SIRF EK BANDAA KAAFI HAI is the story of a man who fights for justice single-handedly. The year is 2013. A 16-year-old girl Nu Singh (Adrija Sinha) approaches the cops along with her family in Delhi and complains that the influential Baba (Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha) sexually assaulted her. The incident took place in Jodhpur and hence, the Jodhpur police arrests Baba based on this complaint. Noor’s family learn that their lawyer has taken up the case simply to extort money from Baba’s team. They inform the cops about it who recommend the family to hire the services of Poonam Chand Solanki aka P C Solanki (Manoj Bajpayee). The righteous lawyer with a deep understanding of sexual crime cases decides to accept the case, despite challenges. His thorough knowledge of POCSO (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act) and other provisions of the law prove handy and prevent Baba from getting bail. But the challenges remain. Several witnesses in the case get eliminated and there’s a threat to P C Solanki’s life as well. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Deepak Kingrani's story (Story research by Vijay Chaturvedi) is powerful. That it is inspired by a real incident adds to the shock and intrigue value. Deepak Kingrani's screenplay is effective. The courtroom scenes, especially, are well thought out and keep the interest going. In some scenes, however, the writing falters. Deepak Kingrani's dialogues are one of the film’s biggest strengths. A film like this ought to have strong punchlines and in this regard, the dialogue writer comes out with flying colours.

Apoorv Singh Karki's direction is first-rate. He makes good use of the powerful script and dialogues and adds the required drama to the narrative. The way he has helmed simple scenes and enhanced the impact is praiseworthy, like Baba’s arrest, Baba greeting his followers and distributing sweets outside the court, Solanki narrating the road accident story etc. Also, aspects, not connected to the main plot, contribute a lot to the film. For instance, the bond between P C Solanki and the defence lawyer. Also, P C Solanki, being a small-time lawyer in a small town, is shown to be star-struck when prominent lawyers are appointed to defend Baba. However, the way Solanki maintains a balance between being a fanboy and being an upright lawyer is a masterstroke both by Manoj Bajpayee and the director.

On the flipside, the film gets a bit haphazard in the middle, which comes as a shock since the film flows smoothly in the first 45 minutes. The makers fail to explain to the viewers who Mahesh Bhavchandani was. Also, the track of Baba’s son is not properly executed and will leave viewers confused. Secondly, in several places, one might feel that there’s a lack of tension in the narrative. It becomes predictable and repetitive after a point to see P C Solanki managing to counter every argument put forward by the defence very easily. One wishes there were scenes where P C Solanki is cornered or that he’s able to bounce back after facing some challenging situations in the court.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai | Official Trailer | Manoj Bajpayee | A ZEE5 Original Film

Speaking of performances, Manoj Bajpayee hits the ball out of the park. He has delivered several memorable performances but his act in SIRF EK BANDAA KAAFI HAI stands out. The way he gets into the skin of his character is seen to be believed. Several of his scenes are memorable and watch out for him in the climax. Vipin Sharma (Pramod Sharma) generates an impact with his solid performance. Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha is apt for the part and leaves a mark. Adrija Sinha plays a challenging character with ease. Durga Sharma (Nu's father) and Jai Hind Kumar (Nu's mother) are fine. Abhijit Lahiri (Ram Chandvani) rocks the show, though he’s there for just one scene. The same goes for Saurabh Sharma (Nu's first lawyer). Archana Dani (Mrs Bapat; school principal) is excellent and her scene would have been greeted with claps in cinemas, had this film not been a direct-to-OTT release. Ikhlaque Ahmed Khan (Judge) is dependable. Kaustav Sharma (Bittu; Solanki's junior) is decent. Priyanka Setia (Inspector Chanchal Mishra) has a good screen presence but doesn’t have much to do in the film. Manish Mishra (Inspector Amit Sial) is passable. Vivek Sinha (Baba's son) is wasted. The actors playing Venkateshwar Swamy and Solanki’s mother are fair.

There are only two songs in the film. 'Bandeya' is memorable to an extent due to Sonu Nigam’s soulful voice. 'Bandaa' is played in the opening credits. Sandeep Chowta's background score is topnotch. Arjun Kukreti's cinematography is satisfactory. Rabindra Kumar Sonar's costumes for Manoj Bajpayee and Avani Pratap Gumber's costumes for other actors are straight out of life. Mohammed Amin Khatib's action is limited yet effective. Sumeet Kotian's editing is sharp but gets haphazard at places

On the whole, SIRF EK BANDAA KAAFI HAI is a gripping courtroom drama and is laced with one of the finest performances by Manoj Bajpayee.

FAST X is the story of Dominic Toretto and his family facing a threat from the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced. All is well in the life of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), son Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) and his gang members - Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Ludacris), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Han (Sung Kang). Roman informs his team that they have got a mission in Rome from Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood). Roman expresses a desire to lead the mission and he’s joined by Tej, Ramsey and Han. After they leave, Dominic and Letty get an unexpected visitor, Cipher (Charlize Theron), in an injured state. She informs them that Dante (Jason Momoa) is out to seek revenge on Dominic and his gang. The next day, Little Nobody informs Dominic and Letty that he never sent Roman and others on any mission. Realizing that it’s a setup and that their lives are in danger, Dominic, Letty and Little Nobody head to Rome immediately. Dante knew that Dominic would arrive at the Italian city to save his gang members. He unleashes an evil plan which makes Dominic and all the gang members the most wanted criminals in the world. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin and Zach Dean's story is very exciting. Dan Mazeau and Justin Lin's screenplay does total justice to the plot. FAST & FURIOUS 9’s [2021] first half was dry and unexciting and here, the makers have ensured they don’t repeat the same mistake. The writers have peppered the narrative with grand and exhilarating action sequences from start to finish. The dialogues are well-worded and funny.

Louis Leterrier's direction is first-rate. This is the first time he’s executing a film of the FAST & FURIOUS franchise and he does complete justice. Handling a film like this is a challenge since viewers have seen some incredible stunts already in the first 9 films. Louis and his team, in this regard, succeed big time as they come up with very thrilling, novel and nail-biting situations which are sure to take your breath away. At the same time, the villain this time is ruthless and unlike the previous antagonists.

On the flipside, while the first half has some spectacular action sequences, the second half pales in comparison. The cinematic liberties are also too many, which might not be liked by a section of the audiences.

FAST X begins on a fine note, introducing viewers to Dante and why he’s on a path to torture Dominic and his gang and not finish them off in one go. The film is a bit slow thereafter but picks up with the scene of Cipher. The Rome sequence, however, is paisa-vasool and takes the film to many notches higher. The scene where Dominic and Dante come face to face for the first time is quite dramatic. Post-interval, the fight in the cyber café, though exciting, seems forced. Thankfully, the film picks up soon enough. The last 30-40 minutes are captivating. The film ends thrillingly, with the promise that the eleventh part will be hopefully bigger and better.

Speaking of performances, Vin Diesel rocks the show. Jason Momoa is terrific, to say the least. The way he has added crazy nuances to his performances is seen to be believed. Michelle Rodriguez is dependable while Leo Abelo Perry is adorable. Tyrese Gibson raises a lot of laughs. Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang lend able support. Charlize Theron is memorable. Scott Eastwood is decent in a small role. Jason Statham (Deckard Shaw) is too good and his entry is sure to be greeted with whistles and claps. John Cena (Jakob Toretto) leaves a huge mark and also adds to the humour quotient. Brie Larson (Tess) is impressive. Daniela Melchior (Isabel), Alan Ritchson (Aimes) and Luis Da Silva Jr (Diogo) are fair. Jordana Brewster is hardly there.

Brian Tyler's music goes well with the film’s mood and theme. Stephen F Windon's cinematography is breathtaking. Jan Roelfs's production design is very rich. Sanja Milkovic Hays's costumes are impressive. The clothes worn by Jason Momoa stand out. The action, as expected, is one of the film’s USPs. A few scenes are truly clapworthy. The VFX matches global standards. Dylan Highsmith, Kelly Matsumoto, Laura Yanovich and Corbin Mehl's editing is sharp.

On the whole, FAST X is a paisa-vasool entertainer that has the potential to work big time in cinemas due to the hype, popularity of the franchise, spectacular action scenes and mainstream appeal. At the box office, it has the potential to take advantage of limited competition till the release of ADIPURUSH on June 16 and cross the Rs. 100 crores mark.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is the story of a group of friends coming together for an important cause. After the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME [2019], the Guardians are settled in Knowhere. Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is heartbroken over losing Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and has turned into an alcoholic. One day, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) infiltrates Knowhere and suddenly attacks Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper). He attempts to kidnap him but fails after Peter, Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) attack Adam and force him to run away. Rocket is grievously injured and during the course of his treatment, it comes to light that his heart is connected to a device created by Orgocorp, which is run by a man addressed as High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). The only way to treat him is to find a passkey. They have only 48 hours to do so; or else, Rocket will not survive. The Guardians immediately decide to head to Orgoscope, which houses High Evolutionary’s laboratory, to save their friend, although they also wonder why Adam tried to kidnap him or what exactly is Rocket’s past. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

James Gunn's story is excellent. Gunn's screenplay is very gripping and also entertaining. It does justice to the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY series and hence has a lot of funny and wacky moments. At the same time, he takes the impact one level up with the emotional scenes. The dialogues are sharp and hilarious. One dialogue of Peter in the elevator, however, is repetitive and fails to make the desired impact.

James Gunn's direction is terrific. Off late, some of the Marvel films have failed to create the desired impact. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3, thankfully, brings back the memories of the old Marvel films, which were not just high on VFX but also excelled in the emotional and funny sequences. The makers adopted a great strategy by not divulging the actual plot of the film. Hence, viewers will be in for a surprise. Thankfully, the plot is promising and James has done complete justice with his execution. There are too many characters and tracks and yet, it does not cause a problem and the film paces ahead seamlessly.

On the flipside, the film has a lot of violence and disturbing visuals. Although it’s added as per the requirement, it might make for an uncomfortable watch for some. Secondly, the Censor Board of India has censored far too many abuses. In some places, it dilutes the effect of the scenes.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 starts on an intriguing note. The title card appears at a fun point in the film. The fun begins once Rocket gets injured and the Guardians go on a mission. Rocket’s flashback, shown at regular intervals, is very moving. Some scenes that stand out in the first half are The Guardians cleverly fooling the lab security team and also chiding them, Peter telling Gamora how much both loved each other and Peter and Gamora taking an employee named Ura hostage and the madness that ensues. In the second half, the scenes of Counter Earth are worth watching. The pre-climax is clap-worthy and will make viewers’ eyes moist. The climax, meanwhile, will lead to hooting and whistles in the cinemas. The one-take action shot particularly is outstanding, to say the least.

Speaking of performances, Chris Pratt puts his best foot forward. His comic timing is spot-on but watch out for him in the emotional scenes. Zoe Saldaña nails it as always. Dave Bautista is adorable and this time, his character is much more defined. Karen Gillan does very well. Pom Klementieff leaves a huge mark and just like Dave, even her character gets to do a lot more in this part. Chukwudi Iwuji is decent as the antagonist. Will Poulter is fair. Initially, his character seemed forced in the narrative but in the second half, he has an important part to essay. Sean Gunn (Kreglin) makes his presence felt in a small role. Elizabeth Debicki (Ayesha) and Sylvester Stallone (Stakar Ogord) are okay. The voiceovers are praiseworthy by Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Maria Bakalova (for Cosmo The Spacedog).

John Murphy's music exhilarates the impact. The use of popular songs provides a nice touch. Henry Braham's cinematography is spectacular. Beth Mickle's production design is rich. Judianna Makovsky's costumes are novel and appealing, as per the film’s theme. The VFX matches global standards. The action is a bit gory this time. Greg D'Auria and Fred Raskin's editing is sharp.

On the whole, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is a complete entertainer that provides humour, emotions, drama and action in ample doses. Most importantly, it brings back the lost glory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, more so after the underwhelming performance of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. At the box office, it might have a slow start but has the potential to pick up and put up a healthy lifetime. The absence of strong competition till the release of FAST X on May 18 will also prove advantageous

U-TURN is the story of a journalist who gets into trouble while chasing a story. Radhika Bakshi (Alaya F) is a journalist based in Chandigarh and works as an intern for The Indie Times. She has been working on a story about the NTPC Flyover. She has learned that on a regular basis, motorists move the divider blocks on this flyover, that partition the road, just to take a quick U-turn and thereby avoid the traffic. However, once they take the U-turn, they don’t move the blocks back and leave it randomly on the road, leading to several accidents. Radhika befriends a homeless man on the bridge who notes down the numbers of all those who violate this rule and hands it to the former. One day, she finds out that a government official Deepak Kumar (Pankaj Jha) illegally makes the U-turn without putting the divider blocks back in place. Radhika finds out his name and address through a contact in the RTO and decides to meet him and get his version. She rings the bell but he doesn’t answer. The next day, Deepak’s family discovers that he’s no more. Radhika is picked up by the police as she was the last person who paid him a visit. Radhika explains to the cops about her intention and the NTPC Flyover story that she has been working on. Inspector Arjun Sinha (Priyanshu Painyuli) decides to let her go when he sees her material. However, while investigating, he realizes that all the motorists, who broke the flyover and who are mentioned in Radhika’s diary, are dead! Arjun also finds out that Radhika is deeply committed to bringing the culprits to book as she lost her brother Raghav (Dev Dembla) in a road accident, caused by an irresponsible motorist. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

U-TURN is based on the 2016 Kannada film of the same name. Pawan Kumar's original story is thrilling and also subtly informs viewers about the dangers of breaking traffic laws. Parvez Sheikh and Radhika Anand's screenplay is fine till a certain point but the writing, after a point, is too unconvincing and defies logic. Radhika Anand's dialogues are well-worded.

Arif Khan's direction is decent. He keeps the duration in check and has handled some scenes deftly like Radhika’s police interrogation, the drama at the lawyer’s house or the twin deaths in the police lockup.

But it’s the second half where the film falls. The scenes of Radhika getting spooked are clichéd and this is where the film drags. The climax is unpredictable and different from the one in the original version. However, it lacks logic and will leave audiences bewildered. The makers should have attempted to tie the loose ends for a better impact.

Sajna | U-Turn | Alaya F & Priyanshu Painyuli

Speaking of performances, Alaya F is getting better with each film. She delivers a confident and striking performance as the leading lady and carries the film firmly on her shoulders. Priyanshu Painyuli is dependable. Ashim Gulati (Aditya Iyer) looks dashing and is decent in a small role. Manurishi Chadha (Inderjeet Singh Dhillon) has a crucial role and does very well. Rajesh Sharma (H S P Saxena) lends able support. Shreedhar Dubey (Surinder Kumar Yadav; cop) is memorable. The same goes for Tariq Mir (Hariya; midget), Pankaj Jha and Priyanka Arya (Divya; Radhika's colleague). Ashu Sharma (Siddhant Sachdeva; lawyer) is fair. Dev Dembla is good in a cameo. Grusha Kapoor (Radhika's mother), Tasveer Kamil (Sunita Singh) Sahil Takhi (Sodhi; cop) and Surinder Arora (Harry; RTO official) don’ get much scope.

U-TURN is more or less a song-less film. The sole track is played in the end credits and it's forgettable. Ketan Sodha's background score adds to the thrill factor. Anubhav Bansal's cinematography is appropriate. Somanwita Bhattacharya and Protiqe Mojoomdar's production design is realistic. Sanam Ratansi's costumes (for Alaya F) are appealing. Bhumi Shah's costumes for the rest of the actors are fine. Moses Fernandes' action is thrilling. Rohit Ajit Makwana's editing is overall captivating but the film drops in the middle of the second half.

On the whole, U-TURN rests on Alaya F’s fine performance and some thrilling moments. However, the hard-to-digest developments in the climax will leave viewers disappointed big time.