Where is the plot? The movie is so clear from the word go that even the jumbled narrative falls bland and straight. And this is when the movie has four writers to its credit, not to forget the succour from Rakesh Roshan who has some splendid movies to his credit.
The performance of the leading plot is the only saving grace of the movie. Hrithik Roshan has such a domineering screen presence that he commands each seen he is at. Barbara Mori has gelled so well in this Indian flick that she seems to go naturally with the flow of the movie. Both actors carry the whole weight of the movie on their mighty shoulders when everything else disappoints. And what the hell is up with side cast? Everyone seems so engrossed in a carving out a dull performance! Nicholas Brown(Tony) is a pain in the neck. He nowhere seems to threaten you, his accent almost kills and you just can’t wait him to be killed in the movie. What is hilarious is the escape-run sequence of Hrithik-Barbara. It defies logic from all angles and never makes you go to the edge of the seat. The American police have been portrayed just a little better than their Indian counterpart. At least, they came in time. But, who can ever catch the protagonist of an Indian movie!
Kangana Ranaut terribly disappoints. She acts with full commitment, but either her role has been brutally edited or she has been befooled by the Roshan-Basu stature, as we all have been, that she agreed to be part of the movie. The movie is thoroughly assisted by the stunningly good looking lead pair. Hrithik looks so striking and stunning throughout the movie that it seems that half the energy of the team has been spent in making him look good. Unfortunately, he seems so desperate to break into Hollywood that he tries to replicate the English accent; sounding weird and peculiar. The music is easily forgettable and the background score by Salim-Sulaiman is too loud at places.
What’s good? Kudos to Ayanaka Bose for the splendid cinematography! He elegantly captures the thrill and the romance in his camera. The scenes are so slick that they can compete with any Hollywood movie for its looks; the only department that the movie scores in. The movie has actually got its heart at place. Anurag Basu beautifully captures the charm of the lead pair, their playful flirtations and comical attempt to communicate tickle, their romance has got tenderness; may it be the shadow puppet scene or when they understand each other though speaking different languages. And yaa, Hrithik’s superfluous killer dance moves in the beginning do mesmerize you. However, the chemistry between them just doesn’t sizzle as it was puffed up; it doesn’t sparkle or carves a niche.
Anurag Basu makes a brave attempt with a Bollywood formula that has been tried and tested ‘n’ number of times, but fails in execution of the idea. The end has been so much stretched that you yawn and feel like running out of the hall. The entire movie runs in a slow motion wagon that keeps getting off the track. Two hours is just perfect for a thriller-cum-romantic movie. But not for this one!
Rating: 2.5/5
