The release of Padman was delayed because of a friendly gesture from superstar Akshay Kumar to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali of Padmavaat, so that their two movies don’t clash in the box office. You may remember that Padmavaat was originally scheduled for a December 2017 release but was hit by controversies that saw it pushed to a later date in January 2018, which Padman also occupied.

The Akshay Kumar film, Airlift not only gave him a hit but also announced the arrival of a new director, Raja Krishna Menon. Raja has directed Chef and this new adventure primarily shot in Kochi is a delicious delight.

Chef is starring Saif Ali Khan opposite Padmapriya Janakiraman and includes Milind Soman. The story has been adapted from the Hollywood film Chef, which is based on a New York Michelin Star Chef who gets fired and needs a reality check. The Bollywood Chef follow the same recipe and Saif who plays Chef Roshan returns to his ex-wife and son to take a break. Soon an adventure of a mobile kitchen starts taking shape after Radha (Padmapriya) introduces him to Milind Soman who is ready to make the investment in the business.

Roshan is troubled because his ego is bruised, he is troubled because his heart changing to love his family more than food, he is troubled because money is in shortage and he wants to maintain a certain lifestyle.

Saif Ali Khan is in element and while he looks the fairest of them all in Kochi, he looks at home as he settles down in Delhi’s Connaught Place. As a father to a young boy Ari, they share a great bond. Saif reminds you of a typical urban desi dad who is slightly western in manners but Desi in culture.

Padmapriya is a good choice, I doubt any Hindi actress would have agreed to play this role. However the chemistry between the two is not very sparky. There was still something missing.

Chef belongs to Saif and while Milind Soman could have given him a complex as the new man in his ex-wife’s life, the Royal looks and charm don’t fail.

It is a must watch for the sake of Saif Ali Khan. The music is dull and even if superstar singer Raghu Dixit makes an appearance it is very casual for the film. The director also overdoes the pasta making scene by Saif but then anybody who loves food will suffer through it.

When it was announced there will be a Singh is King 2, there was much speculation because most of the Singhs were already thoroughly offended by the depiction of their non-Sikhs and wannabes in the first part. Thus, it took time and a whole new look to satisfy them. New director, new look, new story and new heroine.

Singh is Bliing is the story of Raftaar Singh who is good at partying but lacking in responsibility and has yet to find himself in the real world. He is thrown out of his house to have that one chance to prove himself otherwise and return victorious. What happens next is a series of adventures which take him to Goa, Romania and bring him back to Punjab with a bride.

Director Prabhudeva has given Singh is Bliing his own “tapori” style and it has worked, Akshay Kumar who is Raftaar looks cool and funny. Two things are becoming clear in the style of filmmaking by Prabhudeva and no its not the songs or humor, but deeper stuff. First his hero never wants to fight and tries to negotiate and find other ways to deal with a situation and the second, the protagonist is the heroine and he shows she has the power and can slap, punch or kick if she has to save the day.

He chose well with Amy Jackson and kept her mixed culture intact in her character of Sara Rana. Sara is a rich girl from Romania in trouble from a greedy villain Mark (Kay Kay Menon) and heads to Goa for a short stay where she meets Raftaar who has been given the responsibility to look after her. Since he can’t speak English he hires a translator Emily, who he calls Imli and is played by Lara Dutta. Here’s where the genius of dialogues comes into play, and he could have put in more punches, like Singh is King, but still not a bad job done. Lara does a decent job and her character will remain memorable, only they forgot to finish her sub-plot, you’ll have to watch to find out what she was up to.

Amy Jackson kicks ass and she looks good, she has been shown to stand up for herself and the scene where Akshay teaches girls to use their hands to protect themselves should be applauded. Finally Bollywood is standing up to women’s rights.

Akshay Kumar is brilliant, good looking and this is his comfort area, he shouldn’t stop making such films. His father is played by Yograj Singh who was seen as Milkha Singh’s coach in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and in Singh is Bliing he was cool. Rati Agnihotri is Raftaar’s mum and she was cool too. Luckily Kay Kay Menon as the villain had original hair and not some hideous wig. Due credit should be given to Pradeep Rawat who plays Raftaar’s boss.

But a film like this needs good music and choreography and it certainly delivers. The choreography of Singh Kaur is done by Rekha and Chinni Prakash and they have used very traditional steps, which is refreshing to see. From Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur and Sajid-Wajid all songs are perfect for the film. The two big hits which will be remembered are Tung Tung and Singh Kaur (where Prabhudeva makes an appearance).

Aamir Khan is more than an actor and this can be an advantage or a disadvantage. In the case of his film PK, it is a disadvantage, because the character was an emotional extension of his TV show Satyamev Jayate. It was as if he created a character who was the guest on the show and there was a film about him.

PK’s plot is simple- alien comes to earth and we get to see our planet from his point of view as he is looking for the thief who has the key to recall his spaceship. In the middle of this there is a love story, news channel, temples, religion and the big debate about GOD.

As an easy film goer, you will enjoy Aamir Khan’s acting/character, simple set up, no dirty dancing, easy story, Boman Irani, Saurabh Shukla, a determined Anushka Sharma (her hairstyle could have been more original), Sanjay Dutt and talented Sushant Singh Rajput.

But a film critic can see through the creation.

There should have been more suspense that PK was not an alien until just before the interval. His landing and Daniel Craig’s in Cowboys and Aliens is similar, only that Aamir is naked. Anoushka as Jaggu and the TV sensationalism was similar to Krrish 3 where Priyanka Chopra’s character was trying to impress her boss with a big story. The religion/God plot was better handled by Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal’s pairing in Oh My God.

Easy film, could have been better by far, perhaps after 3 Idiots the expectations from director Rajkumar Hirani and actor Aamir Khan are higher.