If data is to be believed, India is a young country and a growing percentage of our galloping population is in their 30s and younger. This is supposed to make India the land that looks towards the future, towards a shinier, modern India that is nothing like the old India of the pre-liberalisation era.

So then why is it that commercial Hindi film, the shining cord that binds the nation together, has steadfastly refused to move out of the 80s? Every time a film that hopes to be a blockbuster is released, all Bollywood gives us are a rehash of the kitschy tropes and clichés that filled '80s’ Hindi cinema, and Tevar is the latest example of this weird time warp.

A chap called Pintoo (Arjun Kapoor) and a damsel named Radhika (Sonakshi Sinha) are thrown together by circumstance. She wants to get to the USA. He wants to be a hero. Pintoo just happens to be there when Radhika is being kidnapped by Gajendra (Manoj Bajpai), so young Pintoo does what every Hindi-film-fuelled jock dreams of doing: he thonks Gajendra in order to save Radhika, only to find people are shooting at him. So, to save his and her skins, Pintoo and Radhika start running.

You see, Gajendra is the younger brother and wayward muscleman of Uttar Pradesh’s Minister of Home Affairs, and he wants Radhika as his bride. He’s got an army of thugs and the state machinery is more than ready to do his bidding, which is usually to turn a blind eye to people being murdered in public.

So Pintoo and Radhika run, literally. After some time, it’s as though the two of them are training for the marathon rather than actually responding to a situation because arguably, the simplest option would be to take their troubles to Pintoo’s dad (Raj Babbar) who just happens to be a senior police officer. But that would be logical, and logic is obviously not allowed in a film like Tevar.

At one point, the constant running starts to get irritating and you wish Pintoo and Radhika would take a drinks' break and chat or something. Except every time they do stop to mouth dialogues, you start wishing they’d shut up and go back to running, because the things they say are so completely brainless. For instance, at one point, Radhika is yanked away from Pintoo’s side by Gajendra. She’s taken to Gajendra's palatial home. What does she do there in a bid to show she’s spirited? She challenges Gajendra and tells him that Pintoo will totes save her. Obviously she hasn’t watched all the masala films that Pintoo has – given her sub-zero levels of intelligence, it’s possible they would have gone over her head – because she doesn’t anticipate Gajendra reacting like a good old fashioned villain and demanding Pintoo’s blood. Except that’s precisely what Gajendra does. Cut to swirling dust, roaring men and dhishoom-esque sound effects.

Three sentences from Radhika and she’s laid a death sentence upon her prince charming. Suddenly, it makes sense that she’s not allowed to say a word for most of the film.

It’s not as though Tevar is entirely unwatchable. Its stupidity sneaks up on you after a reasonably enjoyable start. Director Amit Sharma shows a fake but pretty Uttar Pradesh that cashes in on every Hindu-rashtra cliche that you can think of. Here be fairs, Ganga-arati, Holi, housewives who stay in kitchens and sword-wielding men. Sharma also manages to weave in perhaps the best product placement – for Jockey underwear, no less – that we’ve seen in a while.

Initially, it looks like Sharma might have managed a set of characters who will make Tevar enjoyable even if it is embarrassingly predictable. Kapoor is fun to watch as a young man who wants to be a hero and when he’s with his family and his buddies, Pintoo’s a sweet kid. His encounters with his dad, mum and sister are lively and bound to bring a smile to people’s faces.

At some point, you might start wondering just how old this boy is – he’s old enough to be a state-level kabaddi champion, but not old enough to be pressured into having a job or get married by his family – but that’s a minor detail.

Unfortunately for Kapoor, Bollywood’s inability to think of a hero that doesn’t fit in the '80s' mould means that he can’t just go around cracking cute dialogues. He’s got to beat people up, snarl and be unaffected by lethal injuries as though he’s the Incredible Hulk endowed with a little bit of Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan’s onscreen DNA.

The few watchable details of Tevar fade into the background swiftly as what passes for plot in this film starts building up to one of the most clichéd and boring climaxes in Bollywood history. The path to this yawn-inducing scene is littered with gems like Pintoo needing half a day to travel 60 km and him racing with Radhika to pick up her visa from the American consulate on Holi. Yes, Holi, the national holiday, which for some reason, the American consulate of Tevar ignores. And not just any national holiday, but one that is so rowdy in North India that no one with a functioning brain steps out of their house on that day, especially if they’re a woman.

But then, common sense and intelligence are obviously not qualities that either Tevar or Sinha’s character possess. Yet again, Sinha has chosen a role that requires her to do nothing but stare unblinkingly and act unthinkingly. If this is all that producers and directors want from Sinha, may we recommend a blow-up doll instead? It’s cheaper and has about as much expression and pliability. Actually, maybe what we’re seeing on screen is a blow-up doll and the real Sinha is rolling around in a vat of money, shrieking “100 CRORES BABY!”

It'll be interesting to see whether the audiences lap up this exotic piece of rubbish that Sharma has dished up to them, packaged as it is in big-budget fanciness. If they do, then clearly the pundits who go on and on about a new era have it all wrong. You can take India out of the '80s, but you can't take the '80s out of India.

Editor's note: This review does not reveal spoilers, as such, but it does contain a number of details that a reader who wishes to be surprised at in the theatre hall may not want to read ahead of viewing a greatly anticipated movie -- and whose carefully guarded plot has been one reason for the level of anticipation.

If you’ve seen photographs of Rajkumar Hirani, you know that the director of the Munnabhai films and 3 Idiots comes across as a harmless, good-natured man. Kind eyes, bushy moustache, a ready smile – there’s nothing unsettling about him. Consequently, you expect his films to be as good natured as him, and usually, that’s exactly what they are. PK, however, is a Trojan horse, or a Trojan teddy bear (given how fluffy and cute the film looks). It shows up promising happiness and giggles, but leaves you with an attack of unexpected cynicism.

The plot of PK has been a closely-guarded secret and one reason for this is that the film doesn’t really have much by way of a credible story. Aamir Khan is PK, a Bhojpuri-speaking alien who looks like the buff lovechild of an elf (the ears) and a hobbit (the height and body language) and behaves vaguely like a telepathic Rain Man who picked the wrong person to give him a facelift (the eyes and eyebrows). PK lands in the middle of Rajasthan and his first introduction to planet Earth is that he’s robbed. Searching for the thief, PK roams around and lands up in Delhi, where he meets journalist Jaggu (Anushka Sharma). Jaggu has just returned to Delhi from Belgium, where she was ditched at the altar by her Pakistani boyfriend Sarfaraz (Sushant Singh Rajput). Fascinated by PK, she befriends him and decides to help him recover what he’s lost.

There are lots of funny exchanges as PK and others understand the ways of our world. The humour in the film ranges from the sort that has PK sticking his hand in a fat man’s bum to a subtler variety. Yet again, Hirani is able to coax a winsome performance out of Sanjay Dutt, who is very funny in his little supporting role. Sharma has the good fortune of getting to play a heroine who is independent, clever and not defined by a love story. There’s a spontaneity in Sharma, who has excellent comic timing, but particularly in emotional moments, Sharma’s performance feels artificial. Fortunately for her, most of those intense scenes are with Khan, who redefines overacting in his performance as PK. Aside from his Bhojpuri accent, everything about Khan’s PK is mannered and laboured. Whether it’s him doing a comic run or looking bug-eyed, you don’t forget for a moment that Khan is acting.

Almost everything about PK’s story is either ridiculous or silly or both. Who on earth decides to get married within 24 hours just to prove a godman wrong? Who dumps or gets dumped like Jaggu and Sarfaraz do, without ever trying to call or email the other person? How on earth did PK deal with the dryness and chafing that would result from interplanetary travel in the state that is apparently natural to his alien race? Us humans can’t manage a 16-hour flight without copious amounts of moisturiser, for crying out loud.

But none of this matters really, because the point of PK are the questions Khan raises as an alien and the world he sees. It’s filled with people who lie, who have no generosity, who are blind to one another’s suffering, brainwashed by orthodoxy and straitjacketed by fear. And all the while, they laugh and giggle and ignore this reality.

Using the fraudulent and fabulously wealthy godman Tapasviji (Saurabh Shukla), Hirani attacks all those who use religion to literally con their congregations. PK is scathingly critical of all brands of religious conservatism – priests who use false inducements to convert people to Christianity get as much flak as radical Islamists who threaten to kill girls who go to school — but there’s a special, intense anger at Tapasviji who doesn’t hesitate to fan communal flames and encourage his Hindu devotees to consider all Muslims suspiciously. All so that they don’t notice how much of a conman Tapasviji himself is.

There’s one scene in which PK sits on a train platform, with his legs splayed out before him, eyes unblinking. Everything about him is still. His face is covered with soot. He looks like a doll that was left behind in a dusty attic. He’s actually a man who has just survived a bomb blast. There was an explosion in a train and chaos reigns in the station. People run, cry, trample each other. PK sits there, like a doll, unable to comprehend either the horror of what just happened or the scared, uncaring frenzy of the people around him.

Usually, when aliens have been made contact with Earth in films, it’s been an opportunity for mankind to showcase its gifts and strengths. We show strength, ingenuity, determination, kindness — all the qualities that are supposed to make up humanity. InPK, under all the cute fun and silliness, you realise that in Hirani’s world, there’s nothing we can teach, give or showcase to our other-worldly visitor. Everything seems cheerful in PK, but there’s very little real good here on earth and the only one who offers some hope is the one who isn’t human.

On the face of it, PK is a simple, sweet family entertainer that has its heart in the right place and wants everyone to live happily ever after. It’s also one of the braver films we’ve seen from commercial Bollywood because of Hirani doesn’t shy away from pointing a steady finger at those who would inflame communal tensions for petty, personal gain. Somewhere under Hirani’s seemingly sweet and harmless exterior, is an angry, disappointed and disillusioned man. He doesn't appear in the film promotions, but he's the one making the films in which people take on the ugliness of the real world and defeat it. Their weapon of choice: optimism that just won’t give up, no matter how messed up everything may be. However, it’s telling that the one who wields that weapon in PK is an alien who just wants to get off this planet.

There’s no shortage of magic in Peter Jackson’s epic and emotional Middle-earth masterpiece.

The third and final instalment in the all-conquering series has got everything – an engrossing story, a near-overdose of thrills and spills, and a cast of uniquely memorable characters.

Movie: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Direction: Peter Jackson
Cast: Ian Mckellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch
Rating: 4 Star Rating

If the first two flicks felt like the orchestra warming up, this is the band in full swing as we bid a touching farewell to a little hobbit called Bilbo Baggins. As for the epic two hours-plus change running time, it passes you by in a flash.

The action begins above the fishing community of Lake-town as it’s torched by the evil dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). As the inhabitants attempt to flee, a brave elf climbs a rickety wooden tower to confront the beast, armed only with a bow and arrows.

Swooping over the rooftops and past the camera, the dragon’s blitz is a moment of pure cinema that thrillingly emphasises the creature’s sheer size and awesome power.

While this opening scene is in keeping with events in JRR Tolkien’s 1937 novel, it feels like a statement of intent from Jackson, the New Zealand director who’s been accused of turning the 300-page book into a lumbering, overlong franchise.

Make no mistake, he seems to be saying, after An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation Of Smaug, that this time the pedal is pressed all the way to the metal.

Watching the dragon’s carnage from the mountain of Erebor is Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and his dwarf pals, as separate armies of orcs, elves and humans mass for an almighty clash.

The film contains no shortage of wow moments. Just as you’re drawing breath after seeing an orc’s lethal encounter with an elf, you’re jolted into another jaw-dropper of a setpiece.

A sword fight on a crumbling bridge and a dramatic life-or-death face-off on an iced-over lake are particular highlights.

But The Hobbit isn’t just a pretty face. Amid all the special effects lies a moving story of a character’s transformation from meek, mild-mannered nobody to true hero.

Despite being caught up in events beyond his control, Bilbo overcomes adversity by merely being himself.

If you don’t believe in magic, you will after seeing this.

The Reel Lowdown

Best Quote: “You have but one question to answer – how shall this day end?”

Best Bit : Terrific effects and a spectacular climax.

Worst Bit: Jackson’s detractors will accuse it of being bloated and bombastic.

If you liked... The Lord Of The Rings trilogy ...You'll like this

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell is the introductory shot in Lingaa for Rajini in his avatar as a collector and king in British India. The Super Star has a dual role and plays his own grandson too, in the modern era.

But all through the film, sometimes subtly and mostly upfront, Rajini, in his public persona as the supercool superstar, super human being, with the common touch and the heart of gold, keeps peeping out. Almost in every frame of the film there is Rajini and it is all about adding to the Rajini aura and mania.

So it is no surprise if Rajini jumps off a cliff overlooking a dam at superspeed on his bike, to land on a gas balloon that is carrying a nitrogen bomb, to save not just female bombshell Anushka, fight off villain-in-MP avatar Jagapathi Babu and knock off a third technician, but most importantly to stop the dam built by his grandfather from being blasted to pieces, so thousands of lives are saved. Nothing that is unbelievable is unacceptable. Those are the scenes where yeh dil maange more for Rajini's diehard fans.

And then there is that superhero who will spend his personal wealth to build a dam and give up his beautiful palace (shot in the real one at Mysore), along with all the splendour of gold and glitter, caskets of jewellery, and walks away without breathing a word about his sacrifices, all so that common people will live well. And then the punch about happiness being not a state of wealth but a state of mind and heart. That gets loud cheers too.

Several intended-punch dialogues, with multiple loaded references to real life, where Rajini claims he is grateful he always had the blessings and support of the people, that with his talent, he could be in Parliament, a CM or even PM, that he has not failed, only delayed his success, all appear as though targetted at the perennial speculation on whether he will or he won't enter politics.

You could suspect that all this cinematic buildup could be a stepping stone to a real-life arangetram into politics. Or it could all just be to keep the suspense alive and happening. Nothing succeeds like suspense.

For a film crafted and made ready-to-release in six months, many frames in the film look like a richly painted big canvas, quite a visual treat, with the beautiful Mysore palace and also sets mounted on a mega scale, animation and computer graphics.

The film makes no pretences about being a classic epic-in-the-making. It relies on the time-tested masala formula, selling the style quotient of an ageing but still much loved and revered superhero. But at 175 minutes, the film is a stretch.

Rajini referred in the audio release prior to the film that the technical crew had openly declared that it took a lot of effort to make the 60 plus star look young and good-looking. And that his biggest challenge was to romance young heroines Anushka and Sonakshi, who grew up the same age as his own daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya.

Music by AR Rahman is not really soul-stirring except the one that Rahman has himself voiced. Some frames in the song sequences remind you of scenes from earlier films. The Mona song with Anushka has a nice lilt. The set in the latter half reminds you in part of the Robot-Rajini's headquarters in Endiran. The romantic number with Sonakshi inside a palace has a definite resemblance to the duet with Shriya in Sivaji.

Santhanam shares screen space with Rajini in his modern avatar, almost like Vivek did in Sivaji. Popular Telugu comedian Brahmanandam comes and goes in one scene. Telugu hero Jagapathi Babu, who played the villain in the modern era, couldn't recreate the menacing evil-coolness of a Suman in Shivaji. The character didn't have too much scope. Afterall the film cover two eons with the villain in the bygone era, an evil-Britisher antagonist too reminds you of Lagaan, except the character looked too cardboard and not layered at all.

The makers of the film perhaps wanted to avoid controversy with a disclaimer that elephants used in the film are computer-generated; but it did not really look like that, so they must have done a really good job of it.

Whatever the reviews and critics say, no Rajini fan is going to miss this film for sure. For the rest, I would say, it is still a pleasant time-pass entertainment.

There is a classic icing on the cake for Rajini fans who got a return birthday gift in the form of Lingaa on the superstar's birthday. Birthday boy Rajini blows a candle and cuts a cake even as everyone sings Happy Birthday to him in the film.

There are some things that are just not meant to be. Ajay Devgn doing choreography is right on top of that list. So, when Mister Singham teams up with Prabhudheva — yes, that 'h' is not a typo. While Devgn has chosen to drop an essential vowel from his name, the dancing director has opted to add an unnecessary consonant to his — you know there's disaster in store. Action Jackson is precisely that. The only good thing that can be said for Prabhudheva's latest directorial venture is that the font used for the credits is legible.

If there is a plot in Action Jackson, it's buried under a festering pile of ineptitude and fake blood. The lurid colours and jerky camerawork could spark a two and a half hour long epileptic attack. The cacophony that passes for the film's soundtrack can induce migraines. The acting is abysmal. The dialogues are crass. The fight sequences are a mess. The visual effects are shoddy and the editing is so bad, it feels like the film was cut using gardening shears instead of a computer. In short, if anyone would like to sue Action Jackson for damages, they can count on this writer for support. Play this film instead of interrogating terrorists and by the time interval strikes, those being interrogated will tell you every secret they've ever been entrusted with in order to not watch the whole, loathsome package that is Prabhudheva's new film.

Hurtling from Mumbai to Bangkok, Switzerland, New Zealand and a plethora of ghastly sets, Devgn snarls and slices his way through bad guys in Action Jackson. His sidekick is Kunaal Roy Kapur, who spends most of his onscreen time with his eyes squeezed shut, which is how most sensible people would react to Action Jackson. Sonakshi Sinha jiggles various body parts and bats her eyelashes. Yami Gautam gets beaten up repeatedly. Newcomer Manasvi Mamagai loses her shirt on a regular basis and like all good Bollywood vamps, smokes and behaves like a lunatic. Tamil actor Anandaraj is the villain who, for no fathomable reason, wears a contact lens that looks like a miniature CD stuck on his eyeball. Puru Raajjumar juts his jaw out and vrooms around Mumbai in a jeep because he's a police officer. Shahid Kapoor makes a cameo appearance in one song, possibly because Prabhudheva needed some respite from the cringe-inducing awfulness that is Devgn dancing. There are potted plants with more grace and a better sense of rhythm than Devgn possesses.

It isn't surprising that the characters the men play in Action Jackson are idiots and that the roles dished out to the actresses are embarrassments. Prabhudheva's films have the worst of '80s' cinema, whether it's in terms of values, (the lack of) logic or the terrible songs. What is amazing is that the director is allowed and encouraged to make these films, teeming as they do with regressive ideas and idiocy. Action Jackson's idea of keeping up with the times is to rip the shirt of Devgn's back at regular intervals so that he can flaunt his muscled body and Mamagai doesn't have to be the only one in the film who is half naked for no reason.

There's just one question that pops up again and again during Action Jackson: why? Why does an educated young woman, who heads  the HR department of a company, think that seeing one man's penis — it's Devgn's, naturally — will make her lucky? If she's such a devout believer of lingam worship, surely someone could point her in the direction of the nearest Shiva temple. Why does a woman who is obsessed with a married man say she's decided he can never be hers one second and follow this up with kidnapping his wife and child, trying to kill them and then trying to kill him? Why are we supposed to be awestruck by a kid who asks idiotic questions like, "How many alphabets are there in the English language?" (For future reference, there's just one alphabet. There are 26 letters in that alphabet.) Why does a gangster decide that his posse of henchmen will wear bright orange suits? It's not a colour that allows one to blend into a crowd.

Most importantly, why did anyone put their hard-earned money into this project when director Prabhudheva is quite evidently the worst filmmaker in Bollywood? And that's saying a lot, considering what the popular Hindi film industry churns out on a regular basis. Do yourself and those around you a favour: watch Action Jackson only if you have a free ticket or want to punish yourself. Perhaps if this film doesn't make an obscene amount of money, Prabhudheva will be forced to respect his audience a little.

They say all you get from love is a love song. Disasters, man-made or otherwise, too can face a similar destiny. All we really get from disasters are disaster movies. Some that shake and stir. Others that move and change lives.

Movie : Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain
Rating : 4

Ravi Kumar’s melodramatic recreation of the Bhopal gas tragedy, said to be the worst industrial disaster in the history of civilization, has an instant and lasting chemical reaction.

While familiarising new generations with the enormity of the calamity which claimed and maimed thousands of lives during one December night in 1984, the short and slick film also puts forward the theory of arrogant hegemony practised by US on poor countries.

There are portions of the narrative where we watch the proceedings with a feeling of dread and stupefying horror. The ironical logistics of making a quaint Indian city a dumping ground for the American Dream, is not lost on us. The narrative never slackens. Its vice-like grip on the moral dilemma of a town stricken by a desperate economic recession.

The director laces the dialogues between Union Carbide personnel (white and brown skinned) and the unsuspecting naive workers, with dollops barbed cynicism. The dialogues are strongly redolent of the stench that imperialistic forces spread in the Third World.

Yet ironically, this film depicts the small-city India that the Westerners who adored ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ love to gaze at: a kindly Chaplinesque rickshaw-wallah (Raajpal Yadav) and his doting wife (Tannishtha Chatterjee),a wedding in their family juxtaposed with the disaster striking the town ....a slimy journalist (Kal Penn, in excellent form) who discovers unplumbed depths of integrity during the crisis, a pretty foreigner journalist (Mischa Barton, role unfinished), adorable little peasants running around doing errands for the privileged classes....It’s all there, packaged in a glorious display of wealth stealth and exploitation.

While the performances are uniformly convincing, with true actors like Raajpal, Tannishtha, Kal Penn, Fagun Thakrer, Joy Sengupta and Vinit Kumar blending fluently into the bleeding fabric, it’s Martin Sheen who towers above the entire cast. He brings to his role of the Carbide killer elements of motivational integrity that make the monster humane yet unpardonable.

The film is at times deeply engaging in its exposition on nature and human avarice. The characters form an integral part of the narrative. If anything, you wish they would get more space to grow in the plot. Director Ravi Kumar hurls forward in the quest of a closure to a story that defies all culmination.

‘Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain’ leaves us with feeling of a deep longing for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, and for the victims of imperialism anywhere at any time.

Come to think of it, while the victims of the tragedy in Bhopal await justice, the only good thing to come out of the tragedy is this haunting dramatic film. Not to be missed.

Dulal (Mayank Tewari) and Mainak (Navneen Kasturia) are perennially broke roommates and struggling writers hoping for a big break in Bollywood.

Director: Amit Masurkar
Cast: Mayank Tewari, Navneen Kasturia, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani.
Rating : 2.5 

They meet with directors (Mahesh Bhatt and Anil Sharma appear as themselves), chase actors (Amrita Rao) and stand outside Yash Raj Studios hoping to get a meeting with Aditya Chopra or anybody who is related to him. Amit Masurkar's directorial debut follows the duo as they traverse through the Hindi film industry. It's not a pretty place as they are told to think like "dukaandaar" (shopkeepers) and not as "writers".

As Sulemani Keeda puts forth the frustrations, woes and aspirations of aspiring screenwriters, it also makes fun of the industry. Masurkar poses the questions: Do you sell yourself out or do you stand up for artistic integrity? Do you stick to formula or dare to be different? The answers are presented through the two protagonists. Of the two, Dulal is the quiet, brooding and creative sort. Still recovering from a break-up, he sulks and quotes poetry of Sahir Ludhianvi. In contrast is Mainak, more animated, potty-mouthed and driven for success at any cost. When the duo is called in to write an "out of the box" script for the oddball Gonzo Kapoor (Karan Mirchandani), an Andrei Starkovsky-fan with a cat named Fellini no less, they find themselves with a mammoth challenge. It doesn't help that Dulal is too smitten with Ruma (Aditi Vasudev), a US-bound photographer, to focus on the job.

The film is sweet in parts especially when it uses self-deprecating jokes to showcase the camaraderie between Dulal and Mainak. The latter is constantly disparaging Dulal but is also dependent on him. There are hilarious moments such as when Dulal and Mainak have an altercation with friends who are writing, and importantly making money, for TV. It is in scenes like this that viewers get a real glimpse into the daily and difficult life of the writers who are confronted with impractical requests.

With a run time of 90 minutes, the comedy does begin to drag. Gonzo's absurdities feel too contrived, and Mainak goes from amusing to annoying. The light-hearted romance between Mainak and Ruma is refreshing when compared to most Bollywood love stories, as Masurkar gives them proper conversations as opposed to just fleeting moments. But Dulal's sudden jump from professional to personal seems too sudden and hard to believe.

Nonetheless, cinephiles are likely to appreciate the attempt to show how hard it is for outsiders to break into an industry which is still driven by nepotism and commerce. Despite the film's flaws, Masurkar shows promise as a filmmaker drawing from what seem like his own experiences as a filmmaker.  It will be interesting to see what he comes up with next.

A lot of stupid stuff happens in Rensil D’Silva’s Ungli. A vigilante group is formed in Mumbai and they break maximum security as if it's child’s play. An undercover cop is sent to infiltrate the gang and haul them to prison, but is immediately so impressed by their actions that he decides to switch sides. Another cop, who is desperate to catch these criminals, also decides to switch sides five minutes after delivering a ten-minute sermon on the sanctity of police ki vardi.

All this actually works very well during the first half when the film plays out like a comedy. Nothing is taken seriously. The gang — comprised of crime reporter Abhay (Randeep Hooda), hospital intern/receptionist Maya (Kangana Ranaut), software engineer Goti (Neil Bhoopalam) and Oak Tree Groot (Angad Bedi) — goes about its job at a breakneck pace, nabbing corrupt government officials and strapping fake bombs to them, kidnapping corrupt cops and making them eat money and tattooing the middle finger on the body of a corrupt politician. It’s rather fun because we get to see a bunch of yuppies doing cheekily evil stuff to people who deserve ridicule. It also works because Ungli is sharply directed and edited, and there’s not a dull moment to think about the holes in the logic. Even Emraan Hashmi’s serial smooching gimmick is parodied rather well.

Unfortunately, right after the interval, the Second Half Voodoo Hex that’s sunk its teeth into Bollywood’s posterior because theatres want us to buy popcorn and samosas, descends upon the film with vengeance. To say that the film goes downhill would be giving it credit. The Ungli Gang, which takes a ton of effort to remain anonymous, recruits a new member without doing any background check. When the dude eventually betrays them, they cry about trusting him as their friend, and hilariously, let him go. Not to mention the dialogue – we get choice lines like, “Roney se koi fayda nahi, aansun se sirf whiskey dilute ho jaati hai.”

All of the comedy in the first half is replaced by unintentional hilarity, because suddenly everyone decides to become earnest. Now Ungli would have you take it seriously and instead, you realize how ridiculous it is. The film makes a genuine attempt to sell the ludicrous actions of the Ungli Gang as legit solutions to change the system. And just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, a romantic track kicks in coupled with a truly horrendous backstory for the Ungli gang. There is a ton of awfully handled melodrama as well, just to make sure your palm never detaches from your face.

It doesn’t help that the acting is guffaw-inducing, mostly because the characters are crummy. While Hooda tries his best to squeeze out sincerity in hammy situations, we have Ranaut standing around looking clueless and then disappearing from the film. Neil Bhoopalam, who is a decent talent on stage, is given awful material to work with. The grand attraction of this cast is Angad Bedi, who exudes the screen presence of Dino Morea, the charm of Fardeen Khan and the comic timing of Uday Chopra. Every syllable he delivers is a Googly that even his father Bishan Singh couldn’t conjure. The less said about Sanjay Dutt, the better. The fact that he plays a sincere cop is ironic enough. Neha Dhupia plays a reporter who can’t recognize her colleague (Hooda) when he wears an Ungli Gang mask and shows up, looming over her when she’s asleep in her bed. Then she can’t figure out that Hooda is the member of the gang when he gives her information about the gang.

D’Silva’s previous film, Kurbaan, had FBI’s most wanted criminal stabbing people in a packed bar and getting away. The plot holes in Ungli make that movie seem like a watertight masterpiece.

Ungli is a wasted opportunity, because it had all the tools for a fun comedy thriller. Perhaps next time D’Silva will deign to shoehorn melodrama when the comedy is working so well. The good thing about Ungli is it runs just shy of two hours, so even if you dislike the film, you’ll forget it the moment you reach home in time for dinner. The final shot of the movie is a giant hand showing you the middle finger, so whether you take that as a hint or not, is left to you.

Horrible Bosses didn’t need a sequel. While the blockbuster comedy proved quite enjoyable back in 2011 thanks to its ensemble cast of would-be criminals Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis, the storyline ended just fine. It was a sordid tale that turned surprisingly charming by the time the credits rolled. But Hollywood has its ways, and given that the film currently remains the highest-grossing black comedy to date, nabbing over $200 million worldwide, well, here we are.

And here isn’t too shabby. Gone are director Seth Gordon and writer Michael Markowitz. In their stead are Sean Anders and, um, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Morris, respectively. The principal cast, however, remains the same, bringing back Jamie Foxx and previous horribles Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston. There’s also an injection of some fresh blood with Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Quentin Tarantino’s bad boy Christoph Waltz.

To the writers’ credit, the sequel does try to shake things up. Nick Hendricks (Bateman), Dale Arbus (Day), and Kurt Buckman (Sudeikis) have finally caught a break in life by manufacturing a shower contraption that could make them billions of dollars — but more importantly, it could make them their own bosses, too. Unfortunately, a savvy investor (Waltz) lures them in, squashing their futures indefinitely. In an effort to save face, the unlikely trio resort to kidnapping his son (Pine) for ransom.

In light of this month’s historically atrocious comedy sequel Dumb and Dumber To (which, shockingly, also involved Anders), Horrible Bosses 2 is actually refreshing. It’s not nearly as smart as Christopher Miller and Phil Lord’s 22 Jump Street, but that’s because it’s a different brand of comedy. This is pure escapist fantasy for adult males, and it’s fairly self-aware in that respect, poking fun at its own caper plot by capitalizing on each of its character’s flaws.

(Read: Why, God, Why? The 12 Most Unnecessary Sequels Ever)

Yet there’s something rewarding about seeing Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis working together on-screen again. It’s almost like a dream team of TV comedy, featuring a riskier Michael Bluth, a more leveled Charlie Kelly, and an expanded palette of Sudeikis’ trademark everyman from his glory days at SNL. The surrounding cast also parodies their star qualities, whether it’s Spacey’s manic insults, Foxx’s tough guy persona, or Aniston’s sex appeal.

One of the key differences this time is Pine. Unlike the underused and nearly forgotten Waltz, Pine revels in his role as Rex Hanson, the billion dollar sociopath whose outside charm becomes incredibly eerie as the film edges forward. Think: Tyler Durden meets Jake Gyllenhaal out of Nightcrawler. It’s not exactly a transformative role, but it’s certainly an intriguing addition to his curious track record (which was recently given a proper study by Grantland’s Sean Fennessy). Can someone give this guy a chance?

Another reunion here is composer Christopher Lennertz working once again with Stefan Lessard and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. This addition might seem frivolous for a comedy these days, but the three assist in keeping things bouncy while also reining in the tension no matter how over-the-top it may seem on-screen. When paired alongside The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now?” — the de facto theme song for this series — the seams don’t show at all. It’s pretty rockin’, actually.

Not all of the film is kosher, though. Several bits fall flat — a running gag using Katy Perry’s “Roar” feels phoned in (literally), while an opening segment on a morning talk show was done better by Austin Powers — but it doesn’t matter because the scenarios the three find themselves in are secondary to their reactions. The entertainment is watching them think, fumble, stumble, and win. It’s what made the original such a success, and it’s what makes this sequel at the very least acceptable.

Really, the only horrible thing about this would be a third one.

Trailer:

What's it about: A kid genius from San Fransokyo Hiro (Potter) looks up to his protective elder brother Tadashi (Henney). He leaves behind the world of illegal bot fighting (he didn't seem that into it, anyway!) to live a life of purpose at the city's institute of technology, where everybody is making crazy developments in the field. The two brothers have a doting aunt Cass (Rudolph), who loves them like her own. A freak accident later, Tadashi dies and Hiro mourns his loss. His brother's project, a caregiving robot named Baymax (Adsit) tries to cheer him up and go meet his new friends. But when he comes close to figuring out who or what killed his brother and stole his latest creation, he fights back, only to be rescued and made to realise that he can't go up alone against an enemy he has no idea about. So this motley crew get their act together with some upgrades and get set to do battle against their foe. But when they finally figure out who he/it is, will they be able to finish the job?

What's hot: Decisions, decisions! It's at every turn, every corner, lurking and waiting to pounce on you, catch you unaware. And that's what keeps this film on its toes. You never lose sight of Hiro's journey. You're there with him through all his ups and downs, the heartbreakers and the corny moments et al.

The animation is path-breaking and the end product is a mix of both familiar and awe-inducing. You have to keep up to see how it plays out. Most importantly, it doesn't ever take you for granted and its heartwarming at the same time. You wonder why Hiro is held back from killing the masked man who supposedly got his brother killed and then tell yourself that it probably was the right call. And maybe it was and maybe it wasn't... who's to say, right?

What's not: You get Hiro's backstory and Baymax's as well. But apart from Fred (voiced by TJ Miller), you're kind of left out of the loop when it comes to the other characters like Wasabi and Honey Lemon and Go Go. Why are they doing what they do? The story almost exclusively revolves around one character. Does anyone else smell 'beginning of franchise' here?

What to do: This is a film you can take your family to. It's the kind of a film a child any age can enjoy, despite a few violent moments here and there. But then again, we see far worse on cartoon shows, these days, don't we? 

What it's about: It is Vishal Bhardwaj's adaption of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The story of a revenge. Haider (Shahid Kapoor) wants to kill his uncle Khurram (Kay Kay Menon) for having his father Hilal (Narendra Jha) killed and marrying his mother Ghazala (Tabu).

Film : Haider
Rating : ***1/2
Directed by : Vishal Bhardwaj
Starring : Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Narendra Jha, Ashish Vidyarthi, Aamir Bashir and Irrfan Khan

Haider's love interest is played by a journalist, Arshiya (Shraddha Kapoor), daughter of a cop. The backdrop of the film is Kashmir in 1995. The turmoil in the state at the time, and the turmoil being faced by Haider tie in wonderfully.

What's good: With Haider, Vishal Bharwaj completes his trilogy of Macbeth, Othello and now Hamlet. While most people would agree that Maqbool remains at the top slot, Haider comes in at second place. Vishal scores where he does best -- storytelling. He overpowers you with the locations, his actors, the language, dialogues and the background score. This is a subject that could have ruffled many feathers, but that doesn't stop him from showing what was wrong with Kashmir, or exploring the sexual undercurrent between the mother and the son. Vishal along with co-writer Basharat Peer weaves the Hamlet saga into the tension in Kashmir in mid 90s, making it hard for you to imagine it in any other setting. Haider is a well-acted, well-written and beautifully directed movie with a top supporting cast. But it is Shahid and Tabu that stun you with the ease with which they handle the complexities and layers of their characters.

What's not: While no one expects a Shakespeare plot to be snappy and quick paced, you will find yourself getting restless with the pace and the length. Twenty minutes too long? The Bismal song though wonderfully choreographed and performed by Shahid, is somewhat of a speed breaker as it comes at a point when you are keen to know what's ahead. The most dramatic moments in the film come way before the climax, leaving you feeling a tad let down as the credits roll. Haider begins as a great movie but ends as only a good one.

What to do: No matter what and how small the faults in the film, it deserves an audience. To experience a film that is so mesmerising that it will stay with you forever, even if it is in bits and pieces.

What it's about: The film begins with Viren Nanda (Jimmy Shergil) who arrives in London to take back wanted criminal Omar (Danny Denzongpa) back to India. However, he gets killed but not before telling Omar that his days are numbered as well. Meanwhile, Omar wants the Kohinoor diamond and wants only an Indian to steal it.

Film : Bang Bang

Rating : ** / 2

Director : Siddharth Anand

Starring : Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Danny Denzongpa, Javed Jaffrey and Jimmy Shergill

Enter Rajveer Nanda (Hrithik Roshan), an international thief who manages to do it, but the deal goes bad and he refuses to part with it. Now he is on the run, and is being chased by the Indian intelligence as well as Omar's men. While on the run, he meets Harleen (Katrina Kaif), a receptionist in a bank who joins him in the chase.

What's good: Hrithik Roshan. Shirtless. Whether he is chopping wood, stitching his wound or simply cooking in some exotic location, he's a treat. He's just as good in a suit and gelled hair too. The role requires him to dance, surf, sail a boat, ride a chopper and even beat up goons while eating parathas - and he does it all with panache. His eyes do as much talking as his biceps. He runs on top of buildings, into speeding cars, off cliffs and buildings, even gets shot at a million times and survives it all. Another superhero film? But why question it? He is in every frame of the film - and that is good enough. Katrina has to match up, and she looks ultra glam too. Always. Whether she is in the shower, or waking up from a drug-induced sleep, the lipstick is intact.

What's not: Right from the moment go, the film gets predictable. And oh-so-filmy, including a loud villain (thank God for Javed Jaffrey). The connection between Viren and Rajveer is exposed right at the start so the motive of the lead protagonist is clear. It ruins the whole premise of Rajveer being an international terrorist. You know exactly who he is and what is his plan. The entire angle of stealing the Kohinoor diamond is exaggerated and unreal. When you're specifying a diamond of that stature, at least throw in an iota of logic too. The writers believe the audience is too dumb to question any of this. The dadi who made you fall in love with her in Vicky Donor gets on your nerves this time. Director Siddharth Anand just didn't know what to do with actors and a budget of this magnitude. The worthwhile parts in the film are the action and the songs - we need to thank the stunt team and the respective choreographers for that. The least expected from Anand was to tell a story right, and he fails there.

What to do: Carry your ipod, put on your ear phones, enjoy the music and simply let your eyes feast on the Greek God on screen.

What it's about:

A Hyderabad girl Gulrez Qasir (Parineeti Chopra) is tired of the dowry demands from the parents of prospective grooms and decides she wants revenge.

Rating : **1/2

Directed by : Habin Faisal

Starring : Parineeti Chopra, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Anupam Kher

She hatches an elaborate plan with her father (Anupam Kher) to con a rich boy and run away with his money and make her dreams come true in America. What she didn't plan for is falling in love with Mr Wrong Tariq (Aditya Roy Kapur) and that's when everything goes... Well, wrong.

What's good:

The film starts off really well. Gulrez's relationship with her father, the arranged marriage proposals, her first romance, prepares you for a enjoyable journey, that doesn't quite deliver. The best thing about the film is Parineeti. She shines in every scene. She does what she does every single time — rises head and shoulders above the film and her costars. Aditya manages to hold his own but the film belongs to the leading lady. Anupam makes an impact, except in the 'light' scenes.

What's not:

Habib Faisal has written and directed some memorable films but this one seems confused. Is it about food, romance, social message or a con film is open to interpretation. Strangely it was marketed as a food film (the title suggests it too) but the film isn't about that. The film drags on in the second half.

What to do.

Head to Hyderabad and gorge on the goodies.

What it's about:

Khoobsurat does not have the same plot as the original Hrishikesh Mukherji film. It borrows bits and pieces from the Rekha-Rakesh Roshan starrer -- the discipline, the home run by the matriarch and the girl who comes and changes the atmosphere from gloomy to happy. Khoobsurat is modern day Cinderella, there is the prince and the common girl but instead of the evil step mother, there is a hyper real mother Manju (Kirron Kher).

Cast : Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Kirron Kher, Ratna Pathak Shah and Aamir Raza Hussain

Director :  Shashanka Ghosh

Rating : *** / 3

Dr Mili (Sonam Kapoor) moves into the palace to treat the king who has no intention of being cured. Things get complicated when the prince Vikram Singh Rathod (Fawad Khan) who is engaged to be married soon, falls in love with Mili.

What's good: 

Khoobsurat is a charming film essentially for young girls in love or the idea of love -- classic Disney blueprint. But there's enough for the grown ups too, as they can relive the memories of their first stolen kiss and awkward adolescent anxieties. This good, clean and refreshing rom-com has Sonam is her most inhibited avatar. From fighting with Manju over Skype, or fighting her own feelings for Vikram, she nails it.  The lead pair has great chemistry. Fawad is impressive. He wins you over despite your classic prejiduce -- good looking men can't act.  Both the mothers -- Kirron Kher and Ratna Pathak are brilliantly cast and throw in their own magic in the mix. Aamir Raza Hussain deserves special mention.

What's not:

I don't understand why our writers keep making their female protagonists extra chirpy and clumsy which is even less likeable a quality in a doctor. Some parts are a bit overdone, for example Mili's connect with the housekeeping staff is a bit overdone. Drinking and dancing with Ramu kaka, really? The Rekha starrer has universal appeal, while the 2014 is more of a chick flick, which may not necessarily be a bad thing. While the romance is bang on, the comic scenes could have been more sparkly.

What to do:

Khoobsurat is sure to connect with the hearts of girls of all ages.

What it's about:

Director :  Omang Kumar

Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Darshan Kumaar, Sunil Thapa


Rating : *** / 3

No prizes for guessing. It is dramatized version of Indian boxer Mary Kom. Her journey, her victory and her life story of sorts. Her story is not over yet.

What's good:

My favourite thing about the film is the genre. Sports, more than biopic. There are so few sports films made here (Chak De! Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Hip Hip Hooray), and I think it should be applauded and encouraged. We celebrate American sports films based on real people (Rush, Blind Side, the Fighter, The Million Dollar Arm) so why shouldn't we celebrate our own heroes? And Mary is a hero, no doubt. As is Priyanka Chopra, who delivers a career-best performance. if you wondered if the dainty girl who played a Supermodel in Fashion can transform into a national-level boxer, let me assure you, she does that quite easily. The test of the performance being in the fact that she owns the role. Now you cannot imagine any other actress pulling off this role with so much gusto. Mary Kom has a brilliant supporting cast. From Mary's parents, to the trainer (Sunil Thapa) to her husband (Darshan Kumaar)  It needs to be said that Mary Kom is not a film about boxing, it is so much more. It is the story of a girl's dream, her struggles with herself, her father, the boxing federation and finally as a mother who has to constantly choose between the sport and her babies.  

What's not:

Sometimes the film is better than the actor, sometimes the actor is better than the film. In Mary Kom, the film lets down the actors. The first half of the film drags. The songs slow the film down further and the climax designed to create tension, ends up creating frustration. The final match itself had enough going or it, rather than adding the whole hospital drama to it.

What to do:

Watch the film for PC. She packs a punch. A performance like that deserves to be seen.

What it's about: Raja Natwarlal was touted as a crime-comedy film. Makers are now mixing genres in order to attract different audiences, but the result is often disastrous. There was no comedy at all and crime is not what it should be. Raja (Emraan Hashmi) pulls small time cons with his partner Raghav (Deepak Tijori), a small time con artiste.

Film : Raja Natwarlal
Director : Kunal Deshmukh
Cast : Emraan Hashmi, Humaima Malik, Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon
Rating : **1/2

He is in love with Ziya (Humaima Malik) a bar dancer and in search for the last big con to rescue her from that murky world. Unfortunately in his bid to do so, he messes with the wrong man, Vardha Yadav (Kay Kay Menon). His partner is killed and he is on the run. In desperation he turns to Yogi (Paresh Rawal), a retired ex-con to help him avenge his friends death and pull his biggest job yet. But everything goes wrong.

What's good: It starts off well. The first con is pulled off deftly, and the film moves along briskly, preparing you for the good movie experience. But then it derails quickly. The film has a brilliant supporting cast. Paresh Rawal is brilliant as ever. Kay Kay Menon is a delight to watch, whether he is clobbering a poor soul with a bat, or when he finds himself poor, having lost every last penny. Humaima looks pretty and that is all that is required from her. Emraan seems to be going through the notions, including the smooching scenes.

What's not: When you are making a con film, it has to be clever. You have to keep the audiences guessing. Unfortunately here, you guess what the next scene will be. You can predict it. The cons need to come at the viewer fast and furiously but that doesn't happen here. The romance angle between Raja and Ziya does not blend well and acts like roadblocks in the film that is already disappointing. Yogi is supposed to be the mastermind here... but Raja keeps doing his own thing, defeating the purpose and buildup to the Master Con.

What to do: Watch the old Natwarlal, starring Amitabh Bachchan.