Year Ender 2022 Author's Choice : 5 Big Films That Disappointed Content Wise —

The graph of content-driven films has dropped heavily in Bollywood in 2022. There have been many films that generated a lot of expectations (content-wise) but failed to deliver what was promised. Here's looking at 5 big films that weren't up to the mark as far as content was concerned. Please note that the listicle is purely based on the author's choice and has nothing to do with the box office success or failure of the films.1. Gangubai Kathiawadi:

Sanjay Leela Bhansali returned to the silver screen after a gap of 4 years with his ambitious film, Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt in the lead role. I personally had a lot of expectations from the film because Bhansali continued the biopic format, which is one of the strongest topics for filmmaking, and it was his hat-trick too. Don't know why, but it seems that he is constantly choosing subjects that can create controversies around the film. Gangubai was no different, as it was set in a red-light district and centred on a prostitute. The scale, cinematography, music, and acting were all great, except for the direction and story. The film somehow started boring me in the first hour only, and had it not been for Alia Bhatt's great performance, I would have taken a long nap in the theatre.

Read full review of Gangubai Kathiawadi HERE.2. Brahmastra:

Ayan Mukerji's most ambitious project ever, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, was finally released on September 9, 2022, after a wait of many years. Naturally, the film had a huge burden of people's expectations, which also included a small load of me. The film was supposed to set a standard for Indian cinema, but it fell short of expectations. No doubt, it's a landmark film for Indian cinema when you talk about the visual grandeur and VFX, but the storytelling, acting, direction, and screenplay were indeed mediocre. This was one of those big-budget disappointments after Shankar's 2 Point O. But do not be too harsh on young Ayan. Kudos for his dedication—he spent almost 10 years of his life on one project at such a young age. Hopefully, part 2 will deliver a fascinating experience. Fingers crossed.

Read full review of Brahmastra HERE.3. Ram Setu:

Akshay Kumar's action-adventure drama, Ram Setu, was one of my most anticipated films of the year. The topic, which has historical and spiritual angles at its core, was expected to start a nationwide argument between three different generations, leftists, rightists, and atheists, on the existence of Lord Ram and his Ram Setu. Abhishek Sharma destroyed all those sweet dreams of mine. Supposedly, a large-scale VFX-driven film, Ram Setu, got the daily soap treatment and turned out to be a wholesome disappointment. It just couldn't speak the words properly. Just a months ago, South cinema made a film like Karthikeya 2 on the similar lines and delivered a better film. Ram Setu didn't even match that typical South-style data.

Read the review of Ram Setu HERE.4. Bhediya:

Amar Kaushik delivered back-to-back hits as well as back-to-back good films like Stree and Bala, leaving me excited for a hat-trick with Bhediya. I am a huge fan of The Wolf Man (1941) and multiple horror classics from Old Hollywood. The least I was expecting from Bhediya was a good horror comedy with a fine message on social issues (just like previous Amar Kaushik films). But there was no comedy, and there was no horror either. The only good thing about Bhediya was its VFX. Rest, the story, the screenplay, the direction, the performances, and the music—everything was too underwhelming for my taste. I have one question: are we seriously making the horror universe because we have content or because we just want to cash in on the goodwill of Stree? Roohi and now Bhediya —the horror universe has been cursed twice. Let's hope that it rises from the ashes in the next films and dear old Amar Kaushik, please come back.

Read the full review of Bhediya HERE.5. Cirkus:

Rohit Shetty doesn't make films for critics, but as we knew that Cirkus was inspired by the cult comedy Angoor, even critics had some expectations. From the trailer, it was clear that there was something wrong with the product. It was clearly visible. If you have enough content, you don't need to use Deepika Padukone or Golmaal Again references. Rohit tried to make it front-loaded, but nowadays content is king. It's tolerable for me to see Rohit Shetty making average and mediocre films for a decade now, but making crap like Cirkus—oh my God, even the tough critic in me would have never thought of that. He is not making those high-repeat-value films like Golmaal: Fun Unlimited and Singham, which enjoy huge fan followings on TV premieres, but he went too down with Cirkus. The large scale, the big cast, and Rohit's unstoppable mass mania—everything flopped in front of bad writing.

Read the full review of Cirkus HERE.