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Matt Reeves, his team and the cast would have known from the very beginning the enormity (almost futile?) of the challenge they had taken up. The gauntlet they had picked up would be almost too heavy to lift, for the weight of nostalgia alone if nothing else. The ghost of the brilliant Nolan trilogy would always loom at the back of the mind, and the Batman universe now has unsaid rules which you can't thwart if you are to be taken seriously. Humour can be deployed only sparingly, any romantic interest will be scoffed at, and the most difficult task the portrayal of villains. Over his trilogy, Nolan covered the bad guy spectrum from the psychological via the maniacal to the brutal.

The concluding piece even baked in social commentary and contemporary global events. What's left to be said in a Batman movie in a few decades is hard to figure!

Yet, Reeves - with his opening salvo - comes out with his reputation enhanced. He chooses to switch lanes, swerving the Batman universe to a noir, crime-drama setting in terms of sights, sounds and storytelling. The ambience is shorn of light, both literally and figuratively. The flow is that of a serial killer murder mystery. The characters are shady, their motives as hard to decipher as they themselves are in the scantily lit frames. But it is the soundscape that comes swooping down to the rescue, time and again. The sucker punch opening score (a clever choice to sidestep comparisons with opening scenes of TDK, TDKR as well as Bond ventures of the last decade that these may or may not have influenced), the riveting dramatic scores enhancing the action sequences (I particularly enjoyed the beats as Penguin's car knocks down the traffic cones during the chase at the halfway stage), and the brooding soundscape that builds the atmosphere of this intense tale - all contribute to paint the picture of a city clouded by fear, plagued by corruption, on tenterhooks.

Robert Pattinson has proved competent in an array of roles in the recent past (The Lighthouse, The Devil All The Time, Tenet come to mind) and continues the good work here, conveying eloquently with his eyes to make this another solid outing. Personally though, I would have liked a deeper dive into what drives Bruce and what he feels. The voiceovers are nearly not enough to unpack what drives the man. Perhaps in the next installment.. Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis perform their parts adequately. Zoe Kravitz makes Selina Kyle her own albeit constrained in an underwritten character. Paul Dano delivers in the limited opportunities he gets, the monologue that provides an insight into Riddler's psyche being the high point.

The film hurts from peaking early, as the stupendous chase setpiece raises the expectation of another such act that the final hour does not deliver. However, this reboot might be channeling its ambitions in a different track, choosing to lend validity and meaning to the fantastic tale of an industry heir who moonlights as a vigilante, with a kind heart masked in an iron glove. The focus might be more on the the relevance of the fable seen in the light of contemporary world values than a debate on the mechanics of the Batsuit/ Batmobile or the intricate details of terrorist plots.

However, it's the details like the wordplay and the blink-and-you-miss-it nods (e.g. The penguin-like gait of the tied Oswald) make it a rewarding watch.

The Batman (2022) thus ends up being a starter that whets the appetite, but as of now an incomplete painting that can only be judged once the main course is savoured.

Village Rockstars is a unique film. It's unique in the sense that at no point does the action or the acting seem staged. It's almost like a fly-on-the-wall (or should I say fly-in-the-grass!) perspective. As we watch a mother and her two children, a girl and her friends, a group of villagers dealing with flood, we feel we might have been sitting next to them - lying there on the grass, sharing their meal, rowing with them across an overflowing river, looking up at children perched on a tree.

Right from the first shot, Village Rockstars is reminiscent of the Satyajit Ray masterpiece Pather Panchali, as if shifted a few decades in time. Art and literature are often bound by the confines created by the hand of the modern market, so it is a matter of joy that cinema like this has made it through the filters, and is being seen and heard way outside where such action and such sentiments still hold sway. For this alone, the film deserves to be celebrated. It's useless talking about the plot, not because there isn't one, but because it would be beside the point. It's also futile to talk about the technique, the acting, the music. Because here's a work that renders all such details meaningless in its glorious magnanimity, its guileless honesty. All the viewer needs to do is leave inhibitions at the door and float along. And if you can let the gentle waves of simplicity and innocence - that this short and beautiful work is - wash over you, the experience is sure to leave you richer in ways that our worldly possessions can't dare to dream of doing.

Dunkirk is a beautiful film, and an exceptional one. It's not entertainment in the usual sense. It's an immersive experience. Like any war film worth its salt, Dunkirk is, at its core, an anti-war film that harps upon the horrors of war and its futility.

As you watch men stranded on beaches, trapped in a boat awaiting to be killed, the pointless nature of war strikes you. Dunkirk shows you men trapped in a no-win situation, with a haunting background score by Hans Zimmer conveying the constant fear. If you think the constant bombardment of the score was an overkill, you are getting closer to imagining the plight of the men stranded on the beach, in the ships at Dunkirk.

In Dunkirk, Nolan parodies war, where old civilians are the only hope for young soldiers. Where small boats provide relief when the big, bad ships are easy prey.

Dunkirk featured the best dogfight scenes I have ever watched. The cockpit-view shots of a Spitfire chasing an enemy craft with the endless sea beneath you and the skies above meeting at horizon (which, ironically, you are in no position to savour) are wretchedly beautiful, painfully tense.

This film's very different from most of Christopher Nolan's earlier works, with a scarce screenplay, no major twists and an end you know. But Nolan's innovative non-linear storytelling breathes life into this tale, which he then teases out of you with the tremendous sights and sounds of a horrible episode from human history.

Congratulations Nolan, for once again bucking the conventions and leaving your signature in a new genre!

Suman Mukhopadhyay's Asomapto (2016) centres around 36-year old Indrajit's (Ritwick Chakraborty) visit to the hills (probably somewhere in Darjeeling) in a bid to rediscover his childhood. He plans to stay at his old friend Moloy's (Bratya Basu) house, who is a college professor and lives with his wife Suchismita (nickname: Tuki) (Swastika Mukherjee). Indrajit was the witness when their marriage took place many years ago, but this time around, he has to witness a marriage characterized by vitriol. He also stumbles upon his old flame Mitun (Paoli Dam), who is visiting the place with her husband (Anindya Banerjee) and sister-in-law Sanatani (Poulomi Das). There's also the mysterious coolie/ tea garden labour whom he seems to recognize from somewhere back in Kolkata.

This eclectic cast of characters, besides a few more, makes the quiet, foggy hills rumble and sparkle. To the director's credit, he does not use flashback shots, which helps the viewer to stay in the present and view the past only through the lenses of the present. The storm and tension between the characters is in sharp contrast with the calm of the hills and the quiet of nature, which by the way, are shot beautifully. The camera often seems to glide over the slopes, the flowing water and the roads, with gentle caresses. In atmosphere and feel, Asomapto is reminiscent of Satyajit Ray's Kanchenjungha (1962), which in itself is a certificate of how well the film works. Gradually, we discover the depths and rises of the characters, the emotions that lie buried in their pasts, beneath their surfaces.

A few scenes could have been knit in more tightly, but overall it's a fine piece of work with a meandering pace of its own. Speaking of performances, Ritwick is effortlessly good as one expects of him, Swastika plays her part to a tee and Bratya Basu is amazing. The best scenes of the film are those involving two or all of these three. Among the tertiary characters, Sanatani stood out for me, in a silky-smooth act by Poulomi Das.

Conclusion: Watch it for the performances and the hills. I watched it on Netflix but I figure it would look quite gorgeous and absorbing on the big screen.

Ritwik Ghatak peeks through in a frame when Ranbir Kapoor's Ved and Deepika Padukone's Tara enter to watch a film in Tamasha. Ritwik Ghatak was a man who did not compromise with his art for the sake of making it easier for the audience. An uncompromising stance is difficult to keep under the threat of commercial demands – expectations to rake up the numbers when you have stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in your line-up. Yet Imtiaz Ali largely stays true to his story in Tamasha, which is also why it hurts in the moments he wavers.

(Possible spoilers ahead!)

The film opens with the tracing of the common thread that runs through myths, epics and legends separated by centuries and oceans. The film seems to want to tune down viewers' expectations, proclaiming it pointless to expect new stories every time, rather advocating the learning of seeking joy in the timeless great tales, retold in varied flavours, packaged in new bottles over the times. Yet, in the same breath, this is a nod to the power of stories and the resulting value of storytellers in the lives and societies of men. Stories are an integral part of the story of Tamasha, as also its recurrent theme. Tamasha is a story of self-discovery, stitched on the contour of the never-dying love story – with happy beginnings and climax bridged by crises. But the template is, daringly for a full-on mainstream venture with commercial ambitions strung high, barely there to hold the story's shape rather than drench the underlying tale with its saccharine, bells and whistles.

At the core of this beautiful film lies the question of, rather the choice of mustering the courage to, face one's own heart, march in step to one's inner tune. Ranbir Kapoor deserves as least as much accolades as Imtiaz Ali, for betting on another unconventional tale. Here's the actor who passed with flying colours as the salesman Rocket Singh and woke up to his life as Sid a few years back. Ranbir's choices have favoured the interesting over the safe earlier too, and he usually puts the weight of his acting skills behind those choices. Tamasha features another refreshing act by him. The multi-layered character of Ved Shahni requires more than his dancing shoes and he responds to the challenge, in all three acts of the tamasha.

The non-compromise referred to earlier is demonstrated by the absence of superfluous characters, time instead spent on the protagonist's journey (safar) to self-discovery. The lion's share of screen time is dedicated to the duo of Ranbir and Deepika Padukone. One only wishes Imtiaz went a bit light on the theatricals in the middle third as it became somewhat distracting, even gallery-sympathizing.

Deepika Padukone does well to provide Ranbir Kapoor the perfect foil. Of the handful of non-primary characters, the storyteller from Ved's childhood strikes out as the linchpin, essayed in masterful elegance by Piyush Mishra.

The music – orchestrated by A R Rahman – is melodious and soothing through its rising and falling paces. Alka Yagnik delivers a signature melody. Mohit Chauhan, Lucky Ali and Mika Singh do full justice to tunes that seem to be tailor-made for them, but my personal favourite is the thematic Chali Kahaani by Sukhwinder Singh, Haricharan and Haripriya, weaving the thread through everlasting stories bridging centuries and civilizations.

Ved might be Imtiaz Ali's avatar for the storyteller he is, the film being a reflection of itself. But then, Ved could have been a hockey player or a tabla player or a bodybuilder or a scientist. The pluck to take off the mask that society likes to watch you play in, is what Tamasha champions, and it's in this stand that it stands out like a rose in the bush of mediocrity spanning from one Friday to the next.

Wow! And Wow! Aditya Vikram Sengupta's Asha Jaoar Majhe (English title: Labour of Love) is a cinema that grows on you - slowly, steadily and with love. It creeps up to you and snuggles close to your heart. And you embrace it with all you have, knowing it appeals to what's best in you and embracing it will help to keep that part of you alive.

Labour of Love is about a couple in Kolkata's version of apocalyptic world, a city under recession where a lower-middle class couple works complementary shifts to make ends meet. They re-count the notes after withdrawing money from the bank, reuse resources whenever possible and live a simple life of values. Most of their days are spent in a kind of suspended animation, waiting to flicker to life for a little reward at the end. It's about biding your time for that small window, an experience that the director makes the audience feel and experience. There isn't a soundtrack (mostly), as the film refuses to make things easier for the audience. There are no yardsticks to measure a perfect life and the film tellingly explores this point. The story is about love, shredded down to its essentials. As Henry David Thoreau had famously remarked about a stint of simple living in the woods, "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms." Labour of Love is love's Henry David Thoreau Test. It's not much use gushing about the sound-scape, Sengupta's attention to details and continuity and the two actors' near-perfect performances, as this is an experience that needs experiencing. Talking of Ritwick Chakraborty, his purple patch continues. If forgetting about the camera is the hallmark of accomplishment, he is now an accomplished actor.

One could argue that Sengupta uses the recession of emotions to manipulate us, hoarding events (just as an union leader complains that the management is using the recession to fatten purses) to accentuate the effect at the end, so you know how precious that smile feels. One could argue that having no dialogues at all is a gimmick, as some cellphone conversation could have taken place within the bounds of the couple's tight budget and unusual routine and circumstances. Even if these hold true, plaudits to Aditya Vikram Sengupta for even attempting what he has. Asha Jawar Majhe scores full marks for effort and he will leave cinephiles in Kolkata, and (judging by the number of awards he has bagged globally) elsewhere too, waiting for his next offering.

The first time you hear that soundtrack play and the expansive visuals take shape before your eyes on the big screen, you feel having broken even. Your ticket prices recovered, you tighten your seat belts for some fun. Jurassic World gives you that fun. Some of the tricks are old, some are just nods to its predecessors while some of the others are new, because theme-park visitors and movie-goers alike like new tricks - cooler, more thrilling shows.

And this is where Jurassic World takes off, turning the mirror onto itself - to the world it lives in, highlighting how similar it is to the one it needs to recreate. Hidden in the foliage of the on-screen monsters, their rampaging and battling, adventures of lost siblings, teeth-gnashing villains and chase sequences lies in the tale of Jurassic World scathing observations and frank introspections on business, politics and ethics. The performances are okay, the storyline simplistic, the set-pieces a mixture of novelty and deja vu, but what rescues the sequel from being a strictly average me-too movie is its courageous take on itself.

In the process, Jurassic World, by turning the metaphorical into the physical, serves as a stern warning to us, confident homo sapiens of the age of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Genetic Engineering. Wisdom and knowledge are two separate entities, advancement and progress as apart as the Jurassic Age from the Nuclear Age. Jurassic World makes the point by laying bare the gap, as eloquently as the roar of synthetic monsters in a make-believe island of a family entertainer allow. Kudos to Colin Trevorrow and team for that!

Anurag Kashyap's mainstream debut is a mixed bag for his admirers. I am an admirer of the director myself, but I suppose my high expectations played spoilsport with my experience of Bombay Velvet.

Bombay Velvet lacks Anurag Kashyap's trademark humour which makes even his dark pieces entertaining and enjoyable, lending a perspective to the incidents. Adding to the lack of humour, a couple of key plot points, like an overheard conversation on a phone call, are too clichéd to be expected in Anurag Kashyap pieces. However, despite these shortcomings, Bombay Velvet is a good watch, thanks to the characters, the music and the construction of drama.

(Possible spoiler in next para!) Kashyap's deep love and respect for films (and their influence) comes through in how characters, their actions and their lives are inspired by the films they watch. Ranbir Kapoor's Johnny Balraj suffers from what was described in Shantaram as the "hero curse": he is a nobody in Bombay aspiring to be a big shot like in a film he watches with his friend. In this pursuit, he brings doom upon himself and his loved ones. This is essentially the one-line summary of the story. But Kashyap's stories are more about the journey than the destination and that holds true here as well.

Balraj as a character isn't as colourful as Sardar Khan or his son Faisal (from Gangs of Wasseypur, arguably Kashyap's finest till date), perhaps the demands of mainstream necessitating a compromise. But Ranbir Kapoor's skillful performance makes his character not only credible but endearing too. Satyadeep Misra as his friend/ sidekick does very well – his stares rivet your eyes to him multiple times in crunch scenes. Anushka Sharma does well in parts but somehow there's the feeling that she could have leveraged this opportunity a lot better to create some distance with her competition for the top spot. She is quite good lip-synching, emoting and performing the songs as Rosie but only thereabouts in the rest of her scenes. Kay Kay Menon is terrific in his cameo and one hopes he had more screen time in the 2.5 hour film. Speaking of characters and players, the last word must be reserved for Karan Johar, undoubtedly the "find" of the film. It takes imagination to pull off brilliant casting as these and Kashyap's biggest contribution in Bombay Velvet might well be introducing Johar in a key role. In fact, the best two oddly comic sequences of the film are both centred around him. Johar brings out the influential business/ publishing tycoon Kaizad Khambatta deliciously well. Here is the old-school villain – suave, ruthless, charming, unscrupulous and with lovely lines too.

Music is the second most attractive aspect of the film. Though I am no expert on the subject, Amit Trivedi's "Hindi jazz" works, not only in being great to the ears but also effectively creating the oscillating moods of the protagonists and the age and times in which the story is set: "Dhadaam Dhadaam" and the drum-rolls before a climax action sequence being perfect cases in point. The ethics of it all can be debated, but Kashyap continues to paint violence and gunfire set-pieces with exquisite beauty.

Verdict: If you have loved Kashyap's earlier works or enjoy watching Ranbir in action, don't miss it (but temper your expectations beforehand!). If the above don't apply, you might still consider trying it just for Karan Johar's dramatics and the music :) P.S.: While Bombay Velvet is expectedly reminiscent of gangster classics in scenes and settings (the hiding place of a weapon is a clear nod to the greatest of them all), what struck me as more interesting is a scene where Balraj talks to his friend about his dreams and aspirations – it reminded me of a similar iconic (and a personal favourite) scene from Satyajit Ray's Apur Sansar (The World of Apu). The stark contrast between the protagonists of the two pieces made the uncanny similarity most interesting. Equally interesting is the choice of the name of Khambatta's rival newspaper!

Dibakar Banerjee has begun his Byomkesh Bakshy series in a flash of blood and rock. I say "begun" and "series" because this is clearly the first of multiple servings he has in mind. In that context, "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy" is comparable to Nolan's "Batman Begins". We are introduced to the main players and they have their first bout. Something tells me that some of the scenes in DBB will grow fonder once we see the characters evolve in subsequent films.

Coming to the film itself, Sushant Singh Rajput's earnest efforts bubble forth making his Byomkesh likable if not charming, effective if not suave. The trailer indicated that this version of Byomkesh could be like Guy Ritchie's Holmes. But somehow Rajput looks even better on screen than in the trailers and the "bangaliana" (Bengali-ness) of Byomkesh stands him out in a space of his own rather than being anyone's imitation. Anand Tiwari is a snug fit in his character appearance. But the surprise aces in the pack are Swastika Mukherjee and Neeraj Kabi. However, my favourite aspect of DBB is its '40s Calcutta. Meticulously created, lovingly flaunted, this Calcutta is a city in its prime, even if it's under siege and serving as the battlefield of multiple villains. As the template for the thriller, this is a Calcutta almost distractingly beautiful with its trams and "ghingy" roads, its Chinatown and evening parties, its sirens and sirens (yes!). And the soft, dim - even dark - shots throughout only add to the enigma.

The plot could have been tighter, the villain better (the likes of Joker and Silva have made our appetite for villains so large that they have a tougher time making their mark than heroes nowadays) but the music, the mood, the setting and the uncertainty make it a thriller worth the money. And special kudos to Dibakar Banerjee for daring such a bold interpretation. Because, as his version of the "satyanweshi" (truth-seeking) protagonist would agree, it's the daring that counts at the end!

Ebar Shabor is a sleek film. It is a murder mystery with its fair share of chases, skeletons in the cupboard and shady characters with more facets to them than initially visible. Saswata Chatterjee and Ritwik Chakraborty, perhaps the two best and in-form actors in Bengali cinema at present, deliver two very good performances and are ably supported by the rest of the cast, notably June Malia. The protagonist sleuth, Shabor, is part of the official force, in contrast with the more popular freelancing detectives in Bengali cinema (and literature). This takes way some drama perhaps but enhances the authenticity. There are too many characters in the plot for each to be fully developed in the limited time available, which is a pity as the characters are colourful but we get no more than glimpses into some of them. The sequences of Shabor ruminating in the company of his colleague are some of the best shot, along with the dramatic chases.

To conclude: an entertaining movie, with some accomplished performances.

Anurag Kashyap has done it again. With Ugly, Anurag Kashyap, without doubt one of the best active Indian directors, has woven another masterful work around the contemporary society. It is being marketed as "a dark psychological thriller on the surface and an emotional drama within" and the description fits this gem of a film to the tee.

A kidnapping mystery serves as the backdrop for a thrilling, and at times horrifying, tale of the darker human emotions which makes for a juicy, spicy drama. Thematically disturbing, Ugly is anything but an easy watch. But despite the monstrosities on display, its difficult to take your eyes off the screen. The intertwining of motives, the layers in the characters' pasts and all the unresolved issues that keep emerging as the film progresses, keeps one riveted to this fantastic tale.

The icing on the cake is the humour in mundane situations which Anurag is so adept in extracting out of our everyday activities and interactions. It is the humour in fact that sweetens the bitter pill that Ugly is, making it "humane" to watch.

I could not help but notice how this brilliant film mirrors another masterpiece of Indian cinema, Sholay, though in a negative sort of way. There is a pair of friends here just like in Sholay. Like Sholay, Ugly too features a chase sequence and characters with past scores to settle. Only, the shades of the characters and their friendship here are way more dark and grim. If Mehbooba in Sholay was a precursor to the item songs of the present era, Ugly features a parody of item songs, which doubles as the source of a comic sequence. The missing link between the two films is a reference to Amitabh Bachchan which, in the true spirit of Ugly and Anurag Kashyap (think Gangs of Wasseypur), is half in reverence and half in jest.

And that's what Ugly is - a mirror held to us, for us to have a look at our demons within and also to have a laugh about how silly those demons ultimately are.

Interstellar is the latest offering from the modern master Christopher Nolan. After finishing with the Batman saga in his last offering, The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan now ventures beyond the terra firma. And in Interstellar, Nolan breaks new ground, both in terms of the vastness of outer space and the unknown territories of the human heart.

Interstellar is essentially a story of man's travel across space in search of a new home. But it is also a drama spanning generations. Like The Godfather II, for a period of time, Interstellar too shuffles between two parallel tracks of two generations of a family battling their own battles - each in their own arena. Like in case of the two Corleone generations, the two battlefields here are also vastly different for the two generations. And the focus here too is on the lessons passed on from one generation to the next and the utility/ futility of those.

If memory serves me right, this is Nolan's first film to feature one character lecturing another on love. This, along with more than one poignant father-daughter interactions, make Interstellar one of Nolan's closest brushes with human drama unadulterated by hints of suspense. I was looking forward to Nolan exploring this area of the filmmaking universe for some time now and hence these are my favourite bits from this sci-fi thriller-drama.

Nolan has already proved himself capable of striking awe in terms of visual splendours and creating worlds different from our own humdrum ones. Hence, it is no surprise that he repeats that trick successfully once again in Interstellar. The visuals bear fleeting resemblance to the dream worlds in the Inception and the plot structure isn't entirely novel too, bearing some resemblance to one of Nolan's past cult works (hint: warp).

But it is finally in Nolan's attempt at exploring the human sensitivities with more care than ever before which is the most promising aspect of Interstellar. Because it signals an expansion of Nolan's repertoire and holds out the promise that his best may be yet to come.

Mathew McConaughey delivers a measured, restrained performance in the lead role and there are fine guest appearances from a number of others.

In conclusion: while Interstellar may not yet bring Nolan his first Academy award, it will still be remembered as a stellar piece of work in its own right which marks a growth in not just the director's prowess but the vision of present-day cinema in general - to imagine far ahead on the platform of existing science.

Buno Haansh, director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's latest film starring Dev is based on a story by the popular author Samaresh Majumdar. The storyline follows the trajectory of a guileless young man's descent into a world of crime and deception.

Amal Kumar Biswas (whose first name translates to clean/ pure), played by Dev, is the younger son of a financially challenged family. A chance encounter with a friend triggers a chain of events where Amal - partly driven by financial demands and partly the lure of easy, big money - gets trapped in a world of men, women and machinations the likes of which he has little idea of. Lacking in the skills and cunning to deal with this sort of world, Amal slips into the abyss faster than he can fathom.

To say any more about the story would spoil the broth.

Buno Haansh is a film which is in some parts a thriller and in some parts a drama. It is pretty slick and gripping when it is a thriller, with the cinematography being excellent and the sequences fast-moving. It is when it comes to the drama bits where Buno Haansh could have been better. The inter-character interactions could have been scripted better. Amal's relation with his fiancée Sohag (played by Srabanti) and his family come out half-baked. Sohag's character lacks depth and hence remains unrelatable despite Srabanti's best efforts. In comparison, Tanushree emerges as the more attractive female lead, though she seems to be a bit aware of the camera at times. In the bit roles, Sudipta Chakraborty (as Amal's sister-in-law) and Shankar Chakraborty deserve special mention for breathing credibility into their characters.

Coming to Dev, his biggest strengths remain his physique and his handsome, innocence-laden face. His non-verbal acting is very good and he can convey every emotion from embarrassment to turbulence, from fear to care superbly with his expressions and body language. However, it is when he has to speak that he can be mediocre. It could be his lines to blame at times, but somehow his dialogue delivery lacks conviction too. If he can work on this aspect, it could take his performances to a whole new level.

In summary, Buno Haansh is quite a watchable film with some good performances and a story which is relevant for most of us, albeit with our own parallels.

In the first few minutes of The Bridges of Madison County, you get an idea of the general direction the story will take.

Essentially, it is a story of a relationship of two people. A relationship which is profound yet unconventional. The film is an exploration of how bonding between human beings does not always follow societal rules and norms, of the perennial dilemma of the head and the heart, nature and culture. With great sensitivity, The Bridges of Madison County lays out the relationship in its most honest form and raises the question as to whether there can be a correlation between the conventional, accepted norms and morality at all times. The acting is top-notch, with Meryl Streep essaying a character in agony as only she can. Clint Eastwood as an actor in this film is perhaps not as good as Clint Eastwood the director, but he still leaves behind a few priceless moments.

In conclusion, it is a must-watch if you have a thing for romantic dramas.

Nikhil (Sidharth Malhotra) is visiting a wedding when he falls in love with the bride's sister, Karishma (Adah Sharma). Jump to seven years later: Nikhil and Karishma are engaged to be married in a week at the end of a seven-year courtship. Cue for Meeta (Parineeti Chopra) to enter the scene. She is introduced to Nikhil as a guest by Karishma, for whom Nikhil needs to find a hotel to stay. Nikhil recalls her from Karishma's sister's wedding seven years back, when they had met for a few minutes as Meeta was leaving for Goa. Meeta, though, does not seem to remember their meeting.

Though a romantic comedy/ drama, Hasee Toh Phasee has its share of twists and turns, so I will stop with the plot here. First-time director Vinil Mathew makes a poised debut with Hasee Toh Phasee, which boasts names like Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap amongst its producers. In a way, Hasee Toh Phasee brings the best of both worlds: the sweetness and likable cliché set-pieces of Karan Johar's movies with the quirky characters and uncannily funny sequences characteristic of Anurag Kashyap. It is to Vinil Mathew's credit that he weaves this elements together into a more-than-likable whole. Anurag Kashyap is one of the names behind the dialogues and it shows. At the very beginning, an aide tells Nikhil as his gaze is fixed on Karishma, "Model hain, heroine banne wali hain, aapko bhi hero banna padega Sir!", a comment seemed to be directed at not just Nikhil but Sidharth himself. But in Hasee Toh Phasee, he is very much the new-age hero. Polite, often to the point of being mistaken for spineless, committed to being committed at the cost of foregoing love, risking ambition for dignity yet sacrificing that very dignity at the altar of love – Nikhil is a fumbling bundle of charm, the epitome of the average guy. Sidharth Malhotra turns in a measured performance in an act that is sure to win him many fans. But his act is, of course, the foil to Parineeti's Meeta.

To me, Parineeti is undoubtedly way ahead of her peers in the same generation. Her natural effusive acting and her seemingly unaffected portrayals mark her out as an actor with a lot of promise. In fact, I believe it is already time she tries something far more challenging, as the roles she is enacting right now appear to be child's play for her. One can only hope for her to raise the bar higher and higher in the next few years.

Among the other actors, Manoj Joshi plays a brilliant cameo and Adah Sharma is okay in their respective bits.

The plot of Hasee Toh Phasee isn't path-breaking, but has enough originality to keep things interesting. The film's soundtrack receives special mention. A couple of dance numbers (excluding the end credits) and three melodious love ballads provide range, class and some delightful tunes.

In conclusion, Hasee Toh Phasee is a fun and entertaining watch, featuring assured performances from possible future stars of the mainstream industry.

Koushik (Prosenjit Chatterjee), on the way back from a short (supposedly official) trip with Mita, his married colleague with whom he is having an extra-marital affair, meets an accident. While the accident claims Mita's life, it only severely injures Koushik. Koushik is admitted to a hospital with critical injuries.

And it is under these circumstances that Kaberi (Konkona Sensharma), Koushik's wife, discovers about the affair. Rituparno, the modern maestro of human relationship dramas, lays out this intriguing stage in his 2006 film, Dosar. A woman caught in the situation of having to care for her fatally injured husband while having to deal with her recently-acquired knowledge of her husband's affair.

Rituparno's forte was always the chamber drama centred around a few individuals and Dosar is a fine specimen from that category of work produced in the Bengali cinema universe in the last decade. Dosar is shot entirely in black-and-white. And the stark duo-tone along with the sparingly used soundtrack aids the poignant character of the treatment greatly, allowing the viewers to immerse themselves in the state of affairs easily, without being distracted by unnecessary frills.

Konkona Sensharma, indubitably one of (if not) the most natural actors of her generation puts in a searing account of the protagonist while a bed-ridden Prosenjit glows away silently in all glory. Saswata Chatterjee, in a minor role, is wonderful too. And a special mention must be made of Parambrata and Pallavi, whose own subplot gives the film an added dimension.

A perceptive take on conjugal relationships and its troughs, Dosar deserves to be watched as much for its pathos-filled treatment of a delicate theme as for the numbingly masterful acts by the two lead actors

American Hustle is the top dog at the Oscars this year with 10 nominations, including the big ones for Best Motion Picture, Best Director and Best Performance in Leading and Supporting Roles for both actors and actresses.

It is this stunning advertisement that served as insurance as I went to catch the film on the big screen this Sunday (January 19). And it has to be said that American Hustle is very good entertainment. A tale of greed, con jobs and ambition – it has the perfect ingredients for weaving into a tight narrative. And this is what David O. Russell does so coolly.

The comedy is the best part of this film, with situations, mannerisms and characterizations all leading to moments of fun and laughter.

The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu deserves high marks. The film is littered with stars, but each in the right place. Christian Bale, in the most important role as Irving Rosenfield, is fabulous. His dedication to the art is visible in the opening sequence itself. The Batman sports a paunch in American Hustle, and not a small one too. But preparing physically is one thing, and getting into the skin of the character is another. Bale is just superb as a con-man caught in a difficult situation, both at home and at work. He portrays his condition with aplomb, drawing both sympathy and laugh at his comically pitiable state of affairs. Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser, Rosenfield's suave partner, delivers another flawless performance. But a special mention must be made of her co-star, the young and talented Ms. Lawrence. At 24, she already has a burgeoning list of performances under her belt. Katniss Everdeen and all that is all very good, but this one is a top-notch performance from her. While she makes it look quite easy, getting right the neurotic wife of a high-flier, cheating criminal husband here is just a proof of her wonderful skills and abilities. The scene where she confronts her rival, the beyond-her-league Sydney Prosser, is already being written about and even compared to the Michael-and-Fredo scene of The Godfather II – and for some reason. Even in the face of the pace of the film (mostly driven by the need, I feel, to keep up the comedic action), Bale and Lawrence, especially, provide moments of fine acting.

In a film of this genre, the plot is a make-or-break factor, and the plot of American Hustle certainly has enough meat to keep the viewers' interest alive for its long running time of 138 minutes.

I watched Where is the Land? at the Kolkata Film Festival 2012. The director, Hushyar Z. Nerwayi was there himself and was introduced by the festival director just before the film begun. Where is the Land? is a drama that follows a couple living in a village near the Iraq-Turkey border as they go through a testing phase over a period of few days.

While the theme is heavy in itself, occasional humour and a light-hearted perspective lend a somewhat distant air to the film. The director perhaps wishes for the audience to be just that - a third person watching events unfold, rather than put the audience in the shoes of his characters. As a result, Where is the Land is a light and enjoyable viewing and does not really suck one into its universe.

The acting is good. The film does not end with a definite conclusion but hints strongly enough to leave little scope for debate regarding how things would have broadly unfolded soon after.

The strength of Where is the Land lies in its character development while its weakness is an approach which is, well, a bit too weak to actually engulf or even force the audience into thinking or empathizing.

Kamaleshwar Mukherjee follows up his masterclass, Meghe Dhaka Tara, with the action-adventure piece, Chander Pahar. While both films are in a way about exploring, breaking new grounds and striving to touch new heights, Meghe Dhaka Tara was about intensity and introspection whereas Chander Pahar's exploration is more physical and geographical in nature.

Meghe Dhaka Tara drew its inspiration from the maverick filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. Chander Pahar's source material is no less illustrious. The movie is based on the eponymous novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, another of whose work is already immortalised in the form of the bildungsroman Apu trilogy by the legendary Satyajit Ray. Chander Pahar is about Shankar, an adventure-seeking young man from Bengal in British-ruled India, whose thirst for the uncharted leads him to Africa.

Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and his team do a commendable job of breathing life into the adventures of Shankar. In the perspective of Bengali or even Indian cinema, Chander Pahar will score remarkably high on the cinematography and the sequences involving animals. More importantly, on a tougher scale of contemporary world cinema, it does still hold its own, though a few sequences of shoddy special effects ruin the overall experience. It is indeed sad, because having not held back financially and after boasting of some breath-taking scenes involving elephants, lion and dangerous snakes, it is a pity that a few minutes of special effects which are not up to the mark are what will prevent Chander Pahar from being counted as world-class.

The first half is taut with action, with Shankar's story bursting forth and running into one dangerous encounter after another. As the intermission draws with the promise of a riveting mission, one hopes for the action to resume with renewed vigour. When the action does resume, it is the vigour which is found wanting. And this is where Chander Pahar falters – as it fails to better the experience of the first half. The climax, despite the heroics of the protagonist and a vastly improved Dev, fails to end the film on the proverbial high.

Having said that, Chander Pahar remains, notwithstanding its flaws, a superb film with some memorable moments. Dev, in a move of brilliant casting, fits the character to a tee and turns in a splendid performance, coming into his own in the final half hour to hold the film together on his lone broad shoulders. Dev brings to life Shankar perfectly with his spirited interpretation well complemented by his physicality.

The magnitude of this venture has been the talk of the town in the Bengali film industry for some time now. One only hopes that this will be the first of many such grand dreams to see the light of day. Chander Pahar has certainly showed enough promise to encourage more creators and producers in Bengal to dream in scales this large.

English Vinglish is a little gem ! Gauri Shinde's story of a simple Indian housewife-entrepreneur (yes, you read that right!) and her little act of courage to earn respect from her own family is feel-good, funny and tear-inducing - all at the same time.

A housewife's lack of knowledge of the English language makes her the subject of domestic banter. But her husband and teen-aged daughter fail to realize exactly when they cross the line of innocent leg pulling to causing serious pain. In a few scenes of effortless elegance, Gauri Shinde paints a picture of a domestic situation which many of us might have experienced or caused, but realize only after being pointed out explicitly. Situations which occur in family and friend circles, when pain, hurt and insult are dealt out unknowingly.

What follows makes for a strong yet simple plot, simple enough for me not to dare going into it or all magic would be spoiled. Sridevi is a class act, and her expressions on two occasions particularly - once when she is showered with unexpected praise by a stranger and the other when she trips on the pavement, with certain peculiar facial contortions that are incredibly natural - define this wonderful performance.

Watch English Vinglish for two hours of unbridled, innocent celebration of simplicity and quiet, unassuming courage.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a heartwarming movie from Zoya Akhtar around a road trip of self-discovery of three friends.

After Kabir (Abhay Deol) proposes to his fiancée Natasha (Kalki Koechlin), he goes off to Spain for a long-planned road trip with his long-time friends Imran (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan). The road trip which was planned as a series of adventure sports, one chosen by each friend unknown to the others spanning across Spanish cities soon turns into a remarkable trip for each of the three individuals as they confront their inner demons, past ghosts and misunderstood issues in their lives. Zoya Akhtar does nicely, not allowing the moments of self-discovery turn the film into an extended sermon and self-help book and also not letting the fun and frolic seep into the quieter moments. This treatment of duality of life is handled deftly, making the film a pleasing, smooth and thoroughly enjoyable watch. The only plaint I have is that she could have chosen to take a few critical junctures in the story head-on instead of sidestepping those with only a hint of what is going to happen. (Spoliers) Imran's first phone call to his biological father was merely glossed over. Having grown to like the character deeply by then, one wished to actually feel and watch him as he took the bold step he had been previously avoiding. To be fair to Zoya, she did not shy away in some of the other instances like Arjun's moment of epiphany after the underwater dive (/Spoilers).

It is a difficult task to develop and endear two characters in a single film, leave alone three. However, aided by its long running time, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara does manage to do justice to all the three leading characters considerably well. Abhay Deol plays the foil to the other two to perfection, glimmering away quietly whenever the spotlight is on him. Hrithik, in an instance of pitch-perfect casting, impresses with his bravado-veiled vulnerability. Farhan's Imran grows on you. A closet poet who is also a copywriter by a day, Imran is also a man masking in his constant jokes and pranks a deep pain he is nursing. And a bonus is listening to Javed Akhtar's poetry in Farhan's voice. Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin are just fine in their bit roles. The magic of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is in the chemistry and camaraderie of the three buddies – and that's what it deserves to be watched for.

Gravity is a tremendous experience. I can't say if this comes closest to experiencing space without being there, because: first, I haven't been there and second, this is the only space-themed 3D movie I have watched.

Having said that, Gravity sure is "one hell of a ride". After a brief lull in a space station in the few minutes initially, all havoc breaks loose and people in space suits are flying all over the place, er space, untethered and unanswered. It is as panicky as Alien, although in Gravity, it is just the vagaries of space itself which prove sufficiently hazardous, rather than another class of organisms to add to the terror. Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, created four decades back, was a masterpiece for both the realistic depictions and the taut treatment. Gravity scores high on both these counts. The situation is fraught with danger and with at least one of the two primary protagonists lacking the steel for an unexceptional situation of a dreary death mid-space, the tension in the vacuum on the screen is palpable in the theatre air.

The visuals are fascinating, with enough time to savour the unparalleled "view", as a protagonist calls it. And this is a beautiful achievement of the film – slowing the pace down amidst the frenzy for the viewer to lose himself/ herself, albeit briefly, in the vast arena and literally out-of-the-world scenes.

Despite all its splendour, it would be interesting to see if Gravity can make it to the "great" bracket from the "good" which it certainly deserves. I have my doubts because, in spite of the brilliant effects and credible performances by the two leading actors, Gravity misses the extra bit that is required to make the transition. In terms of outer space dramas, 2001 is the all-time great which is a benchmark for its genre. Gravity, 45 years since that film, does not really take that experience to the next level. 2001 created an eerie atmosphere, a strange uneasiness. Gravity does not match that. In terms of creating an atmosphere of terror, it is closer to the Alien and Prometheus category but then again, fails to match the tremendous panic and suspense of those. In terms of a human drama and its "jailbreak" theme, The Shawshank Redemption is again the seminal work, and the famous climax of that masterpiece almost gets a tribute in a similar climax here. But somehow, though this "escape" was certainly way bigger in scale, the drama of Shawshank was goosebumps-inducing. In Gravity, it merely lifts the film from a sci-fi thriller to a drama.

In all, Gravity is definitely a treat to watch and an enjoyable movie. Though not astoundingly moving or possessing the power to shake the viewer, it deserves to be watched for its spectacular visuals alone.

The Steven Spielberg-directed Lincoln won two Oscars. But it could have easily won a couple more. Dealing with a momentous period in the life of the larger-than-life Abraham Lincoln and the events around him in his final years, the film achieved the fine balance between engaging the audience with Lincoln the man and the individuals around him from a personal perspective while capturing the aura of the great visionary.

Daniel Day-Lewis, in a superlative performance, is a treat to watch. The man invites aura and Day-Lewis absolutely nails the personality of the great erstwhile President of the USA to perfection. The poise, the voice, the gait, the delivery of the anecdotes and the list could go on. This is a performance that you feel like watching on loop. From Lincoln the husband to Lincoln the politician with a lawyer's brain, he engages the audience with each of Lincoln's many avatars. To top it, Tommy Lee Jones as the Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens is icing on the cake. Tommy Lee Jones with his thundering presence owns every scene he is in and holds his own with aplomb even in his scenes with Daniel Day-Lewis. Sally Field as Mrs. Lincoln is terrific and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the son is quite likable.

However, there is much more to the film than performances. As Lincoln is at once about the force that is Lincoln and the pain of slavery, Spielberg needed to highlight both aspects simultaneously. And this is exactly what he does with tremendous skill and grace in his showcasing of a remarkable leader's heroic yet political mission against the spectre of a ravaging war looming large over a man's ambition of ending what he considered a heinous crime against humanity itself.

Featuring memorable sequences, breathtaking performances and storytelling of the highest quality, Lincoln is a must-watch.

Swades marked Ashutosh Gowariker's return as a director after a hugely successful Lagaan.

Swades is about the return of an Indian scientist working at NASA to his childhood village in India and about the incidents that follow next. Shah Rukh Khan stars as the young Indian scientist. The story deals with how this talented young man unexpectedly grows attached to his homeland, becomes concerned about the troubles of the village and also falls in love with a girl from his childhood days.

While Lagaan from Gowariker was massive in scale and scope, Swades is markedly humble. However, the contrast ends there as there is little to choose between the two as both are thoroughly enjoyable, heart-warming and beautiful films.

The tale unfolds slowly in Swades, and before the viewer is aware, he too is wrapped in the world of the villagers with hearts of gold – some ambitious and others proud. Shah Rukh Khan in one of his most remarkable performances delivers a restrained act as the Prodigal Son who is torn between his present perfect life and his roots and past.

The music is beautiful and features multiple soothing numbers while boasting of a rich variety. There is a sweet lullaby, a soft romantic number, one with a nice social message mildly delivered and of course, Ye Jo Des, the emotional conclusion to the tale.

Ritwik Ghatak's Subarnarekha is a tale of a refugee family in the aftermath of the partition of Bengal. Subarnarekha tracks the lives of a man, his child sister and a young boy whom the man provided shelter after the boy loses his mother in a mêlée.

The film begins in a refugee camp of the then Calcutta, where a number of refugees have gathered in the hope of building their homes anew. We witness how the pangs of poverty and homelessness metamorphoses an individual's attitude towards life and his decisions throughout his life. Subarnarekha is a tale of hopelessness at most times. Ritwik Ghatak portrays the plight of the three characters, their hardships and its ensuing effects on their thoughts, actions and the very paths they tread in their lives. The mood is often one of darkness and despair as Ritwik chooses not to offer any artificial sugary balm for the viewer in his tale of stark, heartrending reality.

As is Ritwik Ghatak's trademark, Subarnarekha is a film of tremendous strength, that bombards the mind and stings the senses, leaving behind a gash in its wake.