Whether on OTT platforms or cinemas, Bollywood films are releasing left, right and center as the film industry recovers from the unpredictable shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While we obsess over certain movies, many just cringe pro max with good marketing. While some movies have great plots, others have even better memes.
Here are 9 recent Bollywood movies ranked on a scale from grimacing to excellent.
1. liger
liger is a romantic sports action film following the story of a man, Liger, who aspires to be an MMA champion, like his future father. His relationship with his mother, a self-proclaimed tigress, is quite turbulent as she incessantly hits on him while ridiculing his stutter and passively motivating him to be a great fighter. Seeing Liger excel is his mother’s only goal in life. Liger also falls in love with Tanya, the sister of his nemesis, which is not at all surprising. The movie is a cringe-worthy fest with heightened emotions, peculiar dialogue, and an illogical storyline, and you’ll find it hard to cope throughout.
PS – The Mike Tyson cameo was mainly for the hype.
2. The Return of Villain Ek
It takes guts to choose a decent enough movie and create a sequel to ruin its legacy. Next for Ek naughty does just that with an absurd plot and toxic characters. You wouldn’t like or hate anyone and would remain largely indifferent throughout. Basically, a famous singer gets kidnapped by a selfish man who couldn’t handle the rejection in his love life. Upon hearing the news, the singer’s lover, a spoiled rich kid, decides to avenge her “supposed” death. That’s basically it, leaving out the opaque acting, bizarre twists, and immense objectification of female characters.
3. Shamshera
The film is set in the 1800s and revolves around a Dacoit tribe fighting for freedom from the British in pre-independent India. It follows Shamshera who gives her life fighting for her people when, 25 years later, her son emerges to fulfill the cause and avenge her death. While the actors deliver promising roles and the cinematography seems compelling, the script is stretched too thin, making the whole movie-watching experience a monotonous affair. The plot seems unevenly knit and the film does not generate any substantial impact on viewers.
4. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Whereas Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 generated strong box office numbers, it nowhere fulfills the legacy of its prequel except for Tabu’s involvement. On the surface, the film attempts to follow the journey of two strangers where the guy – for no good reason – agrees to help the girl he just met by visiting her haunted hometown where she is presumed dead. After devoting a good part of the story to these two strangers, we realize that the story does not ultimately concern them. This is Taboo! The film’s horror parts feel like a mockery of its predecessor, while Tabu comes across as the film’s sole star.
5. good luck jerry
A remake of a Tamil film, Kolamaavu Kokila, good luck jerry follows the story of a simple lower middle class girl from Punjab. She finds herself in the middle of a drug racket as she decides to make a quick buck when her mother is diagnosed with stage two cancer. The comical twists of circumstance are such that her family also get involved in the drug business, even when they want to get out. While the film gets a little monotonous at the end, it’s promising, entertaining, and immensely dramatic.
6. Laal Singh Chaddha
Laal Singh Chaddha is an honest attempt to remake the 1994 Oscar-winning classic, Forrest Gump. The film follows the extraordinary journey of Laal, a slow-witted guy navigating the most turbulent times in Indian history while being in love with his childhood friend, Rupa. Despite the box office failure, it is a heartwarming film that focuses on the message of love and harmony. Nevertheless, the film is quite slow and we saw better performances from Aamir Khan.
seven. Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva
By now you must have seen enough memes to know what the movie is about. Shiva is an amazing guy who is unaffected by fire. Upon meeting the love of his life, Isha, he discovers he can control fire and even has a connection to a secret supernatural society. brahmastra is a film with stunning visual effects that are worth seeing in theaters. However, it’s a big disappointment when it comes to poorly written dialogue and a weird storyline.
8. Rocket: The Nambi Effect
Rocket: The Nambi Effect is a biographical drama film based on the life of an ISRO scientist, Nambi Narayanan, who was falsely accused in the ISRO spy case and later vindicated. While R. Madhavan plays the role of Nambi in the film, it is also his directorial debut. The actor understood the mission pretty well as he recounted the best and most dramatic moments of the scientist’s life and carefully incorporated them into a film.
9. darlings
Released on Netflix, darlings is a black comedy following the story of an abusive relationship. Badrunissa, a victim of domestic violence, spares no effort to change her abusive alcoholic husband. Seeing no other option, she resorts to revenge with the help of her mother, Shamshu. With an incredible star cast and a brilliant script, darlings presents such a sensitive and charged subject as domestic violence on a satirical note, covering all its aspects. Without a doubt, the film is a must-watch.
Which one do you like? And which one do you hate?
