New Delhi:It’s a packed week in the movie theatres yet again.
David Dhawan’s action comedy Judwaa 2 starring Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Taapsee Pannu has to be watched at your own risk, says Gulf News. Firstly, Dhawan — although earnest in his portrayal as long-lost twins— simply doesn’t have the star power or charisma that Salman Khan, lead actor of the original film, possesses. Everybody in Judwaa 2 overacts, and the dialogues feel like they were written by an adolescent for his high school drama. The women are on call to look pretty and be airheads with toned bodies.
Romantic drama CRD directed by Kranti Kanade starring Mrinmayee Godbole and Vinay Sharma is a free-flowing drama set in the world of theatre that dismantles established narrative principles with abandon, says NDTV Movies. Refreshingly original and delightfully whimsical, this offbeat, difficult-to-categorise film grows steadily on the audience as it wends its way through many captivating feints, none of which is designed for easy comprehension.
For the Hollywood fans, American biographical crime film American Made starring Tom Cruise and directed by Doug Liman comes to India this week. Empire magazine calls it a ceaselessly entertaining, sometimes tense romp. Although it doesn’t dig much below the surface. American Made never really slows down. Maybe that’s as it should be, in honour of its anti-hero, a man on a constant joyride. But being a big ball of fun hobbles the film somewhat. It doesn’t go deep, and rarely resonates.
Martial arts action film Birth of the Dragon directed by George Nolfi, starring Philip Ng, Xia Yu, and Billy Magnussen, is ambitious, says The New York Times: It wants to be a character study, an explication of martial arts philosophy and an action picture. The battle scenes are presented in a mix of slow motion with super-clear fast-shutter shots and they’re not always enhanced by this approach. But the film never really gets fully juiced until the climax, when rivalries are put aside and the two very charismatic leads get on the same side to kick some righteous butt.
In the south, Tamil-Telugu bilingual Spyder starring Mahesh Babu and directed by AR Murugadoss is the smart spy thriller Telugu cinema needed, says Firstpost. The film is extremely aware of what it’s doing and we, as the audience, are expected to keep up with its pace. Murugadoss sticks to his guns to make a film which doesn’t get bogged down by the presence of a star. Babu is terrific in his role as an Intelligence Bureau officer, and he underplays his body language throughout the film.
Malayalam political thriller Ramaleela starring Dileep directed by Arun Gopy never drags and mercifully, there are no unbelievable stunts either, says The Times Of India. There is humour but not the kind of over-the-top jokes, double entendre and mimicry we are used to in many of Dileep’s blockbusters. Most of the funny lines are allotted to Shajohn who comes up with a brilliant performance while Dileep opts for a more or less serious avatar.
Malayalam film Udaharanam Sujatha starring Manju Warrier directed by Phantom Praveen conjures up much emotional intensity, says manoramaonline.com. The narrative initially falters a bit tossing up forced dialogues and a bland medley of a pauper’s woes. But the second half of the film catches you off guard and takes you to the pinnacle of genuine emotional tenor.
Marathi drama Baapjanma starring Sachin Khedekar and Pushkaraj Chirputkar and directed by Nipun Dharmadhikari talks about a serious subject in a lighter vein, says Pune Mirror. The subject, a communication breakdown between parents and children, is instantly identifiable to anyone who will see the film and it’s not the first time it has been brought to screen. However, the approach, this time, is quite different. The film is a situational comedy with the entire pre-intermission portion acting as a set up, and the later part focusing on the crux of the matter.
Several releases this week haven’t inspired any reviews yet. These include Tamil action thriller Karuppan, Tamil adult comedy Hara Hara Mahadevaki , Telugu romantic action comedy Mahanubhavudu, Malayalam films Tharangam and Sherlock Toms, Kannada action drama Tarak, Marathi drama Zindagi Virat and Punjabi action film Kirdaar-E-Sardar.