Missing the punch

Nonika Singh

When the film opens with a crazy albeit peppy song Toh Dihsoom whose lines go— Mere India ko bura kahan Toh Dishoom, Jan gan man pe na khada hua Toh Dishoom, you immediately lower the bar and don’t expect anything serious or great. But, soon enough, the film moves to a different territory or shall we say a field, which in this case happens to be a cricket pitch. A Virat Kohli type hitter, an Indian batsman Viraj Sharma (Saqib Saleem) has been kidnapped in foreign lands. And the task to find him has been entrusted to ace Indian sleuth Kabir Shergill (John Abraham) of special task force. As he lands somewhere in the Middle-East (so we are told) the film too begins to find itself in no man’s land.

Actually, the film tries to be too many things, thriller, actioner, comedy. With cricket and a dash of nationalism thrown in for good measure, its ambitious bid to be a high octane entertainer, only ends up being a mishmash. So be it….as long as it is fun and frolic. And there are quite a few elements to heighten the entertainment quotient. For one, there is a cop jodi, the kinds we have seen in umpteen Hollywood films. Varun Dhawan as the comic cop, the bumbling rambling partner of the muscular John is ebullient enough. But even the spark he brings to the table is not enough to ignite the film. The guest superstar on board can only add limited charm. Yes, Akshay Kumar’s short appearance as a gay with a perfect selfie pout in place brings a smile to your face. He is cool for sure. But let’s talk about the other Akshey (Khanna) who has a meaty part. As the bad guy, a bookie, who has lost crores, he is impactful. Seen on silver screen after a hiatus, despite shortcomings in the script, he makes you want to see him more often, of course, in better films. For that matter, even John deserves better… roles that require him to do more than scowl and flex his muscles. Here he just about packs in a neat act. 

As for the film, well, it’s first half shows some semblance of intelligence in the script and there is pace too. However, in the second half much of the advantage gained goes for a toss. Close to the climax when the song Saare jahan se accha begins to play you give up. That logic and coherence would be a casualty in a Rohit Dhawan film is kind of predictable. But that humour too would be few and far between is surprising. Even, more than the surprise package in the end. And here we have a question---was one song enough for Parineeti Chopra to go all out to promote the film? Yes, she does get to flaunt her all sinewy abs. Besides, come to think of it, she almost has the same screen time as Nargis Fakhri. Whether Fakhri has decided to pack her bags and leave India for good or not, in films she is almost not there. The other heroine of the film Jacqueline Fernandez has a decent outing.  Does the film call for an outing…. well judging by the catcalls the first day first show got, guess each to his own. Our verdict --- time pass.