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Directed by Saurabh Shukla

Rating: * 1/2

Movies featuring odd couples have always connected with audiences. Rich girl and poor boy, society mistress and party crasher, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson; it just works. Time and again, Bollywood has served us mismatched pairs whose conflicting personalities and personal eccentricities are exploited for humour. So here, the concept is presented in a new bottle. PCDS shows us how some differences can’t be creased out over time and yet, Pappu, who can do much less than promised in the title, can somehow fall in love with someone very unlike him.

For those unaware, Pappu is a pseudonym given to those considered utter nincompoops with a hint of condescension over the person’s inabilities. For people reading this review who have this name, I would sincerely apologize for breaking it down for the rest but then again, don’t kill the messenger. 

Our

Ranveer and Anushka The biggest question for Maneesh Sharma's 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' was would it recreate the magic of 'Band Baja Baraat'? While the film is definitely a fun onetime watch, it lacks the spark of the team's last outing.

What's missing in this film? Nikhat Kazmi writes in her review:

Firstly, there is no humour, no earthy flavour (remember the vows on the bread pakora), no tingling chemistry between the lead pair -- everything which made the first film such a winner. More importantly, Anushka has a role only post-interval and the first half is devoted to his exploits with the other three girls.

The pace of the narrative is important in a con story and Raja Sen in his review points out the biggest flaw of the film:

There is a plot in Maneesh Sharma's latest, but essentially imagine a long and rather unfunny Khosla Ka Ghosla and you'll get the gist. Ricky Bahl swindles a bunch of interesting but gullible women, and they -- in Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less fashion -- scheme to get their

Cast: Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma, Aditi Sharma, Shireesh Sharma

Directed by Maneesh Sharma

Rating: * 1/2

Films about conmen rarely con the audience since we love watching people getting fleeced. There's just something special about someone who can massage egos and charm one and all to part with their wallets (or purses in this case). Also, who doesn't want to learn how to tweak human emotions for capital gains? Or how to pursue fancy vocations with much diligence and little credentials. Many personalities for the price of one single multiplex ticket: a Christmas bargain indeed!

The title clearly spells out the unimaginative plot. Our slicker-than-the-rest hero, Ricky Bahl (Ranveer Singh) dons many avatars to enchant and deceive women from diverse worlds. And as difficult as it is to digest, these cheated women from different cities not only find each other but also join forces to avenge their collective wounds. But how do they find him? How do

Ranveer: The con manBollywood handles love stories well but somehow when it comes to other genres something goes amiss. We are not good at handling adult themes, our action films become clichéd revenge sagas and we definitely don't do horror well. When it comes to con jobs, I can think of only a few films that make for a fun watch, probably the ones that would make it to my list are 'Bunty and Babli', 'Bluffmaster' and 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye'.

This Friday, Maneesh Sharma's 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' hits the theatres. Can Ranveer and Anushka charm the audience with their con job?

Watch videos: Ranveer and Anushka's con job

What's your favourite Bollywood con film?

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Vidya Balan'The Dirty Picture' managed to create ample pre-release buzz thanks to a voluptuous Vidya in the lead and a storyline inspired by Silk Smitha, who was known for her overt sexuality. Milan Luthria's film stands out not only for the bold theme but for Vidya's 'bomblaat' performance.

Raja Sen in his review writes about Vidya's performance:

Balan exultantly runs with it, making the character her own with remarkable commitment to the role. There is no vulgarity -- even when she writhes awkwardly and desperately around a whip -- simply because Balan visibly chooses to have a helluva time. She might not match the legend whose name she's borrowed in terms of sheer screen raunch, but outdoes her with an assault of unashamed oomph. Vanity is disregarded early on as we see the actress' paunch rolling over her waistline, even when she's at her hottest, and later, as her gut barrels out of shape and yet she continues to wear midriff-baring tops, we see just how defiantly unapologetic she is.

While

The Dirty Picture

Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar

Directed by Milan Luthria

Rating: ***

Many will argue that this film is filthy, lewd, sleazy and every other word that conveys the same. But since it's based on a character who embodies all these adjectives, it only ends up being a deliciously dirty tribute.

Based on the south Indian dancing diva and actress, Silk Smita's lustful life, 'The Dirty Picture' paints a concupiscent portrait, complete with bouncing love handles, blouses that resemble the barricade at the Metallica concert in Delhi (visible but unable to contain) and dialogues that are as clever as they are cocky. But a film about an A-grade dancer of B-grade repute can't really boast of cultivated conversation, right?

The film takes us into the life of a small-town girl, Reshma (Vidya Balan) who speedily escapes to uptown Madras to live her celluloid dreams. After being turned down time and again, she manages to tease the camera lens and accidently lands a dancing

Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Chitrangda Singh, Omi Vaidya, Sanjay Dutt

Directed by Rohit Dhawan

Rating: *
Movies on recession focus on two things: the trying state of affairs on being sacked or career options that are recession-proof. 'Desi Boyz' combines the two. Ironically, our lead duo lose their shirts to the global meltdown and then end up becoming male escorts, a profession that thrives on shedding of clothing. And since this could make our censor board a bit queasy, the filmmaker provides enough moral policing to almost seem like a statutory warning on how disgraceful this career choice can be.

Welcome to dreary, unhappy London. The financial collapse has led to many frowning jobless people like Batman and Superman who've taken to the streets. This crisis has also hit our lead jodi, odd-job-expert, Jerry Patel (Akshay Kumar) and his investment banker roommate, Nick Mathur (John Abraham). While Nick is 'let-go' due to the crisis, Jerry keeps getting fired