable. Watch this if you are in the mood for some light-hearted fun about war, terrorism and the highly exaggerated world of Bollywood. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: As for the film, Tere Bin Laden-Dead Or Alive is a semi-intelligently written comedy, with sly barbs at US politics and even Bollywood standards-‘Bollywood heroes blow their trumpet for an year even if they land a minute-long scene in an English film’, says Sharma with a knowing sneer to Chadda in one scene while in another scene, David’s CIA identification reads ‘Chief Of Invasions’ (too good!) However, some of the gags fail to evoke anything more than a tired chuckle (like theSansani reporter act, which has been done to death in countless other films). The plot could have been a recipe for a great satire, but unfortunately, the makers decided to make a goofy comedy with it, despite the potential of the idea. Also, the second half has been stretched to an extent, though mercifully, the film is not peppered with needless songs. Review by Mehul S Thakkar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: The scenes showing the training session of Fidayeen terrorists run by Khaleeli is really hilarious. The director has brought out some really good scenes that makes it enjoyable to watch in portion. If you have loved the first film, this one doesn’t live up to its expectations. But looking at the performances of different characters which are entertaining, it isn’t such a dragging affair either. Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: A lot of jokes just don’t work; punches fall flat, laboured slapstick – overacted demonstration of overacting, birds bursting into smithereens, we still doing that? Even the presence of a paranoid Obama (Iman Crosson) doesn’t add up to much. If intended to be a spoof on the vagaries of filmmaking, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is completely devoid of whimsy. And, if it aspires to be a satire, there’s little bite or ambition in its pedestrian approach and trivial resolutions. Review by Suhani Singh on India Today Rating: Trouble with part two is that Obama is no Bush who was the butt of jokes in the first. All we get here is an actor who pulls off the accent. Kher is made to do what Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise did in Tropic Thunder – paint his face and then don a fat suit – but it is just over the top drivel. Meanwhile Paul, who looks like he is walked straight from the sets of his ill-fated debut Mickey Virus, is only memorable for his poor imitation of a classic Mehmood riff on making a film. One party wants to make a tape to prove Osama is alive, the other to show he is dead. It sounds great only on paper for the execution is sloppy and the writing lacks wit. The quirky gets ridiculous rather than amusing. The film within a film format doesn’t pay humorous dividends. A few bright ideas such as terrorists playing landmine jump, bomb relay and enjoying a retrospective of Osama films draw a chuckle. But that’s as close to a laugh you will get in this comedy. Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: Sequels always run the risk of falling short of expectations. In 2010, Tere Bin Laden emerged as surprise hit with its abundant laughs and particularly smart writing. This time director Abhishek Sharma is hardly able to conjure up an equally enticing story. The chuckles are fewer and the wit from the first part is nowhere to be seen. Franchises are mostly created for moolah and that could be a valid reason for this sequel as well, but with the lack of an effective story to go with it, the results aren’t appealing. Review by Tushar Joshi on DNA India Rating: There is a lot riding for Manish Paul with this film and he delivers in every single frame. There is an instant likability towards Manish that works in his favour. His character is not only someone you could bump into, but also empathetic to a certain extent. The best thing about the film are the scenes between Manish and Sikander who gives a hilarious performance as the CIA officer. The prosthetic and makeup in the first half make him almost unrecognisable. His David Chadda – Bollywood producer act in the second half is funny as well. Writing is sharp and the dialogues are witty in places. Pradhuman Singh as Osama is as enjoyable as he was in the first part. Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE, is Abhishek Sharma’s sequel to his 2010 movie TERE BIN LADEN. The humour is forced and the plot goes on and on and on. However, having said that, there are several LOL moments but not good enough to keep the interest alive in the 110-minute run time. Review by Meeta on Wogma Rating: From the beginning the movie is loud and doesn’t try to mask the fact that it is aiming for slapstick. Even so, it is acceptable because the satire is amusing. Unfortunately, the well of satire has little water and dries up soon. What is left then is the ridiculous situation that our characters have found themselves in. Review by Sameeksha on IBNLive Rating: ‘Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive’ is a fun watch if you keep the comparison from the first film aside. The air is repetitive but maybe that’s because of the filming style of Abhishek. There is nothing too striking about this film’s direction, but you can clearly see a spark in Abhishek. The way this man has merged satire and goofiness again, is commendable. Is he the next Shyam Benegal? Well, it’s too early to say that but you can feel the same air around his film making. Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The satire is genuinely fun for a while and then it all starts getting repetitive. The script and dialogues are largely innovative and unpredictable, and more often than not keep you chuckling. But the second half becomes a bit of a drag as the gimmicks and jokes give you a sense of déjà vu and you wish the filmmaker had kept the plot tighter instead of indulging in the humour for too long. The film belongs to Kher whose comic timing is a delightful revelation. As a CIA agent and as the potbellied Hollywood producer, he is fantastic. Hope to see him in more such fun roles, which he clearly seems to be enjoying doing as much as we enjoyed watching him. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Director Abhishek Sharma is responsible for the celluloid turd The Shaukeens, which he made between the first Laden and this one. His sensibilities as a maker seem to be skewed towards slapstick and while the detailing in every gag is incredible, most of them are subtle enough to go unnoticed. A very Hot Shots! brand of gag is the one where the CIA chief and his assistant (who he only refers to as ‘junior’) speak in sign language while on a helicopter. One would imagine that the noise of the chopper warrants this mode of communication, it is later revealed the noise was actually from an electric shaver being used by one of the troops on board. It’s a well-written gag but fails to garner the desired impact. The film sets the premise and labours in detailing every sequence, but somehow it doesn’t add up. But if you’ve had a long, tiring week, this one wouldn’t hurt. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director Abhishek Sharma— he also directed Tere Bin Laden in 2010—lays on the gags one after the other. The fact that one powerful group wants a character alive, while the other equally powerful party desperately wants the same character dead could have been unendingly funny. The film does have its share of genuine laughs. Sharma’s obsession with all things Hollywood is hilarious, as is Sikander Kher’s boisterous Punjabi producer act. The self-deprecating portrayal of the always-silent Shetty sisters and Ali Zafar singing a song about his six-pack abs is also superb. The film is as acerbic in its portrayal of America as it is in the portrayal of the extremist outfit. However there are an equal number of comedic portions that are either repetitive or fall flat. Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive Review by Indiaglitz Rating: There are some good comical moments in the middle of the film which will keep you engaged to the film. Scenes of Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh and Sikander Kher are hilarious. ‘Hum Item Wale’ song in the end credits is foot tapping. Director Abhishek Sharma tries to recreate the magic of ‘Tere Bin Laden’ and partially succeeds in some places. Manish Paul is fine in his part and one will love his story narration scene. Pradhuman Singh is cute and does his part with grace. Sikander Kher is superb in his role. His body mannerisms and menacing looks along with an American accent is worth a watch. Piyush Mishra is hilarious in his role. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: Neha Sharma and Abhishek Sharma’s script is a satirical scam. It rips off various emblems of political dissent from the world map to generate laughter. Agreeably,the shout-out-loud humour shuts out crass humour, except for a few below-the-waist allusions BLOWING in the wind, if you know what I mean (wink wink) . Director Sharma fills the spaces in the satire with overt political innuendos, the kind that are sent off in bulk on your smartphones. What I found missing in the sequel was the audacity of the first film where the director and the team had nothing to lose. This time there is the frantic and unceasing need to generate guffaws even when there is little room for it. The actors, all eager to score, pause breathlessly to jump in with their next still-wet-and-sticky-pain-on-the-wall funny-line while other actors speak. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Aligarh – 3.8 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars

Tere Bin Laden was a sleeper hit back when it released half a decade back. It made Ali Zafar a known face in Bollywood...

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Bollywood Diaries’ Review – 2.5 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Bollywood Diaries Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: When you chase your dreams, how far is too far? Director KD Satyam gets ambitious with his story, which has its heart in the right place, but fails to mould it into something impactful. Bollywood Diaries is one of those rare films that you would want to invest in but the half-baked narrative is not successful in holding your attention. It is adequate but not evocative enough. Bollywood Diaries Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Bollywood Diaries is somewhat different in that it isn’t the story of a single individual. It weaves three separate, unrelated tales into a single narrative tapestry, flitting seamlessly from one to the other to highlight what happens when reverie gets the better of reason. On the plus side, Bollywood Diaries has a unique texture that blends the firmly commonplace with the overly flighty. Bollywood Diaries Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Three rather interesting stories, but when they start rolling, you realise that the three stories are not going to be connected at all. They could easily be shorts just put together and edited event by event to look as though these were parallel events. Bollywood Diaries Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: BOLLYWOOD DIARIES is an honest film with a great connect, and although the build-up gives you that disjointed feeling, it packs a punch towards the end. If there has been a time in your life when you had harbored hopes of being a part of Bollywood, or still wanting to make it big in Bollywood, then this movie is definitely for you. Review by Namrata Thakker on Rediff Rating: Bollywood Diaries captures the struggles of these three protagonists, and how they deal with failure. Though the film has its heart in the right place, it’s too slow and predictable. But yes, there are moments in the film that are absolutely heart-wrenching. The music is surprisingly good. Performance wise, all the actors have played their parts well but it’s Ashish Vidyarthi who totally nails the role. Bollywood Diaries is a good attempt but fails to pack a solid punch. Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Ashish Vidyarthi and Raima Sen are flawless in their roles. Salim Diwan could have done much better with his emotional act. The pain of unfulfilled wishes and broken dreams is heart wrenching. Vineet Kumar did justice to his small role. One can’t imagine how beautiful the music of such a low budget movie can be. Vipin Patwa’s emotional music and Dr. Sagar’s lyrics is surely ear soothing and melodic. ‘Mann Ka Mirga’ by the Noora sisters, ‘Manwa Behrupiya ‘ by Arijit Singh and ‘Titli’ by Papon will surely leave you in tears especially when these songs take the story forward. Bollywood Diaries Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The narrative pattern is slow in the first half, the story also takes time to connect. Raima’s track in less engaging and predictable in comparison to others. The climax is dragging and over stretched. Connect between these three characters keeps fading in and out. The movie ends up being very dark and depressing. Scenes such as Ashish Vidhyarthi doing all sorts of Poojas to get reborn in a big celebrity’s house, Salim’s over the top reaction in the finale and a few more are over the top. Raima Sen’s character required more detailing. At many times the passion of these protagonists seemed fake and artificial. Review by Kriti Tulsiani on IBNLive Rating: As much as the actors try to save the film, it fails to rise above the usual average mark. The movie that claims to be a ‘tribute to passionate aspiring actors’ isn’t really a tribute. It’s more of a generic representation of how far is too far when it’s about fulfilling your desires. While there are some scenes where the iconic actors are mimicked in a good way, there are others which end up giving you an unsettling experience, not in a good way per say. Another thing worth mentioning is that when you exit the theaters, you’ll be in thoughts of the people who could have been actors, but didn’t really get a chance to be. While we go gaga over the big names in this industry, there are millions of people out there who’re facing tons of hardships and still unable to reach where they want to. While some of them might lack in resources, others may lack in talent; but you’ll realise there’s no dearth of passion here, courtesy this film! Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Director K.D.Satyam (writer of Gattu) expertly weaves together three extraordinary stories of ordinary hopefuls. The storytelling is sure-footed, even if rough around the edges. The feel and look of the film is decidedly old-school. But the performances, styling, production design and songs elevate the film considerably. Watch this film without too many expectations, and you might find yourself moved the by the characters and their Bollywood diaries. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Aligarh – 3.8 stars Neerja – 4 stars LoveShhuda – 2 stars Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive – 1.4 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars

Aligarh releases in theatres tomorrow, but a few reviews of the film are out already. Check out some reviews...

4 films this week, three of them are washouts. The biggest release is carrying incredible reports. Unfortunately...

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Ishq Forever’ Review – 1.4 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Ishq Forever Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: All in all, the movie ends with terrorist boss (Zakir Hussain) in his indestructible glasses (he is punched in the face several times by the hero, but nothing happens to the glasses! Indestructible!) and his many goons fighting the security team, the hero. The brat simply wears skimpy clothes and shrieks. You emerge from the theater scathed for life. And with a determination that practically grown up kids who behave that way should be legally disowned by parents. Ishq Forever Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: Krishna as an acting prospect is good. He gives a decent performance and might end up with a few roles. Ruhi is stuck in one mold all throughout. Chetan Pandit as the PM has no much work to do for the nation while his wife resembles a character from a saas bahu serial. Zakir Husain, Arif Zakaria, Raza Murad and Jaaved Jafferi, I’m sure are getting no scripts to read. Ishq Forever Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Expected to be yet another cliché love story, ‘Ishq Forever’ has a lot more unexpected store in for you. One might think that the film could have done better with a bigger star cast or lcould have done better in terms of its production value but interestingly the film excels in its good plot. The love story is not just about living happily ever after, but with sudden twists and turns, it manages to keep you intrigued till the end! Ishq Forever Review by Namrata Thakker on Rediff Rating: Performance wise, Ruhi Singh and Krishna Chaturvedi are just okay. While Ms Singh is seen flaunting her curves throughout the film, she really needs to work on her acting. There are times when she acts over-the-top. Her dialogue delivery also isn’t quite there. As if that wasn’t enough, her chemistry with Krishna is plain boring despite all the lip-locks. Lisa Ray and Jaaved Jaaferi do their best to play out their parts but there is nothing to boast about their acting. Ishq Forever Review by Renuka Vyavahare on The Times Of India Rating: A rip-off of Hollywood film Chasing Liberty, the film also seeks inspiration from various romcoms like Roman Holiday and Leap Year. Lack of originality and the cliche-laden script can be forgiven, provided the chemistry between the lead couple ticks. Sadly, it doesn’t so the scenes fall flat. Poor writing and bad direction needs to be blamed as the the lead actors have a confident screen presence but their characters lack substance. Review by Kriti Tulsiani on IBNLive Rating: While the film has a decent plot, it fails to create even a tad bit of impact, courtesy poor execution. Ruhi Singh, who was last seen in ‘Calendar Girls’, wasn’t up to the mark. Her fake accent, plastic expressions and not-so-impressive dance moves didn’t do any good to the film. Debutante Krishna maintained a single expression throughout the film with subtle smiles here and there. Lisa Ray, Javed Jaffrey; both of whom have proved their acting abilities previously aren’t great either. From their pretentious walks to their made-up dialogue delivery, everything is overdone. There is a lead romantic tale in one frame, there is a reconciliation of the divorced detectives in another; yet another one has the parents worrying in a different country and one more with two terrorists planning the kidnapping — it is a mish-mash of just way too many stories that don’t strike any chord. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: None of the cast members manage to impress and wouldn’t want this one in their filmography. It’s upsetting to see the talented Javed Jaffrey trying as much in a film that doesn’t deserve him. Ishq Forever Review by Indiaglitz Rating: The script defies logic, making it look like an amateur work. All the twists in the film are predictable. In fact, few of them fail to justify the happenings in the film. The action scenes are so lame and lazy that in many scenes one will witness that, everyone out there are just standing in one place and giving fight poses with the background music. Every character in the film is confused and a result of bad half-baked roles. The director Sameer Sippy presents this film in typical 90’s style due to which it fails to connect to its audience. The movie seems like an endless ride to boredom. Lead actor Krishna Chaturvedifails to do justice to his role. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: The film has been mostly shot in South Africa and the locales are quite gorgeous. However, what the film lacks is finesse. Though Ishq Forever is full of delicious twists and turns, the treatment could have certainly been better. The chemistry between the lead pair is virtually non-existent and the humour inserted in some scenes seems forced. The juxtaposition of the yuppie love story between Aryan and Rhea and the cynical banter between divorced couple Amitabh and Naina is interesting enough and should have been explored more. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Fitoor – 2.3 stars Sanam Re – 1.6 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars Hate Story 3 – 1.7 stars Tamasha – 3 stars Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2.7 stars Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 – 2.6 stars

Neerja has received better reviews than Airlift, making the Sonam Kapoor starrer the most critically acclaimed film of 2016. It’s also the best received film in the last 6 months or so.

Neerja is one of the most keenly-awaited films of the year. It’s a biographical on the life of flight-attendant...

Sanam Re has also received poor reviews. The average rating is 1.7 stars. [mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘ Sanam Re’ Review – 1.6 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Sanam Re Review by Indicine Rating: Divya Khosla Kumar does decently in trying to juggle all the plot elements together. Also because the expectations weren’t great even a “not bad” film has ended up feeling entertaining. Sanam Re has few slow portions but the story moves forward briskly. Even though the humour induced by the writers work only on juveniles, we don’t mind it. What we didn’t like, however, was the rampant objectification of women in the film. And Divya being a woman director should have seriously done better. Like Fitoor which also released this week, Sanam Re has also been shot in picturesque locations. It looks very good even though the frames are not as subtle as they are Fitoor. The editing doesn’t hurt the film. The music is probably the USP of Sanam Re, as most of the songs are hummable. T-Series have once again delivered a competent soundtrack. Sanam Re, Ghazab Ka Hai Yeh Din stayed with us the most. Sanam Re Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: Pulkit Samrat excels in a role that required him to be subtle and emote when he’s not expected to say anything. He’s in great shape and looks every bit the romantic icon on the lines of Salman Khan, Rajesh Khanna etc. Yami Gautam looks deliriously pretty and a perfect girl from the mountains. She surprises with her intensity and intensity. Urvashi Rautela is the surprise packet of the film. She looks beautiful, acts well and adds a solid oomph quotient to the film which is one of the highlight of the film. Rishi Kapoor always surprises with his laid back genius. He’s a delight as the old man who moves you immensely and leaves you with a smile. Sanjeev Datta has written the story and screenplay while Husain Dalal and Sanjeev Datta have written the dialogues. The writing has an old world charm with brilliance of Urdu thrown in. Chandrasekhar Prajapati’s editing is lackluster and the only weak point of the film. The pace could have been slightly quicker. Divya Khosla Kumar displays a lot of maturity in tackling a complex subject with a lot of heart. She’s a director to watch out for. Sanam Re Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life Rating: As for the acting, Pulkit still tries to exorcise the ghosts of his mentor’s acting (you know whom I am talking about) and even replicates his spectacled look from Ready (now you definitely know who I am talking about!). But he lacks none of his mentor’s charms. Urvashi’s only job is to look hot (good job at that, girl), wear bikinis and lots of make-up and also pose backless. Yami has to look pretty and cry a lot in the second half. Speaking of the second half, I couldn’t make a hell of what’s happening there. Too many songs, random scenes, disappearing characters, and a WTF climax! I could crib and crib more and more…but I believe u got the gist! Sanam Re Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Divya Khosla Kumar’s first film, Yaariyan, was a campus rumpus that got away with its silliness because it was targeted at a segment that has a seen and digested much worse. But Sanam Re is purported to be a more mature romance. Nothing that transpires in the film comes anywhere near living up to that expectation. As for the acting, Pulkit Samrat is fine as long as he is required to go shirtless and flaunt his chiselled body. With Yami Gautam, it is exactly the opposite – she is clearly ill at ease with all the skin show forced upon her by a script that cannot do any better. The curvaceous Urvashi Rautela, on her part, does her bit to push up the oomph quotient. But it is all an utter waste in the end. Sanam Re is a surefire cure for insomnia. Its air of somnolence is so pervasive that a yawn a minute is absolutely guaranteed. Sanam Re Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: The director has given clear pointers to her actors. Pulkit needs to look a confused guy, Yami should be the innocent mountain beauty. But then, what’ll Urvashi Rautela do in this set-up? Ok, let’s make her gyrate on beaches and bathrooms. Who will enhance the hotness quotient otherwise? Nothing wrong in executing all this, but haven’t we lost that beautiful story we started with in this chaos? Sanam Re Review by Tushar Joshi on DNA India Rating: It’s a bad concept and story idea which suffers more because of poor execution. The scenes with the child stars are just annoying and only procrastinate the inevitable fate of the film. Performances are weak. Pulkit struggles to pull through most scenes without giving the same blank expression. For someone who showed a flair for comic timing in Fukrey, this is just an embarrassment. Yami and Urvashi follow the cues and do what they are asked of – cry a lot and look sexy respectively. It’s hard to believe the choices Akash makes and there is no consistency in terms of building up a solid climax. Comedy sketches with Bharti playing a God women are dull and boring. The dialogues are cringe worthy, “kya tumhare maa ka blouse tumhe fit hoga?”, asks Pulkit as Yami blushes red. Sanam Re Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: In this schizophrenic rubbish — for it’s certainly not a script, hardly a synopsis — landscapes change faster than its cast’s wardrobe and characters suddenly appear or mysteriously vanish at the director’s whim. Divya Khosla Kumar even shows up in front of the camera, early on in an item song, vacuously gazing in and out of a medium she’s clearly struck by but just doesn’t get. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: The only good thing that can be said about the film is that the makers have done a great job of selecting locations and the cinematography simply takes your breath away. If you keep that away, the film has absolutely nothing to appeal to your senses. The music is quite forgettable, the direction is amateurish and the writing is pathetic. The performances are no great shakes either and the pace is sluggish. Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Last directed ‘Yaariyaan’, Divya Khosla Kumar needs to brush up her directing skills since her directorial looks like a holiday package for the entire team. The only good thing about ‘Sanam Re’ is that its a 120-minutes movie. And… if you thought this is how a love story is suppose to be, trust us on this one, you wouldn’t want to have one. ‘Sanam Re’ is not a love story to be watched on this Valentine’s Day. Review by Renuka Vyavahare on The Times Of India Rating: Also, frequent slowmo dream sequences drag the film way too long. The story gets predictable as events unfold in a sluggish way. The ambiguousness surrounding Yami’s character is tiresome and unnecessary. Unless you consider Himachal as your Sanam, this heartbreaking tale on sacrifice and unrequited love, loses its plot and purpose somewhere along the way, re. Review by Pooja Pillai on Indian Express Rating: Only the music, which is melodious and ear-wormy, and the locales, which are stunning, make patches of this movie bearable. The protagonists are too shallow and one-dimensional to be likeable, the dialogue is cringeworthy (the divorced Akanksha is compared to a used car) and the twists are too predictable for viewers to be emotionally invested in this film. This is a love story that should have lived and died as an idea. Review by Kriti Tulsiani on IBNLive Rating: Not everything was bad in this film, some was even worse. There wasn’t any striking chemistry either between Pulkit-Yami or Pulkit-Urvashi in this breezy romantic drama. As much as I’m moved to offer you some spoilers, I’ll have to refrain myself and manage it by saying that some scenes defy all logics (scientific, emotional and whatever-al). Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: Pulkit and Yami share a fairly decent chemistry. Only if Pulkit loosened up a bit, one would be able to see his acting talent without his muscles coming in the way. Urvashi has good screen presence and perhaps, a better sketched out role would have worked in her favour. The scenes featuring Rishi Kapoor and the child actor are endearing and the soulful music (by various composers) is a major plus point. Not a classic by any standards, but this emotional drama might catch the fancy of college-goers in search of mush this Valentine weekend. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Following her unflattering directorial debut, Yaariyan, the fact that Divya Khosla Kumar gets to helm another, may get many to quip, ‘have producer husband, will direct’. But her benefactors aside, Khosla Kumar attempts a cliched love story that spans across decades and continents and tests your tolerance levels. But to the film’s credit, while the story lacks substance and is overtly simplistic, Sanjeev Datta’s screenplay ensures the sequence of events fall in place to build a tolerable narrative that can keep you mildly entertained through the 120 minutes of its runtime. Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: Sameer Arya’s cinematography is a huge savior here, although it’s curious love that is portrayed is the sappy love, sacrifice, and organ transplant for a dying character. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Why anyone would make such a ridiculous film based on 500 step theory and expect today’s audiences to fall in love with it is beyond any reasoning. And even though the music is decent you wish T-Series had invested in a half decent story in the least. Nothing in this film will make you book tickets to the corner seats with your valentine. In fact, you might just get dumped for your taste in movies… Be warned! Review by IANS on Zeenews Rating: The poorly-etched characters fail to connect with the audience, leaving you detached from their lives. The script, written by Sanjeev Datta, is careless and lazily drafted. It is devoid of time and space in the characters’ universe and the plot is amateurish, hence lacking focus. The pace of the film is painfully slow and nothing seemingly happens for the longest time. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Fitoor – 2.3 stars Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars Hate Story 3 – 1.7 stars Tamasha – 3 stars Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2.7 stars Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 – 2.6 stars Jazbaa – 2.6 stars Singh Is Bling – 2.3 stars

Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor, a film that was expected to get rave reviews by the critics, has scored a poor average of 2.3 stars from the 19 review ratings that we have accumulated so far. The average rating is worse than Sunny Deol’s Ghayal Once Again which released last week. [mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Fitoor’ Review – 2.3 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Fitoor Review by Indicine Rating: Abhishek Kapoor clearly has grand ambitions. He tries to adapt a story as complex as Great Expectations into an Indian milieu. He mostly gets it right with how he sets the movie but everything else is a hot mess (with a cold setting). The script meanders, takes far too long to come to the point. The story moves ever too slowly and the subplots take away from the main love story. What could have been a passionate love story has almost no love/romantic scenes. A lot of the tonal inconsistencies arise from the loose adaptation of the great material. Maybe, just maybe, Abhishek Kapoor should stick to adapting Chetan Bhagat’s books for the big screen. Fitoor is gloriously shot. It is one of the best looking films of recent times. This is achieved due to the breathtaking landscapes of Kashmir, the fantastic cinematography, the great looking actors, and the lavishly put together costumes. Sadly, the editing lags and lacks any slickness. The film goes on for far too long. Even the music by Amit Trivedi doesn’t make too much of a difference. Amit needs to reinvent his music soon. And he needs to stop choosing his own voice for so many songs. None of the songs make any mark. Fitoor Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: FITOOR’s director Abhishek Kapoor (who is best known for his films like KAI PO CHE and ROCK ON), seems extremely confused in his narrative of FITOOR. While the film does have its moments under the sun, FITOOR turns out to be such a BIG disappointment for all those who really had ‘great expectations’ (no pun intended) from the film. The film is nothing but an amalgamation of senseless, confusing and disjointed screenplay (Supratik Sen, Abhishek Kapoor) and poor direction (Abhishek Kapoor). The screenplay is sorely disappointing, thus making the film look like an arthouse cinema featuring popular stars. What adds to the downfall of the film is also the odd pairing of Aditya Roy Kapur and Katrina Kaif, who lack the much needed chemistry to ‘light up’ a movie of this genre. After a point, the film’s proceedings become way too difficult to comprehend. The makers of the film have focused on every minute detail of the visuals in the movie, however one wonders why they didn’t do the same level of detailing in the screenplay. There are many scenes in the film that do no good to the film, but only land up confusing the viewers. Testimonials to this are in the form of Ajay Devgn’s role in the film, and also the scene wherein Aditya reads a news article about a Begam spending a fortune on her heiress’ wedding, whereas, the so-called ‘wedding’ never seems to take place in the movie. Despite all the flaws and shortcomings, one has to admit that the film looks extremely appealing visually. Fitoor Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: It alternates between the dark and shadowy and the bright and painterly as it captures the many moods of nature in Kashmir. The timeless plot of an orphan who makes it big thanks to a mysterious benefactor is, of course, too well known to deliver surprises. It is the treatment that holds the key. The script (Supratik Sen and Abhishek Kapoor) puts just enough spin on the familiar tale, especially in the second half, to keep the audience guessing. Fitoor Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today Rating: Fitoor, for all its spellbinding beauty, fumbles bad. The story meanders and loses way in between, and there seems a certain urgency in tying all the loose ends. Major revelations in this bildungsroman are condensed into a mere span of a few minutes, and it doesn’t quite achieve the desired effect. On the other hand, several intense sequences are dulled by their prolixity. Fitoor Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews Rating: There are moments in Fitoor which are brilliant, but they are few and far between. But what elevates the film greatly is music composer Amit Trivedi’s haunting score. His potent music makes the young lovers’ yearning real and legitimate. Watch this if you want to see a visually stunning piece of filmmaking, but if you are looking for an intense love story, you are barking up the wrong chinar tree. Fitoor Review by Raja Sen on Rediff Rating: Director Abhishek Kapoor might have had a fine idea on paper, given that Dickens’ Great Expectations is almost entirely Bollywood in its narrative — a vintage melodrama about star-crossed lovers, and romance impossible to snuff out — and he does well to make a visually lush film, with opulent production design and cinematographer Anay Goswami conjuring up some enchanting, fable-like visuals. Review by Sweta Kaushal on Hindustan Times Rating: Except for a few scenes, Fitoor comes across as a rather superficial affair and a disappointing adaptation of Charkles Dickens’ Great Expectations. For one, there is over-dramatisation of situations. The screenplay flags and fails to engage the audience despite heart-breaking performances by Aditya and Tabu. Review by Shalini Langer on Indian Express Rating: ‘Inspiration’ Charles Dickens is just the first casualty. Fitoor spares no one, not Kashmir, not Delhi, not London, not Kashmiris, and not even poor Pakistan, which somehow finds its way into this tale essentially about love traversing social divides. Meanwhile, having decided that in a film where all of Aditya Roy Kapoor’s hair is bunched upon his head and all of Katrina’s is plunged in a Chinar-esque red, in the hope perhaps that you don’t notice their blank faces below, Tabu takes it upon herself to act for the entire film. Her overladen, overdressed, overwrought Begum has done a hop, skip and jump (should that even be possible) from Haider and Vishal Bhardwaj to Fitoor and Abhishek Kapoor. Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala Rating: Aditya Roy Kapoor has a couple of moments where he shows some interest, if not promise. Katrina Kaif is cast in the movie to play the character of Estella who is curt, indifferent and a tease in Dicken’s Great Expectations, but she even fails to swing that curtness that comes naturally to her. The girl who plays the young Firdaus has acted better. Or wait. Even her painting that Noor makes has better expressions. Begum Hazrat is a badly written and (I am sorry, I love you Tabu) equally badly enacted character. Tabu, however, has a couple of intense moments towards the end of the film and she nails it as she expresses Begum’s insecurities and complexes. The music and cinematography elevate an otherwise dull Fitoor. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Abhishek Kapoor who brought you Rock On! and Kai Po Che now brings you this lavishly shot Fitoor which desperately pretends to have literary aspirations but ends up being a ridiculous romance where heroine runs to hero in a really flouncy white dress and brown suede boots. And the journey is so tedious you want the rickety bridge where they meet to blow up by a bomb. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: Aditya has taken his role seriously, but somehow, his angst doesn’t make your heart ache while Katrina, with her Brit accent and haughty demeanor might seem an apt choice to play the Indian version of Estella, but her lack of acting skills prove to be her undoing. The chemistry between the two is negligible and one wishes the makers would have cast actors, who could have convincingly conveyed the pain of doomed love. Aditya and Katrina are totally mismatched and the way he keeps gazing at her with moon eyes, is frankly creepy at worst and irritating at best. Also, the romance between the lead pair has an artificial feel to it-Katrina’s character talks with a British accent, but writes a letter to Noor in pure Urdu. Tabu, who plays Begum Hasrat, is totally in her element as the bitter Begum, who still nurses a broken heart and doesn’t let anyone forget it. The actress simply steals every scene that she is a part of and gives the young ones a run for their money. Ajay Devgn has a cameo appearance and looks quite exhausted and uninterested. Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India Rating: The problem lies in the on-screen chemistry between the lead pair. Individually they play their parts well but when they’re together, they seem more like siblings than lovers. The kisses and the intimate scenes appear almost forced and completely bereft of passion. The cameo by Ajay Devgn is just too contrived. It was a very important part of the story but it has zero impact on screen. The problem with Fitoor is that it’s a love story that is not romantically compelling. The climax seems too rushed – it needed more drama and emotional depth but that’s missing. Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life Rating: It’s not just the pace, but the treatment of the subject that plays the spoilsport. Abhishek seems a tad bit confused on where he wants to take his characters. Does he want to take them to a dark place and bring out the worst in them or does he wants them to be beacons of hope ? Unlike the book, his version of the story is haywire and all over the place. Firdaus and Noor’s romance goes from intense, to cold, to nothing. So much that the climax fall flat because the build up to it took so long. Also Begum’s back story comes a little too late in the second half. using Tabu’s voice for Aditi who’s playing the young Begum was a bad idea. Ajay Devgn’s cameo act is not only random but also disconnected from the key plot of the film. Abhishek starts unravelling traits of his characters at such a rapid pace towards the climax that it becomes hard to keep track of their intentions. There is a lot of Urdu and heavy dialoguebaazi that creates a dreamy atmosphere but doesn’t add value to the plot. Review by Srijana Mitra Das on The Times Of India Rating: The film also looks gorgeous – but opulence takes over substance, chinars, minars and lace dominating grip, passion and pace. For a love story, Fitoor lacks heat – you wish there was less hair-styling and more hair-pulling, more rupture and less cheesecake-like smoothness. This is problematic because Dickens’ Great Expectations rises and falls, exploring terrible, tantalising class, social climbing, sharp snobberies, love, hate and shame. Fitoor doesn’t dive beyond the surface though, its story’s shikara paddling along pretty Kashmir, but never tearing its way to its violent, wailing heart like Haider, its art stuck in a banal Mediterranean restaurant-like world, never conveying the lonely powers of love. Review by Ritika Handoo on Zeenews Rating: Aditya has portrayed his ‘Fitoor’ with utmost conviction and shown what it feels like to love in volatile situations. His chemistry with Katrina will not disappoint you—a fresh pair after a long time. Special mention for the brilliant execution of art work and cinematography by Anay Goswami and art direction by Mayur Sharma. There’s Ajay Devgn, Aditi Rao Hydari and ‘Hina’ fame actor Rahul Bhat to keep your excitement level as high as ever while watching this art piece on reel. Review by Kusumita Das on Deccan Chronicle Rating: What shines through the 130 minutes is Anay Goswami’s painterly cinematography and Amit Trivedi’s velvety soundtrack. Fitoor doesn’t lack pace, it lacks the finesse and the depth. And we are left with not much to do except marvel at the white beauty of Kashmir, while the real Pip, Estella and Miss Havisham remain buried under that thick blanket of snow, perhaps occasionally stirring in their graves. Review by Shubha Shetty-Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: ‘Fitoor’ had all the ingredients to make it a grand love story to be remembered. Stunningly beautiful backdrop of Kashmir, a premise for a passionate love story and of course some mesmerising moments. But only if those moments were strung together with a lot more confident execution and little less confusion in the script, this could have been a far better film. Review by Martin D’Souza on Glamsham Rating: Aditya Roy Kapoor and Katrina Kaif do not really light up the fire in their romance. Their chemistry is a little below the halfway mark on a scale of 1-10. It’s more studied, and less spontaneous. If you have watched TAMASHA and seen Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone you will know what Chemistry means! On the other hand, Aditi Rao Hydari, who comes on as Tabu’s past is dynamite in her small role portraying the angst of a forlorn lover. That fire was missing in the two protagonists. Tabu for her part, makes the screen her own whenever she comes on. Vintage performance! The background score is of international standard and the music pleasing. FITOOR packs in a lot visually (DOP – Anay Goswamy) and held out a promise to be Danielle Steel’s The Promise. However, it remains just that, a promise! Review by Sonia Chopra on Sify Rating: If you love Great Expectations, keep no expectations from this one. Else, be prepared to entranced by the visual splendor of the movie, and be disappointed by the lack of emotional connect. Review by Rajeev Masand on IBNLive Rating: The key to remaining invested in Fitoor ultimately comes down to whether the lead pair works for you. As far as I’m concerned, I was pleasantly surprised. Aditya Roy Kapur is unmistakably earnest, and nicely brings out Noor’s wide-eyed sense of wonder and his boyish innocence despite being repeatedly manipulated. The stunning Katrina Kaif, for her part, often singled out as a weak link in movies, is a shrewd choice to play the impenetrable Firdaus. For a character whose motivations and mind are meant to be hard to read, she reflects that mystery convincingly. Her Anglicized accent still jars, but when called upon to throw herself into it – like a scene in which she confronts Begum – Katrina doesn’t disappoint. Kapoor ditches many of the overarching social themes of Great Expectations to focus on what is primarily the story of star-crossed lovers and a complex romance. Fitoor isn’t perfect, but it’s a skillfully made film that’s easy on both the eye and the ear. In these times of fast-paced, hyperactive storytelling, you can appreciate the film’s dreamy, moody pace. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Director Abhishek Kapoor, best known for helming films like Rock On and Kai Po Che, seems to be too occupied with visual technique and presentation as this one is little more than a visually stunning bore. Loosely infusing themes of terrorism and cross-border peace, along with this story of one-sided, he is mostly accountable for reducing a classic to a sappy tale that induces sniffles, but only when you check how much you paid for the ticket. Review by Meeta on Wogma Rating: Except for the first half hour, where our protagonists are growing up, the story is fragmented. You don’t know why these people are so madly in love with each other. Love at first sight and puppy love? Sure, I will take that as a given and enjoy the intensity of obsessive love. Despite this acceptance though, the details are sorely missing. Fitoor comes across as an extremely superficial view of the couple’s love for each other – both in longevity and intensity. Similarly, the political angle is touched upon rather perfunctory. It’s like the writers knew, the love story wouldn’t be enough by itself and needed some other meat to hold the viewers’ interest. Fitoor is Vishal Bharadwaj’s eccentrity combined with a Sanjal Leela Bhansali’s visual acumen. And yet that doesn’t end up being a compliment. Maybe a case of too many influences spoil the broth? Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: There is something unreal even about the dialogues that the characters speak to one another. Every line strains for effect. While Tabu and to a far lesser extent, Lara Dutta, Aditi Rao Hydari and Rahul Bhatt (making an impact bigger than Aditya Kapoor in his brief cameo) and Akshay Oberoi (drawing a character out of a seriously malnourished role) speak their meagre dialogues with conviction, Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapoor struggle with their copiously florid lines trying to make sense of the bombast. Fitoor Review by Indiaglitz Rating: There are cinematic liberties taken as far as the story is concerned. The movie starts on a slow note and keeps moving on a snail pace. There is hardly any moment in terms of screenplay in the first half followed by a boring, confusing, half-baked and pseudo intelligent second half. The whole soul and purpose of the film is missing. The characters looks like beautiful mannequin without any life in them. Aditya Roy Kapur’s character suffers the most due to half-baked script. Rahul Bhatt overacts. Akshay Oberoi, Lara Dutta, Talat Aziz and Ajay Devgn are wasted.Director Abhishek Kapoor fails to do justice to this film like he did in case of ‘Kai Po Che’, which was a brilliant adaptation of a weak novel. Average critic ratings of other movies released in 2015 – 2016 Ghayal Once Again – 2.4 stars Sanam Teri Kasam – 1.6 stars Saala Khadoos – 2.6 stars Mastizaade – 1 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 – 1 stars Wazir – 2.5 stars Dilwale – 2.5 stars Bajirao Mastani – 3.2 stars Hate Story 3 – 1.7 stars Tamasha – 3 stars Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2.7 stars Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 – 2.6 stars Jazbaa – 2.6 stars Singh Is Bling – 2.3 stars