Soumalya Nandy

My actual rating for the film is a solid 3.5/5 stars. I think this is one of the better scripted and executed cat & mouse/dark gangster revenge thriller genre in Mohit Suri's filmography. When you step into the film don't expect some grounded Family Man type stuff, the tone throughout is very consistent of a commercial thriller which has quite impressive twists and turns. The cinematography first of all is absolutely superb, they way they have captured the natural beauty of Goa and used it to spark the hot chemistry between Adi and Disha is gorgeous, water sports and everything and also the way the Christmas week is celebrated is showed in a grand scale and contributes to the plot moving forward as well. The lighting is also spot on during the killings and especially the intro one-take jail sequence stands out. The story is nothing exceptional but the characters are interesting and you don't know who is on which side and the non-linear type of screenplay really benefits the tension in the film a lot. There is a stylish gritty texture to the violence as well. The climactic twist which explained the whole story was really really surprising and unexpected and lifted the level of the film by a huge margin. Music and Mohit Suri is such a love story so you know the music is exceptional when he is directing a film whether it is disaster or blockbuster so the whole BGM and the entire soundtrack is fabulous and my personal favourite is the title track which has such a trippy feeling and encapsulated the energy and the title of "madness" really well and sung superbly too, Humraah and Chal Ghar Chalen is also very beautiful and adds to the chemistry. The director has also showcased the violence and the drugs culture of Goa during festivals in a very realistic manner. The performances are superb according to the genre of the movie. Disha Patani really surprised me in this, she has much more to offer here than just showing her glamour, watch the film to get it. The 3 male cast members are in full form. Aditya Roy Kapoor like Shahid Kapoor has been let down by his script selections so many times, here he just shows what he can offer as an actor in a meritorious movie, He was so convincing and natural as both the hot vagabond lover boy and the revenge-hungry killer. Anil Kapoor encapsulates the word "Malang" and he is in absolute prime form as the shady cop, he is a veteran nothing else is expected. The stand out performer is Kunal Khemmu who has just got better and better with every movie and finally getting roles he deserves, he definitely stood out in a good cast. Vatsal Seth was also nice in his brief appearance. Overall it is a nice, engaging watch and has all the commercial elements and some tasty twists and turns.

Overall rating 3/5 it is a mixed bag but it is overall a decent attempt at throwing light at our history, Ramayan, Lord Ram, the existence of Ram Setu it is really man made by the Vanar Sena which has been taught by elders to children generation after generation or is it a natural structure created by sedimentation and therefore should it be broken so that it aids in development or should it be protected since it is deeply essential for our culture, history and religion. The movie does the job of answering precisely that. The first half was extremely thrilling interesting scientific and impressive and had the second half been the same I would have given it a 4/5 but I will come to the drawbacks later. Barring the clunky underwater visuals and little underwhelming visuals of the astronaut like suit where clearly Akshay's face was superimposed otherwise the visuals the action scenes at the start and how the story starts, showing the lead as an atheist who only believes in facts not God was quite nice and left room for good conversation of conflicting viewpoints between Akshay and Nushrat. The ship visuals and the ones of the huge lab inside it was really good to watch and the way they delved into techniques like carbon technique and AMS was very fascinating and exciting and how they try to test the age of the rocks of Ram Setu. The demerit of the second half is that too much time is spent in Sri Lanka and while it was essential for the evidences I felt like since the name of the film is Ram Setu it should have come back to that spot again. When you see the film you might understand what I am saying. I was more fascinated to know about the floating rock concept. Another demerit is the caricaturist villain who suddenly from a scientist becomes a action hero villian but since it is a commercial action adventure I am forgiving it. The helicopter scene in the second half was the epitome of stereotype and disaster with poor visuals too. The positives in the second half are AP played by Satyadev he really brought a breath of fresh air in the film and also the 10 minute court sequence was very powerful at the end where the verdict is made and both sides put their arguments forward the speech really gives you goose bumps I will not spoil it here. Another negative is the acting of the "villian" who was behind them he looked like a character from some over the top Hindi serial and also Jacqueline and another actress in their team who was a scientist they were really poor whenever they opened their mouth in the midst of extreme tension their expressions would make you laugh. Nushrat is a good actress but her role isn't too strong. Akshay Kumar was really really good as an archeologist, he fit the role, the personality and the intellecutal nature of the character perfectly and good to see him playing his age in this which he should do more in the future as well and his climax speech was really powerful and he aced it perfectly. The movie has a nice pace and the adventure will keep you going. The BGM is very exhillerating and good to listen to as well. Overall could have been better if some things were handled more professionally because the story is really good and interesting to say the least but definitely far from a bad movie, definitely one time you should watch and enjoy in the theatres, better than most Bollywood movies and all Akshay movies released this year.

My rating lies somewhere in between 2-2.5 stars but closer towards 2 stars. It is a below average film due to a number of reasons and is way more pale in comparison to the last Akshay Anand L Rai collaboration just few months ago Atrangi Re which was a similar tone of a small town family film which is little unique which is the staple of Anand L Rai. Firstly in 2022 what most audience including me will vehemently reject about this film is the regressive outdated nature of few of its main emotional plot points in the movie which are spoilers so I won't say but you will understand few downright ridiculous things that happen when you watch the movie, and the regressive nature of its comedy also in the first half. We all know Akshay is a phenomenal comic actor and we really want such movies back of 2000s which he did with Priyadarshan and Neeraj Vohra but even he won't be able to make sense and justify body shaming and racist jokes on his own sister characters in the film in 2022 for god sake and not even a change of heart of the protagonist or a change happens in him in the second half where a line comes that whatever bodies you have are perfect, that moment never comes. Many characters are not even really allowed to flourish as well, many of them were pretty one note and even the sisters don't have depth. Would have given it 1-1.5 but Akshay Kumar really portrayed his career best emotional performance in this film that will really move you to tears, Something happens in the second half after which watch him perform being immersed in his character for the next 15-20 mins that was absolutely superb which lifted even the dull and non sensical scenes. BGM and most songs by Himesh were pretty nice and performances by the rest of the cast, the 4 debutant sisters were decently good out of which the eldest and youngest ones impressed the most and even Bhumi was decent not her best performance though and Seema Pahwa Ji could have been a great character but not fleshed out enough. The premise was nice and there was a good message movie here to raise awareness against dowry through a family comedy and even the Delhi setting looked authentic. But the ridiculous writing really bogs the film down massively in the latter half. To top it off a massive event happens in the second half for which not even justice is served or it is not even taken seriously in the movie for too long which was borderline disgusting. Time has changed a lot so its better if writers and film maker's mentalities do as well. One of the weakest Anand L Rai movies for sure.

The actual rating from me is 3.5/5 stars; could have done with 3 but due to the ending it satisfied me enough to give 0.5 more. Look it is not a perfect movie or a masterpiece, getting the negatives out of the way at the start itself. The blend of dark comedy with real emotion of losing a loved one is a tricky blend to handle and at the start you will get time to used to it which happened in Karwaan also. It definitely has shades of Karwaan and Ram Prasad Ki Terwi. Some jokes look forced and do not land but some do as well which will make you laugh a bit and show the mirror and harsh reality of the society with regards to people's insensitive attitudes nowadays in matters related to death. But it definitely recovers its sluggish patches in both halves with good scenes and moments interspersed that are quite heartfelt. The family dynamics are interesting and when all the members are together in the second half they account for some of the good scenes. The music of Amit Trivedi was quite nice and feel good fitting the situations perfectly. Some dialogues written about the "right turn" and everything is very thoughtful and good to listen to. Performances were definitely one of its best quaities. Rashmika needs to work on her Hindi and she is young there is room for improvement but she has done quite well especially as the movie kept progressing and she looked really adorable too. Amitabh Bachchan sahb is the soul and the highlight of the film; this is his 4th release of 2022(5th release is also there which is Sooraj Barjatiya's Unchai) and this man even at 80 years age does not know how to stop or give a bad performance, he has absolutely nailed his role so much so that even your heart aches along with him, his dialogue delivery, screen presence cannot be matched by too many actors in India. Pavail Gulati was really a huge welcome surprise to me especially in the second half it is his 2 scenes that make you teary the most and he has nailed his subtle expressions and what is also praiseworthy is that the director has given arcs to each character in the film. His scene at the rooftop when he tries to call his mother and reality sets in, he has nailed it with his acting. Sunil Grover was wonderful as always in his limited screentime and left an impact on the characters as well as on the audience. Even other actors like Ashish Vidyarthi, Eli EvrRam(surprisingly), Sahil Mehta and Neena Gupta have done commendably well in their roles and even Shivin Narang I guess who played their sardar son was very good. Overall it is not perfect but a decently well-made feel good family entertainer with its doses of emotions which you can definitely watch once you will not regret watching it

The actual rating it deserves is a proper solid 3.5/5. it is a very decently well-made little different film. It definitely has its Anand L Rai touches of a rom-com set in a small town in India with certain similarities to Ranjhanaa but I definitely found traces of an Imtiaz Ali film in this in the sense that the direction and screenplay is uneven in style when for 10 minutes lots of things happen then the next 10 minutes kind of pass without much happening but in the end you are satisfied enough. The story of the film the way it unfolded in the end is really nice how they tackled the issue won't give spoilers away. it has its doses of humour as well as serious emotions which come to life on most occasions due to the good performances yes it is not perfect there are certainly sluggish moments and phases in the film but for the most part the emotions work well. The music by legendary A.R Rahman is simply breath-taking be it Rang, Chaka Chak, Rait Zara Si, Little Little, Garda Uda Diya all the songs are quite different to each other but are really amazing to listen to and definitely gives you the flavours of an Anand L Rai film and an A.R Rahman musical. There are 3 major characters around which the story revolves but the supporting actors have done a commendable job and special mention to Ashish Verma he is really good. Sara Ali Khan for the most part struggled with the Bihari accent, the way she stressed on the words 'bey' and all wasn't entirely convincing but in some important scenes she has carried herself quite nicely. But the standouts are defintely Dhanush and Akshay especially Dhanush is simply magnificent and embodied his role to perfection like he did in Ranjhanaa with the same director as well. Both in comedy and genuine emotions this man stands out and makes you feel for him. Akshay has lesser screen time but was a lovely addition in this film as he added his own charm and good acting skills in this film. Overall it is not a masterpiece but as you get with Anand L Rai you will have a good time and it is little unique not the generic rom-com and quite well treated in the end; go give it your time on Hotstar.

The film for me actually ranges somewhere in between 2.5-3 stars. Ever since the trailer came in I was super hypes for this because the trailer was cinematically beautiful and so unique but you still did not know anything about the story so it was a let down in theatres in front of the expectations I had and especially being an Anurag Basu movie. There was still so so much to enjoy and admire in it in terms of the attempt. The cinematography, the colours, yellowish palate somewhat like French cinema having few Hichkock inspirations as well, even Ludo had the same vibe. It biggest drawback is it being a musical thriller personally for me, maybe because in India we are not used to musicals especially for thrillers but the main character talking out everything as a rap or song even when key intense and suspence moments are coming for the thriller story was throwing me off everytime because the rapping became a roadblock for me to be invested in the thriller. The protagonist eliminating his stammer by singing was nice as an idea but in a thriller it just did not fit for me. And also the main political background the movie is set in is barely given any time and the story keeps getting complex after every minute and is hard to keep up and even the climax was haphazrdly done to a point where still after 5 years I cannot fully explain you the whole story. But of course I did not hate it, the musical mystery solving is more in the first half but I enjoyed the second half way more a;though the story was complex just because of the magnificent cinematography and the way the action was shot and executed was stunning and so many animals were used in the action which was very cool. The few Hichkock moments interspersed here and there was pretty nice and there were excellent moments in the first half as well. The costumes and makeups were also on point. Although I did not enjoy the musical rap mystery solving at all but the BGM in the action scenes and the songs composed by Pritam was absolute blockbuster I mean Galti se Mistake was the viral song of the year. The comic moments of the second half was far more entertaining and all the performances except Katrina Kaif's was terrific. Ranbir executed his stammering, mystery solver and college boy innocence to perfection I mean what can the guy not do. Saurabh Skhula, Saraswata Chatterjee were all in fine form but Katrina's acting skills at least back then were too limited for such a unique story like this, she works best as the action heroine. Overall it was a beautiful mess, a lot to enjoy but do not keep too much high expectations from it is what I will say

This has to be one of the finest and delightful experiences for me in the theatres for a Bollywood movie. This could be lesser than 4 on 5 but it gave me enough joy, goosebumps and pride during its journey to heighten my experience enough for me to give this rating to it. There are few cringe and childish dialogues in the romance yes that is a negative slightly and they could have done more things with few characters and treated some differently but India mak3s next to none these kinds of movies and is showing the world what we could do with budget so its definitely mind-blowing in that regard. I din't feel they wasted time with the romance because the second half is even more action packed and time passes with the blink of an eye. The visuals are out of this world, I was in awe with the Vanarastra and Nandi Astra VFX and how the respective colours of light associated to each Astra's power made solid structures like kites, trishul and gada etc was so pleasing to me because I loved cartoons related to such powers when I was a child. The songs and the BGM by Pritam was definitely chills and its something different for an experienced composer like him as well to give BGM according to a superhero film. SRK's cameo was simply unbelievable and made me realize how much I missed him and can't wait for Pathaan. Ranbir and Alia did have some childish lines but their chemistry is awesome and they did well with whatever they had. Nagarjuna was superb in his small role and so was Big B as always I mean maybe people found his parts preachy but idk man whenever he speaks something in his barritone you want to listen to him for hours. Mouni Roy was a surprise package for me; excellent villain inspired from Scarlett Witch. I have to mention that watch out for the interval block simply goosebumps and also the long car action scene leading upto the interval that was spectacular and you would feel this can't be an Indian film. Overall please watch it in the theatres and don't wait for OTT imo and experience it in IMAX and 3D, you would definitely be entertained enough by it.

I genuinely feel so gutted after watching this because you could see the money spent by Adi I feel bad for him and the efforts the actors have given. The screenplay and direction is so so shoddy and it genuinely lacks sense from a story-telling perspective in so many moments which I cannot describe all of them since they are spoilers. I did not get what was the symbolism with the crows and why in every movie there has to be an eagle or crow or owl(Sadak 2) to create an impact and what pleasure do directors get out of this. The father Shamshera character was there for very little time and hardly got any time to breathe or create impact. All the other people of the tribe were wasted including Ronit Roy who deserved far more screen time seeing what his role was, the self-realization came way too late for them. YRF majorly is lacking in the music department at the moment and same like Prithviraj the music is so so below average and there are so many of these songs that firstly they are not enjoyable also and they just halt the already shoddy screenplay. Only Fitoor stood out it was superbly sung, composed and picturized and the Shamshera title track had the powerful voice of Sukhwinder paaji and the BGM was nice mostly although there is an unintentionally funny BGM towards the end portions in the most serious scenes and that BGM belongs in Annabelle, Conjuring or in some Halloween movie because it was like a child screaming mysteriously, it made me laugh. Some set pieces seem to be directly lifted from KGF Chapter 1 like not even kidding, you pause some scenes and match with KGF, the gold colour theme with the greyish dusty looks on the faces, the dark purple clothes of the trapped humans, a similar mother character and in one scene Ranbir wears ditto the hair band like Yash with the dusty look and axe in his hand just that Yash had a hammer that is the only difference. The heist scenes are also shown in comical manner that they do not create adrenaline rush, and the way Ranbir got out of their trapped zone was utterly ridiculous and does not make sense that why did they not try that method for the past 25 years like not even one of them and the interval scene should have been the end point of the movie, how it extended for another half is beyond me. However I did enjoy the scene when the Britisher head was smashed against the queen crown, it gave me satisfaction. Ranbir Kapoor was SOOOOO GOOOD as Bali, I felt gutted for him once again like I have felt so many times, he gave his 300% and even Sanjay Dutt was a nice commerical villain and I loved most of the actors, even Vaani was alright and she dances really well, but most of them did not get any backing by the screenplay, the jovial kids in Ji Huzoor also do not have any memorable moments other than the climax but it is too little too late. Only because of the efforts, money spent and acting especially by Ranbir 2 stars. Cannot wait for Brahmastra. Again, felt gutted for Ranbir in this, he works very very hard and is a terrific actor!!!

I have not seen Kaithi or Master yet but damn do I want to watch them now because I absolutely adore the direction style of Lokesh Kanagaraj. He has a unique way of showing the scenes stylistically and especially the lighting in the dark scenes is pretty remarkable. I am not giving it a 5 because it's not something totally unique and out of the box but what an enjoyable dark and entertaining ride it was and not even one second of boredom. The twisted way in which the story and the characters are presented is terrific. And what to say about the performances they are the absolute highlight points of the movie. I had not watched a single Fahadh Faasil movie before this but damn holy hell I am floored, the way his eyes look the way he emotes the way he runs I can't believe how talented he is. Watch out for the interrogation scene with a guy in the car, it was acting ad writing masterclass. Vijay Setupathi is one of my favourite Indian actors after super Deluxe, 96, Vikram Vedha and now this and can't wait for him in Jawan opposite SRK, the way the man speaks 1000 words with his eyes to bring out innocent lover in some character, emotional transgender in some character adn then intimidating villian in some character, he is one of the finest we have in this country. And lastly the legendary one and only evergreen living legend instituion of acting Ulaganayagan Kamal Hassan sir he is just spell binding and you cannot take his eyes of him and his role is written terrificly as well. He aced his emotional scenes with his grandchild and rocked the action and looked savage everyime. 2 more noteworthy mentions are the maid...just watch out what she did in the second half that twist had my mouth drop and for the next 5 minutes I was speechless. And another mention is of the cameo in the climax I wish I witnessed that in the theatres. Anirudh also blew it out of the park with his as usual chartbuster BGM and songs. That BGM is still stuck in my head and wanna make it my caller tune now If you have not watched it yet catch it up on Hotstar do not dare to miss this crazy ride.

This movie is the perfect Ayushman-small town-message entertainer. This movie was an absolute laugh riot and honestly the chemistry Ayushmann has with legendary Annu Kapoor is just amazing. The supporting characters and the way they add on to the chaos in the story are the highlight part of this movie especially Vijay Raaz was very memorable. Ayushmann was as usual extremely charming, energetic and showcased his real acting in the climax. The message this movie wants to get across in today's day and age is very relevant. The movie has great soundtrack too whether it be the beautiful Ik Mulaakat or the catchy Radhe Radhe. The chemistry between Nushrat and Ayushmann is really sweet as well. Also the chacha from Bajrangi Bhaijaan makes an appearance here wait for it. Overall I am not giving it 5-star just because it's not out of the box or mind-blowing unbelievable but definitely deserves a 4 for entertaining thoroughly and having pretty amazing humour and message.