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For starters, brothers is the official remake of the critically acclaimed American sports drama Warrior. The good thing is that the remake retains some of the key scenes from the original but fails to create the same impact. Like the one where Garson gets drunk and Monty puts him to sleep. The same scene in the original had great emotional value but same cannot be said over here. Brothers takes a 'beating' (pun intended) due to its languid pace. The first half indulges itself into establishing the characters and their back story. It could've been well short by 20 minutes. Director Karan Malhotra does a good job with the back story. The first half also includes a meaningless item number which is only there to show that there can be a sequel to Chikni Chameli too.

The films picks up pace in the second half when the championship starts. The fights are well choreographed and chances are that you'll be clapping at some points while David is fighting. As far as the performances are concerned, Siddharth Malhotra does not quite sport the physique Tom Hardy had and also fails to express that vexation. He does do well in a few scenes. Jackie Shroff is good in his role but again nowhere close to Nick Nolte's nuanced performance which earned him an Oscar Nomination. His dialogues become inaudible sometimes, and his mannerism get repetitive. Jacqueline Fernandez is adequate in a de glam look and the supporting cast also is okay barring A very annoying Raj Zutshi. But the film rests on the shoulders of Akshay Kumar. The actor looks the part with a dashing salt pepper look and gives an excellently restrained performance. He owns the film. He exudes such warmth and helplessness in The final bout with his Brother. Although the final bout could've been better. A special mention for the background score for infusing life into the proceedings.

I'm going with 2 out of 5 for director Karan Malhotra's Brothers. The film lacks tear jerking moments and is a bit too long. Watch it for Akshay Kumar's sincere performance.

Mohit Suri's EK VILLAIN is till now the most anticipated movie of the year, especially because of the spectacle he delivered last year.

EK VILLAIN is a pure revenge saga which is CTRL+C and CTRL+V of the Korean Film AKMAREUL BOATDA(I SAW THE DEVIL). It is very disappointing for a Bollywood Fan to watch movies which are shameless rip-offs of other gems from the World Cinema.

The thing that works for EK VILLAIN is the performance by its lead cast. Sidharth Malhotra gives his career best performance. He has very few dialogues but his eyes do the talking. He stand outs with his portrayal of a man battling his inner demons. Shraddha Kapoor plays the part of an enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky girl with ease. Riteish Deshmukh gives a fantastic performance and its refreshing to see him to something apart from Comedy.

Another Thing that works for the movie and that too big time is its music. From Galliyan to Humdard, from Banjaara to Zarurat, they keep playing in your mind long after the lights have come on. The best thing is, they don't slow down the pace of the film, they help it proceed.

EK VILLAIN will be a disappointment for people who have watched AKMAREUL BOATDA(I SAW THE DEVIL) but for those who haven't It will be a revenge saga worth cherishing!

Akshay Kumar is back after his last dud "Boss" and back with the two genres he does best, Action and Comedy.

"Holiday: A soldier is never off duty" is an interesting take on the unexplored subject of Sleeper Cells. The plot is interesting and is executed well by the director. It is a refreshing dispatch from the usual films made on The Indian Army. The film is triggered when Captain Virat Bakshi played by Akshay Kumar, intelligently stops 12 serial blasts with his team. Thus ensues a cat and mouse game between the sleeper cell head played by Freddy Daruwala and Captain Virat Bakshi.

The music is not up to the mark and the romance between Akshay and Sonakshi gives a few light moments. The chemistry between Sumeet Raghavan and Akshay Kumar is better than that between Akshay and Sonakshi. Sumeet Raghavan gives a good performance among the cast. Freddy Daruwala as the antagonist fails to leave an impression but the film is carried beautifully by Akshay Kumar who gives a superlative performance. He throws himself into the action sequences and performs them excellently, he has spot on comic timing and also gives a restrained performance when he is needed to. The actor is in top form here. Sonakshi Sinha doesn't have much scope.

Overall, "Holiday: A soldier is never off duty" is worth a watch for its novel concept and makes one stand and salute the Indian Army. Go Watch IT!