It's not uncommon for performers to become bigger than the stories they are placed in and Sreehari Nair would happily pay to watch Isha Talwar and Paramvir Singh Cheema riffing on love, bad life choices, psychology, rhythm, and oven-baked Kulchas in Chamak.

When an actor has worked for as long as Manoj Bajpayee, one tends to lose their sense of originality under the sheen of stardom. But the actor's versatility sparkles in his willingness to start on a fresh note every single time, applauds Sukanya Verma.

Mast Mein Rehne Ka is a thoroughly human film, which makes you laugh as hard as it will make you feel for the characters, notes Mayur Sanap.

The lives of the kids Deepa Bhatia portrays in the series are bleak, with small periods of sunshine when they get picked for an ad or serial, punctuating the longer periods of struggle, observes Deepa Gahlot.

After the debacle of the first episodes of Season 6, the latter half give an even-handed treatment to intriguing not-so-well-known events of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, observes Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.

Rajkumar Hirani has a mastery in bromance. In Dunki, Sukanya Verma doesn't feel that chemistry one bit, it's more like SRK babysitting a bunch of clueless kids running helter-skelter in a garden believing the grass is always greener on the other side.

Dunki doesn't have any repeat value unlike other Hirani films. And that perhaps is saying a lot, notes Mayur Sanap.

There is an authenticity and sense of purpose about Dry Day which is appealing, observes Deepa Gahlot.

The play-off between Prabhas and Prithviraj is the high-octane fuel that lends Salaar momentum, observes Mayur Sanap.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan is a light glimpse into healthy young lives ready to soar in their own sweet skin, applauds Sukanya Verma.

Wedding.con is a watchable show, if only to caution people about the latest scams, notes Deepa Gahlot.

Safed is a lame attempt at social commentary, with terribly dull and thoughtless direction, observes Mayur Sanap.

Killer Soup's plots grow too convoluted and the strain of keeping the momentum going shows when its shrewd and surreal visuals lose steam, observes Sukanya Verma.

Merry Christmas has a breathtaking climax that will have you sighing like you've never sighed in a Sriram Raghavan movie before, applauds Sukanya Verma.

Teja Sajja is agile and a decent actor but not charismatic enough to watch in almost every frame, observes Deepa Gahlot.

When you leave the cinema hall, what stays with you is the message of inclusion and the need to stand up for your freedom, observes Divya Nair.

Rohit Shetty's strengths have been action and humour; the former he delivers in spades, but the latter is totally lacking in Indian Police Force, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Philip's is a light-hearted film you can enjoy with your family and safely recommend to your friends, endorses Divya Nair.

Had it not been for Pankaj Tripathi, who must have worked hard to get those Vajpayee intonations and mannerisms so perfectly well, Ravi Jadhav's flattering portrait of Vajpayee would have been more vacuous than what we get to see, observes Prasanna Zore.

Fighter's distressing lack of thrills and sizzle reduces the exercise to an excuse for tedious amounts of Pakistan bashing, observes Sukanya Verma.

Despite its flaws, you can watch Karmma Calling if you like the glitz and drama of the ultra-rich, notes Mohnish Singh.

Bullets fly, the noise becomes unbearable and the plot finally ends with the hero doing an unbelievable leap on to the ski of the helicopter aka Schwarzenegger, flown by our pretty heroine. UFF UFF! Squirming in my seat, I ponder over what I have been through, sighs Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).

The three women, because of their names and position, would get the eyeballs anyway, but if they do not rise above the superficial, it would be a wasted opportunity to reach out to and inspire women in particular, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Even though the story has nothing much to say beyond its central conflict, the film is consistently poignant and, in one scene near the end, it leaves you dewy-eyed, observes Mayur Sanap.

A feeble fable masquerading as a robo rom-com, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya aspires to address what unrealistic expectations in a relationship can lead to, observes Sukanya Verma.

Aarya Aakhri Vaar should have been slicker and more polished than the first, or at least ended with a louder bang, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Bhakshak should create some awareness and maybe raise some compassion towards victims of abuse, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Lal Salaam is not a movie A Ganesh Nadar would recommend.

Love Storiyaan comes alive in the courageous and fearless voice of six spirited romantics speaking direct dil se, applauds Sukanya Verma.

Anweshipin Kandettum is a fascinating genre exercise let down by its incessant attention to details, observes Arjun Menon.

Mammootty is towering as the unflinching enigma that prevents Bramayugam from being a middling genre exercise, observes Arjun Menon.

Poacher neither minces words in condemning these self-seeking slaughterers nor leaves any stone unturned in highlighting the hard work put in by friends of the forest, notes Sukanya Verma.

Crakk is absolute crap, declares Mayur Sanap.

Article 370 is not as crude as some of the openly propagandist films made in recent times. It could at least open up a discussion on what is to be done to heal the wounds of the people of Kashmir, which years of shrieking TV debaters could not do, feels Deepa Gahlot.

All India Rank achieves a fine balance of authenticity and sensitivity in the fine portrayals of its young actors and old.

Manjummel Boys gets so many things right, applauds Arjun Menon.

Laapataa Ladies is gentle yet firm in calling out the hypocrisies colouring everyday mindsets and prejudices without acquiring the high-handedness of a crusader, observes Sukanya Verma.

Sunil Grover and a perky Adah Sharma somehow salvage Sunflower 2, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Much better films about the explosive -- if often misdirected -- energy of the young have been made before than Dange, points out Deepa Gahlot.

If Indrani Mukerjea wanted to whitewash her image, this docu series was not the right platform, asserts Deepa Gahlot.

For all its oddball energy and earnest ambition, Fairy Folk cannot be missed, applauds Mayur Sanap.

Operation Valentine follows the templates of similar Air Force narratives to deliver some rousing, harmless fun time, observes Arjun Menon.

The Zone Of Interest is technically flawless but lacks emotional pull, observes Mayur Sanap.

Another season of these legal antics would be welcome, applauds Deepa Gahlot.

Huma Qureshi's Rani Bharti was the ace in the pack, but everything that she does in this season smacks more of script conveniences than careful plotting, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Showtime is watchable but never engrossing, notes Sukanya Verma.

Shaitaan's wickedness may be its calling card but relies on age-old formulas to do the trick, observes Sukanya Verma.

Big Girls Don't Cry is too solemn to be fun and too timid to be truly bold, feels Deepa Gahlot.

The Naxal movement has such a complex history that several books have been written to understand it. Bastar: The Naxal Story seeks to reduce it to bullet points and stereotypes, observes Deepa Gahlot.

Despite director Homi Adajania's ease around quirky ensembles and macabre touches, Murder Mubarak fails to draw the viewer into its shallow world of the vain and wealthy, feels Sukanya Verma.