Tubelight released in theatres today, and Salman Khan fans across the country are loving their life right now. The movie is set in 1962, in the midst of an Indo-China war. It’s an emotional ride that has left a lot of people teary-eyed in the theatre.

That said, a lot of the critics (some of them have been kind, surprise surprise) have given harsh reviews. Not like Salman cares about them, since he recently said that his films will do well even if they were given negative stars. However, we understand your need to be informed before investing in a ticket, and that is why we bring you the review round-up.

Times Of India

“The film that propagates the values of family, faith and patriotism doesn’t manage to take a complete leap of faith because somewhere someone couldn’t pull this one off convincingly. In fact, everything is so cloyingly sweet that you start feeling you’ve strolled into a sermon rather than a Salman movie. Pritam’s Naach Meri Jaan and Sajan Radio are magical, as is Shah Rukh Khan’s cameo as magician, Go-Go Pasha. Aseem Mishra’s camera work is largely-breathtaking.”

Hindustan Times

“Most of the times, Salman mouths dialogues that are in complete contrast with his fellow beings, tone wise, but it’s the sensible writing that comes to his rescue, every time.

Kabir Khan keeps devising moments to make you cry. It’s no Hacksaw Ridge, not at all, but it’s a film that delivers its message with force. The director emerges from the shadows of a superstar, in fact, two, Shah Rukh Khan is also there, and looks sure about his brand of cinema.”

The Indian Express

“The message is perfect, especially apt for these manic times. But the effort, on Salman’s part, to come off slow-witted shows in every frame. It’s all contorted face, sing-song delivery; all surface, no depth. And absolutely no nuance. Instead of Hindi Chini bhai bhai, it is more like Hindi Chini, bye bye.”

Scroll

“There are times when the deadly earnest 136-minute movie feels like a civics lesson, especially in the scenes when the town elder Banne (Om Puri) exhorts Laxman to embrace the enemy and stay on the path of truth and non-violence. There is also an attempt to address historical wrongs, such as the shameful incarceration of Indian-Chinese residents during the war, but this is eclipsed by the sluggish pace, Salman Khan’s risible performance, and the untenable idea that faith can make anything possible.”

The Hindu

“There is a blandness that permeates through and through, hardly any dramatic peaks nor any innate tension, no shocks nor surprises, not even one moment or scene that stays with you. Even a sequence with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together — that should have brought the house down — totally lacks magic. The biggest nail in the coffin is that Salman has to cry a lot, perhaps the most since Tere Naam. One wonders how his fans are going to respond to that hint of the snot in Bhai’s nostrils.”