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

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

RockstarImtiaz Ali's choice of narrative in 'Rockstar' makes it quite obvious that he was ready to take a risk with this film. It's evident that he had decided from the very beginning that the storytelling in this film will not be conventional.

Raja Sen in his review mentions how Ali's plot "weaves in details that draw us in":

There is much to admire as the film leaps dispense with linearity, starting with a concert in Rome and then flashing back and forth to fill in the backstory of Jordan -- christened thus by his luscious ladylove. It is a simple, unspectacular tale, sometimes even predictable, but Ali masterfully weaves in details that draw us in while his leading man basks magnificently in the glow of a bespoke script.

Like Sen points out, the brilliance of the script lies not in the things that are stated but in the ones that are left unsaid:

It's remarkable how much narrative detail Ali leaves to the asides, to margin notes not underscored and overwhelmed by AR Rahman's grand, lovely

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Shammi Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kumud Mishra, Piyush Mishra, Shernaz Patel, Moufid Aziz

Directed by Imtiaz Ali

Rating: *

This film says that depression, apart from making one horny, ignites the artist in one. But our lead, Janardhan Jakhar/JJ (Ranbir Kapoor) was neither adopted, nor abused as a child to feel down enough to become like his idol, Jim Morrison. So, to pursue pain, JJ flirts with college hottie and serial heart-breaker, Heer Kaul (Nargis Fakhri). He hopes to be dumped, shattered and consequently become a musical genius. But following several awkward proposals, JJ and Heer actually bond over doing wild things, which they trigger off by saying, ‘gandh machaate hain!’

While Heer is scheduled for a Kashmir marriage that would jet her off to Prague, JJ crashes her wedding but avoids clichéd Bollywood tactics of charming her parents or making a swift getaway as they’re not in love. The wedding leads to Heer’s departure, closely followed by

Cast: Chirag Paswan, Kangna Ranaut, Kabir Bedi, Poonam Dhillon, Sagarika Ghatge, Neeru Singh, Dalip Tahil, Suresh Menon, Kunal Kumar, Shweta Tiwari

Directed by Tanveer Khan

Rating: 0.5 *

Hindi films have always showcased estranged families in a distinct manner. The child, whose parents are parting, has to cry aloud, 'I love mummy and daddy equally' and 'Why can't mummy and daddy live together?' And invariably, he/ she would grow up with a healthy contempt for relationships and an unhealthy addiction towards his/her passion. But Chirag Paswan's acting debut, 'Miley Naa Miley Hum' has his character embrace all these stereotypes and also has him estranged from any facial expressions and from a recognized acting school.

The story is as banal as a calendar with no pretty pictures. Chirag (Chirag Paswan) leads a dual life. From growing 'angoor' to playing business tycoon, he hops between daddy's (Kabir Bedi) vineyard and mummy's (Poonam Dhillon) palatial sea-side home through the film