INDIAN FILM INSTITUTE

The story by Akshat Ghildiyal, set in middle class Delhi’s Central Government quarters remains centre-stage while Priyamvada’s doting husband (Gajraj Rao); a cantankerous mother-in-law (Surekha Sikri); an incredulous son Nakul (Ayushmann Khuranna) and a younger son studying for his board exams try to make sense of this sudden, unexpected development in their lives! From the everyday dialogues to the earthy, archetypal UP Hindi...

Yashraj Films gets 50 per cent marks – for trying. Actually, that’s unfair. The same marks should be divided between performances, concept and hard work. I am keeping back the balance 50 per cent and you will soon know why! Weaving dreams is great, being ambitious is fantastic and aiming for the moon extremely admirable.

Saadat Hasan Manto was a writer far ahead of his times – at least 75 years ahead. But this measure is rather literal and I am saying this because the last seven decades are available to me in retrospection. For those who will remain sensitive to their times and the all-round state of affairs, Manto will become increasingly relevant in time to come.

The well-known actor Victor Banerjee’s latest outing ‘The Answer’ gives plenty of food for thought – especially since he essays the role of Paramhansa Yogananda - one of the world’s most well-known spiritual gurus of this century.

Here is a genuinely funny film. The wise cracks are novel, treatment different and the genre ‘horror comedy’ (as its maker likes to define it) definitely a new one. The humour is not forced and just about everything works for Amar Kaushik’s labour of love, Stree.

For a film which had the potential and possibly the vision of examining the very sensitive issue of ‘us’ and ‘them’ (read Hindus and Muslims) in a balanced manner, Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk tries but feebly. It does, however, make a very powerful case for those who want to believe in its argument.

Dhulia, Gill and Sheirgill are back. ‘Thanks Gods’? Well, depends on how much you love the franchise. Sheirgill as Saheb a.k.a Vijay Pratap Singh charms once again and Gill (read Mahie) as Biwi/Madhavi thickens the plot by plotting again. She is wiser, smarter and Oh-so-conniving you almost want to forgive Saheb’s machinations from his earlier lives and push for his win.

Set in Udaipur, Dhadak tries to capture the local flavors in its use of the local dialect, Mewari. But it doesn’t capture caste divisions in society or mention honour as a byword. And because the undercurrents are missing, Dhadak ends up being a story about boy meeting girl; they falling in love and eloping because it is thrust upon them not because they had a plan in place! What happens next is a mundane tale of trying to bui...

Let’s talk about the problematic part first. One of the places where Shaad Ali fails to deliver in Soorma is when Sandeep Singh - portrayed exceptionally by Diljit Dosanjh - is in coma post a bullet that hit his spinal cord and grazed other vital organs.

When you walk into watch Sanju and watch it you should – you will see only Sanjay Dutt. That is right. Please don’t look for Ranbir Kapoor because he is not there. It is Sanjay Dutt all the way – and you will have to pinch yourself more than once to remember that it is actually Ranbir Kapoor who is portraying Sanju baba – one of Hindi film industry’s most controversial figures onscreen.