What doesn't: The film struggles to maintain emotional depth and often settles for familiar tropes. Certain conflicts feel stretched, while some crucial moments lack the impact they deserve. A few subplots appear underdeveloped. Despite dealing with complicated relationships, the screenplay remains fairly safe and predictable. There are moments where the film hints at exploring deeper emotions, but it never fully commits to them. For a film that carries the weight of the Cocktail brand, the sequel misses the freshness and emotional resonance that made the original memorable.
The film cleverly incorporates elements inspired by iconic cinema moments, including glimpses of the legendary mythological drama Mahabharata and other memorable films.
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.
Final Verdict of Dhurandhar Dhurandhar is a gripping, emotional, and thoroughly engaging spy thriller. With powerful performances from Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, strong direction by Aditya Dhar, and a story filled with action, love, patriotism, and memorable villains, the film is made for the big screen.
Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Mohanlal starrer acts as mirror to socio-political narrative with string of new foes lining up to vanquish Khureshi".
As the writing suffers, Vrusshabha also fails to impress in terms of production value. The action sequences appear caricaturish due to poor set design and unimpressive costume choices. Moreover, the visuals and editing leave much to be desired, making the film feel stale and boring.
Sikandar is yet another case of a mass film failing to fulfill its purpose. While the action is the highlight, it still lacks the impact to keep you hooked. The storyline carries potential for emotions but it doesn't work due to half-hearted approach. The dialogues bore you rather then entertaining because the dialogue delivery of actors is as ordinary as writing. Nobody seems interested enough in making a good entertainer.
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.
