Star Cast: Ishwak Singh, Aparshakti Khurana, Rahul Bose

Director: Atul Sabharwal 

Berlin Movie Review Synopsis:
BERLIN is the story of a deaf and mute man’s bond with a sign language expert. The year is 1993. Ashok Kumar (Ishwak Singh) is arrested in Delhi by the ‘Bureau’ for spying on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency. The investigation is headed by Jagdish Sondhi (Rahul Bose) in the Bureau. Ashok is deaf and mute and hence, a sign language expert Pushkin Verma (Aparshakti Khurana) is deployed to the Bureau office. His job is to ask questions to Ashok in sign language and find out who he’s working for. While questioning him, Pushkin forms a bond with Ashok. The mention of ‘Berlin’ crops up during the investigation and it intrigues Pushkin. He soon finds himself caught between a tussle between the ‘Bureau’ and the ‘Wing’ as well as a plot to assassinate the Russian president. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Berlin Movie Story Review:
Atul Sabharwal’s story is original, and the relevance of the title is fascinating. But Atul Sabharwal’s screenplay is very poor, especially in the second half. Atul Sabharwal’s dialogues, however, are sharp.

Atul Sabharwal’s direction is not up to the mark. To give credit where it’s due, he has given it a very Hollywood-style treatment and it reminds one of films like TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY [2011], BRIDGE OF SPIES [2015], etc. The Berlin element is intriguing and so is the world of intelligence agencies fighting with each other. The scenes of Ashok and Pushkin are engaging while the bond between Pushkin and Jagdish adds to the tension.

On the flipside, the film goes downhill in the second half. The scene of Ashok putting up the poster at the bus stop is very far-fetched. If that is not enough, the following scene of him conveniently making duplicate keys, too, takes the aspect of cinematic liberty too far. The finale is confusing and soul-less and after a solid build-up in the first half, viewers would be disappointed with the culmination.

Berlin Movie Review Performances:
The performances save the day. Ishwak Singh doesn’t speak a single dialogue but rocks the show. He gets the nuances right and the way he laughs is amusing. This is easily his most accomplished performance. Aparshakti Khurana, last seen in a hilarious role in STREE 2, is in a diametrically different zone. Yet, his performance is top-notch. Rahul Bose gets overshadowed but manages to give his best shot. Anupriya Goenka has a stunning screen presence and does well. She has a crucial role to play but shockingly, her screen time is not more than 7-8 minutes. One wishes she got more footage, especially when the film revolves around her in a way. Similarly, Kabir Bedi (Jagdish’s boss) and Joy Sengupta (Archana’s father) are wasted. Late Nitesh Pandey (Mehta), Ujjwal Chopra (Kapil Mahajan) and Deepak Qazir Kejriwal (J V Raman) are fair. The actors playing Dhingra, Narain, Satpal, Aaron, Berlin café owner are decent.

Berlin movie music and other technical aspects:
BERLIN is a song-less drama. K’s background score adds to the tension and is in sync with the mood. Shreedutta Namjoshi’s cinematography is neat. Vikram Dahiya’s action and Divvya Gambhir and Nidhhi Gambhir’s costumes are realistic. Sandeep Shelkar and Ashok Lokare’s production design have a vintage as well as classy look. Irene Dhar Malik’s editing could have been slicker.

Berlin Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BERLIN rests on the terrific performances by Ishwak Singh and Aparshakti Khurana. However, the film disappoints due to the slow narrative and a very poor second half.

Star Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon

Director: Hansal Mehta

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Synopsis:
THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS is the story of a cop trying to solve a difficult case. Jaspreet Bhamra (Kareena Kapoor Khan), a cop, is grieving after her son was killed by a delinquent. She shifts from her town in the UK to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. She knows that she’ll be demoted from DI (Detective Inspector) to DS (Detective Sergeant). Yet, she takes it up as a means to deal with her trauma. Her senior at High Wycombe is DI Hardy aka Hardik Patel (Ash Tandon). On the day she joins, Jaspreet is asked to accompany Hardy on the case of a missing child, Ishpreet Kohli (Sartaaj Kakkar). His father, Daljeet Kohli (Ranveer Brar) and mother Preeti Kohli (Prabhleen Sandhu) inform the cops that their child was adopted. As per the CCTV footage, the child was last seen in the sprawling Totteridge Rye Park. The cops decide to extensively search the site. They finally find him dead in a car. The car belongs to Akram Khan (Farhan Baqi). He informs the cops that he had lent the car to his nephew, Saqib (Kapil Redekar). Saqib is arrested and refuses to cooperate with the police. Meanwhile, Daljeet and Saqib’s father Saleem have a past rivalry, and both confront each other. The matter gets worse, resulting in communal tensions. Jaspreet, meanwhile, feels that the case is not as simple as it’s made out to be. Hardy, however, is not interested in listening to her and admonishes her at every given opportunity. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

The Buckingham Murders Movie Story Review:
Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s story is decent and could have made for a great whodunit. Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s screenplay, however, is not tight and has loose ends. Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s dialogues are normal.

Hansal Mehta’s direction is not up to the mark, and one expects a lot from him since he has proved his worth. To give credit where it’s due, he establishes the setting, the case, the characters and the complexities nicely. The 1 hour 49 minutes long film keeps one engaged. There’s no dull moment while the suspense is also a shocker.

However, the way it unravels makes you feel like you are watching an episode of ‘CID’ or ‘Crime Patrol’. A few things are bewildering. It’s astonishing that Hardy is able to locate a car, but the other officers can’t, though they passionately search the park. There’s another aspect to the dead body being shifted and that’s also not convincing at all. Also, one can understand that there are no CCTV cameras in the park. But the cameras are present outside the park. Yet, the cops never are able to understand who escaped from the park after committing the murder. Lastly, the communal tension angle doesn’t have much to contribute after a point.

The Buckingham Murders | Official Trailer | Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ektaa R Kapoor, Hansal Mehta

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Performances:
Speaking of performances, Kareena Kapoor Khan delivers a fine performance. She underplays it beautifully though she has a couple of massy scenes. Ranveer Brar shines. Prabhleen Sandhu is quite good, especially in the second half. Ash Tandon is decent and his actions in the second half are questionable. Kapil Redekar leaves a huge mark. Keith Allen (Miller; Jaspreet’s senior) and Adwoa Akoto (DC Sharon Marks) are lovely. Sarah Jane Dias (Indrani) is fair in a cameo; she should have had more to do. The other actors who do well are Sartaaj Kakkar, Darren Kemp (Detective Simon), Rukku Nagar (Harleen; liaison officer), Rahul Sidhu (Naved), Assad Raja (Salim), Ruchika Jain (Muneera; Saqib’s mother), Haider Javed (Syringe) and Manish Gandhi (Prithvi).

The Buckingham Murders music and other technical aspects:
‘Saada Pyaar’ is hardly there and is forgettable. The same goes for ‘Halki Khanak Si’. Ketan Sodha and Night Song Records’ background score is catchy and well-woven into the narrative. Emma Dalesman’s cinematography is great. The DOP focuses on the characters rather than the locales. May Davies’s production design is realistic. Charlie Knight’s costumes are non-glamorous. Amitesh Mukherjee’s editing is sharp.

The Buckingham Murders Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS is a lacklustre murder mystery. At the box office, it will face a tough time due to limited buzz and a surprise strong competition from the re-release of TUMBBAD.

Star Cast: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal

Director: Aditya Nimbalkar

Sector 36 Movie Review Synopsis:
SECTOR 36 is the story of a killer and a cop. The year is 2005. Prem (Vikrant Massey) works as a caretaker at a bungalow in Shahdara, Delhi which belongs to Balbir Singh Bassi (Akash Khurana). Balbir is based in Karnal, Haryana and rarely comes down to Delhi to live in his lavish bungalow. Hence, Prem is all alone and he abducts children from a nearby slum settlement and kills them. The parents of these kids complain to Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), sub-inspector at Rajiv Camp Police Station. However, he doesn’t take these cases seriously. It’s only when Prem tries to kidnap Ram Charan’s daughter Vaidehi aka Vedu (Ihana Kaur) that he decides to pursue the case. An adult girl, Chumki Ghosh (Tanushree Das) is also missing, and she is last spotted outside Balbir’s bungalow. Ram Charan, thus, sets his eyes on Prem. But arresting him is not going to be a cakewalk. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Sector 36 Movie Story Review:
Bodhayan Roychaudhury’s story is inspired by real events and is quite shocking. Bodhayan Roychaudhury’s screenplay is smartly written and moves at a proper pace. However, there are a few blemishes in the writing. Bodhayan Roychaudhury’s dialogues are realistic, crude and hard-hitting.

Aditya Nimbalkar’s direction is splendid. It’s difficult to believe that as a first timer, he has been able to do such a fine job. The film deals with the killings of children and is not for the faint-hearted. Instead of making it a graphic and grotesque affair, the director briefly gives a glimpse of it. He relies more on dialogues and even silences to convey the disturbing goings-on. Getting the dramatic sequences right is also his strength. Some of the confrontational scenes stand out, be it Ram Charan getting angry at Chumpi’s father Harisadhan (Subir Bisawas) backstage and later at Balbir’s bungalow or Ram Charan admonished by his senior DCP Jawahar Rastogi (Darshan Jariwalla). However, the scene that takes the cake is the investigation of Prem. It’s almost 17 minutes long and the way the scene grips you is seen to be believed.

On the flipside, a few aspects are ambiguous, and it’s left to the viewers to decode them. It’s also unconvincing why Prem behaved the way he did during the investigation. He seemed like a well-informed person and should have known that such behaviour could cost him dear despite his boss having contacts in the right places. The final scene is interesting but again raises questions. Lastly, in a way, it’s a two-hero film but they don’t have sufficient screen space and there are times when they are absent on screen while other characters take over.

Sector 36 | Official Trailer | Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Dinesh Vijan | Netflix India

Sector 36 Movie Review Performances:
Vikrant Massey delivers one of the most accomplished performances of his illustrious career. He is known to often play positive characters, and he was loved by one and all for his portrayal in the recently released film, 12TH FAIL [2023]. But here, he’ll have the opposite effect as the audience will feel disgusted by his character. He gets the nuances and body language just right. Deepak Dobriyal, too, puts his best foot forward. He impresses the most with his silences; in a crucial scene, he hardly has any dialogues and the way he speaks through his expressions is praiseworthy. Akash Khurana and Darshan Jariwalla lend able support. Subir Bisawas leaves a mark in a small role. Kacho Ahmed (Compounder Chote Lal), Ajeet S Palawat (Constable Pathak) and Mahadev S Lakhawat (Constable Bishnoi) have limited screen time, and they do very well. Baharul Islam (Bhupen Saikia), recently seen in MAIDAAN [2024], is fair. Raghav Kalra (young Prem) and Fareed Ahmad (Prem’s uncle) stand out. Trimala Adhikari (Jyoti; Prem’s wife) is dependable. Tanushree Das, Ihana Kaur, Varun Bhiletia (Ali), Arun Marwah (Hiramal; old Jat), Sachin Lakra (Yogesh) and Monu Khatri (Rajbir) also do well.

Sector 36 music and other technical aspects:
SECTOR 36, ideally, should have been a song-less film. ‘Damru’, nevertheless, works due to the placement and picturization along with Mohit Chuhan’s voice. The other songs are forgettable. Ketan Sodha’s background score has a cinematic appeal.

Saurabh Goswami’s cinematography is splendid; the aerial shots are exceptional. Shivank Kapoor’s costumes are straight out of life. Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray’s production design are well-researched. Harpal Singh’s action is realistic and a bit gory. A Sreekar Prasad’s editing is smooth.

Sector 36 Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, SECTOR 36 is not for the faint-hearted and works due to its theme, dramatic moments and brilliant performances by Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobiryal.

Star Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Diana Penty, Rohan Mehra

Director: Sabbir Khan

Adbhut Movie Review Synopsis:
ADBHUT is the story of a detective solving a complicated case. Aditya Rawat (Rohan Mehra), MD of Good Life Hospital shifts to a sleepy hill station near Shimla with his wife Shruti Rawat (Shreya Dhanwanthary). Shruti is suffering from depression and is on meds. Suddenly, mysterious things start happening in their new mansion. When things go out of control, Aditya and Shruti hire a private detective, Gajraj Awasthi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Gajraj begins his investigation but is unable to understand the source of the mysterious and eerie happenings in their lives. During an event at Good Life Hospital, things go haywire and Aditya and Shruti almost get killed. Gajraj goes through the footage of the event and realizes that a woman named Mary Mathews (Diana Penty) was present and her behaviour was suspicious. Gajraj keeps a tab on her and is stunned to learn that she has no social media presence. No one is aware where she’s from. As Gajraj digs deep, he realizes that her name might not even be Mary Mathews. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Adbhut Movie Story Review:
Sabbir Khan’s story is decent though it gets clichéd at places. Sabbir Khan’s screenplay is engaging but many of the spooky moments give viewers a been-there-done-that feeling. Sabbir Khan’s dialogues are sharp. A few lines of Nawazuddin Siddiqui fail to make the desired impact.

Sabbir Khan’s direction is fine. He’s known to make mass films like HEROPANTI [2014], BAAGHI [2016], MUNNA MICHAEL [2017], NIKAMMA [2022], etc. ADBHUT is in a completely different space, and he does justice to the genre. He handles a few scenes with élan like Mary running behind Aditya’s car, the madness in the church, etc. The scene where the fan comes flying towards Aditya and Shruti is terrifying. One might guess that the film will take a certain path. But it doesn’t and that makes the suspense unpredictable.

On the flipside, Sabbir falters with certain scenes meant to induce fear due to the clichéd approach. Gajraj’s investigation, in places, also raises questions, especially why he doesn’t approach Mary the second time. The fan-flying scene sets the mood. But it’s bewildering that such a shocking episode, which happened in front of almost a hundred people, doesn’t snowball into a controversy. A hundred witnesses move on in their lives as if it’s an everyday occurrence! Lastly, the climax of such films is when the tension and horror levels go on a high. Nothing of that sort happens here and that might disappoint those expecting a horrifying finale. Thankfully, the suspense makes up for it to some extent.

Adbhut Movie Review Performances:
Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers a fair performance and is apt for such a part. However, his dialogue delivery in some scenes seems rehearsed. Shreya Dhanwanthary gets into the skin of her character and is quite good. However, her screen time is limited. Diana Penty rocks the show. What also works in her favour is that she has never done a role like this before. Rohan Mehra gives a fine performance. Sohila Kapur (Amy’s mother), Shashank Shende (Ramakant Yadav; truck driver) and the actors playing Gajraj’s wife, Gajraj’s assistant Sonu and Rakesh Malhotra are fine. Sanjay Gurbaxani (Priest) is wasted.

Adbhut movie music and other technical aspects:
ADBHUT is a song-less film. Julius Packiam’s background score has a cinematic feel. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography is splendid, and the locales of Himachal Pradesh are captured beautifully. Rajat Poddar’s production design is appealing. Sonakshi Raaj and Kartik Damani’s costumes are realistic yet glamorous. Amin Khatib’s action and Image Device’s VFX add to the horror quotient. Manan Sagar’s editing is smooth.

Adbhut Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, ADBHUT is a watchable horror film, despite its minuses. Looking at its star cast and merits, it should have been released ideally on an OTT platform first rather than being premiered on a television channel.