This is exciting, because we are definitely at another turning point after Thugs. And, in a lessor sense, Sui Dhaaga. Aditya’s system of small serious films mixed with big big BIG films is no longer working and he is going to have to come up with something new to entertain us.
Okay, of these, which is your favorite, your least favorite, the biggest risk, and the one you most want me to review?
Gunday
Yash Raj’s Gayest movie! Possibly the gayest movie of all time. Oh, and Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor joint third film for YRF.
Bewakoofiyan
Ayushmann Khurrana’s first film for Yash Raj, and Sonam Kapoor’s first film for Yash Raj, and a definite miss-fire. A faux-progressive farce about a man who is nervous about marrying a woman with a better job than him.
Mardaani
Rani’s triumphant return, post marriage to the head of YRF. It’s the kind of movie that only gets made when you are married to a producer, and that’s a compliment. Risky, strange, hard to promote, a gritty cop drama where the gritty cop at the center is an angry short curvy woman.
Parineeti Chopra’s 3rd Yash Raj film, and Aditya Roy Kapoor’s first. A nice small romance with local humor. And coincidentally, also Yash Raj’s first all Muslim romance.
Kill Dil
Yet another Parineeti Chopra movie! And Ranveer in another bromance, this time with Ali Zafar. Yash Raj was really trying to make a new formula work. Only this wasn’t formulaic enough, a strange assassins love triangle with Govinda trying to make a comeback as the big bad.
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
And finally, Aditya finds his new groove! A little movie with a tinge of nostalgia for India’s cozy small town past, and two talented experienced actors with more talent than just charm.
Something totally different! Sushant Singh Rajput and a bunch of odd Bengali actors, in a period drama that is consciously not patriotic, or full of machismo, based on a beloved Bengali book series.
Shahrukh returns for the first time in years, and Aditya pulled out all the stops to welcome him back. A strange hard to watch brilliant role that only he could play.
The second BIG film of the year for Yash Raj, after the ambitious flop of Fan, they played it safe with a nice patriotic sports movie/love story, starring the reliable Salman Khan and the familiar Yash Raj actress Anushka Sharma.
Meri Pyari Bindu
An attempt to recreate the magic of the small town nostalgia flavor, but it was a bit too strange to work. Or maybe Parineeti Chopra just felt too glamorous to make it work?
Aditya’s comes back! His last film was an attempt to rescue the studio, this is an attempt to take advantage of the studio’s success by making the movie he wants to make. It’s a French farce in which love is complicated and does not run smoothly, with two lead characters who are not very much like a “hero” or a “heroine”.
Qaidi Band
I don’t know what this was. An attempt to launch two more newcomers, but this time instead of letting the film and their performances take the lead, the newcomers were made the center of it all, and no one really cared about them.
A big hit, and yet it doesn’t feel like a “Yash Raj” film. More about action and politics than about the relationships between the people. Although it does still have Katrina Kaif, Yash Raj’s most favorite actress.
And this is where Yash Raj official lost its way. Two talented and popular actors, a great story with a nice setting, good songs, even a good promotional campaign. And yet, somehow, it doesn’t work.
And here’s where it all goes terribly terribly wrong. Fan was a disaster, but they had Sultan coming up to save them and cover the losses. With Thugs, there is no great white knight to save them. Time for another new creative plan!
Oh, and my picks!
Favorite: Daawat E Ishq. It’s just a very well-made movie, in addition to being an enjoyable one.
Least Favorite: Tiger Zinda hai. Just really don’t like the action-action-action vibe.
Biggest Risk: Fan. No contest.
dontcallitbollywood 
Dum Laga ke Haisha is my hands-down favorite and one of my favorite romances. I also liked Mardaani and Daawat e Ishq. As a Ranveer Singh completist I’ve seen Befikre, Kill Dill and Gunday, but they are on the bottom half of my list of his films. The characters in Befikre are just unpleasant, and someone should have gotten an award for making Ranveer look as bad as he does in Kill Dill.
I don’t think I have a least favorite without cheating and saying Tiger Zinda Hai, which is actually one of the very few Indian movies theatrically released in Japan that I didn’t bother going to see. I’m not a Salman person and I’m not into action.
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Again I watched only 4 movies from the list:
Dum Laga Ke Haisha is my favourite. I love it and reccomend it to people.
Least fav – Meri Pyaari Bindu. Ok, I know many people like this film, but for me it was a waste of time and it’s all only Parineeti’s fault. I think it was the time when she started beliving she is a great beautiful star, and she doesn’t need to try anymore. It could be very good movie, a different one, but it needed strong, good heroine, because nothing really happens in the story, it’s only a tale about two people. And if one of them doesn’t even try, and has one facial expression, it can’t work.
Special mention: Qaidi Band, all about this movie is so uninteresting. I wouldn’t watch it even if it was the last indian movie ever.
Biggest risk – sure Fan
You should review: Dum Laga Ke Haisha
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I really should review Dum Laga Ke Haisha!!!! It’s a good movie, but also a groundbreaking one.
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Watched only few of these. Sultan among these is my favourite and least would be tiger Zinda hai as I did not even plan on giving it a try. Would love if you would review Sui Dhagga
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Good news, I have reviewed Sui Dhaaga! Here: https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2019/04/24/happy-varun-dhawan-day-his-first-flop-film-sui-dhaaga/
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Haha.. Read ur review. I seriously wanted to watch this movie but your review is giving me second thoughts.
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I think it’s significant and should be mentioned that Dum Laga Ke Haisha is Maneesh Sharma’s first movie as the producer.
Also I didn’t like Meri Pyaari Bindu at first but it’s really grown on me over the couple rewatches I did.
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Yes, Maneesh has really been the power behind the throne at YRF for a while now, hasn’t he? Although about Sui Dhaaga failed, not sure if he will keep up that status.
On Wed, May 22, 2019 at 10:51 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I think he’s being groomed as Aditya’s successor so I feel like he’ll have some leeway even after MPB and Sui Dhaaga didn’t do well. Apparently he’ll be directing Ranveer again next so I feel like people will be pretty excited about that.
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And once again, Poor Uday!!!!! Looks like Maneesh is being set up as “Regent” until Adira comes of age, with Uday completely cut out of the succession. It’s very Shakespearian.
On Wed, May 22, 2019 at 11:09 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Lol, what is Uday up to nowadays?
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He’s got some producer type title with YRF. No idea what that actual means, could be anything from doing photocopies to being the head of new development.
On Wed, May 22, 2019 at 11:30 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Gunday – mostly eye candy
Bewahkoofy… – Ayushmann hits my eyes like Ranbir does. They are both okay actors but I just can’t seem to stick with them thru an entire movie.
Mardaani – loved it; loved her. Review?
Daawat e Ishq – I’m a foodie, so this was great. And finally, a heroine who EATS!
Kill Dil – good Ranvir/Zafar combo. I usually like Govinda but not in this.
Dum Laga – Adorable!
Detective BB – this series is uneven depending on who plays the tile role. Like with the Dhooms, a comparison review would be fun.
Fan – NO!
Sultan – YES!
Bindu – didn’t see it.
Befikre – Very enjoyable; great dancing.
Qaidi Band – ???
Tiger Zinda Hai – well, you know…it’s him and her. Altho I was disappointed that their chemistry wasn’t explored more.
Sui Dhaaga – Now I really liked this film; a risk to make a movie about little people sewing. But I thought it worked beautifully.
Thugs – Ugh!
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Gunday: Agree!
Bewakoofiyan: With Ayushmann, have you seen Badhai Ho yet? Or Andudhan? I think he may work best as kind of a non-traditional leading man, rather than as a “hero” and the movies where they tried to make him a hero just didn’t work.
Mardaani: there’s rumors of a sequel, so might be time for a review!
Daawat E Ishq: Yes! Such a great film!
Kil/Dil: It’s too bad Ali’s career stalled, I liked him as the kind of funny co-lead in these movies.
Dum Laga: See, you do like Ayushmann sometimes!
Detective BB: I must confess, I’ve only seen this version. I think the other most famous ones are Bengali and TV shows, so harder to find.
Fan: But it’s so smart! At least I hope you will tune in to my Sunday review
Sultan: It is a fun one! I don’t like it as much as Ek Tha Tiger, but it’s fun
Bindu: Me neither, it seemed very odd
Befikre: Yeah, it was a fun movie, wasn’t it?
Qaidi Band: This was SO STRANGE!!! Yash Raj announced it with a lot of fanfare, including a special press conference to introduce the two leads. And then it didn’t even release overseas I think? And the two leads were never heard of again.
Tiger Zinda Hai: They do have great chemistry. But the movie just wasn’t as romantic as the first one.
Sui Dhaaga: See, you really need to watch Band Baaja Baarat! Sui Dhaaga is a direct descendant of it
Thugs: Ugh
On Thu, May 23, 2019 at 7:38 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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