Watching Ranbir Kapoor on the big screen after four years is in itself good enough a bait to draw audiences back into theatres. But Shamshera isn't just riding on its protagonist's shoulders. It has all the elements needed to make a mass masala entertainer hit the right chord. It has action, emotions, well-written characters, and a solid backstory. A warrior lower-caste tribe called Khameerans led by Shamshera (Ranbir Kapoor) is imprisoned in a fictitious city of Kaza. They are enslaved and...

With aviation dramas, it’s the thrill factor and visual spectacle that the director creates, that promise an edge-of-the-seat experience. Ajay Devgn’s latest directorial, Runway 34 lands perfectly in these departments. The film is inspired by true events from 2015 when a Doha to Kochi flight had a narrow escape after facing difficulties to land at the airport due to bad weather and low visibility. However, in many places, you’d also notice several resemblances to Hollywood films like Sully...

Lazy writing, poor execution and ridiculously stylized characters — Heropanti 2 goes from bad to worse. A sequel to Tiger’s debut film Heropanti (2014), this one is directed by Ahmed Khan, who also collaborated with Tiger for Baaghi 2 and Baaghi 3. It seems Khan is in a rut and isn’t even letting Tiger come out of the stories that don’t let him grow. Heropanti 2 is the story of a self-styled magician Laila (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who teams up with a cyber genius and a hacker Babloo Ranawat...

A Hindi remake of the 2019 Telugu film by the same name, Jersey has been written and directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, who also helmed the original. And no prize for guessing, the remake is a scene by scene copy of the original. Jersey traces the tale of an exceptionally talented Ranji player Arjun Talwar (Shahid Kapoor), who quits cricket at the age of 26 and after 10 years, decides to revive his career and return to the game. In the process, Arjun wants to fulfil his son Kitu’s (Ronit Kamra)...

KGF Chapter 2 is an explosive tale of brash, unapologetic, and larger-than-life characters. Director Prashanth Neel has created something that’s way more immersive than part one and worth all the hype that he managed to sustain for three and a half years since the first part came out. KGF 2 once again recreates the dark and deadly world where chopping heads and slitting throats are the norm and gunshots are fired at whim without any remorse in anyone's heart. One of the finest sequels to have...

With all good intentions to educate and entertain the audience, Dasvi starring Abhishek Bachchan, Yami Gautam and Nimrat Kaur, somewhere falls prey to its own chaos and confusion and ends up all over the place. Director Tushar Jalota has mixed too many elements to convey one simple message, and it loses focus way more often than you would expect. As a result, the inconsistent storytelling makes the film appear half-baked and ineffective. The film traces the life of a brash, illiterate and...

For those who've often complained about Bollywood's lack of original scripts and innovation, Attack, to some extent, can give you an adrenaline rush for its novel idea (seen many times in Hollywood by now but still quite a fresh prospect for Bollywood). And some might find it plain bizarre and too unrealistic to even believe any of it. John Abraham is often credited for carrying a film on his shoulders, however, with Attack, the actor and debutant director, Lakshya Raj Anand took this a bit...

Rishi Kapoor's swansong Sharmaji Namkeen serves a perfect tribute to his tough yet jovial person. Directed by Hitesh Bhatia, this is the first time in Bollywood we see two actors - Kapoor and Paresh Rawal - play one character on-screen. Sharmaji Namkeen doesn't have any over-the-top dialogues or a lessons in morality that hits you hard. It's a sweet and innocent slice of life tale told in a simple manner. Sharmaji Namkeen narrates the story of a retired manager of Madhuban Appliances, Brij...

Based on the chapters from Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi creates a world of its own that's sleazy violent, reckless but still overflowing with emotions. Starring Alis Bhatt in the titular role, the films shows the lanes of Kamathipura, one of the oldest red-light districts of Mumbai, and Bhansali captures them in the most extravagant way. The first half narrates Gangubai's story from being a barrister's daughter Ganga who was forced...

Bollywood’s fixation with humor to narrate stories on taboo subjects seems to be working pretty well so far. So, it comes as no surprise to see Badhaai Do also resort to a lighter tone while highlighting an important issue of homosexuality. Directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, Badhaai Do revolves around the story of Shardul and Sumi played effortlessly by Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar, as closeted members of the LGBT community, living together as roommates after they agree to get into a...

A twisted tale of love, lies, trust, betrayal, complex relationships, and moving on with the dark realities of your past, Shakun Batra's directorial Gehraiyaan is an intimate film. While this is not the first time Bollywood has shown infidelity on screen, the narrative has surely matured, the characters are allowed more depth, and it’s no longer merely about simple attraction. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Dhairya Karwa in lead roles, Gehraiyaan is a...

Based on Team India’s first-ever World Cup win in England, Kabir Khan's 83 transports you to that era, allowing you to be a part of that victorious moment. In all honesty, I very much felt like I was sitting in that stadium, cheering for Team India each time they hit a boundary and tearing up on the loss of every wicket. On top of it, I couldn’t see any actors on the screen during the 160 minutes runtime of 83 — it all looked so real. Ranveer Singh takes the arduous task of stepping into the...

Ever since the trailer of Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui landed, there's been a lot of secrecy around the film's plot. The trailer gave us a hint but kept most of it under wraps. While we're used to seeing Ayushmann Khurrana take up films based on taboo subjects, this time, it is Vaani Kapoor, who has taken the plunge and dived deep into uncharted waters. The film, directed by Abhishek Kapoor doesn't lose sight of what is important and hence, little flaws here and there are easily ignored....

Satyameva Jayate 2 is a sloppy and shoddy portrayal of jingoism and vigilantism at its most heinous. In the name of a vigilante action thriller and to capitalise on the nostalgia for masala films from the ’80s, writer-director Milap Zaveri delivers a stale script that doesn’t even attempt to add anything new or unique. ​Showcasing the fight against injustice and misuse of power, Satyameva jayate 2 serves up a montage of done-to-death scenes that give the film’s lead heroes — John Abraham and...

Antim: The Final Truth is an official adaptation of the hit Marathi film Mulshi Pattern and director Mahesh Manjrekar adds a lot of Bollywood masala and massy flavour to make it a wholesome entertainer, but not without over-the-top drama and loud action sequences. Set on the age-old premise of farmers losing their land to mafias and then working for them, Antim demonstrates the ramifications when Rahul (Aayush Sharma), the jobless son of a farmer, transforms into one of Pune’s most feared...

After just 15 minutes into Bunty Aur Babli 2, one realises what a terribly written and poorly-executed film it is. The original, which most of us so thoroughly enjoyed when it first released 16 years ago, was best left untouched and director Varun V. Sharma should have just followed this rule. With Rani Mukherji reprising her character as Vimmi, this sequel is nothing like the first one. Not even remotely close. It's a snooze-fest that fails to engage or entertain. And sadly, doesn't have any...

Directed by Ram Madhvani, action thriller Dhamaka introduces to us Kartik Aaryan 2.0 and it is, by far, his most challenging performance. After being labelled as the monolouge king, and having mostly done comedy and romance, Kartik's Arjun Pathak in Dhamaka not only shows his range as an actor but also touches upon a whole different genre and emotion. Dhamaka is loosely based on the 2013 Korean film, The Terror Live, and stars Kartik playing the role of a broadcast journalist named Arjun...

It has now been more than a year and a half since Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff at the border. There have been thirteen rounds of talks between the two sides but increasingly, it has become evident, that the two sides may be locked in an impasse. HT interviews the former foreign secretary Nirupama Rao who has just authored a book called The Fractured Himalaya: India Tibet China 1949-62.

Rashmi Rocket, starring Taapsee Pannu as Rashmi Vira, picks on the archaic practise of gender testing, to ascertain testosterone level among female athletes and how it has ruined many careers and sometimes, the entire life of these girls. While Bollywood has churned out several sports films, director Akarsh Khurana's Rashmi Rocket is slightly different and unique. It isn't about that one big life-changing game towards the climax which makes the hero shine. It's is about the journey towards...

Based on the life of late politician J Jayalalithaa, Kangana Ranaut-starrer Thalaivii is about how a naive Jaya transformed into someone more formidable — an Amma to millions. Staying true to the story he set out to tell, director AL Vijay tackles aspects of her life that Jaya's followers may have never got to see up close. Thalaivii takes you to the mid-60s when Jaya (Kangana) was pushed into acting to support her family, all but burying her dreams of becoming a lawyer. As a young, charming,...

BellBottom is the first film to release on the big screen after theatres reopened post the second wave of coronavirus pandemic. Starring Akshay Kumar as a RAW agent, the film is a heady blend of emotions, action, entertainment, drama and stunning visuals. Directed by Ranjit M Tewari, BellBottom is an edge of the seat thriller with a well-researched script, effective screenplay and impactful storytelling. The film also stars Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Huma Qureshi, Adil Hussain in pivotal...

Directed and co-written by debutante Abhishek Dudhaiya, Bhuj: The Pride Of India, is a majorly fictionalized tale of an episode from the India-Pakistan war of 1971 when the Bhuj airbase was completely destroyed in deadly airstrikes by Pakistani forces. It highlights the heroic tale of soldiers and 300 female civilians from a local village Madhapar, who got together to rebuild a bombed-out runway in just 72 hours. The entire mission is led by IAF squadron leader Vijay Karnik played by Ajay...

A biopic based on the life of Param Vir Chakra awardee, late Captain Vikram Batra, Shershaah pays an honest tribute to his bravery and laurels. Captain Vikram laid his life during the 1999 Kargil war while leading one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare. His code name was Sher Shah which translates to Lion King. Actor Sidharth Malhotra delivers a nearly perfect performance playing the role of Vikram Batra. Kiara Advani as Vikram's fiancee, Dimple Cheema, also plays her part...

Mimi starring Kriti Sanon (Mimi Rathore), Pankaj Tripathi (Bhanupratap Pandey) and Sai Tamhankar (Shama), is a story of an aspiring actor, who, in a desperate need for money agrees to become a surrogate mother for a childless American couple. But on learning that the child might be born with down syndrome, the couple decides to flee without any explanation to Mimi and she is left on her own, and Bhanu, to deal with the pregnancy and the baby. It's from there Mimi's struggle begins and Bhanu...