Tashan - A Review

2008-05-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

On my way back after watching the movie, I was in such awe of the movie, especially the ending, that I was dumbfounded. I kept wondering why Yash Raj would make this kind of a movie. It seemed like 3 or 4 different people had written different parts of the movie and the director knitted them all together(and failed miserably). If this is how movies are made these days, then I apologize for my naivete.

All the hype surrounding the movie and Kareena's 'new toned look' will probably carry the movie for a few weeks. But it can certainly not depend on word-of-mouth publicity, because of people like myself and others, who could not make any sense of the movie.

As for the story, I'm not sure of where to start. Saif plays Jimmy, a BPO employee turned dreamy-eyed lover turned police informer turned gangster turned loyal friend. The 'lovee' in question, is of course Pooja (Kareena) who works for an english-challenged don, Bhaiyyaji (Anil Kapoor) who hires Jimmy to teach him to speak in english. What follows is a butchery of the language, numerous pathetic attempts at humor by Anil Kapoor and a lot of double crossing.I wonder if including a lot of so-called 'twists and turns' in the plot qualifies a movie to be called a 'thriller'.

Getting back to the story, Pooja convinces Jimmy to steal Bhaiyyaji's money because she has to either work off her debt to him or marry him. When they do steal the money, Pooja runs off with it and leaves Jimmy to take the fall. It is later revealed that Bhaiyyaji killed Pooja's father and that she's working for him only to seek vengeance. If that were the case, why does she run off with the money? How did that serve the purpose?

At this point, enters Bachchan Pandey (Akshay Kumar) the only bright light in this mess of a movie. He has become adept at playing the small-town guy. But hey, I'm not complaining. Because his presence is what saved me from cringing at what was being played out on the screen. He's called in by his idol, 'the' Bhaiyyaji, to take Jimmy and Pooja and retrieve the money, because the stash has apparently been hid all over the country. Now, why someone who has plans of running away/seeking vengeance (i'm not sure of the motive) would do this, is beyond me.

As if the story wasn't contorted enough already, there's a sub-sub-plot which is about how Pooja/Gudiya and Pandey are childhood sweethearts. Was this an attempt to woo the cow-belt audience or the K-serial fans?

In a shootout sequence which is supposed to be reminiscent of the Matrix series, comes Kareena's moment of glory! Her 'action sequences' which were touted as the reason behind her slimming down! She brilliantly handles the difficult task of shooting 2 bullets!! My goodness! Today's actresses are daredevils, i tell you! Any comparisons, by ANYONE, of Kareena's look or character to Uma Thurman's in Kill Bill are grossly misplaced! She is nowhere in her league and will never be. There's no way on the planet (or on Mars) that someone who cannot keep a straight face for even a second, without making some animated expressions, can be compared to Thurman. Even if she does fire 2 bullets and do weird wire stunts. As for her look, anybody who has watched Dhoom2 would recognize how it has been 'inspired' by Aishwarya's look in it. Ofcourse, as my friend wisely pointed out: Ash looked sensational, but Kareena looks like a guy..!

Saif Ali Khan needs to get a grip on himself. Everyone knows that he has 'Kareena' tattooed on.. wherever. He doesn't need to keep jumping into the frame saying 'what an actress' to let everyone know that they're seeing each other.Now for Anil Kapoor. He is NOT funny. Rather, quite annoying with his pitiful jokes. His character is a rickshaw puller before he becomes a Don. Well, i have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is the way he's killed. (I'm not being a spoil sport by revealing it. I'm being benevolent. You'll know why).

The ending: The great Don's entire platoon of goons is defeated by the 3 protagonists. Only the 4 of them remain. Then, out of nowhere, comes the Don, riding a rickshaw! Yes, a rickshaw!!! What was the rickshaw doing there? Where did it come from? Why did he choose to ride it? Couldn't he afford a better getaway vehicle?? He rides toward them. Why?? Suddenly, Kareena is flung into the air by Akshay and Saif. Why?? She lands on the rickshaw, right behind Anil and stabs him. What the hell was that!?! I was thinking the same thing.

The way they keep repeating the word 'tashan' every few minutes in the movie, is like, they know that the audience wont remember what they are watching, either out of boredom or disorientation, and they have to be reminded of the same. Credit where credit is due: the movie does have a few hummable tunes. My favorite being Falak tak. Dil dance maare is a humorous song.I wouldn't say that the movie is worth watching for Akshay Kumar(although i ought to), because unless you plan to leave half hour before the movie winds up, its definitely not advisable.

If you thought the review was confusing, you'll have a blast watching the movie. Good luck with that!

MY thoughts, MY experiences and MY opinions

Tashan - A Review