Author: Madhuri Prabhu

Tiger 3 movie review: Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif’s spy thriller lacks sharp claws but has some ‘grrr-eat’ moments in between. Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, Simran, Kumud Mishra, Vishal Jethwa Director: Maneesh Sharma Writers: Shridhar Raghavan, Aditya Chopra, Anckur Chaudhry (dialogues) Right at the beginning of Tiger 3, a man while teaching some hand-to-hand combat moves to his young daughter, advises her, “Pehle wajah, phir vaar.” Unfortunately, director Maneesh Sharma fails to pay heed to these words as a result of which this Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer ends up missing its target. What’s Yay: Katrina Kaif, action scenes, cameos by…

From her take on daily soaps sticking to the same tried-and-tested formulae to an interesting insight from her debut film Kya Kehna, actress Nivedita Bhattacharya spills it all in an exclusive conversation with Cutting Shots. It’s almost half past seven in the evening when I connect with Nivedita Bhattacharya. Despite a hectic working schedule, the actress is fresh as a daisy. What follows next is a freewheel chat where we discuss in length about various topics, ranging from how theatre has shaped her as an actor to why she took up Kya Kehna in 2000 when she wasn’t keen on doing…

In an exclusive conversation with Cutting Shots, veteran actress Neena Kulkarni opens up on her latest release Shastry Viruddh Shastry, breaks down her acting process, talks about why television is a demanding medium and even doles out some advice for young actors. “I don’t think I will ever quit this acting journey because there is no destination for me. I don’t want to reach somewhere,” Neena Kulkarni candidly tells me as she reflects upon her more than four decades long journey as an actor across different languages and mediums. The excitement in her voice and her love for her craft is…

Tejas movie review: Kangana Ranaut’s aviation thriller fails to be love at first flight. Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Varun Mitra, Anshul Chauhan, Ashish Vidyarthi Director: Sarvesh Mewara Writers: Sarvesh Mewara At one point in the film, Kangana Ranaut’s character Tejas Gill says, “Mera dil se niklega boring ho jayega, tumhe lecture lagega.” Unfortunately, her latest release turns out to be exactly this! Despite a promising idea and a talented performer like her, the aviation flick barely soars high in the sky; blame it on the wobbly screenplay and abysmal direction. What’s Yay: Kangana Ranaut, Anshul Chauhan What’s Nay: Screenplay, direction, editing Story Tejas…

Dhak Dhak movie review: Director Taran Dudeja’s latest film starring Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza and Sanjana Sanghi rides high on fun and introspection. Cast: Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Sanjana Sanghi Director: Tarun Dudeja Writers: Tarun Dudeja, Parijat Joshi ‘Safar zaroori hai ya manzil?’  While most of our answers might range from’ either of these two options’ or ‘both’, Dhak Dhak takes a road less travelled and makes a rock-solid statement which resonates strongly with you. What’s Yay: Performances, Execution, Story What’s Nay: The screenplay drags at a few places, choppy editing Story Dhak Dhak opens…

The Great Indian Family movie review: Vicky Kaushal-Manushi Chhillar’s dramedy entertains in bits and pieces. Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Manushi Chhillar, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Alka Amin, Srishti Dixit, Yashpal Sharma, Sadiya Siddiqui, Aasif Khan Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya Writer: Vijay Krishna Acharya When a dejected Bhajan Kumar expresses his helplessness over his struggle to deal with his religious identity crisis, his lady love Jasmeet tells him, ‘Kabhi kabhi humhe sochna nahin chahiye, bas feel karna chahiye.’  Unfortunately, this piece of advice barely works for the audience when The Great Indian Family infuses too much ‘lecture-baazi’ in its screenplay and makes things boring.…

Jawan movie review: Shah Rukh Khan and his ‘daddy era’ have enough ammunition to set every inch of the screen on fire. Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, Sunil Grover, Rutuja Shinde, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan, Ridhi Dogra, Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Dutt (cameos) Director: Atlee Writers: Atlee, Sumit Arora, Ramanagirivasan ‘Pehle kiya chaiyya chaiyya re, ab karein ta ta thaiyya.’ Well, that’s exactly how Shah Rukh Khan makes you dance to his tunes in his latest offering, Jawan. 25 years ago, the superstar, clad in a red jacket, dancing atop a moving train, gave…

Dream Girl 2 movie review: Despite Ayushmann Khurrana’s sincere drag act, this film fails to make your heart go ‘ring-ring.’ Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Ananya Panday, Annu Kapoor, Vijay Raaz, Paresh Rawal, Seema Pahwa, Manjot Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi Director: Raaj Shaandilyaa Writers: Raaj Shaandilyaa, Naresh Kathooria After a major revelation, a character in Dream Girl 2, dejectedly, tells the other two, “Mazaa nahin aa rahin.” Well, Ayushmann Khurrana’s latest release does make you utter similar words when the script runs out of juice. What’s Yay: Ayushmann Khurrana, a few one liners What’s Nay: Wafer-thin plot Story Karam…

Bawaal movie review: This Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoor starrer fights an ‘unusual’ war but finds its real, lasting victory outside the battlefield. Cast: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa, Mukesh Tiwari, Anjuman Saxena, Hemang Vyas, Prateek Pachori Director: Nitesh Tiwari Writers: Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain, Nikhil Mehrotra, Nitesh Tiwari, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwary (story) Throughout the film, Ajay aka Ajju (Varun Dhawan) is heard telling his bestie, “Beta, mahaul aisa banao ki logon ko mahaul yaad rahe, result nahin.” Well, in Bawaal, director Nitesh Tiwari takes his protagonist’s advice a bit too seriously and ends up leaving you with mixed feelings. What’s Yay:…

Neeyat movie review: Director Anu Menon serves a bland murder mystery on the table which barely satisfy your taste buds craving for some smart thrills. Cast: Vidya Balan, Ram Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Shahana Goswami, Neeraj Kabi, Shashank Arora, Amrita Puri, Dipannita Sharma, Niki Walia, Danish Razvi, Prajakta Kohli Director: Anu Menon Writers: Anu Menon, Advaita Kala, Priya Venkataraman, Girvani Dhyani, Kausar Munir (dialogues) Quite early in the film, Ashish Kapoor, the colorful billionaire tells his friend’s film enthusiast son, “I want your footage to make me immortal,” as the latter sets out to explore the mansion. Off screen, director Anu Menon…