Somewhere in Cakewalk's forced enigma and clumsily written dialogues hides a slice-of-life about closure and grace, feels Sukanya Verma.
Whether roles for women get better or not, women are getting better at their craft with each passing year. In 2019, we saw some of our finest female actors show us exciting new facets of their capabilities in ways that'll inspire how roles ought to be written for years to come.
The idea is to wake up and smell the shit so that someday, Sunday marks a bright morning for one and all, says Sukanya Verma
Baaghi 3 is a senseless beast of a movie that solely exists to rupture the screen in images of broken, blasting, blaring men or machines flying mid-air and slow motion, feels Sukanya Verma.
Barely three films old with no blockbuster success to her credit and yet, the name Alaya F spells promise.
Anil Kapoor's mastery shows in how he finds the space between an actor reaching out to his actuality while remaining an actor while Anurag Kashyap's comfort in bullying his co-actor fuels their bickering camaraderie, notes Sukanya Verma.
Tigmanshu Dhulia's earthy touches, perverse humour, and queasy depiction of the upscale and underbelly revels in pulpy and devious twists, notes Sukanya Verma.
'A witless thriller so far removed from reality yet so consumed by its own self-seriousness, no amount of slick photography, soaring soundtrack or steady supply of conspiracy can salvage its tepid material,' notes Sukanya Verma.
A look at this week's hits and misses.
Badmashiyaan does not have any real plot to tell so it crams the script with numerous characters, who just enter and leave at will, warns Sukanya Verma.
After a dry, dreadful, spell of darkness and desolation, it looks like Bollywood love stories are ready to rock the silver screen again.
A little charm from the debuting actors and Notebook would actually be worthy of note.
'As is mandatory in Bollywood these days, Blank too insists on painting a ferocious Muslim imagery of bushy beards, severe kohl-eyes and chequered scarfs spewing distorted religious ideology to impressionable young minds,' notes Sukanya Verma.
Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se has the wit of a goat, fumes Sukanya Verma.
There's unintended hilarity and very little combat to justify the existence of a sequel, feels Sukanya Verma.
Bejoy Nambiar's gripping slice-of-mess about things spiraling out of control find an expression in a striking ensemble and volatile scenery, notes Sukanya Verma.
Trade pundits and quick think piece experts can speculate all they like, but what works at the box-office is a mystery as always.
'Jack and Dil feels like a marathon to nowhere,' says Sukanya Verma.
Kabir Khan's '83 is an ode to a game changing chapter of Indian cricket history, pitch-perfect partnerships between openers and tail enders, knowing your mate's strengths as well as your own, seizing that one moment that defines the rest of your life, applauds Sukanya Verma.
The dry spell at the box office continues.
Serious Men is one of the sharpest movies of Sudhir Mishra's career, observes Sukanya Verma.
'Even if Setters shows no inclination to understand the dark desperation that drives parents to buy marks for undeserving children, it could've made a little more effort to be sly or suspenseful,' says Sukanya Verma.
Breathless action is the only script 56-year-old Tom Cruise needs to work on as he jumps off from building to building with an agility and assurance that could put Spider-Man to shame.
Irrfan, Deepak Dobriyal, Radhika Madan, Ranvir Shorey, Pankaj Tripathi are all lovely, but make little sense in Angrezi Medium's muddled context, complains Sukanya Verma.
The White Tiger makes a stinging commentary on New India's half-baked vision, but Ramin Bahrani isn't telling a Slumdog fairy tale here, observes Sukanya Verma.
Pihu may not be flawless, but it has something valid to say about lousy parents, notes Sukanya Verma.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali still command the box office.
Fighting prejudice with prejudice, Ujda Chaman is too shallow to dwell compellingly into the frailties of the human mind, feels Sukanya Verma.
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani gives us box office verdict for the week.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is Salman Khan's fastest film to enter the Rs 100 crore club.
A look at this week's hits and misses.
It helps that Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt look so good together, writes Sukanya Verma.
Bhumi Pednekar beats Mallika Sherawat at the box office!
Smoothly juggling Sandhya's curiosity and closure until her moment of awakening, Sanya Malhotra is emerging into one of the finest actresses of this generation, observes Sukanya Verma.
Milan Talkies cannot decide what kind of a movie it wants to be, feels Sukanya Verma.
Andhadhun is a stunning, comic, grisly, absurd, intense, cold, crazy and must-watch, raves Sukanya Verma.
