Music Vishal Shekar
And that probably is how the seeds were sown for this TASHAN which keeps the 'pharmula' of the 80s bollywood action with the over the top villains, but package it in a new style. However the makers fail to realise that this style they boast about is not new anymore. Sanjay Gupta school of film making already had their run with flicks like Kaante and Musafir, only to be chewed up by other filmmakers. Hence of late flicks like DHOOM, CASH and RACE have all flooded the market, giving us action flicks with more slo mos than the instant replays of the IPL matches.
The sorry script goes like this...we have Jimmy Cliff (Saif Ali Khan) who is the westernized call center guy, roped in to teach English to the local don. However he is actually here to get close to Pooja (Kareena Kapoor), who works for the mob boss.
So we come to the mob boss himself, Bhaiyya (Anil Kapoor) who wants to upgrade himself by learning English. This cause he has already mastered the skills of murders, shootings, and all the illegal activities in town. But Bhaiyyaji thinks that he can improve his business deals by speaking like 'George Buss'!
Now to get to the fourth and most vital of characters, we need to have some sort of story going. So , the story so far. English babu and the employee memsaab decides to loot the don himself and use that money to elope. However Pooja madam pulls a fast one on Jimmy, and now Jimmy is left behind with not the money but the wrath of the furious Bhaiyyajee.
So in comes 'recovery specialist' Bachchan Pandey (Akshay Kumar) who is asked to retreive the gal and the loot for our mob boss. And Bachchan is all the more happy to perform the act, since Bhaiiyya has always been the role model.
So four characters established, now throw in some road trip kinda fun, chop in the usual shootouts, stir up the filmi backstories, heat it up with a revenge saga and boil it with the villains fury...and the typical masala is ready!
Acting wise, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor does well wherever the script give them the scope to. Some of their scenes are stand outs , and really showcase their skill and range. Check out Anil in the early half playing out the Bollywood scene with corny Hinglish dialogues but without losing any of the impact. Similarly Akshay gets a wonderful entrance, one that reminds us that he is ten times the star he once was. However behind a jazzy theme track and some Rajini style action sequences, he still shows that he can score in the acting department as well. His transformation from the tough guy to the lover dude was well executed.
But sadly these sequences do not add anything to the movie. They are just stand out yet stand alone sequences. In fact, giving the comical shades to Anil Kapoor’s character went on too much that we never fear the guy whatsoever. However he is projected throughout the movie as the modern day Gabbar. However like AB’s take, this one too is a pale Babbar in comparison. But while he does not hit exactly a home run, he still seems to be having great fun while he is at it.
Kareena...well on paper might look to have a role of more substance. But ultimately she does an ok job but never really shines strong. But have to say, have never seen her looking this hot ever! Gone are the extra pounds, and in comes the sex appeal…mmm, loads of ‘em for sure.
Saif Ali Khan on the other hand is a different story alltogether. He is the one lost in this ensemble. In the initial reels, when he does the usual smart flirt, he is at his usual best. But as the film progresses more into the action flick zone, Saif comes out tame. Unlike the recent RACE, this one fails to do anything for him on the personal level.
Vishal Shekars music is a wonderful support and helps to drive the Tashan point home. And some well executed song pieces. However the same cannot be said for the action sequences. They just failed to get the adrenaline pumping and lets face it – Akki is no Rajini.
So they say that producer Aditya Chopra did have a director on board for this. However I still am not sure what credit does debutant director Vijay Krishna Acharya deserve here. While the man managed to write something decent for the screenplay and dialogues of the Dhoom series, here he fails miserably. The characters keep breaking the fourth wall once too many, and it just gets irritating because as a viewer we know that they are just talking crap for the truth is they have no story to tell.
The biggest flaw certainly seems the lack of fear from the villain factory. Anil Kapoor is not even half the kind of terror that Sanju baba was when he was running away from in Musafir. And for those who need fun on the run, with some loot, two law breakers, a sexy siren in the middle of it all, my guess is the Mani Ratnam -Ram Gopal venture Thiruda Thiruda does fulfil those requirements. I suggest Aditya Chopra to take a look at that flick first and realise what we already have!
No comments:
Post a Comment