Movie Reviews

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Ek Deewana Tha

  The boy, an obsessive, relentless roadside Romeo, having chased the girl from the streets of Mumbai to Mallu-land, finally holds her, jolts her up, pops the winning question... Mayank Shekhar writes..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu

  The narrator, who’s also the hero, suggests there are three kinds of kids in the world: “chamche”, who suck up to their parents; the rebellious sorts, who take them head-on; and the smart ones, who do what they like, and their parents never know. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Gali Gali Chor Hai

  This relentless, blind hatred reflects the Indian middle class’ chief pre-occupation. The under-classes that this film, given the grammar, targets though, probably has fewer such issues with their netas, reports Mayank Shekhar.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Agneepath

  An earnest Vijay Dinanath Chauhan delivers poetic justice before a nearly packed hall on the proverbial 'first day first show'. Mayank Shekhar writes.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Chaalis Chaurasi

  The drama is set in stretched real time. The gang has a common mission, a heist that may or may not go wrong. Each character in the group is loony in his own unique way, writes Mayank Shekhar.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Sadda Adda

  The debutant director of this rather patchy, amateurishly filmed, poorly dubbed, artlessly designed picture is a writer as well. It shows. His last work was the awesomely executed Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar, writes Mayank Shekhar

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  Mayank Shekhar review: Players

  A few players intend to share the loot, given the plan or plot (borrowed from Hollywood) is already in place. That’s the story of this film. It could be the story of its making as well! Mayank Shekhar writes.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Kya Yahi Sach Hai

  A hammy waiter at a party suddenly grits his teeth, growls, scowls, runs towards a senior police officer’s wife to grab a piece of jewellery from her neck. The fellow’s picked up by the cops after. At the interrogation, he reveals that necklace was actually his wife’s. He’d pawned it off at a gambling den. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Don 2

  It wasn’t hard to tell where Farhan Akhtar’s 2006 remake of Don was coming from. The writers here have sub-plots. They continue to stretch and add thought to thought. The picture promises to never end. It gets hard to carry on with inane inventiveness.

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  Critics' verdict: Don 2 gets mixed reports!

  Farhan Akhtar's Don 2 has witty, zany and cooler dialogues, great action sequences, sleek & stylish package, but lacks a tight script. SRK who's back in a negative avatar with the film has done full justice to his role. Here's what critics are saying about the movie

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Pappu Can’t Dance Saala

  Survival’s a full-time job in Mumbai. Anybody who’s struggled their way through the city’s innards will know this. The makers of this movie do too. Their empathy constantly shows. Be that as it may, the hero here seems to be having a rather rougher day than usual. Mayank Shekhar writes.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Lanka

  The girl's a doctor. So is her dad. Goons guard their house round-the-clock. We’re in a north Indian small town, which like many, we’re
  told, is essentially one man, Bhaisaab’s (Manoj Bajpayee’s) personal fiefdom. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl

  After Band Baaja Baaraat, Ranveer-Anushka pair up again. Some more fine-tuning could’ve helped. This is when the commercially inevitable takes precedence over satisfactory explanations. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: I Am Singh

  The film's audience, apparently Americans, as you know, think Osama bin Laden was Sikh. They need serious education. The characters knock some sense into their heads, read out page after page from Wikipedia, in Hindi and English, on philosophy, history, teachings and scriptures of Sikhism.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: The Dirty Picture

  The Dirty Picture even when not mimicking its subject, somewhat retains its ‘80s feel: excessive dialoguebaazi, often loaded with double entendres, some loud scenes with actors always in a state of emergency, and the “serial kisser" who must land a Sufi song, and a girl’s lips to satisfy his core audiences.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Dam 999

  Walking over a bridge, the Kerala couple in this film, ex-lovers, look towards a river embankment before them. "Do you remember this dam?" the hero asks. "They're like us, holding pressure!" Audience laughs. Here's why. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Desi Boyz

  You figure this formula for the moolah could be a post-2000 film by David (born Rajinder) Dhawan. It turns out his son’s the director. Generations change. So do audiences. Same garbage gets recycled still. We deserve it.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Shakal Pe Mat Ja

  Don’t judge a book by its cover. So this film’s title suggests: Shakal Pe Mat Jaa, don’t go by the looks. I see the hopeless looks on people’s faces as they emerge from this movie just as I’m about to enter its next show. Read On..

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  Critics' verdict: Rockstar gets mixed reviews

  Though Ranbir Kapoor has delivered one of his best peformances so far, the film's script fails to live up to expectations. While AR Rahman's music is a plus point, Nargis Fakhri's performance disappoints. Here's what critics are saying about the movie.

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Rockstar

  The canvas is wide like early Sanjay Leela Bhansali's; bird's eye view of the stunning bridge is very Mani Ratnam; witty, earthy dialogues are so Vishal Bhardwaj. Director Imitiaz Ali manages to retain a personal, auteur's touch in a genre vastly commercial. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Loot

  Govinda is yet the super-star here, who doesn’t need dialogue sheets for his lines, he can get away blabbering anything. Javed Jaffery ad-libs alongside. Sunil Shetty is He Man. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Miley Na Miley Hum

  How many times must a debutant hero emerge from the same screen, to repeatedly announce his arrival: The one here first gets out in slo-mo from a BMW (first shot), then out of a chopper (to meet his mother), on a Lexus convertible (that his mother gifts him), bang in the middle of a wedding dance party (in a village), into the tennis stadium (where he plays the National finals)…. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Damadamm

  This film has a special song. The hero creates enough excitement in its anticipation. He finally takes the stage. We’ve all gathered at a posh, aiyash party. The announcement begins, “Ladies and gentlemen. Here’s presenting a philosophical research that has been conducted on mangoes, incorporating in it romance, humour and fun. Please give it up for Sameer…” The song goes, “I miss you baby. Like mango. Oh, ho, like mango!” Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Tell Me O Khuda

  Here’s the story: The heroine’s an artiste of sorts. Much later in her youth, she figures that she’s in fact an adopted child. Confused by this strange turn of events, she leaves home, generally curious to finally meet her biological parent. Her boyfriend remains by her side. Read On..

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  Mayank Shekhar's review: Ra.one

  Before adequately warning children against trying any such stunts, the super-hero leapfrogs over and at right angles of a running train. writes Mayank Shekhar. Read On..