Dhoom Dhaam’s strength lies in its racy treatment, which keeps the audience engaged despite a relatively thin storyline. Rishab Seth’s direction shines through in the film’s visual appeal, with excellent transitions and well-choreographed chase sequences that add a dynamic energy to the goings-on. The razor-sharp editing deserves special mention, ensuring the movie remains crisp and avoids feeling dragged out. The chemistry between Yami Gautam Dhar and Pratik Gandhi is undeniably one of the film’s highlights. Their playful banter and mutual support make them a couple worth rooting for. The film’s ability to deliver a thrilling yet lighthearted experience, coupled with its high production values, makes it a delightful popcorn entertainer that doesn’t demand overthinking.
Despite its potential, Baby John suffers from a lack of depth in its narrative, particularly in dealing with the grave issue of women's exploitation. The story feels formulaic, relying heavily on clichés which do not offer any new perspective or depth to the topic. Unnecessary scenes, like the one where Baby John confronts a group of drunkards in a school classroom, disrupt the film's flow. The placement of songs is jarring, affecting the movie's pacing and coherence. The second half of the film lacks the light-hearted moments present in the first. This leads to an uneven tone throughout. Additionally, there are no surprises or unique elements that could elevate the film beyond the ordinary.
The writing of Bad Newz isn't particularly good, as a result of which it never really soars as high as it had the potential to soar, given its strong subject matter. The comedy at times feels forced. Bad Newz also becomes really melodramatic in a few portions, thus pulling the movie down quite a bit. The post-climax scene is hard to relate after all that happened in the climax. The makers' attempt to end the film on a comedic-high, comes at the cost of the storytelling.
Kaagaz 2 fails to realize its primary conflict for the better part of its runtime. It takes too long to set up and then get to the point. There are a lot of storylines running that have absolutely nothing to add to the film's core conflict and that subsequently bogs down the film and makes it less impactful. While the courtroom sequences are relatively better executed, the lack of repartees are a killer. A competitive defendant could have made for a slightly more engaging watch.
Sarfira is a deeply moving and delightfully inspiring movie that gives you the kind of experience that very few films do. Akshay Kumar pours his heart and soul into playing Vir Mhatre and it wouldn't be wrong to say that this role will positively bring him his long lost goodwill, back. Sudha Kongara's filmmaking is as smooth as butter and one doesn't realise how seamless the movie feels, despite being longer than most films that release these days. The story is gripping, the screenplay is brilliant and the dialogues are hard-hitting. The strength of Sarfira lies in how engaging its drama is; filled with the right amount of thrill and tension. The emotional scenes pierce the heart and they shall stay with you, long after you leave the cinemas.
Randeep Hooda. Randeep Hooda doesn't just work, he flies. He is insane to pull off a role like this. Words fall short in praise of him. It's a privilege to watch a piece of content made with this kind of passion. The story of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is extremely gripping and keeps you on the edge, through its course of three hours. The screenplay is solid. The dialogues pack a solid punch; Few may convince you to stand up and clap. The camera work is excellent and the techniques used to make the movie, make the movie very immersive. The best parts of the movie for me were the conversations between Savarkar and Gandhi; Civil conversations of two individuals with very different views on India's fight for freedom.
What doesn't work: One Friday Night is amateurly written and executed. The dialogues are simply poor. Despite being a short film, there are a number of scenes that just feel unneccessarily long and tedious. The majority of the cast acts unconvincingly, making me as a viewer almost feel disengaged through the film's proceedings. Performances: Milind Soman and Raveena Tandon give very basic performances. There's visibly a lack of prep that the two have put in for their part in the film. Milind in the emotional scenes just isn't good. Vidhi Chitalia as Niru plays the role of a playful young woman with sincerity. However, she too doesn't shine as she gets trapped in the mediocrity of the film. Final Verdict: One Friday Night is a disengaging thriller-drama with underwhelming performances. Better writing, execution and performances would have gone a long way in making the film watchable.
Yaariyan 2 could have been an enjoyably filmy Bollywood film but it feel lengthy, especially in the second hour. A few redeeming performances and good songs can make Yaariyan 2 a decent film for those who enjoy the filmy-ness in Bollywood films.
