He has a sixth sense but he can’t see dead people. He can predict the end of a cricket match in a split second. He can actually give you a ball by ball update. Now, what’s wrong if he wants to put his sixth sense to use and earn a little moolah? The reason for his rise becomes his fall. The reason is Love. Love makes his heavenly life a living hell. Here’s a film in which the hero hates his father, loves his girl, is amongst the few who can make a quick buck. But the problem is, betting is illegal in India. So, everything that he does is bad.
The biggest problem with the screenplay is that it tries to balance a love story & the story of the rise and fall of its protagonist. Vishesh Bhatt son of Mukesh Bhatt is credited for the story & screenplay of this film par Vishesh ke screenplay mein kuch Vishesh nahi hai. (Pun intended). The first half devotes too much time to the love story whereas it could have delved more into the betting/fixing scenario which is much more interesting than Emraan Hashmi wooing his lady love again & again & again.
Kunal Deshmukh the director seems heavily inspired by Anurag Basu in his shot taking & the use of Background score. The director makes an able debut but there is nothing special about his direction. The biggest mistake he makes is in casting Sonal Chauhan. It’s not that she has given a bad performance, she is actually bearable for a debutant but a role like hers needs a solid powerhouse of an actress because the entire film revolves around her character. Just watch the climax scene to understand what bad acting can do to the most crucial scene of the film. You might actually end up laughing in an otherwise dramatic scene. Javed Sheikh is also another example of bad casting as he is not able exude the power which was required of his role. Emraan Hashmi charms you in the first half but goes haywire in the second half. He should do a crash course in loud acting. That’s where he ends up looking & sounding funny.
The music of the film is good but is not used appropriately in the narrative structure. Though there are only 4 songs in the film most of it is used as an audio track for a montage of shots. There seems to be some problem with the cinematography or the use of DI (Digital Intermediate) the color tone keeps shifting all the time. The background score gives life to the most mundane scenes. In fact it is responsible in creating a couple of clap worthy moments.
Final Few Words: Vishesh films needs to do some serious introspection on the kind of films they want to make. A small suggestion would be that Mukesh Bhat, Mahesh Bhat, Aditya Chopra & Ram Gopal Varma should meet & find alternatives to create more compelling cinema. They are sailing in the same boat & the boat has started sinking. The only option is to swim against the tide. Will they? Wont they? Time will tell. For now, go in search of your heaven in Jannat.
** ½ (Above Average)
Please email ronydn@gmail.com for your feedback on the review above
