Member Reviews
No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough. Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.
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Films reviewed on this Page
Singham Again (3)
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (4)
Brother (1)
Lucky Baskhar (1)
Mithya: The Darker Chapter (1)
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Singham Again
Deepak Dua
Independent Film Journalist & Critic
होता दम तो अकेले आता ‘सिंहम’
2011 की ‘सिंहम’ तो ज़रूर याद होगी आपको। 2010 में आई इसी नाम की एक कामयाब तमिल फिल्म के इस रीमेक में स्टार के नाम पर कोई था तो सिर्फ अजय देवगन। लेकिन इसके साथ थी एक शानदार ढंग से कही गई कहानी जिसे निर्देशक रोहित शैट्टी ने अपने कसे हुए निर्देशन और ज़बर्दस्त एक्शन दृश्यों से ऐसा बना दिया था कि अब उस फिल्म की गिनती हिन्दी सिनेमा की कल्ट फिल्मों में होती है। लेकिन जैसा कि अपने यहां भेड़चाल है कि एक फिल्म हिट हो जाए तो उसका सीक्वेल ले आओ, सीक्वेल न बनता हो तो फ्रेंचाइज़ी ले आओ, ज़रूरत हो या न हो, उसमें ठूंस-ठूंस कर मसाले डाल दो, फिर अगल-बगल की फिल्मों के किरदार पकड़ लाओ और अपना खुद का एक ‘मसाला यूनिवर्स’ बना दो। रोहित शैट्टी तो वैसे भी इस काम में माहिर रहे हैं। एक तरफ ‘गोलमाल’ की कॉमेडी और दूसरी तरफ ‘सिंहम’, ‘सिंबा’, ‘सूर्यवंशी’ की मारधाड़ वाले दो यूनिवर्स खड़े कर चुके रोहित इस जन्म में कुछ नया न भी करें तो ये दोनों यूनिवर्स ही उन्हें और उनके कलाकारों को ब्रेड-बटर खिलाने के लिए काफी रहेंगे।
All 13 reviews of Singham Again here
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Deepak Dua
Independent Film Journalist & Critic
रंगबिरंगी, मसालेदार, टाइमपास
2007 की ‘भूल भुलैया’ तो ज़रूर याद होगी आपको। तर्क की कसौटी पर कसी हुई प्रियदर्शन निर्देशित वह फिल्म एक सायक्लोजिकल सस्पैंस-थ्रिलर थी जिसे आज हम हिन्दी की क्लासिक फिल्मों में गिनते हैं। उसके 15 साल बाद आई ‘भूल भुलैया 2’ को उस फिल्म के कंधे पर सवार होकर सिर्फ और सिर्फ इसलिए बनाया गया था ताकि नोट बटोरे जा सकें। वह फिल्म पिछली वाली का सीक्वेल नहीं बल्कि उसी कड़ी की एक फ्रेंचाइज़ी फिल्म थी जिसमें मंजुलिका को भूतनी दिखा कर लोगों को डराया और कुछ मसखरे जोड़ कर लोगों को हंसाया गया था। अनीस बज़्मी के निर्देशन में आई उस फिल्म को आज हम भले ही एक सफल फिल्म कहें लेकिन थी वह एक औसत दर्जे की मसाला फिल्म ही। अब अनीस के ही निर्देशन में आई यह ‘भूल भुलैया 3’ (Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3) भी ऐसी ही है-हॉरर और कॉमेडी का मसाला लपेट कर आई एक औसत फिल्म जो कुछ पल को हंसाएगी, डराएगी, नोट बटोरेगी मगर इज़्ज़त नहीं कमा पाएगी।
All 12 reviews of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 here
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Anuj Kumar
The Hindu
Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan are underutilised in this drab horror comedy
Kartik Aaryan is alive to the situational humour but director Anees Bazmee falters between sticking to stereotypes and taking a progressive step
In the festive season, director Anees Bazmee tells cinegoers to bring in the popcorn and he would deliver the comic twists. This Deepavali, the director lights up a green cracker that leaves a purple patch in the air but in a bid to be progressive, he fails to keep his traditional comedic pot on the boil and underutilises powerhouse performers like Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan to light up the screen.
All 12 reviews of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 here
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Sachin Chatte
The Navhind Times Goa
This is a good time to a make a ‘horror-comedy’ in Hindi cinema, in this case, rehash a film with a sequel of an established franchise. In this genre, you don’t really have to focus on the horror part (the audience laughs at it anyway, in many cases, it is nervous laughter) and for the comedy part, you just have to put a few characters in a ‘horror’ situation and voila, the comedy element is sorted.
All 12 reviews of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 here
Singham Again
Sachin Chatte
The Navhind Times Goa
Rohit Shetty’s cop universe has gone for the jugular this time. Following the lukewarm reception of Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2021), he has reintroduced his flagship character, Singham, while also incorporating other familiar figures in Singham Again.
All 13 reviews of Singham Again here
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Udita Jhunjhunwala
Mint, Scroll.in
Twice the Manjulikas but half the fun
The dynamic between Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan is an opportunity wasted in the long film, which is high on concept but low on mood
In 2007, Priyadarshan directed Vidya Balan as the ghostly apparition Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa, with Aneez Bazmee taking over the reins of this comedy-horror franchise in 2022. Akshay Kumar was replaced by Kartik Aaryan, who played Ruhaan—a charlatan masquerading as a psychic, who communicates with and channels spirits. Tabu stepped into the dual roles of the trapped spirit, Manjulika, and her twin sister, Anjulika.
All 12 reviews of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 here
Brother
Avinash Ramachandran
Avinash Ramachandran Talkies
Jayam Ravi, Rao Ramesh are the saving grace in this outdated family drama
Director Rajesh knew what worked and what didn't with his comedies. However, over the past few years, he is just attempting to regain past glory, and this is just a disappointing addition to that list.
In the 1980s and 90s, we had a steady stream of films about an outsider coming to a broken home, and uniting everyone. Visu almost perfected this template. We saw it happen in the 90s and 2000s too where the setting of the home was extended to a college, a workplace, a village, etc… Basically, Indian cinema loves its feel-good family entertainer space where there are clashes of ego, but all’s well that ends well. There was a time when M Rajesh could effectively milk these situations, and effortlessly conjure hilarious scenes with his oddball protagonists. There was a time when he soared past the generic nature of the central plot, and neatly wrapped it all up with his brand of comedy. Unfortunately, hardly any of this happens in his latest film Brother.
Lucky Baskhar
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo
The Hindu
Venky Atluri, Dulquer Salmaan deliver an entertaining drama
Director Venky Atluri strikes a fine balance between exploring financial scam and relationships in ‘Lucky Baskhar’, headlined by a superb Dulquer Salmaan
Lucky Baskhar, the Telugu film written and directed by Venky Atluri, employs the narrative technique of creating tense moments before a twist, then retracing a few steps to reveal the events that led to it, at sporadic intervals. The first time this happens, it is an indication of what the titular character is capable of. When this technique is repeated, there is the danger of it falling flat. There are occasions when we can pre-empt a twist, but the manner in which it unfolds brings a smile. This relationship drama woven around a financial scam is Atluri’s best work till date and is anchored by a powerhouse Dulquer Salmaan, who shifts seamlessly from a common man struggling to make ends meet to a shrewd banker driven by the need to make quick money.
All 3 reviews of Lucky Baskhar here
Singham Again
Shomini Sen
Wion
Rohit Shetty's refresher course on Ramayan takes you on a trip to Sri Lanka, Kashmir
In Rohit Shettys modern-day Ramayan, Ajay Devgn aka Singham is Ram and Kareena Kapoor Khan is Sita who is abducted by Arjun, the Raavan
Can we let the epics be? Rohit Shetty’s latest film Singham Again - a part of his elaborate cop universe essembles some of the biggest stars of Bollywood to narrate an unoriginal story and borrows the full plot from Hindu epic mythology Ramayan. But at a time when films like Adipurush and the anime Ramayan are already available in the digital space, how good an idea is it to again refurbish a known story and force-feed it through Shetty’s larger-than-life, over-the-top cop universe? Questions such as this and a few more remain unanswered throughout the runtime of the film.
All 13 reviews of Singham Again here
Mithya: The Darker Chapter
Udita Jhunjhunwala
Mint, Scroll.in
A forced, underwhelming sequel
In the first season of the ZEE5 series Mithya, Hindi professor Juhi Adhikari (Huma Qureshi) was locked in a dangerous battle with student Rhea Rajguru (Avantika Dassani) after she failed her the young woman for plagiarism and branded her a cheat. The entitled daughter of a tea estate owner and college trustee, Rhea became obsessed with seeking vengeance, sometimes with violent results.