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Dhurandhar 2 Review: Ranveer Singh delivers a power-packed performance in this action thriller. Box office collection, rating, audience reaction & complete analysis here!

HAQ is a bold, thought-provoking Bollywood film rooted in real issues, driven by strong performances and storytelling that stays with you long after it ends. Click the link to read my full review of HAQ.

Siddhant Chaturvedi and Tripti Dimri shine in Dhadak 2, a powerful love story tackling caste discrimination with brutal honesty and emotional depth.  Click the link to read my in-depth review of Dhadak 2.

For detailed review, click the link.

Dil Bechara: An Ode to Sushant When I sat to write something about the movie the only visual that captivates my mind is Sushant Singh Rajput’s ever charming and electrifying smile. It is very difficult to write review for this movie as the movie leaves you overwhelmed but I will write this piece as a tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput. DIL BECHARA as we all know is based on John Green’s novel “The Fault in Our Stars”, and Mukesh Chabra gives an Indian Twist to the base story with the help of Shashank Khaitan and Supratim Sengupta who wrote the screenplay. But movie more or less sticks to the original material. But I can unabashedly admit that Dil Bechara is a Sushant Singh Rajput movie from the word go, and you cannot take off your eyes from the screen whenever he is in the frame. His character Manny a cancer patient goes through a wide range of emotions and Sushant gets each and every emotion bang on and you say what an actor, and you cannot believe he is no more. Some of the dialogues of the movie just resonates with you, due to what happened. I bet no other actor in younger generation could portray MANNY the way Sushant did. It would be criminal to ignore the rest of the cast starting with the debutant Sanjana Sanghi who plays the lead character Kizie Basu, a cancer patient, she comes as a breath of fresh air and her chemistry with Sushant is mind-blowing. Being her first film as a lead actress she holds her own in front of the remarkably talented Sushant. Read the full article

Irrfan Khan: One who changed the definition of a BOLLYWOOD Hero If I say Irrfan Khan was a trendsetter then it won’t be wrong because Irrfan changed the mindset of Bollywood of a conventional Hero. He was nothing what a stereo type Bollywood hero would be, he was a simple case of Parallel cinema hero who made it BIG in commercial cinema as well. Irrfan’s talent of effortless acting made him a household name. Though to reach that stature he really struggled and how. Who knew that an actor who made his debut in a 2 minute, blink and you will miss it role in Mira Nair’s  SALAAM BOMBAY (1988). Irrfan debut as an actor started with television way back in 1985 with the popular serial SHRIKANT, from 1985 to 1995 for 10 years he dis various roles in television from Bharat Ek Khoj to Chanakya, but it was his role in Zee TV’s BANEGI APNI BAAT as Kumar which bought him limelight. Irrfan kept on doing small insignificant roles in movies, but it was Timanshu Dhulia’s HAASIL (2003) which made the Bollywood notice him. Rather he was so good as a villain in the movie that today HAASIL remembered as a Irrfan Khan movie and Not a Jimmy Shergill movie who was lead actor. Before HASSIL Irrfan already created ripples in the international Arena with Asif Kapadia’s THE WARRIOR (2001). Rumour has it that actually Irrfan was contemplating to quit acting when he got THE WARRIOR. After HAASIL it was no looking back for Irrfan Khan, the same year there came another milestone movie which consolidated Irrfan’s position in Bollywood, it was Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Macbeth, MAQBOOL. Till today MAQBOOL is considered one of Irrfan’s best work in Hindi Cinema. After MAQBOOL Irrfan started getting Lead or prominent second Lead roles and with every role Irrfan consolidated his position in Bollywood. But who knew destiny had other plans for this great actor, all changed for Irrfan Khan with Mira Nair’s THE NAMESAKE wherein again he was paired opposite Tabu and was playing the lead as Ashok Ganguli, a Bengali Bhodrolok, and he just made the role his own. THE NAMESAKE changed Irrfan’s destiny and gave him the much needed international exposure. As it is said rest is history after which Irrfan did some notable Hollywood projects like SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, LIFE OF PIE, JURASSIC WORLD, INFERNO, THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN, and with every movie he consolidated his position in Hollywood as well. Irrfan Khan did some brilliant work back home as well like PAAN SINGH TOMAR for which he got the National Award, LIFE IN A METRO, NEW YORK, THE LUNCHBOX, SAAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS, TALVAR, MADAARI, PIKU, QARIB QARIB SINGLE, QISSA and HINDI MEDIUM. Things were just looking up for this brilliant actor but then came a halt thanks to Irrfan being detected of Cancer in 2018, though he did a movie last year ENGLISH MEDIUM which was the last hindi movie which released before the lockdown due to Corona pandemic. Irrfan left us for heavenly abode on 28th April, 2020. It was too soon for all of us, there was so much that we as his fans and audience were expecting. But Irrfan Khan will stay in our memories and will be LIVE through his movies. Irrfan Khan an actor par excellence who made acting look so effortless whether it was serious role or comedy, he was brilliant and this brilliance is a gift that IRRFAN  has left as a legacy for all his fans. REST IN PEACE….IRRFAN KHAN…WE WILL MISS YOU… Read the full article

THAPPAD: One Tight Slap on MISOGYNY On the onset let me warn you THAPPAD is not your regular entertaining movie which will end making you happy, but it makes you cringe and the end of it makes you think as to what is right and what is wrong. Anubhav Sinha who tackled the issue of caste tolerance in MULK and tackled issue of caste divide in ARTICLE 15, now handles the marital issues prevalent in majority of the Indian household in THAPPAD and he and his co-writer Mrunmayee Lagoo bares it naked without any pretense. THAPPAD showcases the issues of marriage and relationship across generation and various strata of society through four tracks which inter-mingles into the main track of the marriage issues of Amrita and Vikram. Both Amrita and Vikram are a perfect couple where Amrita (Tapsee Pannu) who is a home maker and her whole existence is around Vikram (debutant Pavail Gulati) and his family. All is hunky dory until one day in a party Vikram slaps Amrita which wakes Amrita from the slumber of her mundane existence. So the slap or should I say the THAPPAD becomes a metaphor. What happens later is what the story is all about. Kudos to both Anubhav and Mrunmayee who do not cut corners to showcase happy go lucky existence, rather it gives a blatant view of our relationships and how priorities are compromised for the sake of existence. The beauty of the movie are the characters which are written so well that the four tracks that run parallel do not interfere the main track and still create an impact. The writers want you to be uncomfortable which they do successfully and the most commendable part is none of the characters are shown as villains or overtly negative but it their behavior in the situations is what is negative. The writing does not blame anyone instead it shows how men are conditioned because what they have been taught and what they have observed and eventually making them behave how they do. The screenplay uses silences to convey the message and the pre climax sequence though a bit bollywoodish, creates the maximum impact and you come out thinking What if…. THAPPAD scores high on performances. Tapsee Pannu as Amrita the housewife whose world goes for a toss, is brilliant as an understated not aggressive homemaker. Most of the movie Tapsee acts through her eyes and her silences, definitely another feather on her cap. Debutant Pavail Gulati as Vikram, Amrita’s husband, had the most difficult role of the movie, who is a good guy but his reactions are not acceptable. Pavail does a brilliant balancing act with his performance not making Vikram outright villain still at wrong, definitely an actor to look forward. Another actor who creates an impact is Geetika Vidya Ohlyan as the domestic help Sunita, she is brilliant from the word go as a victim of domestic violence and brings the few laughs in THAPPAD. After SONI, Geetika yet again proves her mettle. Maya Sarao as Nethra, Amrita’s lawyer who is not given due credit, fits into her character like glove as a character who is in dilemma though being successful, another impactful performance. Kumud Mishra who plays Amrita’s supporting father, yet again shows his finesse as an actor and performer. Rest of the ensemble cast consisting of Dia Mirza, Manav Kaul, Tanvi Azmi, Ratna Pathak Shah, Ram Kapoor, Naila Grewal, Ankur Rathee all do a brilliant job. Anubhav Sinha has come a long way from his debut movie TUM BIN and THAPPAD is another feather in his cap. Anubhav has very successfully presented the entire subject without taking sides, which makes the movie brilliant. THAPPAD will make you uncomfortable, it will make you cringe and will show you the mirror. Even after the movie is over THAPPAD will stay with you with questions WHAT IF…. AND WHY. Definitely a must watch, I will go with Read the full article

14th Jan’2000 a new super star was born in Bollywood, who had quintessential good looks almost Greek God like and who can dance like a dream and also knew how to act. The launch vehicle for him was KAHO NAA PYAAR HAI and the super star was HRITHIK ROSHAN. Directed by Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik’s father, the movie written by Ravi Kapoor and Honey Irani had all the masala of a Bollywood pot boiler, the poor boy falling in love with rich girl angle, the double role (Rohit and Raj) and the mystery behind it, the tragedy, the thriller and the song and dance, and to top it all a newcomer who could pull off all this with ease. The script , loosely based 1986 Kanada movie RATHA SAPTAMI, was tailor made launch pad for Hrithik, from emotion to action to dance to foreign locations, it had everything and Hrithik didn’t disappoint. Along with Hrithik it was Ameesha Patel’s launch movie too, but the original choice to play the female lead was Kareena Kapoor. It was supposed to be Kareena’s debut movie but after shooting for a few days, due to creative difference between Babita and Rakesh Roshan she opted out and Ameesha Patel was signed up as a replacement to play Sonia. Critically the movie was not well acclaimed but it was Hrithik Roshan’s performance that won over the critics and the audience both. But all had to agree that overall the movie was an entertainer. The movie was made in a budget of 10 crores, but from the first show itself the movie was declared a super hit and ended up doing a business of 80 crores and being the highest grosser of 2000. Another big plus for the movie was its music by Rajesh Roshan, it was a huge hit. Songs like “Ik pal kajeena” to “Kyon Chalti hai Pavan” both sung by Lucky Ali are still favorites after 20 years. Rajesh Roshan changed his style and gave us an amalgamation of peppy dance numbers to soulful romantic songs,every song was hit. Even the choreography by Farah Khan was top notch which elevated the already hit songs, especially the climax concert song “Dil Ne Dil Ko Pukara” was high octane and it was shot lavishly. Rakesh Roshan did not keep any stone unturned to make his son’s debut a complete entertainer. KNPH had a sweep in every award function in 2000 wining all the pivotal category awards. I remember going to the theatre with ZERO expectations and coming out star struck. And I have remained star struck with Hrithik Roshan till date. It has been 20 years and Hrithik Roshan has gone through his share of ups and downs but he still remains the Super Star with Greek God looks who can pull off a Bollywood Actioner “WAR” with equal ease as a “SUPER 30” which was more realistic and too rustic for his persona. He made me cry in “SUPER 30” and gave me the adrenalin rush with “WAR”. Well that is what super star is made of….. But undoubtedly “KAHO NAA PYAAR HAI” will always remain close to my heart, which gave us the Super Star called HRITHIK ROSHAN. Read the full article

There are some movies which are larger than life and needs to be seen only on a BIG Screen format. TANHAJI THE UNSUNG WARRIOR is one such movie. TANHAJI is based on the real life incident of reclaiming of Kondhana Fort from the Mughals, which was lost by Shivaji as per a treaty with Mughals. The entire operation of getting back the fort was orchestrated by Shivaji’s confidant Tanhaji Malusare against the then commander of the fort Udaybhan Rathod. So TANHAJI encapsulates the pre operation events leading to the secret siege by the Marathas, wherein Tanhaji postpones his son’s marriage for the operation and ends with the ultimate win by the Marathas and Tanhaji’s sacrifice. Well this is a story which is pretty known in Maharashtra, and is also a text book chapter in school, but frankly nothing is known about Tanhaji as a person which is documented in history other the Kodhana siege, and with regard to Udaybhan Rathod nothing whatsoever. Hence it was quite a task for the writers the director Om Raut himself with Prakash Kapadia weave in a story of 151 minutes. What Om and Prakash have done is taking the snippets what is known and created half factual and half constructed events to make a narration. The script has the right mix of history and drama which is fast paced and does not give you any chance to be bored. Yes it exploits the patriotic feeling and is melodramatic in parts but it does not make you cringe. The characterization is completely black and white here with no layering. Overall the writing is not perfect but it has a soul and that kind of connects with the audience and you are entertained. Performance wise Ajay Devgn as Tanhaji brings the required valor and honesty to the character which connects and that was the biggest triumph for the movie. Saif Ali Khan as Udaybhan plays quintessential villain to the T, and you can see that he is enjoying. He plays the BAD guys to the hilt and is complete contrast to Ajay’s character. Both powerhouse actors coming together after OMKARA was a delight to watch. Kajol as Savitribai, Tanhaji’s wife has very less screen time but whatever she has she shines. Sharad Kelkar as Shivaji Maharaj was the best casting of the movie, his looks and his whole body language is so believable that you start seeing him as Shivaji Maharaj and not Sharad Kelkar the actor. Padmavati Rao as Rajmata Jijabai brings the essential aristocracy required for the role and fits into the mould to the T. Luke Kenny as Aurangzeb is good but does not create any impact. Rest of the ensemble cast also do a good job. Some of the major highlights of TANHAJI is its brilliant cinematography by Keiko Nakahara, excellent Production Design by Sriram Iyengar & Sujeet Sawant and off course the brilliant VFX team which is the back bone of the movie, more so since it is in 3D format. All the above create the world of TANHAJI so well that you are drawn to their world from the first frame. And to make the characters alive the costume design by Nachiket Barve is like the cherry on the cake. The 3D format kind of accentuates the viewing experience, I guess one of the best 3D format movie of Bollywood. Om Raut, with his directorial debut in Bollywood has created a magnum opus with larger than life story telling and a Big screen viewing spectacle, thanks to its brilliant 3D format and extravagant VFX. Not only technically Om also resonates well with his audience on an emotional level and gets the EQ bang on. Though I won’t say that it is a classic but it is definitely an entertainer which is worth a watch on the Big Screen. Om gets it right from the word GO. TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR is almost like watching an Amar Chitra Katha narration on celluloid, thanks to its brilliant VFX and 3D format and with a simplistic story telling which pulls the heart strings and gets an emotional connect bang on. The complete BIG SCREEN entertainer worth watching in the cinemas. Read the full article

Meghna Gulzar has this uncanny habit of choosing path breaking subjects, right from her debut movie FILHAAL which was a movie on surrogacy in 2002, much ahead of its time. And since then her body of work has been impeccable excluding a JUST MARRIED which was run of then mill. With CHHAPAAK, Meghna again tries to break grounds adapting the story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. The story plots the journey of Malti (Deepika Padukone) and her struggle to get the justice and to fit in a society where looks take pretense. Story and screenplay by Meghna herself with association of Atika Chohan, captures the pain and anguish that an acid attack victim and her family goes through. What Meghna and Atika smartly do is keeping Malti’s story at the forefront it generally talks about acid attack and its consequences in general. But where CHHAPAAK loses its impact is with the screenplay which is all over the places. Incidents happening in Malti’s life is not stitched cleanly and it’s back and forth narration fails to connect with the audience and play on the emotional quotient, which was so important for the film falls flat. Even the court room scenes don’t create any impact. Another major drawback is it’s sluggish pace which refrains the viewer to be invested. Frankly till intermission point not much had happened. Another flaw which is otherwise Meghna’s forte was the characterization, which is very weak in CHHAPAAK. Sad that the writing fails with such a strong content. The performances are the biggest plus of CHHAPAAK, starting with Deepika Padukone who plays the central character Malti, does and honest and sincere attempt to give life to the character but somehow she is not able to connect on an emotional level with the audience. Vikrant Massey as Amol, Malti’s boss and partner in a not so long role does a brilliant job, yet again proving his mettle as an actor. Another actor who stands out in the movie is Madhurjeet Sarghi, Malti’s advocate and well-wisher. Mahurjeet comes out strong and get it right from the word go. Rest of the cast also do a brilliant job. But alas the writing fails them. Another good job done is by the makeup department, especially prosthetic expert Cloover Wootton’s work on the look and progress after the acid attack has to be mentioned, which I read was 11 looks. I need to also mention Gulzar’s title track which gives you goose bumps. Meghna who has been so strong with her writing and content somehow misses the bus with CHHAPAAK which is sad. Honestly speaking I had a lot of expectations from a Meghna Gulzar movie but came out disappointed. But need to give her credit in extracting some very good performances form the cast. CHHAPAAK which literally means THE SPLASH refrains from creating any splash with an otherwise strong content, but it is the cast that makes it watchable once. Read the full article

The history of Bollywood cannot be complete without mentioning “Maine Pyar Kiya”, a movie which still is fresh in the minds of the people. Released on 29th Dec’1989, it completed 30 years on 29th Dec 2019. Even after 30 years the dialogues of the movie, the songs everything is still remembered. “Maine Pyar Kiya” was a launch pad for Sooraj Barjatya as a director, it re-introduced Salman Khan after his not so memorable debut in “Biwi Ho To Aisi”, it introduced Bhagyashree and whole lot of character actors like Reema Lagoo, Alok Nath, Rajiv Verma & Laxmikant Berde became household names and who became regulars in many other Rajshri Production. The Story written by Sooraj Barjatya himself was a Love story of Prem & Suman, the typical rich boy falls in love with poor girl saga. But it was the fresh approach and it was the brilliant screenplay which stood out. The Dialogues were instant hit, till today people have not forgotten dialogues like “Dosti mein no Sorry, No Thank You” or “ Daam chukaoonga is Five Star Hotel Ka…” or “Prem Ek Ladka Ladki Dost nahin hote…”. The Movie was released in limited theatres ( Only 29) on 29th Dec 1989 and each Theater was  equipped with 4 Track Stereophonic Sound for the release which was a part of the agreement with Rajshri for exhibiting “Maine Pyar Kiya”. Later once the movie was declared a hit it was released in other theaters but with a clause that they had to update the Sound System to “4 Track Stereophonic Sound”. “Maine Pyar Kiya” became a blockbuster hit and the biggest grosser of 1989. Till now it has earned over Rs 660 million till date. It made Salman Khan & Bhagyashree super stars over night. But Salman Khan was not the original choice for the role of the lead Prem, Sooraj had signed actor Faraaz Khan Son of yesteryear villain Yusuf Khan. But just before the shooting could commence Faraaz was detected of Jaundice and the set was ready and Sooraj could not afford to wait and hence signed Salman Khan who was initially not too keen to do the movie but Sooraj Barjatya convinced him and eventually he agreed and rest as it is said is history. The Music by Raam Laxman was also a vital contributor to the film’s success, till today the songs of “Maine Pyar Kiya “ is popular like “Dil Deewana”, “Aate Jaate”, “Mere Rang Mein”….Raam Laxman also won a Filmfare award for the movie. S P Balasubramaniam also won a Filmfare award for the song “Dil Deewana” and became the voice of Salman Khan for his future movies. “Maine Pyar Kiya” won 7 Filmfare awards for the year 1989 making it the only Bollywood movie winning highest No. of Filmfare awards till “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge “ won 11 Filmfare awards in 1995. “Maine Pyar Kiya” was later dubbed in English by the name of “When Love Calls” which did extremely well in Guayana, Tobago and Trinidad. It was also dubbed in Telegu by the name of “Prema Paavuraalu” which ran for 25 weeks in Vishakapatnam. “Maine Pyar Kiya” will always be in the hearts of an ardent Bollywood Lover like me and many more….thanks Sooraj Barjatya & Rajshri for giving us “Maine Pyar Kiya”….. Read the full article

It is really a good time for Bollywood wherein new and innovative concepts are being tried and big stars are being a part of it getting in the moolah for such subjects. GOOD NEWWZ is one such movie wherein the concept is new, the treatment is new, the writing is innovative and to top it a brilliant ensemble cast. Well in short the ingredients required for a entertaining film, and GOOD NEWWZ ticks all the boxes and entertains you and how. Story by Jyoti Kapoor and screenplay by both Jyoti Kapoor and Rishab Sharma is taunt and entertaining. The premise of two couples who share their surname Batras and the mix up of their In-Vitro- Fertilization (IVF) treatment is new and never tried before. The novelty is strong point of the script, but the writers make it hilarious from the word go that the 132 minutes of run time just passes making you laugh till you drop. Though there is a dollop of melodrama in the pre climax, but gears back being comic and ends with a smile on your face. Definitely a well written script though I felt the songs were a deterrent in the flow. Rishab Sharma's dialogues are like the cherry on the cake which accentuates the scenes. Rishab is not only good in comic sequences but in some emotional scenes his writing shines like the Katerina Kapoor's outburst scene will give you that emotional punch. The biggest plus of the movie is the brilliant ensemble cast. Akshay Kumar as Varun Batra is the most entertaining character and Akshay's comic timing is so impeccable that didn't miss a beat and makes you laugh till the end. Kareena Kapoor as Deepti Batra the Uber high society wife of Varun, is an apt casting for the role, she effortlessly plays Deepti and is brilliant in both comic and emotional sequence. Both Kareena and Akshay's chemistry raises the movie to different level. Diljit Dosanjh as the over the top Honey Batra plays the contrast of Varun with ease and his comic timing with Akshay is a delight to watch. Kiara Advani as Monika Batra, Happy Batra's wife is a revelation. For Kiara it was daunting task to match her performance with the rest 3 seasoned actors, but she does not disappoint and does complete justice to her character. Both Adil Hussain and Tisca Chopra as the doctor couple adds up to the fun quotient. Rest of the cast also do a good job. Debutant director Raj Mehta does a brilliant job with his first film which is a wholesome entertainer. He takes a serious subject and makes a comedy out of it, definitely not a mean task. Kudos to Raj to even attempt such a subject as his debut movie. And the way he balances the emotional scenes and the comic scenes is to be seen to be believed. Definitely a director to watch out for. GOOD NEWWZ brings the good news of an entertainer in this holiday season. With a taut script and some brilliant performance, GOOD NEWWZ is a must watch. Read the full article

MARDAANI 2 as it's prequel focusses on the central character  SP Shivani Shivaji Roy. The plot this time is set in the educational town of Kota, where a psychopath serial killer is in a rampage of raping girls and killing them brutally. The plot shows how Shivani ( Rani Mukerji) unravels the truth and whether she gets the serial killer or not. Unlike it's predecessor MARDAANI which was in a realistic mould, writer director Gopi Puthran makes it a mix realistic cinema with some Bollywood masala. But it entertains fully and keeps you on edge of the seat fully. Packaged in 105 minutes run time the movie is fast paced and crisp not wasting any time on any other elements and concentrating on the main plot. Though I felt a few sequences could have been omitted and some blatant cinematic liberties have been taken, but the final outcome is ENTERTAINING. Rani Mukerji as SP Shivani Shivaji Roy shines and how, she is just brilliant and one of the main reason to watch this movie is Rani. Just like it's prequel wherein Tahir Raj Bhasin was introduced as the antagonist and who made a mark with his very first movie, similarly in MARDAANI 2, Vishal Jethwa is introduced as the antagonist Sunny. And I must say Vishal us the find of 2019, he surpasses all expectations with his flawless performance. He adapts to the character so well that you will feel the chill whenever he is on screen. Looking forward to see more of this actor in future movies. Rest of the cast also do a brilliant job. In short the movie outshines in the performance department and takes the movie a notch higher. It would be a mistake by comparing MARDAANI to MARDAANI 2, but the way Pradeep Sarkar helmed the prequel, Gopi Puthran matches his predecessor to a large extent. Gopi as a debut movie shines and showcases his calibre well. Gopi is definitely a film maker to watch out for. To create the right atmosphere Jishnu Bhattacharjee's camera work works wonders for the movie. Must mention the superlative work of editor Monisha Baldawa who did a very good job making the movie crisp and engaging. MARDAANI 2 is well packaged movie with a taut script and direction by Gopi Puthran with some brilliant performances by Rani Mukerji and Vishal Jethwa which makes the movie a must watch. Apart from some blemishes which can be overlooked the movie is entertaining. Read the full article

Movies on a Historical event or a biography are two genres which are immensely difficult to capture on celluloid. It may come out as a masterpiece and classic or it may result in a poor copy no chances of anything mid way. Well Ashutosh Giwarikar is one director who did some brilliant work with LAGAAN and JODHA AKBAR in period genre the latter being a historical. But lately he had some misadventures starting with KHELE HUM JEE JAAN SE and his very last outing MOHEN JO DARO. PANIPAT unfortunately is another addition to Giwarikar's misadventures. Based on the famous third battle of Panipat , the movie adaptation is far from being a good cinema forget about a masterpiece. Adapted by Ashutosh himself along with Chandrashekhar Dhavalikar and Ranjit Bahadur the story and screenplay is  patchy and extremely amateurish.The characters come out cardboardish and extremely stiff with no soul  whatsoever and the patchy dialogues by Aditya Raval doesn't help. Another major problem that the film suffers is it's casting or should I say miscasting, starting with Arjun Kapoor as Sadashiv Bhau, continues his spell of being wooden as his previous outings. Kriti Sanon as Parvati Bai, Sadashiv's wife still made sense in her not so well written character, rather whenever she is on screen the movie becomes a bit lively. And now coming to Sanjay Dutt who played the cruel crusader from Afghanistan Admed Shah Abdali, sleep walks throughout the role. I felt that Sanjay Dutt had difficulty mouthing the dialogues as well. As far as the rest of the cast is concerned namely Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman (in a cameo), Kunal Kapoor (one of the worst performances of the movie) hardly make any difference. The movie is so lacklustre that it fails to connect in any level. I think this movie is Ashutosh Giwarikar's worst after WHAT'S MY RAASHI. The movie is so average that you will fail to believe that this a Ashutosh Giwarikar movie. Even the VFX is so underwhelming that you feel you are watching a television serial from the 90's. Music by Ajay Atul us also below average. It is only the last 10 mins of a 173 minute film that the movie comes live during the battle sequence and climax PANIPAT is an absolute disappointment from Ashutosh Giwarikar, after watching this movie you will fail to believe that it is him who made heart wrenching movies like LAGAAN, JODHA AKBAR and SWADES, ( one of Shahrukh's best performance). I still believe that Ashutosh can shine. I will go with 2 stars... Read the full article

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