The new season coasts along on the simple anecdotes that make up the piggy bank of family lore; the performances are as wonderful as before, but the sharpness of humour is starting to dull a bit, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'Pahlaj Nihalani came to my rescue. There was no Instagram in those days so I didn't recognise him.' 'I almost fainted when he told me he was Pahlaj Nihalani, the producer of Ilzaam, the hit film that had just made Govinda a star.' 'I told him I was a model and an aspiring actor, and he responded, "You have an interesting face. Come and meet me in the office tomorrow".'
By the time, Mumbaikar gets to where it wants to be via a twisty third act, we begin to see how much better the film could have been. But it's almost too little, too late, complains Mayur Sanap.
Payal Kapadia's understanding of what it means to be a woman is as poignant as her authentic portrait of Mumbai's hoi polloi, observes Sukanya Verma.
While 2023 saw many mega blockbusters (Pathaan, Gadar 2, Jawan and Animal), this year had only two.
Detective shows like CID did a better job than Gumraah of creating thrilling cases, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Teja Sajja is agile and a decent actor but not charismatic enough to watch in almost every frame, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Plenty of adrenaline-packed action to catch on OTT this week.
Maidaan draws out more yawns than yays, observes Sukanya Verma.
I liked how the film finds excitement in Mahendra and Mahima's dull lives and transforms their humdrum existence into an ode to second chances, notes Sukanya Verma.
Merry Christmas has a breathtaking climax that will have you sighing like you've never sighed in a Sriram Raghavan movie before, applauds Sukanya Verma.
Given all the talent involved and a rousing real life story at its centre, Haq is looking solid, notes Mayur Sanap.
With the kind of money and talent that has gone into making this movie, a really good biopic of a personality like Savarkar could be made. But this film is lost in polemics, as is the case with almost every biopic and period drama today, observes Utkarsh Mishra.
Showtime is watchable but never engrossing, notes Sukanya Verma.
'I have more time in Bengaluru to write, away from the film industry in Mumbai that always pulls me down and makes me frustrated.'
As emotions escalate and drama intensifies, The Night Manager 2 becomes more gripping, applauds Mayur Sanap.
'So my question was, 'What is it that you are proud of? What have you achieved? What is your contribution?' 'He had no answer.'
Where Ayushmann Khurrana gets the tone and texture of his hypermasculine chump in skinny gym shorts down pat, Vaani Kapoor is a picture of backbone and restraint in a role that could not have been easy, observes Sukanya Verma.
Akshay Kumar's patriotism, Rana Naidu's fury, Snow White's fair and lovely attitude... emotions run high on OTT this week.
Critics of Hindi cinema are a disparate, colourful, bunch that evoke much derision and tut-tut among its own tribe, but Chup's distant understanding of their influence and idiosyncrasies fails to give the loathing any real impact, notes Rediff.com Principal Movie Critic Sukanya Verma.
'The pandemic time has disturbed the audience mentality.' 'If they don't like the trailer, they will not go to the theatre no matter who is in it.'
'When you are a pioneer and someone who's put on a pedestal, but then the pedestal gets dusty, people don't look at the statue anymore.' 'They would say, 'Yes, yes, of course I know Bimal Roy. He made Do Bigha Zamin.'.'
The Night Manager has no surprises, feels Deepa Gahlot.
Thankam delivers an engaging drama that fans of good crime-solving tales will enjoy, recommends Mayur Sanap.
Charlie Chopra and the Mystery of Solang Valley is fun in parts, discovers Deepa Gahlot.
Graphic designers, writers, testers, draftsmen and editors are seeing their traditional roles replaced by AI, warns Dr Anshuka Kulkarni, associate professor and head, School of Creative Studies, DYPU.
The best films are not necessarily the most successful -- that would be another list altogether -- although sometimes quality and commerce do converge.
It is possible that today's kids would find Gutar Gu too vanilla but it might have greater nostalgia-inducing appeal for older viewers, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Blind's drab narrative has no place for emotions or edge. Its prolonged cat-and-mouse game goes on and on till it arrives at its (literally) eye-popping conclusion, notes Sukanya Verma.
Bambai Meri Jaan features horrific massacres and violence so brutal that it ought not to be seen on a home entertainment platform, warns Deepa Gahlot..
The story of Superboys Of Malegaon is so heartening that the film -- in the hands of an accomplished director like Reema Kagti -- is bound to be a worthy watch, feels Deepa Gahlot.
'Be it Khan highlighting the issues with a rigged system, or schooling accountability from the government, or stressing the power of the vote, or that baap/beta line -- this is a kind of swashbuckling that Hindi film audiences haven't seen from their heroes for many years,' notes Mayur Sanap.
The love story of Shakuntala and Dushyant is so familiar, from textbooks, comics, stage and screen versions, that it has become part of our cultural DNA. If a film-maker thinks he can make it his own by producing a 3D version with excessive CGI, he achieves nothing but overkill, notes Deepa Gahlot.
From old favourites to brand new attractions, Sukanya Verma lists all the excitement OTT has laid out in its action-packed menu this week.
Mister Mummy is neither a comedy nor an emotional drama, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Heeramandi, a passion project that took off after years in development and planning, mirrors Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film-making's finest and frustrating features, observes Sukanya Verma.
...She does not have the acting heft, of say Sridevi in English Vinglish, or Vidya Balan in Tumhari Sulu, observes Deepa Gahlot.
The Song Of Scorpions is a reminder, if one were needed, that Irrfan was not just a star actor but a true artiste, observes Deepa Gahlot.
