OK JAANU
Release date: 13.01.2017
What: A young couple decide to live in with the understanding to go their separate ways when career opportunities come calling. But then love knocks on their door. This Shaad Ali-directed remake of the Mani Ratnam classic OK Kanmani failed to recreate the magic of the original — even with the hit Aashiqui 2 pair of Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor — and was a box-office dud from the get-go. The humma song — a party chartbuster — was not enough to save OK Jaanu.
Thumbs up: Some fresh and fun moments between Aditya and Shraddha, the title track scored by A.R. Rahman.
Thumbs down: Lack of a real conflict, an overlong Half Two.
t2 review: With Aditya and Shraddha, there’s palpable heat between the two but the Aashiqui 2 pair sometimes come across as affected. And while that wouldn’t have been much of a bother in any other movie but in a narrative like OK Jaanu, which only operates on the charm and chemistry of its leads, one weak scene can really put the brakes on the proceedings.
Verdict: FLOP
HARAAMKHOR
Release date: 13.01.2017
What: A married schoolteacher and his teenaged student get involved in a physical relationship — with chilling repercussions. Directed by first-timer Shlok Sharma, Haraamkhor has been a talking point on the festival circuit.
Thumbs up: The hatke yet universally relevant premise, winning acts from Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Tripathi.
Thumbs down: Uneven in treatment, lacks finesse.
t2 review: Haraamkhor, patchy in parts, riveting in others, does have its problems, but it’s an important film to watch, especially in an age where our kids are growing up too fast… and often too dangerously.
Verdict: FLOP
RAEES
Release date: 25.01.2017
What: A small-time bootlegger works every trick in the book to become the king of the underworld in this Rahul Dholakia film — starring Shah Rukh Khan as Raees — that was a throwback to the masala potboilers of the ’80s. Raees opened big, but failed to remain big, scoring a little over Rs 100 crore at the domestic box office.
Thumbs up: A top act from Nawazuddin Siddiqui as an upright cop, some paisa-vasool lines from SRK, an entertaining first half, Sunny Leone in Laila main Laila.
Thumbs down: A vapid second half, Shah Rukh’s inconsistent performance, the lack of chemistry between SRK and newcomer Mahira Khan.
t2 review: With Salman doing a Sultan and Aamir taking it a notch higher with Dangal, Shah Rukh is still wrestling in the wrong ring. Films like Raees are going to get that initial euphoria at the box office, but once that frenzy dies down, there is really nothing to bring them back.
Verdict: HIT
KAABIL
Release date: 25.01.2017
What: A blind man embarks on a mission to avenge the rape and suicide of his wife.
Released on the same day as Raees, Kaabil — with Hrithik Roshan in the lead and directed by Sanjay Gupta — came in with less hype, but lasted longer in cinemas.
Thumbs up: A stellar act from Hrithik, the easy chemistry between Hrithik and Yami Gautam, the thrilling second half.
Thumbs down: Takes time to build up,
staggers in parts, the bad men — Ronit and Rohit Roy — fail to pack a punch.
t2 review: What makes Kaabil worth a watch is Hrithik. The actor lets go of the usual hero trappings... almost fooling you into believing that he really can’t see.
Verdict: HIT
KUNG FU YOGA
Release date: 03.02.2017
What: What’s not to love about Jackie Chan showing off his Kung Fu moves even as he breaks into Bolly-style song and dance? Unfortunately, Kung Fu Yoga turned out to be a tortuous time at the theatres.
Thumbs up: A few trademark Jackie Chan moments.
Thumbs down: The rest of the film.
t2 review: There’s absolutely no reason to partake in this Kung Fu Yoga. Unless you have some weird fetish of watching Jackie Chan, one of the greatest martial arts superstars of all time, doing Bollywood moves taught by Farah Khan. Trust me whatever be the ticket price, once you are in, you’d want to pay more to get out of the theatre.
Verdict: FLOP
JOLLY LLB 2
Release date: 10.02.2017
What: An incompetent lawyer takes up a criminal case that makes him an overnight hero. The second film in the Jolly LLB franchise — with Akshay Kumar filling Arshad Warsi’s coat — was a box-office winner, scoring Rs 100-crore plus.
Thumbs up: A rip-roaring turn from Saurabh Shukla as Justice Tripathi, a competent act from Akshay Kumar, Bawra mann.
Thumbs down: Not as much fun as Jolly LLB.
t2 review: Jolly LLB had the novelty factor and a better lead performance while the sequel does have its moments and the honesty in the storytelling still shines through. And whenever the case starts to bore you, Justice Tripathi pops up as the “Teddy Bear” who makes
everything okay.
Verdict: HIT
RUNNING SHAADI
Release date: 17.02.2017
What: A young boy and girl stumble on a “Bill Gates level ka idea” — to help distressed couples elope and marry legally. But matters hit a stumbling bock — for them and the film — when they decide to get married. Produced by Shoojit Sircar and starring Pink actress Taapsee Pannu, Running Shaadi was a non-starter.
Thumbs up: A great idea on paper, some LOL moments.
Thumbs down: Tries to pack in too much, doesn’t allow the Taapsee-Amit Sadh chemistry to take centre stage.
t2 review: Somewhere in Running Shaadi is a sweet and smart film, but it’s buried under too many gallery-aiming comic setpieces that keep dragging you away from the Bharose-Nimmi romance.
Verdict: FLOP
THE GHAZI ATTACK
Release date: 17.02.2017
What: Bringing alive a moment lost in history — the sinking of Pakistan’s PNS Ghazi by the Indian submarine INS Rajput — The Ghazi Attack was a surprise winner, playing in Calcutta theatres for over a month.
Thumbs up: Quite a nail-biter, the edge-of-the-seat climax, riveting acts — Kay Kay Menon to Atul Kulkarni to Rana Daggubati.
Thumbs down: Cliched in parts, schmaltzy patriotism.
t2 review: The first half takes a while to build up, with the men at sea only playing a wait-and-watch game. It’s only post-interval that the film goes full throttle, making the viewer an integral part of the action.
Verdict: ABOVE AVERAGE
RANGOON
Release date: 24.02.2017
What: Set in pre-Independent India, Vishal Bhardwaj crafted a tale of love and war, but Rangoon failed to make a mark both critically and commercially.
Thumbs up: A scene-stealing turn from Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor at the top of their game.
Thumbs down: Overlong and indulgent, too many strands and subplots.
t2 review: Rangoon might have been a terrific passionate love triangle or a great espionage war film, but blended together it’s not here or there. Here’s yet another film which had all the makings of a Vishal Bhardwaj epic but ended up on the
losing side. Bloody hell!
Verdict: FLOP
COMMANDO 2
Release date: 03.03.2017
What: Centred around the black money trail — yes smart enough to slip the demonetisation drive into the narrative — action man Vidyut Jammwal came up with Part 2 to his 2013 surprise winner. But Commando 2 was no act, all action.
Thumbs up: The jaw-dropping action, dishy Vidyut.
Thumbs down: The flimsy plot, an over-the-top Adah Sharma.
t2 review: Between Vidyut, Adah, Esha Gupta and Freddy Daruwala, there’s enough wood out there to open a furniture store. Vidyut Jammwal’s best screentime is still as the bad guy in Force. Those who believe there’s a hero in him somewhere in that mutton ki dukaan, need to chicken out sooner or later.
Verdict: FLOP
BADRINATH KI DULHANIA
Release date: 10.03.2017
What: Regressive in thinking and talk, a young man tries to woo a girl... but learns a life lesson along the way.
Cashing in on the Dulhania franchise, Badrinath ki Dulhania found favour with the audience, notching up more than Rs 120 crore at the domestic BO.
Thumbs up: A+ performances from Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, the sweet Varun-Alia chemistry, the foot-tapping Tamma tamma again.
Thumbs down: An overlong Half Two.
t2 review: Badrinath ki Dulhania is not always a smooth ride and the second half does feel very long, but for all the
social evils it takes head-on and that fun pair in the lead, it deserves both your time and money this colourful weekend.
Verdict: HIT
TRAPPED
Release date: 17.03.2017
What: A man gets locked inside his home — and pulls out all the stops to get out in this Vikramaditya Motwane-directed story of survival against all odds.
Thumbs up: Rajkummar Rao in a goosebump-inducing act of a lifetime, the engaging plot, Siddharth Diwan’s camera work, Alokananda Dasgupta’s edgy background score.
Thumbs down: Tad too convenient in parts.
t2 review: Watching a man being forced to lead the life of a prehistoric caveman in one of the most modern cities of the world in 2017 can be both cathartic and nauseating at the same time. But there is that unbelievable performance at the centre of the film, which is reason enough to get trapped with Rajkummar Rao.
Verdict: FLOP
MACHINE
Release date: 17.03.2017
What: Abbas-Mustan attempted a Baazigar rehash — starring Abbas’s son Mustafa — but Machine turned out to be a film you wouldn’t want even your biggest enemy to sit through.
Thumbs up: Nothing.
Thumbs down: The whole film.
t2 review: Slick in visuals, but stodgy in storytelling, Machine tries every formula in the Bolly book — twin brothers to returning from the dead — but simply ends up torturing the viewer over 148 minutes.
Verdict: FLOP
PHILLAURI
Release date: 24.03.2017
What: A ghost from the past torments a young man about to get married — but then she has her own story to tell.
Thumbs up: The fresh premise, a luminous Anushka Sharma as Shashi the friendly ghost, a winning turn from Diljit Dosanjh.
Thumbs down: An annoying Suraj Sharma,the first half takes long to build up.
t2 review: The first hour can be a little trying but there is a lot to smile at and lot of tears to shed in the last hour of the film. You may love or sneer at the last scene but by then both the Phillauris have made a place in your heart. All that glitters is sometimes gold.
Verdict: AVERAGE
ANAARKALI OF AARAH
Release date: 24.03.2017
What: Anaarkali sings double-meaning songs, but for her ‘no means no’. That was the message of this small big film that won a lot of praise from the few who watched it.
Thumbs up: Swara Bhaskar’s stunning turn as Anaarkali, the hard-hitting theme and treatment, scenes that pack a punch.
Thumbs down: Who watched it?
Verdict: FLOP
NAAM SHABANA
Release date: 31.03.2017
What: This Baby spinoff had Taapsee Pannu’s Shabana kicking and punching her way into the secret service after her boyfriend is murdered in cold blood.
Thumbs up: Taapsee doing some kickass action, an interesting first half.
Thumbs down: An overlong Akshay Kumar cameo, a lacklustre second half, loses the plot midway.
t2 review: Naam Shabana, directed by Shivam Nair, isn’t a patch on Baby, managing to only stitch together a couple of interesting scenes and not a film that’s gripping on the whole.
Verdict: BELOW EXPECTATIONS
POORNA
Release date: 31.03.2017
What: The incredible story of Purna Malavath — a real-life Shero who became the youngest woman to scale Everest at age 13 — found its way to the big screen in this Rahul Bose film.
Thumbs up: Purna’s wow story, applause-worthy acts from Aditi Inamdar as Poorna and S. Mariya as her cousin Priya, the grippingly filmed Everest expedition scenes, Rahul Bose’s assured direction.
Thumbs down: Predictable to a certain extent.
t2 review: It’s a story that needed to be told. And a story worth telling again and again and again.
Verdict: BELOW EXPECTATIONS
Which was the best/worst film you watched between January and March? Tell t2@abp.in
