Haseen Dillruba starring Taapsee Pannu (Rani Kashyap), Vikrant Masey (Rishu) and Harshvardhan Rane (Neel), is a twisted tale of love that lives up to the genre it belongs to. Directed by Vinil Mathew and written by Kanika Dhillon, this mystery thriller has some crazy twists and unexpected turns that keep you on the edge till the very end. The references to Dinesh Pandit's novel is perhaps among the newest things in a film that we've seen in a long time. The story revolves around Rani Kashyap...

Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai is Salman Khan's Eid release amid the pandemic, and has opted for a hybrid model release given the shutdown of theatres in the country. Directed by Prabhu Deva, Radhe also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff in pivotal roles. With hard-to-digest action sequences, mindless romance, and cringeworthy one-liners — some laughable and others flat — Radhe is a predictable-to-death kind of a film that disappoints from the word go. While Salman fans will...

Ajeeb Dastaans is an anthology of four films that do not revolve around any common theme. Perhaps that's why each of the stories in Ajeeb Daastaans gets a chance to stand out and make an impact without the baggage of being compared to each other. Kayode Irani's Ankahi stars Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul, Neeraj Ghyawan's Geeli Pucchi features Aditi Rao Hydari and Konkona Sen Sharma, Khilauna by Raj Mehta is led by Nushrat Bharucha and Abhishek Bannerjee along with child actor Inayat Verma and...

Touted to be a suspense thriller and a dark comedy, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar somehow just misses the plot despite having so much to explore. Its lazy writing and slow pace ruin its chances of clicking with the audience. Director Dibakar Bannerjee's film touches upon bank scams and the elderly people who are victimised by them, an idea that had potential, but the narrative goes haywire. Starring Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor in lead roles, the first 15 minutes set high hopes and you think...

A quintessential action drama directed by Sanjay Gupta, Mumbai Saga stars John Abraham as Amartya Rao and Emraan Hashmi as encounter specialist Vijay Savarkar, along with a stellar lineup of cast including Gulshan Grover, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Amole Gupte, Prateik Babbar, Rohit Roy and Samir Soni. Inspired by true events, Mumbai Saga is set in the 90s, when Mumbai was Bombay -- the land of Bhaus and Bhais. The film narrates the story of a common man, Amartya Rao (Abraham) who...

A story of a dysfunctional family of three generations of mothers and daughters, Tribhanga explores the complexities, emotions and dynamics of three generations of mothers and daughters. Directed by actor-director Renuka Shahahe and starring Tanvi Azmi, Kajol and Mithila Palkar in lead roles, the film pushes you to re-examine your relationship with your mothers. Contrary to the notion that moms know everything and they can never be wrong Tribhanga tells you that it is absolutely fine for a...

Starring Anil Kapoor and Anurag Starring in lead roles playing their real parts of that of an actor and director in reel life, AK vs AK is your conventional Bollywood masala film, and no, you can't afford to leave your brains behind while watching it. It's made intelligently, has a clever screenplay, even smarter direction and some ace performances that make it a wholesome watch. Kapoor's and Kashyap's camaraderie even while having a spat, looks so real that you are left to wonder if they're...

A remake of 1995 Govinda and Karisma Kapoor starrer by the same name, Coolie No. 1 is directed by David Dhawan who also directed the original. Starring Varun Dhawan (as Raju Coolie and Kuwar Raj Pratap Singh) and Sara Ali Khan (Sarah Rozzario) in lead roles, the film is old wine in new bottle with both Varun and Sara adding their own tadka, but it doesn't taste anything like the original. Not to say that original was a cult in any way but for that era, it kind of worked with Govinda's...

Ludo is a kind of a film where even the smallest of distraction can make you miss out on the whole turn of events that follow. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film features an ensemble cast including Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Rohit Saraf, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Pearle Manney and Pankaj Tripathi. Ludo is a modern age take on the circle of life and death and concept of hell and heaven. High on emotions, it's also a heady mix of comedy, drama, action,...

A remake of Tamil film Kanchana (2011) directed by Raghava Lawrence, Laxmii stars Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani in the lead roles and is directed by Lawrence himself. Given the kind of buzz that the film had been generating, mostly around Akshay's transgender character, Laxmii had set a high benchmark. Was it crossed? Not entirely. Or maybe not as successfully as you would have liked. Asif and Rashmi played by Akshay and Kiara are a married against their family's will, thus setting the ground...

Picking a trope from the 80s and 90s, Khaali Peeli is proof that stale storytelling doesn't work today. Starring Ishaan Khatter (Blackie) and Ananya Panday (Pooja) in the lead roles, the film is a story of two childhood sweets who have to part ways due to circumstances but they meet again as adults and their story takes a twist. Directed by Maqbool Khan, the film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat as the lead villain Yusuf Chikna. While the film lacks anything concrete to hold onto your attention,...

A sequel to the 1991 cult film Sadak, the latest release Sadak 2 starring Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Jisshu SenGupta, Makrand Deshpande, Gulshan Grover comes across as a half-hearted attempt that lacks the charm and nostalgia of the '90s. Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, who returned to direction after 20 years, the film has a lot of potholes be it story, screenplay or even direction. The story is about Alia's Aarya and Aditya's Vishal going to Mount Kailash with Ravi Kishore played...

Starring Janhvi Kapoor in the titular role, this biographical film, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl is inspired by the life of Indian Air Force pilot, Gunjan Saxena — the first Indian female air-force pilot in combat, and the first and only woman to be part of the Kargil War in 1999. Directed by Sharan Sharma, the film stars Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi in supporting roles as Gunjan's father and brother respectively. The films shows Gunjan's journey of realizing her dream of becoming a pilot...

With Vidya Balan in the titular role, Shakuntala Devi is a biographical comedy-drama based on the life of world-famous mathematician, also known as Human-Computer. Written and directed by Anu Menon, the film also stars Sanya Malhotra in a pivotal role with Jisshu Sen Gupta and Amit Sadh in supporting parts. The film is high on emotions and comes across as a mother-daughter tale in most parts. With the message that 'Why be normal when you can be amazing?', the film shows Shakuntala's balancing...

Dil Bechara: An emotional watch that celebrates Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor he was.

Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship doesn’t tinker with Bollywood’s funda for a horror film —horrifying make-up, loud background score and a few well-timed jump scares. There’s a ghost; a creepy doll, and an old professor who chants mantras to shoo away the ghosts and the hero, Vicky Kaushal, with full-on josh trying to solve the mystery of the haunted ship. Writer-director Bhanu Pratap Singh hasn’t made Bhoot outrageously funny but it crack you up at times, though unintentionally. Based on a...

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan talks about a serious subject but gives it a lighter treatment. Touted to be a quirky take on same-sex love, the film traces the journey and struggle of a gay couple — Aman Tripathi and Kartik Singh played by Jitendra Kumar and Ayushmann Khurrana respectively. The film takes on homophobia, and not homosexuality. It showcases the reluctance of the family to embrace their son’s sexuality and instead, be in denial. Aman and Kartik are a happy gay couple living...

The 1st thing that comes to mind is what prompted director Imtiaz Ali to tell a decade old story again, with messed up modern characters, who are also frivolous? Was it just a mindless decision to cash in on the craze his lead pair generate? 

Malang begins with a high voltage fight sequence and soon Aditya Roy Kapur goes on a killing spree; then a flashback as we are familiarized with Aditya and Disha Patani's love story; cut to the present day where he’s again killing cops; and wham, we are back in the past. A series of events unfold to reveal the climax. Yes, that's pretty much the order in which the film tries to keep you invested. Director Mohit Suri, who has earlier helmed Kalyug, Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain, frequently...

Panga is an honest, relatable film and a sincere ode to motherhood and those countless sacrifices that a woman makes for her family. Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Panga presents the finer points of our daily lives as compelling cinema. Panga is a must-watch for the way it’s told and for being real from the word go.

Tanhaji (Ajay Devgan) narrates the story of yet another unsung Maratha hero. Also starring Saif Ali Khan and Kajol, the film is a visual spectacle from the word go with elaborate sets, larger than life characters and edge-of-the-seat war scenes. You come out of the theatre calling it a paisa vasool film.

Chhapaak is based on a real-life incident of acid attack violence and a survivor’s (Laxmi Aggarwal) story. Chhapaak narrates the story of 19-year-old Malti (Padukone) who, as a happy teenager, aspired to be a singer, but ‘chhapaak’ of acid changes the course of her life. It’s a sensitive, brave and gut-wrenching story that’s not easy to watch, but definitely worth telling.

Good Newwz brings glad tidings – we get a talented cast led by Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan, a story that resonates with parents and those desperate to begin their family, and a delightful mix of comedy and emotions that never gets preachy. 

Mardaani 2 is a compelling watch that makes you uncomfortable time and again but stays with you for a long time. Written and directed by Gopi Puthran with Rani Mukerji in the lead role, the edge-of-the-seat thriller packs a punch and evokes the desired angst in you, as it highlights the gruesome crimes against women and also delves deeper into issues such as women safety, gender inequality and misogyny. Superintendent of police, Shivani Shivaji Roy (Rani Mukerji) is out to capture a criminal...

Bala is way more than just a good comedy film. It cracks right jokes at the right time and leaves you in stitches much more than you would expect. Director Amar Kaushik understands the mechanics well – something he displayed earlier in Stree, and Bala takes it a notch higher. The film starring Ayushmann Khurrana as a prematurely balding man is outrageously hilarious and empathetic at the same time. It introduces a quirky subject and builds on it with a single-minded commitment without...