Latest Bollywood Movie Reviews

Let me warn you beforehand that this movie is not for the weak-hearted people, but that does not deter the fact that this movie is a phenomenally well-crafted dark psychological thriller that has the potential of becoming a landmark movie in Bollywood as its makers have dared to venture into a zone that is probably not been explored before with so much authenticity, coolness ,cynicism, and intricate detailing by delving deep into the psyche of a person who has been labeled as “mental” by the society.

Now, when the movie started off, it was difficult to relate with the visuals, unconventional narrative, and the unstable character of Kangana Ranaut and the first half an hour seemed to be totally out of place. But, soon the movie started to charm the audience by showing a world never seen before through the eyes of the central protagonist. Kangana Ranaut stands out in the comedy scenes with terrific comic timing which makes her character endearing and the audience starts to care for her as her character traits oscillate from being an obsessed maniac to a paranoid prick.

Although Kangana Ranaut has previously portrayed such characters on similar lines, but in this movie, she goes one step ahead as she is a patient of acute psychosis & later schizophrenia. By profession, she is a voice over artist in the movie and a wannabe actress who lacks the ability to detach from the character she is dubbing for. This movie exposes the harsh circumstances that an artist can face at a psychological level if he/she crosses the limits and dives too deep into the art and doesn’t possess the necessary skills to detach himself/herself from the dreamy world of creative madness.

The scenes between Rajkumar Rao & Kangana Ranaut are terrific and the director Prakash Kovelmudi intelligently portrays the mind of a mental health patient and writer Kanika Dhillon complements the director’s vision through witty dialogues, fast-paced screenplay that stirs up suspense & intrigue at the same time, and lastly with her unique storyline that transports the audience into a never seen before thrilling journey in which they will witness shocking revelations of the human mind as the plot has several sub-plots that are beautifully interwoven and this aspect of the movie makes it stand amongst the league of extraordinary psychological thrillers like Birdman, American Psycho, Bhool Bhulaiya, Silence of the Lambs, and Raman Raghav 2.0.

On the other hand, the act by Rajkumar Rao is class apart as his rendition of multi-layered character of a person who hides his actual identity of a ruthless killer behind the mask of a benevolent & loving husband who appears to be absolutely normal & genuine as a person. He plays the complex character with a lot of honesty and justifies why he is regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation.

This movie totally justifies & reflects the state of the modern-day society in which the mental-health problems have become a common issue and also it warns us in an indirect way that we are today living in a world in wars & battles may not happen, but the internal war of thoughts in our head can lead to disastrous situations if not controlled properly. Further, the 21st century, besides being known for rapid progression of industries, globalization, & urbanization, will also ironically be remembered for the onset of increment in the number of several mental health problems, rise in crimes of cold-blooded murderers, and psychopaths. So, it is very much advisable to stay alert as this movie sends a message by using sarcasm as its tool that people may not be what they seem to be from outside and maybe a psychopath may be living in your very own neighborhood.

In the end, it may be too heavy to digest for some people, but the movie proves that a person who appears to be a psychopath may not be as dangerous as a person who appears to be normal. Further, although some people might find the movie too heavy to digest or too dark, but it depicts that not every psychopath is a murderer & also conveys a message that a person who appears to be normal can be more dangerous than the so called “psychopath” So, we should be judgmental with people suffering from mental illness and we should not categorize them as harmful elements to the society, but instead heal them with proper medication as at the end of the day, they are also human beings who need love & care as much as we do.
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Being a travel junkie, I had a lot of expectations from this movie as it has been shot in 26 beautiful countries of Europe and since the inception of J.H.M.S., the movie had created strong waves as it lead to the collaboration of the creative & poetic genius director Imtiaz Ali and the evergreen heartthrob SRK. Further, with the gorgeous Anushka Sharma as the lead actress and great soundtracks with feet-tapping songs like Beech Beech Mein, Hawayein, Ghar, & Safar topping the music charts, there were huge hopes from this movie and everyone thought it would be a visual & emotional joyride.

But, unfortunately as they say, “When the tide of time is not going your way, nothing seems to fall together.” Same happens again with SRK, whose stardom is sadly on a downhill as he, despite trying his best, is failing to live up to the expectations of the global audience that he has mustered in the last 25 years.

Jab Harry Met Sejal simply does not a have any plot or story and on top of that its screenplay is below average with no iconic dialogues that SRK movies have offered since decades. Ironically, both the actors burn up the screen with their hotness as they ooze charm & sexiness in every frame of the film, but sadly the direction is so lazy that nothing seems to fall in place.
The most disappointing aspect of this movie is that the beautiful landscapes & scenic locations of Europe have not been properly utilized or exposed and to be frank the actors try hard but fall flat due to the poor script. SRK yet again graces the silver screen with his vintage charm, hot chiseled bod, and large tattoo on his chest as he adds freshness to the movie and to the audience by playing Tour Guide who is a womanizer cum Casanova, which is a far cry from the boy-next-door roles he has been playing since ages. Anushka Sharma nails the Gujrati accent with panache, but again the content is so weak that her efforts go in vain.

All in all, J.H.M.S is a big letdown, as instead of capturing the scenic beauty & world class locations of Europe, the movie ends up being shot in cafes, pubs, & bars, which is quite dumb as this movie had the potential of taking the audience of joyful travel ride in Europe, and, on the other hand, we have already seen a lot of cafes & bars in Hauz Khas, C.P, & GTB Nagar
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The biggest strength of this movie based on the Kedarnath floods are its beautiful & captivating locations of the hilly regions as the portrayal of simplistic life amidst the favourite tourist destinations of North India is full of visual that show the snow-covered mountains, crystal clear water of the river streams, & eye-pleasing lush greenery. These visual are bound to impact a deeply relaxing feeling to the stressed out audience of the developed metropolitan cities.
Further, the soothing background music given by flute & the soulful songs like Namo Namo, Qaafirana, & Sweetheart also complement the magical scenery and organic nature of the people of Kedarnath. To envelope the minds of the audience for witnessing the havoc & wrath caused by Kedarnath floods in 2015, the makers use the tried and tested formula of showing an innocent love story between Sra & Sushant. Now, this is not a bad idea as the love story among the hills concept imparts a fantasy element to the movie, which has been a long lost trend in Bollywood, and thus, this works in the favour of the movie.

Also, the conflict between the progressive & regressive ideologies & the barricades caused in love due to the strongly prevalent caste system also add realism to the movie. But, the main problem is the under-utilization of the male lead of the movie –Sushant Singh Rajput A.K.A M.S Dhoni, who is one of the most bright & competent actors amongst the young crop of Bollywood, as has been given very little material on his plate to leave any kind of impact on the audience. On the other hand, the highly educated Sara Ali Khan makes a confident & promising debut on-screen, has a decent screen presence, and an instant likeability as well.
Although the movie is decently paced throughout its short duration of two hours and holds the attention of audience, but in the end it fails to leave a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. This can be attributes to the average direction of the director Abhishekh Kapoor of the Rock On & Kai Po Che fame as the movie in the end seems to be one dimensional as it does not have even a single sub-plot. Clearly, most of the focus & budget have given to enhance the VFX quality for showcasing the flood scenes. Thankfully, the VFX quality is good, but the trajectory of the plot is strikingly similar to that of Titanic and that leaves us a bit disappointed.

Overall, the movie is a one-time watch owing to its novel concept & superb picturization of beautiful locations, but it had the potential to become a superhit movie!!

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Zero was one of the most anticipated movies of 2018 as not only it starred the Global Super Star of Bollywood- Mr. Shahrukh Khan, but also because the trailers had introduced us to an arrogant, witty, one-of-a-kind, and out-of-the-box character Baua Singh. Maybe it was the first time that a mainstream commercial hero was experimenting with his role to a great extent by portraying a dwarf character, and to be honest, Khan brings induces a fresh vibe to this character and tries his best to put him among the league of all time iconic characters.
But, sadly, the story line is so blotted and old-school, that your interest & patience starts to fizzle out after the first half. The first half is no doubt funny, entertaining, sarcastic, humourous, & the beautifully picturized song and the perfect chemistry between Anushka & SRK keep you hooked along with inducing some laughs among the audience.

But, the problem starts when the story shifts from the small town to NASA in US and the same old repeated love story begins which we have seen multiple times previously in SRK movies. Clearly, the superstar is having trouble or is not in mood to detach himself from his charismatic persona of a charming romantic hero and this very obsession of his with himself is leading to the audience loosing faith in him. In this movie, the story movie starts to go downhill as the hero tries to woo the leading lady by going to MARS in a space shuttle by replacing a dog.
Anushka Sharma tries her best to play the complex & challenging character of a Aafia, who is a brilliant scientist but suffers from cerebral palsy. The effort is praiseworthy but sadly the performance is inconsistent. Overall, the movie is a brave attempt to peddle something different to audience in terms of cinematic quality & characterization, but the screenplay lacks the ability to keep the audience gripped. Surely, SRK has lost his midas touch which sadly is an indication that his golden era is now gone and boy we badly miss that yound SRK of 90’s & 2000 who used to rule the roost & hearts once upon a time in Bollywood!!!!!

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Hockey players in India are never treated with the superstar or demi-god status like in cricket despite hockey being the national sport of India as hockey today is not what it used to be in 1950’s & in pre-independence era. Further, due to the undying craze & obsession of the country with cricket, there are several stories of relentless struggle of several players of different sports in India that go unnoticed. But, over the years, there have been great sportsmen/ sportswomen like Mary Kom, Dhanraj Pillai, Baichung Bhutia, Vijendra Singh, Sunil Chetri, etc, who have attracted national attention due to their performances.

But, one name amongst these players that resonates with greatness & legendary status is Sandeep Singh and the bitter irony is that the youth of the country isn’t even aware about his painful journey to become one of the most respected players in the history of hockey & furthermore, a Padmashree recipient. This is why, it is a brave & noble initiative taken by the makers to act against the tide & depict the incredible story of the prolific hockey player & paint the celluloid with a befitting tribute for him.

Basically, the story is about the rise of a regional hockey player of Punjab, who, by virtue of the unparalleled quality of his drag flick carves a space for himself in the national hockey team, gets paralyzed due to an accidental gunshot, and finally the display of his unparalleled grit & determination to regain his place in the Indian hockey team after overcoming his paralysis and defying the destiny.

The role of the coveted champion has been played beautifully by Diljeet Dosanjh and the swift & organized screenplay is the backbone of the movie as it keeps you hooked till the end. Further, the performances of Taapsee Pannu & the supporting cast is commendable and most importantly, the direction is pitch perfect as the movie does not succumb to become a tragic story, but instead the movie simultaneously entertains besides inspiring the audience and most importantly the film doesn’t pertain to unnecessary emotional exploitation that most Bollywood movies cater to. So, although the movie revolves around a painful medical condition, but still it is not too hard to digest, which makes it a must watch for all sections of audience.

So, all-in-all, Soorma is a good movie as it keeps your eyes glued to the screen for the duration of 2 hours and it will inspire everyone. But, most importantly, Sandeep Singh gets a well-deserved tribute through Bollywood.
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There is no doubt that Bazaar is an overall an out-of the league movie & is different from the usual crop of Bollywood movies. This is because it is one of those rare movies that does not take the help of romance or a typical cheesy love story for injecting a thrust or push to the movie. But, also it serves a new dish on plate for the viewers by exposing the harsh reality & smugness behind the glittering world of business & corporate sector. Now, the attempt to showcase & uncover the dark secrets of the corporate sector & business tycoons is no doubt a daring attempt as finally we have a movie that provides an insight to an industry which is different from glamour & cricket. Yes, the ruthlessness & cynicism that exist behind the shimmering concrete structures is bound shake you, but only to a limited extent.

This is because, despite top-notch performances by Saif & Radhika Apte, the trajectory of the plot is not consistent and the screenplay is also a bit perplexing. The visuals & cinematography are great & the grey shades of characters who are basically manipulative money-hungry devils behind the luxurious & lucrative clothing are bound to leave a lasting impact on the memory & subconscious of viewers who are fond of realistic cinema.

But, the biggest shortcoming of movie is its disappointing climax as the ending is very confusing and is blurred in terms of the context of the plot & subject. The climax doesn’t aptly justify the purpose of the movie and fails to convey the basic message on which the whole story was woven around. But, overall, the movie is a one-time wotch but only for a section of the audience that deals or are related with the corporate world. less

Toilet is a perfect example of the ongoing wave in which films are being rumbled out in a manner in which the mainstream elements and content-driven cinema are fused together to create a beautiful & message oriented cinema. This is because in the first half of the movie, the focus is on the comedy scenes and love story to envelope the audience in the movie and then in the second half the film rapidly progresses towards the message that it is intended to deliver. The movie succeeds in delivering the message with wit, supremacy, well-researched facts, and with a fast-paced well-written screenplay.

Now, Akshay Kumar has undoubtedly become the brand of ambassador of India along with being the torchbearer of meaningful cinema containing a message that holds relevance to the present day society of India.

In Toilet, the rural India of MP has been shown in which the plight of women has been highlighted across the village and the movie uncovers the harsh circumstances in which they do not have even proper sanitation facilities and have to defecate in the fields at night as a result. But, Keshav( Akshay Kumar) sparks a revolution that is fuelled by his personal failure as a husband to provide sanitary facilities to his wife and exposes all the loopholes in the system and utilized the power of media as a weapon to send their message across the nation and ultimately change the orthodox mindset of people by fighting against the old-school conservative mentalities of the people in the village who use traditions as a defense mechanism to counter attack the progressive ideology that motivates people to change with time.

Spanning over just two hours, Toilet is a wonderful movie which is neither too heavy to digest nor too flippant to ignore. So, all in all, it makes a good watch for all the people who do not respect the basic necessities, privacy, & space of a female and further, this movie is a nicely packaged movie that establishes the fact that finally women-empowerment is finding its roots in India.
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After two back to back flops such as Saawariya & Bachna Ae Haseeno, Ranbir Kapoor was touted as another flop start-son and was given the tag of second Abhishek Bacchan. But, this movie not only resurrected his career, but also established him as a heartthrob amongst the youth and the ladies especially.

But, most importantly this urban suave drama based in Mumbai also was a landmark movie in terms of self-discovery among the youth, which was a fresh departure from the DDLJ inspired rom-coms that were the staple diet in Bollywood those days around 2009.

Directed by Ayan Mukherjee, who also gave us a fresh, novel, and entertaining movie like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and is currently working on the first part of the Bramhastra triology, the movie stars Ranbir Kapoor as Sid, Konkana Sen Sharma as Aisha Banerjee, and the supporting cast includes Anupam Kher as Sid’s Dad, Rahul Khanna, Supriya Pathak, Namit Das, Shruti Bapna, Kashmira Shah, & Kainaz Motivala.

The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is fantastic and soothing to the ears as tracks like Aaj Kal Zindagi, Kya Karoon, Wake Up Sid, Iktara, are not only melodious but also they make you feel energetic and joyous at the same time. Further, the writing, cinematography, film editing, art direction, costume design, and sound department are all fantastic and make the movie’s grammar relatable to at least the urban audience of the country. But, the icing on the cake is that the direction & acting is so splendid that the whole cast and crew succeed in creating the world on celluloid that any youngster would love to be part of and this very endearing aspect of the movie makes it a cult classic among the audience.

Not only in terms of its story and content, but in terms of the visual quality as well, the movie is a splendid watch as the movie explores various glorious shades of the creative profession and the cool workplaces of the creative people like journalist & a photographer. The movie gives also makes the audience experience several colorful moments and jolly emotions that make the ticket fee and time invested worthwhile.

But, the performance and chemistry of the unusual casting pair of Ranbir Kapoor and Konkana Sen Sharma are the biggest strengths of this movie as they not only light up the silver screen with their gracious looks & charming presence, but also this movie has discovered a new plethora of talent in the form of Ranbir Kapoor as he emotes effortlessly at the right moment, plays the manchild character with ease, hits the right notes of emotions of comedy, romance, sorrow, and presents a likeable personality in front of you, which does not let you take your eyes off the screen. Besides his performance, his chocolaty face and lean personality also play a key role in making the film a success as the colourful T-shirts suit his lean and lanky personality.

Overall, Wake Up Sid is a pleasant & eye opening new age story which revolves around the blossoming and maturation of the spilt rich brat named Sid and it also teaches you that waking up in life means that not you realize your responsibilities, but if you should have the sensibility & guts to follow your calling or passion, then there is no need for too much struggle as life becomes a playground in which you can play with your rules and your ambitions.
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When you have a stupendous director and prolific writer like Tigmanshu Dhulia who has previously directed gems like Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi aur Gangster, Haasil, & Shagird, you are bound to have expectations from Milan Talkies. Further, the movie also stars Ali Fazal who had given a power packed performance in the Netflix sensation-Mirzapur. So, obviously, there was a kind of anticipation among the audience regarding the content of the movie as small town concept based films have become a rage these days.
But, call it lack of promotion or lack of awareness among the audience regarding the release of the movie, the film unfortunately tanked at the box office due to the same old remixed concept & content and also due to repeated storytelling. Although, Ali Fazal gives a measured performance by hitting all the right notes & works hard to make the movie a one-time watch. But, the problem with the movie is that it serves the same old drink with a new packaging to the audience. Neither do the makers have tried to experiment nor take any risk with the storyline in any amount whatsoever as maybe they were relying on the popularity of Ali Fazal with the youth.
Basically, the plot of the movie is as simple as a young struggling film director Annu (played by Ali Fazal) wants to make it in the Hindi film industry without any contacts and his father is a failed actor named Dinkar Shrma (played by Tigmanshu Dhulia). Now, he falls in love with Maithli (played by Shraddha Srinath) who is known for his work in the South Indian cinema. But, the problems occur when the story shifts from a well-paced realistic filmy drama to a predictable romantic tale.
Now, the supporting actors including Ashutosh Rana, Sanjay Mishra, and Vinay Sharma, perform well but the most visible loophole is that the script doesn’t have anything new to offer and again the rawness of the small towns of U.P. districts are being exploited, which we have already seen in movies like Bareilly ki Barfi, Newton, & Gangs of Wasseypur.
Still, the movie has its moments and id watchable as it keeps you engaged throughout with Ali Fazal working hard in this unconvincing parody of Bollywood. But, overall, it is a disappointment as it does not offer any novelty in any cinematic department. Had much more expectations from Mr. Tigmanshu!!
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Ok, So Kabir Singh had rocked the YouTube and the music charts with its impeccable trailer and heart touching melodious songs. But, the movie also had high expectations as it was the official remake of the South Indian cult classic Arjun Reddy & obviously the association of Shahid Kapoor in the role of Kabir Singh as the lead protagonist had created a nationwide stir as expectedly he was an interesting choice for the role.
Now, Shahid Kapoor had already proved his mettle as an actor in previous movies like Haider, Udta Punjab, & even Batti Gul Meter Chalu. But, seriously as stated by himself and in my personal opinion, Shahid Kapoor is was still an underrated actor until this movie.
His performance in this movie will totally wipe out all the preconceived notions that audience & critics had regarding hi acting skills. This movie is a total scene by scene rip-off of Arjun Reddy and thus the total onus was on male lead as Kiara Advani has a role which has a length that is not more than a cameo.
Thankfully, Shahid Kapoor again stuns & surprises the audience with his terrific & unpredictable performance as he aces the complex character of Kabir Singh with fierce rebelliousness, an earthy yet sexy swagger, the right pinch of madness, correct doses of attitude & anger, and most importantly he nails the hardest part of the character as he shows the intelligence of the character through his rapid arguments & conversations that make him believable and relatable to the audience in the role of a top surgeon. Lat but not the least, Shahid is again back in the role of a romantic heartthrob as he is from the starting of his career.
No doubt, that the direction, writing, screenplay, cinematography, and the dialogues of the movie are all superb & par excellence, but the real masterstroke here is the music of the movie as it not only touches the hearts of of listeners, but the tunes also possess a dreamy and rare addictive quality that can hook up the heartstrings of any person of any age group.
Offcourse, its not a big surprise tha the songs Kaise Hua, Tera Ban Jaunga, & Tujhe Kitna Chane Lage Hum have become anthems among the youth & lovers. Kabir Singh cannot be called superior to Arjun Reddy, but the movie with the songs & the acting of the lead protagonist as its backbone is bound to pull of the tears, emotions, and touch the soul of everyone as the people of this country are the most compassionate in my opinion.
Although, the surprising part of the movie for those who have not seen the original is that it also makes you laugh throughout and especially the first half is full of laugh-out-loud moments, the second half teaches us about the drudgery that one can go through if he/she dives into a self-destructive mode after diving too deep in the ocean of love and not able to come out of it. The movie beautiful showcases how it can affect your professional & personal life as well.
The character of Kabir Singh has been mostly in limelight for his personality traits such as alcoholic, drug addict, womanizing, & sex addict, which has caused uproar among the feminists of the whole country who have bashed the movie as misogynistic & violent film. But, the movie is instead a realistic and entertaining depiction of the people who get depressed after their breakups and get stuck up in the rut.
Now, beneath this superficial, maniac, alcoholic, and arrogant personality of Kabir Singh, there is a benevolent, loving, and caring man, who has an supreme talent, sincerity, and passion for his work and is a fiercely practical man as far as his profession and work is concerned. So, in the end movies are just not another run of the mill love stories with high doses of fantasy for releasing dopamine in audience, but instead, it is a truthful & practical attempt to uncover the dark side of love, which has been done beautifully in this movie.
So, its up to the youth and audience to decide what they want want take away from the movie, but as far as the box office collections and audience verdict is concerned, the movie has achieved a cult status. Further, the obsession among the youth regarding this movie is still on and finally Shahid Kapoor can be counted among the likes of Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor.
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There are few movies where one feels like saluting the courage of the maker in taking up a burning issue of the country and more importantly dealing seriously with it without any box office trappings. So all credit to director Anubhav Sinha for making this film on the caste system in hinterland of India , all scenes in your face in their raw vitality.
Based in an actual incident in a UP town where two teenaged girls were found hanging one morning. Police officer Ayushmann has come to this town on transfer and as he settles down to his job he gets exposed to an ongoing investigation of this case. His deputy Manoj Pahwa is scheming and ruthless and he is in the process of winding up the investigation by jailing the fathers of the two girls and closing the case as an honour killing. Ayushman however feels that there is more to the case and continues his investigation in locating the third girl. He gets help from the elder sister ( Sayani Gupta) but in the process he faces obstacles and annoys some people. He gets suspended but continues the probe. CBI takes over and they also want to close the case. Ayushman finally soves the case which actually pertains to people of the upper caste teaching a lesson to the lower caste labourers by raping and hanging the two young girls.
The director is helped by the superb cinematography which brings out the locations in their grim texture . The inside of police stations, the hospital, the overflowing gutters, the shocked locals, the rural landscape etc are beautifully picturised by the cinematographer. Long after the movie ends, the following scenes leave an impression.
1. The opening scene with Bob Dylan's song " Blowing in the wind " in the background.
2. The labourer going into the manhole to bring up sludge from the sewerage and vanden matram playing in the background.
3. The shot of the two hanging bodies shot in silhouette .
4. Ayushman getting informed about the castes from his staff, as he questions them, finally asking them " What caste am I ?".
5. Policeman Manoj pleading with Ayushman not to disturb the peaceful balance between the upper and lower castes.
6. The policeman trying to influence the doctor to change the findings of the post mortem report. less

Only the DOP Binod Pradhan and producer Karan Johar could have got an uncomfortable feeling halfway through filming that the film was shaping up to a disaster and probably it was too late. The writer, director, music director are too involved in the making of the project which is their baby and nobody calls their baby ugly.
As one sits through the first 30 minutes of the movie, one can feel the severe disconnect between the film and the audience . Inspite of the efforts of the actors the scenes leave no impact due to stagy presentation. What strikes one is that the emotions seem fake and there seems to be a lot of overacting. Another undesirable feature is the high screening time of 166 minutes.
Director Abhishek Varman has top class actors and an excellent DOP at his disposal but the screenplay and the dialogue let him down. Also the narrative is jerky and too many characters flitting in and out. Top stars are doing cameo parts.
A word of praise for the well shot and edited climax and the superb cinematography which is clearly the highlight of the film.
Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt have acted well while Madhuri Dikshit, Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha have done bit roles in a pedestrian manner.
The genre of this film is tailor made for the likes of Sanjay Leila Bansali who would have worked on the screenplay/ dialogue and turned out a blockbuster. less