Category - Bollywood

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Rough Book’ Review – 2.1 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Rough Book Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: The narrative is subtle but doesn’t focus much on the teacher-student camaraderie, which is pivotal to such a story. Neither does Anant delve deeper into Suhail’s (a rich brat whose father is a top notch lawyer) journey from reckless to studious. The transformation happens abruptly sans a prelude, which is not impactful enough. The story touches upon a few necessary themes – from teacher poaching to the excessive emphasis on coaching over regular classes – but the ideas don’t find a strong voice in the movie. Their mission of portraying education as a calling and not a money-minting business gets lost in the film’s half-baked execution. Rough Book Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: Director Anant Narayan Mahadevan, who has made several attempts in the thriller and romance genres, comes out with flying colours with his film ‘Rough Book’. The film is more of an eye opener as it gives a hard and critical look at the education system in contemporary India. Writers Sanjay Chauhan and Anant Narayan Mahadevan have beautifully narrated the issue of ‘teacher poaching’ and the conspiracies running rampant in the Indian educational system. Maneesh Chandra Bhatt’s cinematography keeps the film close to home that you feel like you are living the story. Rupendra Das does a commendable job as a production designer. Rough Book Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Thankfully the locations where the movie has been shot, the gorgeous weather that has been captured beautifully in the movie are such an awesome relief, you understand why the writing may have meandered off into the misty hills… Might make for a decent watch on tv at home where you can start a conversation. Until then you just wish for something sharper than this blunt pencil… Rough Book Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: Rough Book is tiringly slow, lazily written and offers no novel insight into the acute crisis that our educational system presently faces. But it’s still watchable for Tannishtha Chatterjee. Her reading of a passionate teacher is a little less enthusiastic than Jack Black in School of Rock, and a little more practical than Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society. From the rest of the cast, which largely comprises of cameos, Suhasini Mulay, Joy Sengupta and Vinay Jain — all seem casual yet confident of their craft. The location used to convey the rural confines of Suhasini Mulay’s school is perfectly misty for cinematic frames and is a great production find. Review by Shubha Shetty Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: Considering that our cookie cutter education system is in dire need of an overhaul, the intention of this film is right. But, unfortunately, the lethargic script and dialogue give away a lot more than they should. There is obviously no homework done on the subject and hence, the teachers in the film, which includes a few of Santoshi’s supposedly ‘bright’ teacher-friends, dole out gems of advice which even primary school student would scoff at. One such line goes like this: ‘Likhne se pehle question paper ko theek se padh lena’. Tannishtha and the rest of the cast including Suhasini Mulay, Vinay Jain and Joy Mukherjee make a sincere attempt. But that obviously is not enough in the absence of the required research needed to tackle a subject of this sort. Review by Vishal Verma on Glamsham Rating: Further the writer and the director fail to engage and inspire us from the transformation and change in the idea and belief of students. It happens so easily and conveniently to make any impact. Ananth’s earnest thought only gets full support from Tannishtha who delivers a fine performance. Theatre actors Amaan Khan, Joy Sengupta, Kaizaad Kotwal and Suhasini Mulay are competent but a talent like Ram Kapoor is wasted. Juvenile handling and lazy ending adds further to the wounds. Best Rated Films in 2016 Neerja – 4 stars The Jungle Book – 3.8 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Udta Punjab – 3.5 stars Fan – 3.5 stars Dhanak – 3.3 stars Phobia – 3.3 stars Waiting – 3.3 stars Sarbjit – 3 stars TE3N – 2.8 stars Dear Dad – 2.7 stars Azhar – 2.6 stars Traffic – 2.6 stars Laal Rang – 2.5 stars Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Housefull 3 – 2.2 stars Veerappan – 2.2 stars Baaghi – 2.2 stars Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars Do Lafzon Ki Kahani – 1.7 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘7 Hours To Go’ Review – 1.8 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] 7 Hours To Go Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle Rating: ‘7 Hours To Go’ will leave you tangled in a poorly woven web of multiple mysteries. The first half raises your expectations from the film, but all falls flat in the second half. As there are multiple releases this Friday, the film has a fair chance at the box office where it will clash with ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’. ‘7 Hours To Go’ is not a good pick unless you want to witness a murder mystery of 114 minutes and wouldn’t mind leaving the theatre with a muddled head. 7 Hours To Go Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: Saurabh Varma’s inept film can be best summed in Varun Badola’s dialogue that translates to – “Make such an outrageous plan that even in 50 years, no one can believe that we pulled off something like this.” Well, that rings true for the movie as well. 7 Hours To Go is mind numbing. What was touted to be taut thriller, ends up as a damp squib. It probably had a promising idea on paper but loses the grit in transition. 7 Hours To Go Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: An angry young man takes seven hostages and asks the police for the head of a super rich man who has wronged him. The result is loud, chaotic and mostly pointless runaround. You want to empathise, take sides – the cops or the hostage taker – but the story is too convoluted for us to care. 7 Hours To Go Review by IANS on Zeenews Rating: The first half of the film is tolerable, but it is during the second half that the director seems to have lost the plot. Quite literally. While the tale is designed as a thriller, the director has infused oodles of light moments with behind the scenes action involving his characters. This defuses the momentum of suspense and the thrill in the narration. The film is supposed to be about the hostages, but their anxiety or anguish is never shown. The only scenes with them are half-hearted and lukewarm. Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India Rating: In a thriller like this, the progression in the script needs to be very effective to keep the viewer engaged. Varma loses control of that in the film’s second half. It’s almost like he didn’t know how to fill the gaps. So he adds scenes and characters that add nothing to the drama and instead fail to hold your interest. For example, too much of screen time is given to the character of hitman Amol Palekar (played by Ketan Singh) when the film would’ve worked fine even without him. The film’s equilibrium is shaken when Varma shifts gears suddenly— just when you are appreciating the director’s detailing, bullets from cars come flying out on the roads of Mumbai in typical filmy style. And what was with making both his lead actresses undress casually in front of their colleagues? The problem with 7 Hours To Go is that style overpowers substance at all times. Review by Shubha Shetty Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: The movie starts going steadily downhill as strange characters like portly unhinged contract killer Palekar and item songs with laughable lyrics are introduced along the way. Except Badola, who has the some smart lines and is pretty good too, not one performance is convincing enough for you to want to believe what is happening on screen.   Best Rated Films in 2016 Neerja – 4 stars The Jungle Book – 3.8 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Udta Punjab – 3.5 stars Fan – 3.5 stars Dhanak – 3.3 stars Phobia – 3.3 stars Waiting – 3.3 stars Sarbjit – 3 stars TE3N – 2.8 stars Dear Dad – 2.7 stars Azhar – 2.6 stars Traffic – 2.6 stars Laal Rang – 2.5 stars Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Housefull 3 – 2.2 stars Veerappan – 2.2 stars Baaghi – 2.2 stars Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars Do Lafzon Ki Kahani – 1.7 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Junooniyat’ Review – 1.6 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Junooniyat Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Absolutely, all cinema has scenes and images. But not all scenes and images are not cinema. Pretty frames do not a film make. It isn’t that the pursuit of cloying sentimentality does not sometimes yield pleasantly surprising results. But don’t expect any such miracle from Junooniyat. Junooniyat Review by Kriti Tulsiani on News18 Rating: The plot is so predictable that it’s not just the next twist that you’ll be able to guess but also the dialogues. It is riding solely on clichéd twists and turns. Even if the actors try to raise the bar with their performances, the script pulls it down. Out of the many done-to-death concepts this film has, the notable ones include family’s resistance for their daughter marrying an army officer and a big fat Punjabi wedding towards the end. There are a whole lot of cliched dialogues such as ‘Dil de rahi hu Captain, toddna mat’ to ‘Aisi koi paheli nahi jo maine suljhayi nahi’ which take you back to the to the era of melodramatic Bollywood fillms and makes the film fall flat. To the film’s credit, the picturesque Himalayan locales have been explored beautifully. Yami’s on-screen persona works well for this one. Junooniyat Review by Namrata Thakker on Rediff Rating: Pulkit and Yami aren’t bad actors but they need to stop working with each other for a while. And no romantic movies either, please! The Vicky Donor actress looks pretty throughout the film but, when it comes to acting, she is just about okay. So is Pulkit. The first half of the film is still tolerable, courtesy the exotic locations but the second half is just too much to handle with all the drama and sappy sequences. Junooniyat Review by Meena Iyer on The Times Of India Rating: In all fairness, Pulkit and Yami breathe life into their characters. We wish they were not saddled with such a lacklustre script. The only thing you take back from this film are the breath-taking visuals of the snow-capped Kashmir mountains captured in their entirety. For the rest, this one draws a huge blank. Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times Rating: Pulkit Samrat tries, but never gets a chance to break free from the clutches of Bollywood’s stereotype of an army guy. Yami Gautam could’ve done better, but Junooniyat is more of a musical than a solid relationship drama. Confined to look good, dance well and act like typical Punjabi girls do in films, she fades. Gulshan Devaiah and the cinematography by Attar Singh Saini are the two good things going for the movie, but do little to salvage the bad script. Some melodious tunes may entice you, but that’s not enough to keep you hooked for the two-hours and odd saga. Review by Shaheen Parkar on Mid-Day India Rating: Writer-director Vivek Agnihotri seems to have put in a lot of efforts to come up with good production values — there are some picturesque locations and detailing of the regions where the film has been shot, including the costume department, seem bang on. But the bright and colourful phulkari dupattas of Punjab sadly cannot stop the film from being lacklustre. Junooniyat Review by Mumbai Mirror Rating: Yami Gautam’s Suhani is refreshing, enthusiastic and oblivious to the world around her — almost like someone in a talcum powder commercial. She pulls off the docile-yetheadstrong Punjaban to some extent and lines like “Main modern times hoon,” are mildly adorable. But in furnishing someone in love, she’s like a babe in the woods. Also, hoping to pass for a college-goer, she’s a bit overage, about a year or 10 that is. Pulkit Samrat has matured as an actor and flaunts a restrained confidence. But even he is unable to lift the low spirits of this predictable love story. It has been well established that Hate Story director Vivek Agnihotri is a master of none. To his credit, he manages to make the first half of this predictable tale bearable, if not enjoyable. But the second half drags on for eternity, making it a tiring watch. Review by Subhash K Jha on Bollyspice Rating: Thriving purely on corny lines and brainless situations the one bright spot in Junooniyat is Attar Singh Saini’s camerawork which captures the pristine snowpeaks of Kashmir with a care that is not evident in any other component that constitutes this excruciatingly trite and indifferent love story. Best Rated Films in 2016 Neerja – 4 stars The Jungle Book – 3.8 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Udta Punjab – 3.5 stars Fan – 3.5 stars Dhanak – 3.3 stars Phobia – 3.3 stars Waiting – 3.3 stars Sarbjit – 3 stars TE3N – 2.8 stars Dear Dad – 2.7 stars Azhar – 2.6 stars Traffic – 2.6 stars Laal Rang – 2.5 stars Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Housefull 3 – 2.2 stars Veerappan – 2.2 stars Baaghi – 2.2 stars Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars Do Lafzon Ki Kahani – 1.7 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Independence Day Resurgence’ Review – 2 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Independence Day Resurgence Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: Back in 1996 when INDEPENDENCE DAY released, it fast became one of the best visual experiences on the big screen with a plethora of explosions and cutting edge CGI (for that time) literally wowing the audience. Another factor that worked for the original was Will Smith and his off handed attitude that despite coming off as an Elvis impersonator managed to keep the proceedings light yet gripping even when faced with dire consequences. Cut to two decades later, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE certainly has been developed on a much bigger scale, with bigger budgets, more advanced visual technology and a more receptive audience, the film comes across as a worthy successor that despite having its pitfalls does manage to capture the essence of the first film. Speaking of pitfalls, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE does have its share of drawbacks with a major one being, the lack of ability for the viewer to relate to and connect with the onscreen characters. While in the first film the viewer instantaneously connected to and developed a rapport with the characters, this one gives the viewer a feeling of being a mere spectator on a large battle field. As for the performances, Liam Hemsworth being the main protagonist, who reprises the title role that could have been compared to Will Smith’s from the first, does a good job. However, he falls massively short of being convincing as the film’s main saviour. Jesse Usher as Dylan Hiller, Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith)’s step son is underwhelming. The lad who survived the original invasion, should have been more inspiring especially since he along with Hemsworth are literally the only saviours. On the other hand, the conversations of Nicolas Wright as Floyd Rosenberg and Deobia Oparei, who essays the character of Dikembe Umbutu, bring in much needed comic relief that not just lightens up what could have been a never ending series of destructive assaults, but also brightens up the film. Independence Day Resurgence Review by Tatsam Mukherjee on India Today Rating: You don’t expect anything but superficial entertainment in this bang-for-buck movie, and this sequel doesn’t even deliver on that. It wouldn’t hurt to start with an interesting story, and not cash in on the sequel bandwagon of a successful film. It’s sad to see a man like Roland Emmerich struggle to make a decently entertaining film, right up his alley. Maybe he is not as good as he used to be. Or maybe the standard of a spectacle has shot way up in the past decade. Independence Day Resurgence Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life Rating: Though the later portions of the film, especially the climax, is total delight, the initial portions are a drag! We are left listening to a lot of boring expositions and twiddling our thumbs waiting for the aliens to attack and the fun to begin. Unlike the first film, there are too many characters for the film to focus on, so except for a couple of characters from the original, we are not really able to connect with the rest of the characters. This in particular affect the new heroes of the film, none of whom, save for It Follows‘ Maika Monroe, manage to make an impression on us. Here’s where we miss the charm of Will Smith, because the sequel had more than 4 pilots to replace him, and yet none of them could even steal a single scene on their own. The sequel uses the same plot devices of the original film – alien attack, cities and landmarks (including the White House) destroyed, a suicide mission and the defeat of the main ship that scutters others away. Yet, the film doesn’t have the heart of the original. I mean, when the White House was destroyed in the first film, it had an impact of how grave the threat was. Here the destruction is just a series of sequences that is building up for an epic match in the climax. Independence Day Resurgence Review by Rohan Naahar on Hindustan Times Rating: Independence Day: Resurgence ends on a terrifying thought. No, it has nothing to do with angry aliens or inept humans like the movie’s 2 hours will have you believe. But in its final moments, it gives the impression that director Roland Emmerich, sensing the inevitable global apocalypse that will be brought on by a Donald Trump presidency, got the narcissistic walking wig on the hotline, bent over in complete submission and swore his allegiance. The film takes a turn from which there is no coming back – it makes us, or at least ponders the possibility of making us, the perennial victims of alien invasions, the invaders. Independence Day Resurgence Review by Johnson Thomas on Mid-Day India Rating: ‘Resurgence’ is surely attempting to do a ‘Jurassic World’ for the franchise but this Roland Emmerich helmed sequel appears to have delayed it’s coming by a good ten years. The current generation has already seen countless repeat and reprise efforts from contemporary spectacle specialists so this one doesn’t quite have the blistering genre redefining power that the original did. The irreverence involved in the monument trashing on display here makes it all seem quite ridiculous, fanciful and tends towards tedium. To the extent that even a short 120 minute runtime begins to feel a little long in the tooth! Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff Rating: One sees a lot more of the aliens in this edition though not necessarily in a good way. From shrewd control freaks engaged in absolute planetary invasion to sputtering monsters with Godzilla-sized egos, the indignity meted out at the extra-terrestrial ilk is unintentionally comic. Independence Day: Resurgence only reiterates one thing. Be it alien, superhero, monsters or natural calamity, the blockbuster factory acts on the same pig-headed formula of mindless explosion, collapsing buildings, vast amounts of rubble and everything going up in a giant ball of smoke. Review by Bryan Durham on DNA India Rating: There’s a new world to play with. A more evolved Earth. Space travel. Better tech. Better communication. The updation sits easy with Emmerich’s vision. A few familiar faces from the first movie share space with a lot of new ones. Goldblum has been a joy to watch ever since the mid-80s, if you were a sci-fi fan. Though, it was in the 90s that he lived his glory days. His dour, no-nonsense return to the franchise (we can call it that now!) as David, gives it the respectability we wouldn’t afford it otherwise. Pullman’s here, too. And while, he isn’t in the White House, anymore, he still commands the same respect they gave him two decades ago. They call these legacy roles for a reason. Among the new faces you’ll see going forward, Hemsworth gets the most screen-time. We loved Deobia Oparei as the deadpan katana-wielding warlord Dikembe Umbutu and we’d like to see more of him in a sequel. Review by Suraj Prasad on Deccan Chronicle Rating: This movie is an attempt to revive the storyline, and there are announcements for future episodes too. So next year perhaps we would be witnessing another sequel, and now with access to more advanced technology and another helpful alien specie we might be moving further away in the space. It is going to be interesting to see actual science catch up with science fiction though, who would not want to go for a special vacation on the Moon? The writer is founder, Lightcube Film Society Review by Renuka Vyavahare on The Times Of India Rating: The special effects used for destruction scenes are spectacular and enhance the visual experience. 3D viewing is avoidable as the perpetual dark hues on screen strain the eyes. The film also drags towards the end. Nonetheless, if you enjoy formulaic chaos and are fine with cliched celebration of human resilience, this one’s quite engaging. We wish there was at least one iconic scene though. The stuff that Marvel offers you in abundance. Review by Shalini Langer on Indian Express Rating: Some of the fights are impressive, most of the destruction routine (“The aliens are going for the landmarks,” comments Levinson at one point as the Tower Bridge of London collapses), and a large part of the dialogue perfunctory. And yes, there is the speech by the US President which “the world is listening to on short-wave radio”, about how, “irrespective of colour and creed”, everyone should pray for the soldiers going in for this inter-galactic war. And yet, the winner is clear. Producers skipped a release closer to July 4 apparently because of some big blockbusters then, but the film is replete with America’s independence day references. And guess what happens when the storm whipped up by the aliens washes up to the White House doorstep? It stops, after just tumbling the flag. Review by IANS on NDTVMovies Rating: Visually, this film does not offer anything novel. The CGI heavy frames with 3D effects, over a period of time, get tedious because most of the action has been seen in recent disaster films. The set-action sequences too are nothing to write home about. And the alien ‘Queen’ ship though gigantic, is pretty unimpressive. Overall, Independence Day: Resurgence is a huge disappointment. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: The idea of a Queen alien insect controlling a hive is even older than the Borgs of Star Trek. And the Borgs could choose to beautiful when they wanted to… The joy of watching a science fiction movie is not knowing the enemy. That’s what offers us something to look forward when you watch sequels. That’s why Star Trek or Star Wars or indeed any other franchise move either forward or backward in time so there are new stories. This story should have been buried, not resurrected. Review by Rajeev Masand on News 18 Rating: The younger cast, they just don’t have the presence to match Will Smith’s hotshot pilot from the earlier film. We also don’t get one clear hero to root for. Apart from a few impressive bits of sheer CGI spectacle, the film is sorely lacking in memorable moments and ends up feeling like a slog. I’m going with one-and-a-half out of five for Independence Day: Resurgence. It doesn’t even deliver on the promise of dumb fun. For that, it needed to be a little less dumb and a lot more fun. Best Rated Films in 2016 Neerja – 4 stars The Jungle Book – 3.8 stars Airlift – 3.7 stars Kapoor & Sons – 3.7 stars Udta Punjab – 3.5 stars Fan – 3.5 stars Dhanak – 3.3 stars Phobia – 3.3 stars Waiting – 3.3 stars Sarbjit – 3 stars TE3N – 2.8 stars Dear Dad – 2.7 stars Azhar – 2.6 stars Traffic – 2.6 stars Laal Rang – 2.5 stars Ki & Ka – 2.5 stars Jai Gangaajal – 2.3 stars Fitoor – 2.3 stars Housefull 3 – 2.2 stars Veerappan – 2.2 stars Baaghi – 2.2 stars Rocky Handsome – 2.1 stars Do Lafzon Ki Kahani – 1.7 stars

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Average Rating of All ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’ Review – 3 stars” style=”rounded” bg_color=”#1e73be” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=””] Raman Raghav 2.0 Review by Bollywood Hungama Rating: The film’s writers (Vasan Bala, Anurag Kashyap) on the ‘pretext’ of creating an edge-of-the-seat thriller in the form of RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0, land up doing a shabby job. Even though their writing helps in keeping the audience and their fears intact (strictly in places), it is the overdose of everything that kills the basic essence of the film. Because Anurag Kashyap has always delivered with his dark films (which majorly forms his home turf), the expectations from RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0 were sky high. Coupled with this were the film’s gripping trailers, which, only added to the expectations. Unfortunately, despite all this, Anurag Kashyap goes astray with his direction at many places, which greatly undermines what could have been an eerily gripping psychological thriller. In the name of ‘cinematic liberties’, there are way too many flaws in the film. To cite a few examples, where on earth does one find an IPS officer like Raghav, who is always high on drugs and flaunts his official revolver to have his way with the girls in night clubs? If that wasn’t enough, he also lands up killing someone, that too, at the behest of a dreaded criminal. Besides all this, during one of Raman’s escapades he manages to free himself from the clutches of the policemen and flee by simply unbuttoning his shirt! The cops in this movie are straight out of the 80’s Bollywood films where they basically can’t do a single task properly. While all of the film’s characters get established and justified in its first half, it’s the film’s second half that slips. The film’s first half tries to establish a promising plot, but the second half drags endlessly and is filled with meaninglessly gruesome murders. Add to that, Anurag Kashyap continues to suffer from his Quentin Tarantino hang over by breaking the film into ‘Chapters’ and stretching a scene for longer than expected, but many times it just feels too much to take. Raman Raghav 2.0 Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies Rating: Watching Raman Raghav 2.0 is, therefore, somewhat like reading an incomplete map, with many boundaries and dabs of crucial info either completely missing or too inchoate to decipher. But that isn’t such a bad thing. The film demands from its audience more than the usual level of mental focus in order to mark off the units as they flash by with dizzying pace. Raman Raghav 2.0 Review by Aseem Chhabra on Rediff Rating: If there is one big surprise in Raman Raghav 2.0, it is Vicky Kaushal’s star-making performance, a far turn from his heartbreaking innocent Deepak character in last year’s Masaan. As cocaine takes total control of Raghav, the cop starts to break apart. His misogynist acts again makes Raman Raghav 2.0 a difficult film to really admire. Kaushal displays a lot of brave acting, including a terrific confrontation scene with his father (Vipin Sharma in a brief appearance). There is real good cinema in that scene towards the end of the film, and also a reminder that Kashyap has a lot of talent. He just needs to stop making films that are very similar. Raman Raghav 2.0 Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life Rating: Kashyap is confused about the film he wants to make. Is the film about the serial killer? But then the start credits say that the film is not about the murderer, so then is it about the cop and his backstory? These questions are never answered. The first half holds your interest for a bit, but once the pace slackens you will be left twiddling your thumbs. There are very few light moments that provide relief. Vickey’s drugged out cop act too isn’t well explained. Where is his angst coming from? By the time you reach the climax that leaves you high and dry, there is very little that stays with you as you leave the theatre. Perhaps had the focus stayed on Nawaz’s character we could have got a better film. Review by Manjari Saxena on Gulfnews Rating: The story moves at a steady pace through chapters, but loses steam slightly after the interval. There are a couple of murders which really didn’t need to be part of the story. We were quite familiar with Ramanna’s depravity from the scene where he murders his sister and her husband and young son. Or, the one where he spends the day in a filthy drain, breathing through a hose, to escape the police. At times it can feel as if you are being bludgeoned. But Kashyap’s thriller will keep you glued to your seat in spite of an expected end. Both Kaushal and Dhulipala come up with brilliant performances, but it is truly Siddiqui who steals the show. Review by Sweta Kaushal on Hindustan Times Rating: Raman and Raghav are characters you cannot empathise with. They are sadistic to the core and co-writers Anurag and Vasan Bala make no attempts to justify their behaviour. There’s isn’t a society that can be blamed for their criminal behaviour and that’s the brilliance of the film. Much like Heath Ledger’s Joker, Ramanna doesn’t bother justifying his actions, he just enjoys them. Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala Rating: The biggest problem of Raman Raghav is that it justifies the evil characters it shows. Raman kills mercilessly. He is then shown rummaging through garbage for food. Aww so poor, so bechara. He even gives a monologue towards the end explaining how his killings are better than those killings that happen in the name of God or religion. Wow serial killer better than a Sadhu! Hmmm, that makes so much sense, yeah sure. Even the other dark character has his own set of excuses. Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies Rating: Usually, films stop being entertaining in the second half, but with Raman Raghav 2.0, the situation is reversed. The first half of the film moves at a slow pace with long-drawn scenes and one wonders when Kashyap will get to the point. It is in the second half that the story slowly unravels and offers you a glimpse into the darkness of the human heart and mind. Review by Mohar Basu on The Times Of India Rating: Director Anurag Kashyap treads familiar ground with Raman Raghav 2.0. It is overwhelmingly dark with deep macabre undertones. Kashyap gets the moral pendulum oscillating between his prime characters – one a cold-blooded murder and another who has all the makings of becoming one. He subtly draws parallels between the personalities of his men who stand on opposite sides of the spectrum. Raman beautifully puts it in one of the film’s early scenes that after all, he and Raghav are the same people but the police uniform validates or criminalises their actions. Review by Vishal Verma on Glamsham Rating: Nawazuddin Siddiqui gives a stellar performance. The master actor is in complete command and the intensity is not at all missed even for a blink. A class act. Vicky Kaushal delivers in a tough role of a drug addict cop thrown between his dilemma, responsibility and duty. Fantastic. Sobhita Dhulipala is a beautifully stunning find. Those looking for fine points in morality, humanity and good virtues in this Anurag Kashyap’s RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0 will be disappointed. The woman characters shown in the film are weak plus the impulse of the coke ridden cop is unexplained. But for others and especially Anurag Kashyap, this dark, grisly and stylish pulse riser produced by Phantom films and distributed by Reliance should find solace amongst the followers of this genre. Those looking for a dark, de noire, and grisly time on screen with a twist in inhumanity powered by Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s topnotch performance. RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0 makes the kill. Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express Rating: As Raghavan, Kaushal gets a little more. He has a scene in his home with his father (the excellent Vipin Sharma) which intrigues, which gives us a hint of an unusual father-and-son relationship. It left me hungry for more. But the film turns back all too soon to its bloody bodies and spilled gore, which in turn starts feeling gratuitous all too soon. There are some mesmeric bits in here, which belong to Siddiqui. But those are not enough. Without those crucial elements, the film is rendered atmospheric yet hollow, and we are turned into cringing voyeurs, into reluctant participants, without redemption. Review by Shubha Shetty Saha on Mid-Day India Rating: Nawazuddin breathes and lives Ramanna so effortlessly, when he in a nonchalant manner goes about dragging an iron rod in the dead of the night looking for his victims or coolly jots down the number of people he killed, in his small book. Vicky Kaushal is a green horn compared to Nawazuddin, but he does a pretty good job. What works against Kaushal is also the shallow character sketch that he gets as Raqhav. Amruta Subhash is fantastic. Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning Rating: Go watch this film because you learn to confront devil within you, and no one makes you want to side with the devil better than Anurag Kashyap. Review by Ananya Bhattacharya on India Today Rating: Over the 2 hours and 25 minutes of Raman Raghav 2.0, there is one emotion running through everyone watching the film: fear. Your intestines are in a knot. The moment you let out a breath, Ramanna strikes with his crowbar. You laugh nervously at Ramanna’s jokes, and the next moment, he strikes again. The film is more alive in these moments of apprehension than anything else. Within the span of Raman Raghav 2.0, Anurag Kashyap makes full use of his craft. Kashyap and Vasan Bala’s story finds an able companion in Jay Oza’s cinematography. When someone walks into a murder scene with a handkerchief on his nose, you automatically hold your breath. Mumbai is real in the buzzing of the flies or the bustle of the slums. Review by IANS on Zeenews Rating: The film is astutely mounted with fine production qualities that make the entire setting appear ordinary and regular. This is brilliantly captured by Jay Oza’s camera work. Especially dramatic are his visuals captured in claustrophobic spaces. What adds to the viewing experience is Ram Sampath’s frenzied and adrenaline-packed background score, which is efficiently layered by Aarti Bajaj’s crisp editing. Overall, “Raman Raghav 2.0” is a cleverly crafted and compelling film. Review by Harshada Rege on DNA India Rating: Raman and Raghav are characters that you cannot empathise with and yet they are a reflection of the ugly reality of our society, which allows those with power to get away with their wrongdoings. The movie is constructed in an interesting chapter structure and well paced. A scene where you get a clear picture of Raman’s depraved mind is the one where he visits his sister. Aarti Bajaj’s editing deserve a special mention, as do the writing skills of Kashyap and co-writer Vasan Bala. The only thing that seems a little feeble is the reason behind Raman’s obsession with Raghav. Don’t miss this scary and unapologetically sadistic movie where Nawaz is at his creepiest best. Review by Suparna Sharma on Deccan Chronicle Rating: The film is shot as most of Kashyap’s films are shot — the outside is crowded, dirty, and the inside dingy and suffocating. And the camera is either lurking knee heigh, or, when it looks up it stares hard and long at Nawazuddin and Kaushal. While Kaushal, despite the fact that his character on paper is just too dull, is at times engaging and complex, Nawazuddin mostly hams his way through. In several aspects Nawazuddin’s character is true to the real-life Raman Raghav and, perhaps, psychopathic killers. There’s a lot written for him: Zero remorse, complete lack of empathy, manipulative, anti-social, demanding, yet scrupulous about clearing his debts. Nawazuddin Siddique is a very fine actor. But he is already repeating himself. In some scenes he shines, like the one in which he’s having a conversation with a cat, or when he’s animated and frantic. Review by Shomini Sen on News18 Rating: Despite a compelling star cast, the film majorly suffers because of a slow narrative. Perhaps there is too much emphasis given on setting up each scene or maybe the story takes time to set in – but the thriller slackens majorly in the second half. Perhaps our expectations from the filmmaker is too high or maybe we are now too used to seeing Kashyap’s hard hitting films, but ‘Raman Ragahv 2.0’ is not his finest. It does boast of a good starcast, a solid story line but somehow, Kashyap’s signature style of filmmaking is visible only in parts. Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror Rating: For director Anurag Kashyap, this film falls into a comfort zone that he thrives on with devilish delight. While it strays away from stomach-churning gore, aside from a furtive glimpse of a corpse’s rotten foot, for instance, the unseen is enough to ignite one’s imagination. Indian slasher films (the few that have managed to be produced) have been typical fare: solely focusing on the act and the investigation that leads to the capture of the offender. But Raman Raghav 2.0 offers access to the dark mental alleys of its troubled hero, so much so that his parallel world and sick mind achieve a twisted logic. This one’s certainly not a date film. But hey, a jolty squeeze on the upper arm can do much for your love life . Review by Meeta on Wogma Rating: If it were not for Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s spine-chilling performance, Raman Raghav 2.0 wouldn’t have had much of an impact. The story by itself barely has any material beyond its one-line plot. The big reveal would either be predicted by seasoned movie-goers or will seem too contrived when it comes about for those who didn’t guess it before hand. 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