2016- We have reached the halfway mark, is there hope? I have been more and more away from this space and particularly so for more than a few months (could be 6). Frankly, there was and there is nothing home to write about. There seems to be a serious catharsis of ideas and Hindi cinema is reaching a point where mediocrity is being celebrated and perhaps a sense of complacency seems to be settling in everywhere. Most names and banners are cocooned in their shell and are kind of refusing to come out of their comfort zone. I guess a name like Balaji Telefilms needs its fair share of accolades and kudos for all its experimentative approach to back films, where there is an idea or perhaps a thought. Look at the body of work (and newbies) that Balaji has backed and that has frankly surprised me. And that to me was/is good news. Coming back to 2016, did it hold any good. There was Udta Punjab, Kapoor and Sons, Neerja (only for Shabana, you can watch it a million times) and two smal