Indian cinema’s current moment is defined by sharp contrasts: intimate, craft-forward films trying to break through; ambitious genre experiments that divide viewers; and star-driven releases that still dominate the box office conversation. Below is a structured roundup of three notable reviews—Kaantha, 45, and Gustaakh Ishq—followed by a brief industry pulse check via Prabhas’ The Raja Saab opening-day numbers and Emraan Hashmi’s pointed remarks around Dhurandhar.

1) Kaantha: a handsome period world, a leaner dramatic engine

Kaantha arrives as a period drama that prioritizes mood, production detail, and a sense of historical pressure in its setting. Across reviews, the film’s strongest suit is its visual and atmospheric design—suggesting a world where politics, status, and violence are always simmering beneath the surface. Dulquer Salmaan’s presence is frequently positioned as the film’s anchor: a performance that can hold attention even when the narrative chooses restraint over escalation.

Where the film seems to split opinion is in how “lean” its storytelling is. A narratively economical approach can be a virtue in a genre that often overexplains, but it also carries risk: if character arcs or stakes feel under-developed, the film may look richer than it feels. The more positive readings interpret that restraint as intentional—letting tension accumulate through subtext and atmosphere—while more critical takes suggest the drama could have benefited from stronger connective tissue between its set pieces and emotional turns.

Who may like it

  • Viewers drawn to period textures, controlled pacing, and performance-led storytelling.
  • Fans of dramas that imply political danger rather than constantly staging it.

What to watch for

  • How effectively the film translates its “powder-keg” setting into character-level urgency.
  • Whether the narrative economy feels elegant or simply abbreviated.

2) 45: a surreal genre swing that doesn’t fully cohere

45 is reviewed as a bold, surreal experiment—one of those films that aims to disrupt straightforward genre expectations. The appeal of such projects is easy to understand: Indian audiences are increasingly receptive to hybrid forms, and streaming-era viewing has widened the appetite for unusual structures, tonal shifts, and symbolic storytelling.

The drawback, as noted in the critique, is disjointedness. When a film leans heavily on dream logic or genre-mixing, coherence has to be achieved through some other stabilizer—an emotional throughline, clear rules for the world, or characters whose motivations remain legible even as the plot turns abstract. If those stabilizers aren’t strong enough, the result can feel more like a set of interesting ideas than a fully integrated experience.

Who may like it

  • Viewers who enjoy surreal cinema and are comfortable with ambiguity.
  • Fans of “concept-forward” filmmaking where atmosphere and themes lead.

Potential friction points

  • Tonally varied sequences that don’t add up to a satisfying whole.
  • A sense that experimentation substitutes for narrative payoff.

3) Gustaakh Ishq: when lyrical intent turns into verbal excess

Gustaakh Ishq is framed around poetry and a heightened, literary sensibility—an approach that can be beautiful when it uses language to reveal character interiority or deepen romantic tension. The critical concern raised is that the film’s lyricism becomes verbose: words begin to crowd out drama rather than illuminate it.

That distinction matters. In romance (and in poetic cinema generally), the most affecting moments often come from precise language and well-timed silence. If the writing repeatedly “signals” its own depth, the film can feel self-conscious, and emotional beats may lose spontaneity. In such cases, the intention—making love and longing feel elevated—can ironically make it feel less immediate.

Who may like it

  • Audiences who appreciate literary dialogue and a theatrical romantic style.
  • Viewers open to a more “written” form of emotional expression.

What may not work for everyone

  • Dense dialogue that can dilute pacing and emotional clarity.
  • Poetry that feels like ornament rather than revelation.

Box office snapshot: The Raja Saab opens big

On the commercial end of the spectrum, The Raja Saab is reported to have a strong day-one worldwide opening (Rs 54.15 crores). Beyond the number itself, the takeaway is familiar: star power—especially at Prabhas’ scale—can still manufacture an “event” even as the wider market fragments across genres and platforms.

For exhibitors and studios, such openings influence everything from show allocations to the kind of mid-budget projects that get greenlit. A big start doesn’t guarantee long-term legs, but it immediately shapes the week’s narrative and the negotiating power around screens and prime-time slots.

Industry pulse: Emraan Hashmi’s critique around Dhurandhar

Emraan Hashmi’s comments tied to Dhurandhar point to a recurring debate in Hindi cinema: a perceived tendency to underrate audiences, play safe, and default to formula. His frustration—described in sharp language—reflects a wider creative anxiety that risk-taking is often discouraged, and that even sincere attempts at doing something different can be dismissed internally before the audience gets a fair chance to respond.

Whether one agrees with the phrasing or not, the underlying issue is structural: if industry incentives reward the same templates, innovative films must fight not only for viewers but also for confidence within the system—marketing, distribution, and critical positioning included.

Bottom line

This set of headlines and reviews captures a useful cross-section of Indian cinema right now: Kaantha as a performance-and-worldbuilding period piece that may feel narratively pared down; 45 as an ambitious, surreal experiment that risks fragmentation; and Gustaakh Ishq as a romance where poetic ambition may tip into overstatement. Meanwhile, The Raja Saab underlines the gravitational pull of big openings, and Hashmi’s Dhurandhar remarks echo ongoing tensions between safety and craft-led risk.