Film Review- Bangistan

 

Not Enough Bang For Your Bucks

Film: Bangistan

Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat, Kumud Mishra, Jacqueline Fernandez

Directed by: Karan Anshuman

Duration: 2 hrs 15 mins

Rating: * * 

Like many countless other films, Bangistan also has a promising plot somewhere in there but it never realizes it potential. It has a tough time finding its footing as it oscillates between comedy and some serious sermonizing and the two have to be handled with great care like a chef mixing ingredients to make a dish. 

There are a few laughs and chuckles but for most parts it lacks fizz. Religion seems to be one of the latest buzzing topics in Bollywood, particularly Hindu Muslim unity. Bangistan also tries to make a point that religion is not something that particularly enhances lives but it doesn’t really push the envelope while dealing with the subject. 

In this country called Bangistan, Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat play a hard lined Muslim and Hindu respectively. They land up in Krakow, Poland for the world religion conference and though they are on a similar mission, their identities are reversed.  

That gives some scope for a few gags and some satire but the film never really takes off.   Jacqueline Fernandez plays a bar girl who is presumed to be Christian but turns out to be an atheist, pity there isn’t much elaboration on that. 

To be fair the script is an equal opportunity offender but sadly the proceedings are drab. Anshuman, a film critic turned director has a tough time juggling between main stream Bollywood song and dance routines and making sense of the story on hand. But in what appears to be a tribute to Kubrick’s The Shining, there’s also a scene in the restroom with red colored walls.  

There is nothing much to harp about as far as the cast is concerned, Pulkit Samrat puts his best foot forward while the otherwise reliable Riteish Deshmukh fails to make much of an impression here. 

In sum, Bangistan doesn’t give enough bang for your bucks. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 9th Aug 2015

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Film Review- Roy

Oh Boy!

Film: Roy

Cast: Arjun Rampal, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ranbir Kapoor

Directed by: Vikramjit Singh

Duration: 2 hrs 27 mins

Rating: *

A deathly boring film like Roy is only made once a while, why was it made in the first place still remains a mystery. Towards the end Arjun Rampal who plays a director says “Pata nahin yeh film kaisa ban gayi” echoing the sentiments of the audience watching this travesty of a film.

I am yet to figure out what exactly the director Vikramjit Singh was trying to convey. But whatever it is, it is dull and dreary. Pointless scenes and meaningless dialogues go on but it is made to look very profound. It takes less than five minutes that you are being taken for a ride. Kabir (Rampal) is the director of two hit films, Guns I and II but he can’t find enough inspiration for the third part which he is all set to start shooting. 

In Malaysia where he is filming, he is inspired by the story of Roy (Ranbir Kapoor) a mastermind thief who has stolen paintings from all over the world including The Louvre in Paris. The director also meets another film maker (Jacqueline) and falls for her. An episode involving them is supposedly inspired by the Tarantino-Coppola love affair but don’t let that excite you. 

The proceedings are more pretentious than one of those Page 3 parties. The romance is sleep-inducing, the thrills are non-existent - all you are left with is two and a half hours of nothing. 

You can’t really blame the actors, the best thing they could have done is steer clear of this script, if there was one. Even someone like Ranbir Kapoor who otherwise exudes a certain charm can’t save the day. If you think Besharam was his worst, remember that with the release of Roy, it is no longer the case. 

Published in The Navhind Times, Goa on 15th February 2015

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Film Review - Kick

Just for Kicks

Film: Kick

Cast: Salman Khan,Jacqueline Fernandes,Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Directed by: Sajid Nadiadwala

Duration: 2 hrs 26 mins

Rating: * *

The similarity between Salman Khan’s film and a children’s animation film is that, irrespective of the content, the target audience is generally happy with whatever is thrown at them. In fact, a six or eight year old might have an alternative opinion about an animation film but rarely will you get to hear a varying opinion from bhai’s fans.

And it is not very difficult to see why. The man has a larger-than-life persona on and off the screen and some directors know better than others how to exploit it. From that point of view, producer turned director Sajid Nadiadwala is in full throttle in his debut venture Kick.Salman’s fans will surely be delighted. As the actor says, “Main dil mein aata hoon samaj mein nahin” – whatever that is supposed to mean.

For the rest, it is all about looking at your watch and counting the minutes. 

You don’t expect a Kurosawa or Bergman-like experience in a Salman Khan enterprise. If you come out with your marbles intact, it calls for a celebration.

Apart from Salman Khan playing Salman Khan, he also plays a badass named Devi Lal who likes to beat up eve-teasers – the audience has seen that drill several times before but yet they lap it up. And if you thought the grand entry of the hero was done away with in the 80s, then think again. You see him making an entry in super slow motion as his face appears on the screen. Trends in film making don’t apply to bhai - he is a trend unto himself.

In Kick, he is not exactly gainfully employed; his full time job appears to be pursuing his love interest Shaina (Jacqueline Fernandes) who is a psychiatrist and appears to be more exasperated than her patients.

Devi also has another avatar: he transforms into Devil, a Robin Hood character who also has full backing from his dad (Mithun Chakraborty). Randeep Hooda plays a cop in hot pursuit of Devil who is targeting the evil guy (Nawazuddin Siddique). It helps to have a villain who can hold your interest and who, at times, with his evil laugh and quirkiness, is more enthralling than the hero.

When it doesn’t take itself seriously, the film is watchable but the moment it switches to serious mode, as it does every now and then, you want to hit the fast forward button. A car chase on the streets of Warsaw shows the Rohit Shetty has serious competition when it comes to blowing up cars.

And just for the record, I haven’t seen a movie where the title is mentioned so many times in the film. As a part of the dialogue, if someone were to ask, “What did you have for lunch today?” am pretty sure the answer would have been “Kick”.

The film is well shot by Ayananka Bose and it is obvious that big bucks have been spent in making it. Even though I am far from being a Salman Khan fan, I can see why he has such a fan following – he aims to please and does it well. Now, only if someone could cobble together a sensible story for him rather than just rehash South Indian films. At times, Nawazuddin Siddique is one up on Salman; in some of the scenes he is deliciously evil.  

But all in all, this is just another Kick in the wall.

Published in The Navhind Times, Goa on 27th July 2014

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