Dus Kahaniyan

10. Lovedale is a poor effort by debutante director Jasmeet Dodhi. As predictable as the reassurance of the repetitiveness of day and night, this film wastes good actors like Anupam Kher and Anuradha Patel by using them in guest appearances. Aftab and new girl Neha are OK, but are hampered by a weak script.

9. The only thing that Sex on the Beach ends up doing is giving Mallika Sherawat sleepless nights with the appearance of a bikini clad Tareena Patel from what looked like the Arabian Sea. You sympathize with Dino Morea for ending up on the wrong set and turning in a comic performance in this mostly forgettable Apoorva Lakhia snippet.

8. Amitabh Bachhan's multi-ringed right hand makes a special appearance in this soul bearing tete-a-tete of a couple. Mahesh Manjrekar does what he does best - look sleazy and laugh with lustful glee that would make Shakti 'Aauu' Kapoor go red with embarrassment. Neha Dhupia's 'reading the script' acting mars Sanjay Gupta's good twist in the story.

7. The effort is apparent in Hansal Mehta's High on the Highway, but a stronger (in terms of acting) and younger male protagonist would have helped. It is only because of the presence of Jimmy Shergill that Masumeh Makhija ends up looking believable. The script is good and like all drug influence movies, the treatment cannot be commented upon since it is completely subjective.

6. Sanjay Gupta's Matrimony is pretty good. It has a natural performance from Mandira Bedi with a good initial twist, but a somewhat banal ending. Saying too much about the film would generate spoilers but the element of irony creates some bittersweet humor. However, it is a smartly made movie, like most of the director's work with dialog used in day to day life.

5. Gupta and Mehta team up to make Rise and Fall. I was actually not expecting much from this one going by the trailers, but again smart handling, good special effects (which mind you is not really a plus in my book), effective casting (even though it is common knowledge in the Indian film industry that these days you get Suniel Shetty free with Sanju Baba) and some subtle details make this enjoyable. Rumor has it that Suniel Shetty has been hired by JK Rowling to teach Harry Potter some fighting skills with the broom for the next movie after she was impressed with his handling of an umbrella while beating up half a dozen men who needless to say, didn't have umbrellas to protect themselves from the ensuing rain. No, it was not the pneumonia that killed them.

4. Rohit Roy tells us a simple story with a simple message but does it very well in Rice Plate. Shabana is at her methodist comic best, right down to the last pronunciation while Naseeruddin Shah shows the audience how dialog is really redundant if you are truly a great actor in his few scenes. The newby director's eye for the minutest detail is exemplary. Maybe he too really should be directing and not acting, like Ben Affleck.

3. Gupta shows his softer side in Gubbare, which I would like to see more often than the usual stylish bashing up of people. Anita provides enthusiastic support for Nana Patekar's expressive eyes and too realistic a portrayal of the man you meet everyday on your way to the market, or in queue at a movie theater, or in this case, on a bus. Again, very simple message that we tend to overlook in the daily bustle of our lives. Best cinematography of all the films. Was reading somewhere Gupta made Dus Kahaniyan for his estranged wife. I have no doubt that this particular story is the special one from the heart.

2. Manoj Bajpai returns with a bang in this amazing short film called Zahir, with a huge screen persona to boot, right down to the first person narration. I can safely say Dia Mirza has added acting skills to her resume after this brilliant performance. The casting is just perfect, which becomes apparent as you unravel the layers of the two characters. Gupta's story telling ability cocktailed with some melancholic philosophy comes to the surface proving that length has no bearing on the quality of a story. A very touchy issue is shot in its true colors avoiding the risk of a glorifying undertone. Credit must also be given to Bajpai for his superb portrayal in this scene.

1. The crown of the lot belongs to Pooranmashi - a film so markedly mature compared to the rest of the stories that it almost is in a league of its own. Meghna Gulzar adds fuel to the genetic theory in this complexly woven relationship non-saga, mainly focused on the mother-daughter relationship. The script is so beautifully set up that Amrita Singh and Minissha Lamba, who actually even look alike, don't even need to do much. However, it would be criminal not to pay tribute to Singh here. In this film, I think her performance outshines that of the chutzpah of female acting in the industry - Shabana Azmi. A superficial analysis might suggest feminist undertones, but there aren't any. Women characters are just employed to tell a warm, heart wrenching tale. Gulzar raises a question at the end of the film - how far would you go to protect those you love, and then takes a further bold step of expressing her opinion in the matter using unexpected means. This one may be her way of telling her separated parents that you may not be there for each other, but I am here for the both of you.