Review: Tashan(2008) – Little style and No substance

Quality Score: 4/10
Masala Value: 7/10

All polls and surveys taken over the recent months unanimously said that Yash Raj Film’s Tashan was the most awaited film of 2008. Obviously, I did everything possible to see the movie at the earliest but only to be disgusted and totally disappointed.

Bhaiya-ji (Anil Kapoor) is a dreaded gangster who desires to learn English before he meets with a foreign delegation. His secretary Pooja (Kareena Kapoor) seeks the services of Jimmy (Saif Ali Khan), a call center employee; Casanova and part-time English teacher and entrusts him with the job of teaching her boss English. Subsequently, Jimmy and Pooja join hands to swindle Rs. 25 crores from Bhaiya-ji. A humiliated and defeated Bhaiya-ji then summons his protégé Bachan Pandey (Akshay Kumar) and orders him to capture Jimmy and Pooja and thereby recover all his lost money. The sequence of events that follow when these individuals come together is the base of the story.

Director Vijay Krishna Acharya, has bungled big time with this one. Vijay’s story is based on a wafer thin plot and his script is nowhere close to his previous works - the blockbuster Dhoom series’. He takes the audience for a ride and assumes that they will accept anything if presented in the name of ‘masala.’ Though there are a good number of twists and turns in the story they don’t come as a huge suspense; I’m not sure if it is the screenplay or execution that has failed to deliver this effect on the viewer. Anil Kapoor’s Hindi-English phrases do sound funny but since all of his lines are in Hindi-English it gets monotonous.

I consider Akshay Kumar as one of Bollywood’s true action heroes – a guy who dares and does all of his breathtaking stunts on his own. It was really pathetic for me to see him do these outrageous sequences that seem ridiculous even if you forget your brains. It even makes me wonder why he agreed to be a part of this sad show. The climax and the entire action sequence shot at a dilapidated warehouse look stupid (for lack of a superlative) and meaningless. Saif emerging out a small and narrow canal in a water scooter could be the funniest scene of the year and Kareena’s air-show with effortless flight and immaculate landing could maybe win her a spot in a Quidditch team.

However, without any surprises the only positive thing to come out of the movie is Kareena’s brand new chic avatar. She had specially groomed herself for this movie, her hour-glass figure and stylish looks fueled the promotion of the movie and got her on the cover of every fashion/glamour magazine you could think of. As if to vindicate all of this, she does look stunningly pretty in the dark colored salwars and scorching-hot in a bikini. From her perspective it is a role and movie that will be remembered for various reasons.

The duo of Vishal-Shekar disappoint with their mediocre music score. Just the melodious number, “Falak Thak” strikes a chord and is also shot well.

Watch this movie only if you are a die-hard fan of one of the stars else I’m sure you will have better things to do.

Genre: Desi/Hindi, Action/Adventure

- Varun Prasad