Boss (2013)

Boss is better than its promotion might imply (and if you think that poster art is bad, you should see the others). It stars Akshay Kumar as an estranged son who is taken in by a local gangster. Boss grows to be as feared and respected as his mentor/father figure, but he hasn't forgotten his roots nor his prideful father (Mithun Chakraborty). When contracted by a corrupt minister to kill an innocent man, Boss gets an opportunity to act upon what's still in his heart.
The exuberance of Bollywood is in every facet of Boss' character, which gives the film and its lead a truly bigger than life feeling. And slow-mo heavy finale aside, the action scenes are some of the best that I’ve seen from there, even if they are mostly stolen ideas from popular US, French and Thai movies. It takes a dive once or twice (the awful party song), but mostly it keeps buoyant.

3 rocking chairs out of 5

Khakee (2004)

A politically-charged Bollywood drama in which five Mumbai police officers, led by India's finest Bachchan, travel to Maharashtra to ensure that a well-known terrorist (Atul Kulkarni) is safely brought to trial, but an additional, intelligent threat (Ajay Devgan) violently attempts to derail the process.
The comedy scenes aren't much good, the action is rarely smooth, and the small number of songs feel forced, but there's enough quality drama stitching it all together to ensure that the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
This one's about the men, meaning Aishwarya doesn't get to do very much.

3½ accusations out of 5

Dosti: Friends Forever (2005)

A rich kid wanting for nothing but attention from his parents meets a lowly poor kid. A lifelong friendship develops and MUCH bromance follows.
With that established early on I thought I'd the remainder figured out. I was wrong. I love when that happens in films as long as it stays logical.
Bollywood filmmakers work hard to turn every emotive situation into a dramatic song and dance (even when there's no actual singing and dancing) and I accept that it sometimes feels overplayed. Dosti does it often, but with no intermission on my disc there was no indication of when the change would come; I was caught off-guard. The developments thereafter held the real goal. Dammit, India, my emotions can't take that kind of punishment.

3½ restorations out of 5

Talaash: The Hunt Begins... (2003)

The hardship and horrific moments that open this Bollywood action movie are powerful stuff, but fifteen minutes in, after the credits appear, things change. It jumps forward a decade and devoted son becomes handsome super-cop without whom India would probably have blown itself up.
The action is unintentionally hilarious. The bad guys are the kind that couldn't shoot a barn door stood two feet away. I was roaring with laughter during the final battle. When it goes off on a tangent and attempts actual comedy it's atrocious (see the entire train section). It's a Bolly-dud.

1½ true colours out of 5