Mayur Sanap

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Thankfully, the climax is terrific and gives the drama the payoff it needs.

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Sakhi Gokhale is the real surprise in Adkitta, who gives her most mature performance yet, cheers Mayur Sanap.

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For such a likeable ensemble cast, it is almost tragic how Bhai Tera Star Hai never grows funnier.

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What works best in Vadh 2 is that the film doesn't try to be a showcase for seasoned actors like Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta. Director Sandhu keeps the film controlled and simple, letting the story take centre stage. Both actors bring their A-game to their roles and this lived-in quality makes the characters and their predicament even more convincing.

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By the time the film wraps up, it's disappointing that a very little of Tu Yaa Main's grit truly sticks. The all-too-gimmicky thrills barely leave a scratch.

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The script is logic-free, characters are inane and acting is uniformly monotonous from everyone involved. Even the dialogues feel like they were written by an adolescent for a high-school drama ('Give me a chance, your life will be musical'). Dolly Bindra is the only known face in the film who saunters in and out of the screen as a lustful neighbour who has the hots for Aarav. The character is cringe-worthy and creepy, but is presented as comedy where we're supposed to chuckle. The film fails even on music department, which was the strongest suit of the original. Nadeem Saifi (who is credited as 'Of Nadeem-Sharvan fame') and his army of singers Neeraj Shridhar, Javed Ali, Palak Muchhal, Amit Mishra fail to render even a half decent song. The sheer awfulness of Andaaz 2 really doesn't deserve anyone's time or attention.

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This is really one of the most unique and creatively well-realised Hindi films I've seen in a long time. All this supernatural-mystery stuff is well balanced with the film's more grounded, socially realistic elements. But as the narrative unfolds, the story feels far too simple and predictable for its own good. The film falters a bit with a few plot points that aren't explored as much as they could be. Even Kaul's protagonist is largely pushed into the corner once the twist is revealed. Still, what makes Baramulla stands out is how confidently it holds your attention. While the final reveal plays too safe and it can be hit-or-miss for some, the journey leading there is so engaging that it's hard not to admire the film as a whole.

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But flaws and all, Black, White & Gray mostly remains loyal to its wacky scheme of things, and while at it, it keeps you hooked and entertained. That's a biggest plus for any show that is trying to be experimental.

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But when the show unravels its mystery, which happens quite early on, there is barely any impact or surprise as the following scenes only confirm our assumptions about what we earlier saw. Roshan Mathew, with his creepy demeanour and an obvious grudge, tries hard to make the character appear mysterious and disturbing but the tension never builds because of the constant predictable beats planted by Director Chandan Arora and his writing partner Sandeep Jain. For the narrative that delves into themes of manipulation and deceit, the show lacks the taut writing and clever deceptions as it meanders through twists and turns that can be seen miles away. The unnecessary sub-plots don't add much to the central story either. Trinetra Haldar's trans character Amy just feels like a bait for inclusive casting rather than an organic need for the story.

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On the surface, Kesari Veer is a tribute to the martyrdom of Hamirji Gohil, a Rajput warrior who fought Muslim invaders to protect the Somnath temple from destruction. But as expected, what we have is a high-pitched action spectacle masquerading as homage, much like what we saw in Chhaava. Unlike the Vicky Kaushal starrer, which had a few redeemable qualities, Kesari Veer is a tardy mixture of limp film-making and laughably bad performances that serves only unrelenting chest-thumping. Right from the beginning, everything seems off. And after that atrocious opening stretch, it's only downhill for the plot that takes us through the gibberish of yeh log and hum log. Everything in this film is written with the sole objective of latching on nationalistic fervour, and, as a result, there's no subtlety in the way it tries to push your buttons.

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There's no surprise how lazy and pointless Mastiii 4 is, but its biggest problem is the noticeable lack of energy, both in the way the jokes are written and in how Deshmukh, Oberoi, and Shivdasani deliver them. Deshmukh plays a zookeeper who proudly calls himself a 'Master Mater' because he helps the zoo animals mate. In his introductory scene, he is dressed in a lioness costume, trying to lure the lion toward the real lioness to get him aroused. What could go wrong goes wrong, and it's all downhill from there. There's plenty of crude vulgarity, which is expected for this genre, but it's executed with such flatness that it feels aimless and desperate, even by the film's low standards. The tiring parade of jokes plays out like a bad sitcom, full of nothing but puerile gags.

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The film mostly does a fair job of managing the chaos, but the inherent problem with Nishaanchi is that the story isn't as vast in scope as Wasseypur, and after a while, the arc of the story becomes annoyingly predictable.

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Amidst the films that mistake great length for epic stature, Vash Level 2 keeps the pace well under two hours. And even though it doesn't deliver an absolute knock-out experience we would expect from a horror sequel, it has got enough zing to keep the franchise hurtling forward.

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However, instead of really digging deep and creating an emotionally compelling drama, Sitaare goes for easy sentimentality where the button-pushing is consistent, but the emotional pay-off is far less impactful than expected despite having its big, gooey heart in the right place.

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The premise is incredibly wacky and yet simple, and thus, smart writing, direction and acting is necessary in order for the film to be convincing. It certainly is, thanks to Gour's skillful hold on the subject matter. He makes all of it seem effortless, and ties the themes of love, loneliness, urban relationships and sexual identity in the script that peeks into the private lives of a couple. He skillfully melds elements of fantasy with reality and keeps the film's narrative light-hearted and eerily suspenseful without going off the charts. From the get-go, we are drawn to the lives of Ritika and Mohit and the film manages to keep us hooked through delicious twists and turns with an ample doze of humour.

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