There is no lack of dancing talent in India, and our dance reality shows brought this talent to our living room. The ABCD franchise takes this one notch further and presents this talent on a global scale.

Scripted, directed and choreographed by Remo D’Souza, ABCD 2 showcases the story of an underdog dance group who make it large at a global hip-hop competition. The choreography part of it is perfect, no qualms on that front, but the storytelling and direction are extremely mediocre. While ABCD established characters and then sought dancing, ABCD 2 barely establishes any; they are all just there and you are supposed to know them. This doesn’t help in the audience connect with the dance group on an emotional level. Remo did try to infuse Indian spirit to get that connect, but that’s only towards the latter half. Another failing point of this unnecessarily long 154 minutes dance film is excess melodrama. Every scene is exaggerated to an extent that you almost start giggling. The dance sequences too get boring after a while for there are so many. ABCD 2 proves for sure that any body can dance, but not everyone can direct.

Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor put their best foot forward and perform exceptionally well in almost every dance sequence. They give the professional dancers a run for their money, but they barely act. The professional dancers, in fact put up a better act than them. Prabhu Deva is good and performs with ease. Dharmesh and Raghav’s acts are commendable.

Music by Sachin-Jigar is foot tapping, as required. Cinematography by Vijay Arora is perfect; he ensured that all dance sequences look spectacular on-screen. 3D effects are worth mentioning. Editing by Manan Sagar is mediocre; this kind of movie can’t be over 2 hours long, and Manan should have ensured that.

Is it worth your time and money?: Well, it’s a difficult question. Yes, the dance sequences are spectacular, and the leads put in great effort (but barely act). But the storytelling fails miserably. The movie length doesn’t help either. Bottom-line, give it a watch only if you have nothing better to do (and if well choreographed dance sequences turn you on).

Worth mention: The dance sequences.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 7/10

Given that I loved Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (which happens to be the second review I’ve ever written), I’ve been waiting for Dil Dhadakne Do for a while now. And yes, it was worth the wait!

Scripted by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, Dil Dhadakne Do showcases the struggles of a dysfunctional high-society family of four – the Mehras. Kamal and Neelam are an unhappy couple celebrating their 30^th anniversary on a cruise with family and friends. They are more concerned about their prestige and image rather than the welfare of their kids, Ayesha and Kabir, both struggling to discover their own identities. Zoya does a brilliant job on the direction front to bring this family to life. The quirky narration makes you connect with the Mehra family pretty soon. There are tons of moments in the movie which showcase the realities of wealthy families, and she does it in a charming way, without it ever getting preachy. The light-hearted humour infused into the script is worth a mention. Screenplay is spot on, and so are the dialogues penned by Farhan. My only concern was with the hurried climax; after sitting through for almost three hours, you’d expect something better.

Anil Kapoor is absolutely brilliant as the self-made Kamal Mehra. This is the Anil I grew up watching, the one who owns the role. Shefali Shah is equally good as Mrs. Mehra. Priyanka and Anushka perform well. Rahul Bose is good, and so is Farhan in his brief appearance. But the real star happens to be Ranveer Singh, who comes up with an impeccable act. Be it his mannerisms or antics, this is a breath of fresh air. His performance in the medical ward episode is exceptional.  Aamir Khan entertains as Pluto Mehra. The rest of the ensemble cast is perfect.

Music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is melodious. Almost all the songs are awesomely picturized, which brings me to talk about the cinematography. Carlos Catalan, take a bow. Be it the beautiful landscapes of Turkey, or the single shot sequence for “Gallan Goodiyaan” song, they were spectacular. Editing by Anand Subaya and Manan Mehta is alright.  Special shout out to Bosco-Caesar for brilliant choreography.

Is it worth your time and money?: Oh yes. While ZNMD dealt with friendship, DDD talks about family relationship. Acting and cinematography are definite plus points of this lengthy movie. I’d recommend watching it with your families; for all you know, it might help you open up to them a bit more.

Worth mention: Acting and cinematography.

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10

Verdict: 8.5/10

Kangana is one of the most versatile actors we have in the industry today, and she proved her mettle with Queen. Now, she does it again in Tanu Weds Manu: Returns.

Anand Rai’s sequel starts off with Manu landing in a mental asylum because of domestic problems four years post their wedding. Tanu goes back to being herself in Kanpur, while Manu, out of the asylum, is still brooding over Tanu in Delhi. Things change when Manu runs into Kusum, a Haryanvi doppelgänger of Tanu. While the first few minutes of the movie seem ridiculous, Anand does a commendable job on direction front. Himanshu Sharma’s dialogues are witty and the screenplay is decent. The woman empowerment speech was very well conceived. However, the movie starts to drag towards the climax, and the ending is too predictable.

Kangana is brilliant being herself as Tanu, while she does a perfect job as Kusum. Her Haryanvi accent is as good as a local; it was really difficult for me to understand most of it at times. She might walk away with honours again this year for her performance. Madhavan is flawless as the 40 years old initially struggling with his over-hyper wife, and later as the guy yearning for her attention. Deepak Dobriyal overacts, while Jimmy comes up with a subdued performance.

Music by Krsna Solo and Tanishk-Vayu is alright, with ‘Banno’ being the best of the lot. Cinematography by Chirantan Das is worth a mention, while editing by Hemal Kothari is neat.

Is it worth your time and money??: Tanu Weds Manu: Returns isn’t a great movie. But it still works thanks to another exceptional performance  from Kangana. Baring some flaws in the script and the very predictable ending, it’s still worth a watch.

Worth mention: Kangana’s performance as Kusum in the climax, and Rajesh Sharma’s speech on women empowerment.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 7.5/10 + 0.5 for Kangana!

After hilarious Vicky Donor and an engrossing political thriller Madras Cafe, Shoojit Sircar now comes up with heart-warming tale of Piku. It might be Mother’s Day weekend, but this one is sure to impress any parent.

Piku, played by Deepika, is a headstrong independent woman in her 30’s. She lives with her father, played by Amitabh, who happens to be a hypochondriac, especially obsessed about his bowel movements. The story, written by Juhi Chaturvedi is simple, and Shoojit does justice to it by keeping it simple. The chemistry between all the leads is amazing. Though a number of episodes focus on bowel movements, they never make you uncomfortable. Dialogues are brilliant; I especially loved the ones written for ‘not a virgin’ episode. I also thought that the climax was very well conceived. Screenplay by Juhi is neat.

I don’t think there is a need for me to talk about Amitabh’s acting. As expected, it was brilliant. His Bengali accent seemed almost perfect. Deepika does total justice to the title role. There’s no glamour associated with her character, yet she looks stunningly beautiful. It’s more or less a cake walk for Irrfan; this guy can play a variety of roles at ease. The rest of the cast, be it Moushumi Chatterjee or Raghuvir Yadav, is equally good.

Music by Anupam Roy is subtle and soulful; it never gets too loud. Cinematography by Kamaljeet Negi is very good; he showcased Kolkata so beautifully that I wanna make it my next travel destination. Editing by Chandrashekhar Prajapati is good. The only irritating part of the movie is the excessive, unnecessary branding!

Is it worth your time and money?: As already mentioned, it’s a charming tale showcasing the struggles of headstrong father and daughter. While some might find it too slow or even cumbersome (because of excessive mention of bowel movements), I feel it’s a good watch. If not for anything, it deserves applause for the brilliant acting by the three leads.

Worth mention: The witty dialogues and the father-daughter chemistry.

Acting: 9.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8.5/10