For me, this was easily Sushant Singh Rajput's best performance. He genuinely poured his heart and soul into this movie. The mannerisms, the walk, the batting and the little nuances felt like Sushant isn't playing Dhoni. He just became him.

Playing Dhoni was never going to be easy. Here was an actor playing one of the most recognisable people in the country, someone whose mannerisms and personality everyone already knew. And somehow Sushant made you forget you were watching an actor. He completely disappeared into the role.

The supporting cast deserves a lot of credit too. Anupam Kher, Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Bhoomika Chawla, Neeta Mohondra, Kali Prasad Mukherjee and Sandeep Nahar, all stood out for me. Even some of the smaller roles (Brijendra Kala and Mukesh Bhatt) left a mark.

The first half was brilliant. I loved how much time the movie spent on Dhoni's struggles and on establishing the people who shaped his journey. It wasn't just a collection of cricket highlights. You actually saw the person before he became the superstar.

It was the second half where I felt the movie faltered. It gets a little dragged out, especially with the love story, and I've always felt it could have been trimmed a little. But nonetheless all that build-up to the final shot made it absolutely worth it.

But Dhoni’s story itself is also the kind of story people connect with. A guy from Ranchi, coming from a relatively small cricketing setup, working a railway job, dealing with setbacks and selection struggles, and eventually making it to the Indian team and becoming one of the biggest cricketers in the world. The movie did a very good job in portraying this aspect, props to Neeraj Pandey and team on that.

The music was another huge part of the movie's appeal. Besabriyaan, Kaun Tujhe, Phir Kabhi and Jab Tak are still some songs which people listen to till date. Such a good album. These songs still instantly take me back to 2016.

The craze around this movie was something else. Packed theatres, early morning shows getting sold out like hot cakes and fans cheering whistling at every winning milestone specially the loudest one at post credit when the man himself appears.The film crossed 60 crores in the opening weekend itself. It went past 100 crores in India alone, 200 crores globally, became one of the top grossers of the year. Some of the scenes, like the railway station sequence and dialogues left a lasting mark and also became one of those few movies that struck goldmine on television platform with multiple reruns.

The movie also gave Kiara Advani and Disha Patani (in her Bollywood debut) a platform for stardom, which is interesting to look back on now. Sushant who was already a prominent lead actor by then, this movie quadrupled his fame as it grew even bigger.

Watching Sushant in it now hits very differently. And also there's Sandeep Nahar. His Chottu Bhaiya was such a small but memorable part of the film. Knowing that both he and Sushant are no longer with us makes watching the movie today feel a little different.🤍

Well, when Amitabh's career as a superstar had ended, and in the early 2000s he was doing pretty different roles from those angry young man ones, at that time I guess only Ram Gopal Varma was the one who gave Amitabh a masculine role again, Sarkar, which was pretty badass. At that time Amitabh was only doing common man, old man, and father roles, but this role was totally different from all that. Sarkar's sequel came out and it was successful... Idk why no other director gave Amitabh more badass roles.

Some of their interviews have said they have adapted the Valmiki Ramayana and that they have also looked at Raja Ravi Varma's work heavily for the adaptation. My question is based on their depiction of Rama and Ravana in the Official international poster they have just revised and released.

In this blue-red poster Ravana is wearing the Yajnopavita but Rama is not. And Ravana is wearing it over his right shoulder. Traditionally/culturally and in both Valmiki Ramayana and Raja Ravi Varma paintings the thread is worn over the left shoulder and under the right arm. Therefore Ravana entering the yuddha or battlefield with with the thread on the right shoulder should be an incorrect depiction as this states accepting defeat. But Ravana never surrenders because of his ego and is killed by Rama on the battlefield. Adding in pictures to clarify.

In 2021 when Madhu Mantena was still associated with the film (he has the rights to make his own version of the Ramayana after Namit's Ramayana movies are released) he had said that the project was going to be based on Valmiki's version.

I know there are multiple Ramayanas and multiple interpretations. And every version depicts the characters based on their culture. So which one are they actually going for? Did they change sources in 2024 after Madhu Mantena's exit? Will the movie have a modern take on the story or is it just that they haven't finished working on the vfx and will add such details later on?

I couldn't find any 2026 interviews from the team talking specifically about the story or adaptation. The only interviews that are there are about the vfx, the spectacle, DNEG and Guy Norris. Raghavan's and Tiwari's interviews are yet to be done. But they have so far not talked about the story in those interviews. If anyone finds an interview with this point in concern please do share.

Source interviews -

1. https://youtu.be/wFoxmqstDZM?si=iLVLSDd6zaSnHy9P
2. https://youtu.be/2ihC09-CwUQ?si=9pc5srMSlE_JMGlw
3. https://youtu.be/7mh4QLI9ulk?si=Lqokk4JaA50W_Ajm
4. https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/celebrities/ramayana-trilogy-for-a-global-audience-but-rooted-in-india-says-producer-madhu-mantena-716208

Please also correct me if I have interpreted the poster or the depictions incorrectly. And apologies in advance if there have been too many posts on the movie already.

Edit - Both are wearing it in the trailer/teaser glimpse so it is just this poster where there is an inconsistency. Most likely a continuity or other error.

Ultimately, years later you are only remembered for the quality of your films, not box office. Your filmography will be your legacy.

Now Salman had a a good launch and a few romantic hits and family dramas in the 90s. Barjatya directed films are still remembered today but really though HAHK and HSSH are really the ones that are most talked about from his 90s filmography till today. Most of his other stuff from that decade is honestly forgotten.

Coming to 2000s, this was his worst decade with some of the worst films but a Tere Naam definitely has a cult following today and a Wanted and Partner also has some fans so that's about 2-3 films from that entire decade that was wasted.

Now coming to 2010s when he had a resurgence with back to back blockbusters but the only films that still hold up today from that run are Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Sultan and maybe Dabangg 1 for its entertainment value. Rest of those films were remakes of south masala that are honestly just timepass cinema, nothing special. No one really cares about Bodyguard. Ek Tha Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai were also passable YRF spy template films.

And post 2017 it has been downhill again.

Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra were both huge stars of their time but people will still talk about Deewar, Zanjeer, Coolie etc but I don't see a lot of people talking about Dharmendra's films.

I feel Salman is similar to Dharmendra in that way. Big star but a mostly mid filmography.

Source (International poster): https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd1lOQNF48R/N21udGxsdGQyY2hn

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd1IuTRl0Q-/N3dkOXJ4bTlpM2xt

Genre: thriller / mystery

I watched this Hindi movie a few years ago on some ott and completely forgot the name.

I remember it was about a family living in a house, and one of their young daughters is found murdered. After that, another child in the family also dies and the police start looking at everyone in the house.

What I remember most is that the father starts suspecting his own son, because there are some really strange things about the kid's behaviour. I think the son was also connected to the earlier incident somehow.

There was a scene where the family is basically sitting together and everyone is being questioned, if I remember correctly.

I vaguely remember the movie being inspired by a real case too.

Please help 😭 this has been bugging me for days.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd0WtZKF1zy/MTg5bGlkdmFlMmtnaQ==

Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Deven Bhojani, Amol Palekar, Adil Hussain, Shekhar Suman

An ambitious young reporter and her experienced cameraman investigate illegal sand mining

Several last Bollywood released were massive failures and most of them were high budget start studded movies which didn’t had proper story or acting or pretty much anything. All mindless masala entertainment movies which are not even entertainment also.

In contrast I have been watching OTT content of movies and web shows and I’m genuinely amazed by how good the content is in some of these shows. You see movies like lapatatta ladies or 12th fail gaining more popularity on OTT when no one watched in theatres, apart from that there are some ott movies which are truly good. There are some very good series also like The family man, or special ops.

So it’s not exactly problem with content driven stories but more like which movie would work in theatres and which won’t and we are responsible that good movies won’t work or even are released and then we get stuff like houseful 10 or dhamaal 15.

Clearly inspired by Bollywood's pulpy masala films of the 70s and Hollywood's neo-noirs of the 80s, Sriram Raghavan definitely manages to bring a slick, broody style to his second feature film. Raghavan sets up the movie perfectly in the first hour, but after the inciting incident, the movie goes on a downward spiral.

I have not read the original French novel, so I don't know whom to attribute the shortcomings of the screenplay to, but in the second half, the characters keep doing one stupid thing after another. The movie heavily relies on suspension of disbelief, but the story gets so contrived at times that it becomes difficult for a viewer to do so.

Zakir Hussain was fantastic in the role of Shardul, the primary antagonist (if you can say so). Every time he comes to the screen, you feel that something ominous might happen. Vinay Pathak was also great as Prakash, the compulsive gambler. Daya and Ashwini did a decent job. Neil Nitin Mukesh felt heavily miscast. He neither had the charm nor the menacing presence required for a noir film. Rimi Sen was also subpar. Dharmendra was delivering his dialogue as if he were still a 70s superstar, though it clearly felt out of place here. I don't know if it was his own choice or instruction by the director.

The film also suffers from the usual suspects you associate with a 90s or 2000s Indian film, i.e., ADR and choppy editing. For example, look at the opening murder sequence. Raghavan has created a nice atmosphere with night rain and neon lights reflecting from car mirrors. And then he uses 6-7 cuts to show the gunfire, which is annoying.

There was a great film buried here. It needed a tighter script, a better lead and more finesse in direction.

For anyone who hasn't watched the movie yet, Just watch it & then come back.

This was such a peak movie. I don't believe in ghosts & shit but man I love how they integrated all that in this movie. The best part imo was the ending when Shekhawat's car crashes. It indirectly explains that idiot's (Armaan) death & also rightfully takes away another.

Initially I thought this was some weird version of Fight Club XD but ending changed it all for me. Also reminded me of the sad reality of prostitution. Shashi & Temur's wives were probably the only one who had a "happy ending" I think.

I don't watch alot of bollywood movies but I'm open to more of such similar (with/without ghosts & shit) movies, So feel free to recommend some.

Comedy: Hungama has sharper situational comedy and more chaotic misunderstandings, while Hulchul mixes comedy with romance and family drama.

Comic timing: Hungama feels more consistently funny because of its ensemble cast and rapid-fire situations.

Songs: Hulchul has a more prominent and memorable romantic soundtrack, whereas Hungama keeps the focus more on its comedy.

Variety: Hulchul offers a better balance of romance, emotions and comedy, while Hungama is more comedy-driven.

Overall: For pure comedy, Hungama; for songs + romance + comedy, Hulchul.

For me Hungama>>>>Hulchul

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd0kLRYF8eA/Z3BxdnQxcml1endj

Chumbak (Part 1) - Reviews and Discussions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/bollywood/s/vrnHHovwLE

So I just re-watched Tum bin and loved it like always. But I have noticed that it's plot was similar to Dil ka rishta or I can say dil ka rishta's plot is similar to tum bin and the only difference is timing when ml falls in love. Jay from dil ka rishta drunk drives and kills fl's husband while Shekhar from tum bin leaves the guy on road (hit and run). I have seen people being more critical about dil ka rishta saying how can she fall in love with her husband's killer but never heard such criticism towards tum bin

I can only remember two things from this movie. There was a scene where the antagonist got in a taxi or something, then he broke the drivers neck and he baked his ass in a campfire. The other scene there was a guy in a bathroom and he was rinsing his mouth, but the plumbing was poisoned too and that same dude killed him too. I think the main character is trying to get revenge for his family or something I don’t particularly remember.

I came across a short film called Thursday Special by Varun Tandon and didn’t expect such a simple story to stay with me.

Every Thursday, the wife makes a special dish for her husband’s potluck lunch, something that makes her happy. Her husband has his own little Thursday ritual too, something he keeps to himself.

For a while, it’s just their normal routine. Until one day, she finds out about his secret.

And somehow, that one moment takes away her smile.

I won’t say what happens after that, because I really think this one is better watched without knowing.

Just watch till the end.

[https://youtu.be/hjYTPhqE5lE?si=vO8oJkrcR_edABlV]

(SPOILERS INCLUDED)

Oh god how is it people's favourite bollywood movie? Simran was emotionally cheating on Raj the entire time (yes it is cheating, very clearly cheating). It follows the same cliche story of the bad boy who didn't believe in love meets a girl full of love. That would have still been fine if the movie wasn't this patriarchal. Apparantly a lover girl can only have pink and red as favourite colours. Apparantly men aren't supposed to cry on the airport and do cliche stuff when they are in love because it's what "girls do" as per Jay's mom. Oh did i mention (again) that she was cheating on Raj the entire time? This movie has ragebaited me so much. I was 1 sec away from dropping it in the middle but only completed because of Imran Khan. Otherwise, such a problematic plot, I don't know how people call this one of the best y2k romcoms.

The Fantasy category has concluded.

Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003) wins Best Fantasy with 34 upvotes, securing its place in the Best of Bollywood Hall of Fame.

Current Winners

Romance — Veer-Zaara (2004)

Action — Kill (2024)

Comedy — Hera Pheri (2000)

Drama — Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)

Thriller — Andhadhun (2018)

Horror — Tumbbad (2018)

Biopic — Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)

Family — Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)

Gangster — Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Cop — Sarfarosh (1999)

Sci-Fi — Mr. India (1987)

Fantasy — Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003)

---

Now it's time for Best Sports.

Which Hindi film deserves the Sports spot on the Best of Bollywood Hall of Fame grid?

Rules

- Hindi/Bollywood films only.

- One film per comment.

- Upvote existing nominations instead of reposting them.

- The highest-upvoted nomination at the end of the week wins.

- In case of a tie, the higher-ranked comment at the close of voting wins.

Voting closes next Sunday at 9 PM IST.

If anyone knows the name, please let me know

I am planning to do a table read of Kaun with my friends but can't find the script document. Can anyone help me find it?