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There has been a steady rise in action military thrillers set in Kashmir in the last few years and at first glance Ground Zero appears to be just another run of the mill entry in the sub-genre. However Ground Zero which is based on the real life operation Ghazi Baba is a pretty gripping thriller closer in style and quality to the real life based political thriller Article 370 than a stylish and over the top big budget action flick like Fighter.

The story is solid, the screenplay is crisp and the acting is pretty good especially Eemran Hashmi who is not a well chiseled indestructible superhero who is dancing and romancing in his free time but a realistic, flawed and hard working BSF commandant focused on hunting down Ghazi Baba, the mastermind of the Indian Parliament Attack. The movie stays focused on the hunt with no distractions....no unnecessary songs and item numbers or side stories or romantic angles etc.

The final sequence has some shades of Zero Dark Thirty which is actually pretty well executed but right at the end, the action goes a bit over the top when Eemran's character finally faces off with Ghazi. Overall it was a pretty good watch and a well deserving tribute to the BSF soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country. I liked it a lot. 7.5/10.

Sorry, Baby is one of the most nuanced, simple yet complex telling of the effects and aftermath of a traumatic event in the life of a bright, energetic and youthful woman. Beautifully written, directed and brought to screen with a very balanced, sensitive and realistic performance by debutant Eva Victor. The movie is truly deserving of its premiere and writing award at Sundance and being the closing movie of the director's fortnight at Cannes.

Eva Victor tells her story in a non chronological manner by moving forward and backward in time through five specific chapters representing five very different years of her life. This non linear approach highlights her emotional journey and augments the story telling significantly. The story is simple and the pace of the movie is slow but it is this slow pace and focus on the lead characters subdued emotions when alone mixed with phases of elation when in the company of her best friend that makes the movie so effective.

Eva does a brilliant job channeling the emotions of disappointment, disillusionment, isolation, grief, anxiety and anger mixed with those of hope, resilience and healing. At no point it appears that she is acting and that is what makes her performance and the movie special. Don't expect any cinematic fireworks as Eva makes the audience truly experience the lead character's emotional journey through trauma. Delicate, authentic and realistic. 8/10.

Unexpected, Emotional, Heartbreaking.... That would be my review for Saiyaara in a nutshell. I expected another adaptation of A Star is Born AKA Aashiqui.....but it was something very different. I expected mediocre performances by the debutants....however these two became their characters and did a much better job than expected. I expected decent music but not as good as the Aashiquis.....the songs were very well integrated with the storyline and pretty melodious. Still not at the level of Aashiquis but better than expected. I expected some cringe and some forced laughs etc that we have been seeing in recent Romantic movies....surprisingly there were none. This was an all out Heartbreaking Romantic drama.

Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda could not have even hoped for a better debut. A solid story with some expected and some unexpected twists and turns. Saiyaara may have taken inspirations on some key plot elements from other movies but it still ends up with a very modern and Indian take on two broken individuals who find themselves, love and life in each other. What truly elevates the story is the casting of Ahaan and Aneet who dont feel like newbies on screen. They both come across as confident and mature actors with pretty decent skills but most importantly are very convincing as their characters. Ahaan is very emotive and Aneet is very charming and are very good for their first feature.

What makes the story and the actors pop out even more is the movies score and songs. The music composition is good and the singers do a very good job but it is the lyrics and its relevance to the story that makes the songs really stand out. The songs are not at the level of Aashiqui or Aashiqui 2 but they will definitely grow on you with time. They augment the story very well and make the actors seem even better.

Saiyaara oozes romance and melancholy. Its leads are charismatic and likable. Its music is emotional and melodic. The cinematography is very good. The script takes some creative liberties but still well written. Overall Mohit Suri delivers a pretty good Romantic Drama. I enjoyed it much more than I had expected. Could have been even better but was pretty good. Hopefully with Saiyaara two new stars are born. 8/10.