Kidnap

After giving us a hit with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na in his debut outing, Imran Khan was expected to deliver another blockbuster with Kidnap. Assisted by Big Sanj Dutt (I'm not joking he's looking pretty flabby around the waist!) and Minissha Lamba the promos made this thriller look intruiging. Unfortunately having watched this film, it felt like I was the one taken hostage not the girl in the bikini!

Basic storyline is Minissha is a spoilt rich kid, she lives with her mother, after a row she storms out of the house and decides to don a skimpy bikini and go for a swim in the sea to cool off. Whilst underwater, Imran appears and kidnaps her. Enter estranged father Sanjay Dutt, having not seen his daughter for years it is now down to him to save her life. So begins the cat and mouse game, Imran controlling Big Sanj making him carry out little tasks in order to find clues. This part of the film isn't too bad and keeps the viewer interested but things take a massive turn for the worse after the interval.

In typical Bollywood style, it turns out that the villain isn't really a villain. It turns out that Imran wanted revenge on Sanjay for a childhood incident. Cue annoying flashback. You can probably guess where this is going? I won't spoil the very lacklustre anti-climatic finish for you but it felt like the director got bored of his own story and wrapped the flick up as soon as he could!

This thriller thrills for about 10 minutes and the rest of the time it bores you. Sanjay Dutt has been known to flood the market with mediocre affairs such as this, but it never seems to hurt his market value. Hopefully his next release EMI will fare better than this.

Disappointing 2.5 out of 5

Tussi Average Ho.....

Big B and Salman Khan in a remake of the Hollywood hit Bruce Almighty sounds like a good idea on paper but in reality it's nothing more than average fare. Our hero Arjun (Salman Khan) is a much maligned indiviual always blaming God for his misfortunes. When his plan for a new reality show is snatched away from him by his nemesis Rocky (Sohail Khan), Arjun curses God for his bad luck. The following day, Salman is summoned to a hotel where he meets the Almighty himself (Amitabth) and Arjun is given the same powers as God. From here the film follows Arjun as he uses his powers to sort his life out, play havoc with Rocky and woo the love of his life Alia (Priyanka Chopra). Once he's fulfilled all his wishes he realises that there are many millions of people who require his help but rather than trying to solve all there problems practically, he decides to grant everybody's wishes and thus chaos ensues!

Although the director has always maintained that the film is not a copy of Bruce Almighty, the film borrows heavily from it's Hollywood counterpart. GTGH is very similar to one of Salman's previous films, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge where he chases the girl only for the antagonist to screw things up for him and for much of the film, this plot line takes centre stage. The character played by Sohail Khan is an exact replica of the character he played in another Salman starrer - Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. Sohail's performance is cringeworthy, especially when he's strutting around talking in that silly squeaky voice. Amitabh is hardly in the film, his involvement is more of a guest appearance, but the few times he is on screen, his presence is felt. Salman is of course the star of the show, he doesn't ham it up as he usually does and thus you feel for his character. Priyanka is the token hottie and plays her part well.

All in all, if you're looking for something to pass the time with a few laughs or you've never seen the film Bruce Almighty then you'll enjoy GTGH. It's an average but watchable flick.

2.5/5

Shootout at Lokhandwala

Caught a repeat of this movie on Star Gold the other night and have to say this is one of the best action films of the past 5 years. Vivek Oberoi is fantastic in his role as Mumabi's most wanted Maya Dolas. Also a standout performance by Tusshar Kapoor as Maya's number two Bhua. The final few scenes actually had me hoping the bad guys would survive some how, but it wasn't to be. Sanjay Dutt plays bad ass cop Shamsher Khan with aplomb and even Arbaaz Khan and Suniel Shetty don't come across as too wooden for once!

The scenes that stick out for me all come in the last quarter of the film. When Phatu phones his parents and asks for forgiveness before his inevitable death is a great scene as well as the scene where Maya phones the man in Dubai looking for help, when he refuses it dawns on Maya that this is the payback he is getting for double crossing the big boss.

Films you may have missed....

It's been ages since I posted on this blog, but rather than do a full review I'm just going to recommend a film that you may have missed!

Before Shreyas Talpade hit the big time with Golmaal and Om Shanti Om, he did a great small budget film called Iqbal. In the film, Shreyas plays Iqbal, a deaf and mute boy whose one passion in life is cricket. With the help of his sister he manages to break in to the big time but finds himself without the proper coaching to really make an impact, so he enlists the help of ex cricketing legend turned drunk, Naseeruddin Shah. The two form a bond and help each other achieve their goals and Iqbal is selected to play in a tournament where the Indian Cricket Team selectors are watching. Will Iqbal live his dream or will he fail at the last hurdle?

A top film and a top performance from the lead. Also worth a mention is the excellent showing from young Shweta Prasad who plays Shreyas's sister, her chemistry with Iqbal is brilliant. Although the film drags a little in the middle and is a little predictable, the film is a joy to watch!