Mighty nice, Mr Khan, mighty nice. Taare Zameen Par is an impressive debut indeed for filmmaker Aamir Khan, and showcases a brilliant performance by the young Darsheel Safary – one of those child-actors you can’t possibly resist. More than just dyslexia, the film is a look at childhood dreamers who feel shunted out by the…

I feel older. A showing of Karan Johar’s mammoth 22-reel Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna has left me unbelievably exhausted. Walking out of the hall, I feel my cheeks for a beard, wondering if my clothes are suddenly dated and if my hair’s greyed. For this is no ordinary 3.5-hour film, it’s a saga that stretches…

Eight by Ten. Eight lines, ten words apiece. Here we go: – Once there was a man who through pictures could hop, step behind the subject’s eyes and look into times past. Thus does Akshay Kumar investigate a major crime fast. (Though what would have been, had the killer used Photoshop?) – A comicbooky premise…

It’s question time, review-readers. Question: Who is Nicolas Cage? Answer: An Oscar-winning performer formerly known for quirky madcap roles but now a Ferrari-collecting star turning up in utterly braindead films with interchangable plots and hairpieces. Despite logical inconsistency and much happenstance instead of actual screenwriting, these films do invariably well, being as much about a…

I call it infamous because it remains my most-quoted review, the one people most frequently drudge up to exemplify cruelty. I think it’s harshness is kinda overrated. Honest. Heh. Picture Shahid mooning wistfully on a verandah. Amrita, ghoonghat covering her head, pops up behind him with a brass tumbler full of water, and mousily asks him…

From the Gulaal review: What is fun — as is always the case with Kashyap — is the detailing. The characters are a constantly quirky, perfectly cast bunch, and each has moments actors would kill for. Mahi Gill, for example, plays a beauty parlour owner called Madhuri who dances the odd mujra in a low-cut blouse.…