Review: Tezz (Hindi)

Story: Revenge-seeking Indians plant a bomb on a British train - can Indians loyal to the law prevent an explosion fast enough?

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Priyadarshan

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy, Zayed Khan, Kangna Ranaut, Mohanlal

Genre: Action

Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: Look carefully - Tezz shows you a London Bollywood hasn't explored before. Forget those chiffon saree-soirees, lush parks and cream teas - Tezz's London showcases illegal Indian migrants trapped between violent ghettoes and furious policemen, wet sewers, oily garages and bomb-strapped garbage bins. This is a gritty city, normally shown as every Indian's vacation paradise - but what happens to those who want to live there, even illegally?

Tezz follows engineer Akash Rana's (Devgn) life unraveling as he and his workmates Megha (Reddy) and Adil (Khan) get hunted by British immigration. Rana suffers the cruelest cut - his marriage to British citizen Nikita (Ranaut) is declared invalid, he's deported, she's jailed for unpaid loans. But it's not over - four years later, Rana returns seeking revenge and the London-Glasgow Express, 500 people on board, finds itself laced with a bomb that'll explode if the train drops under a certain speed.

Sounds familiar? Tezz draws from different vehicle-thrillers, reminding you of Keanu Reeves' Speed one moment, Vinod Khanna's Burning Train another. But it isn't just another machismo-fueled race - instead, Reddy is Tezz's surprise package, pulling off devilish stunts, looking stunning in the short life of a desperate Megha. As Counter-Terrorism Command Chief Arjun Khanna, Kapoor looks good too - and with one glance at a boy with bandaged eyes, he reminds you of the acting power-house he is.

In Tezz, he's pitted against Devgn (the latter can play 'smouldering' in his sleep apparently) and occasionally, Boman Irani as Sanjay Raina, Railway Traffic Controller. In one tense scene, Irani controls a track-switch, trembling almost like a music conductor commanding a symphony. There's a shout-down between Kapoor and him - over far too soon. In fact, you're left wishing Tezz had more dramatic face-offs between its fine actors but instead, the film diverts into several tracks too many.

Mohanlal is poorly used as policeman Nair escorting a criminal via train. As is Ranaut, pretty in her now-familiar 'impending doom' style, but with little to do. Khan looks fresh but has a shaky role - topped with a thrilling chase. Mallika Sherawat performs an item number in the 'Desi Club', asking, "Do you wanna get hot? Do you wanna get wet?" - but after all that promise, dances little and smiles even less. Tezz's London, overrun by Indians, is also populated by Brits speaking hilariously fluent Hindi and despite pumping background music, features few pleasing songs, snatches from just one qawwali, Tere Saaye Mein, standing out. Otherwise, it's gunshots and grim lines, some pacey - "Ye koi naya kameena hai," quips Kapoor of Devgn - some not.

Despite slick action and stunning scenes - bullets ramming underwater into a sunlit stream, a violet flower-bush before a cop-car - Tezz loses speed often. Here's possibly why - director Priyadarshan's oeuvre is putting characters in desperate situations and watching them respond. It works beautifully in comedies - but Tezz needs relentless pushing, not frequent stops pondering over the unfairness of citizenship. You can't run fast carrying heavy baggage - that's why Tezz huffs and puffs a little too much.

Housefull is BACK again!

Story: Everyone's chasing tycoon JD's son 'Jolly' for their daughters - but when four Jollys appear, there's a House-full of confusion! 

Critic's Rating: 

Direction: Sajid Khan

Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandes, Zarine Khan, Shahzahn Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Boman Irani, Johnny Lever, Mithun Chakraborty

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Avg Readers Rating: 

Movie Review: Sajid Khan is in love - no, it's not what you're thinking. The director of 'Housefull-2' is in love with the movies - especially 1970s Bollywood, all disco-balls, leering villains and hard-chested heroes. Khan mixes this with luscious English locales, PYTs in short shorts, cheeky jokes and star power - and lo. You have 'Housefull-2' - a castle full of mischief under a midnight-blue sky, lovers, fathers, imposters and 'Prince Charles'. For those seeking Albert Einstein, step aside. For those who'd like an apple-pie comedy, all slapstick - and some slap and tickle - Housefull-2's a breeze.

Khan follows Manmohan Desai's funda - give the audience so much, so fast, they'll be too dazzled to carp. It works - most of the time. Housefull-2 opens in London with sibling rivalry between, ahem, the Kapoor brothers (Randhir and Rishi), elder Dabboo 'najayaz' but given part of his father's business, younger Chintu bitterly resentful. The resentment seeps across this house - Rishi's daughter, Heena ( Asin) and Randhir's girl, Bobbie (Jacqueline) at each other's throats. Each brother wants to marry his daughter to tycoon JD's son, 'Jolly' - Riteish who loves full-figured model 'J'Lo' (Zarine) but is too terrified to tell Daddy - Mithun Chakrabarty, striding across his English castle in a starched dhoti, a tycoon who smiles frostily only at Man Friday, Patil (a frothy Lever). 

But the Kapoors engage 'Aakhri Pasta' - Housefull-1's Indo-Italian, Chunky Pandey - still wearing skin-tight neon suits, delivering his 'I'm-a-joking!' line with creepy panache. Marriage-fixer Pasta brings an eligible match to Chintu, but playing a vinegary uncle with tang, Kapoor insults the father - with offensive 'African jokes' - landing him in hospital. His son (Talpade) swears revenge, begging buddy Jolly to romance Chintu's daughter, then break it off - but jittery Jolly drags in muscular Max (Abraham) to have him play 'Jolly', employing sleazy Sunny (Kumar) for the other brother to get the same. 

The rival Jolly-boys enjoy purani dushmani - but that's forgotten with two hot girls, a crocodile and a desert island that, like a skit in British comedy 'Little Britain', has a luxury resort behind the beach. Yet, some starvation for the clueless girls ensures love and soon, there are four pairs - and four Jollys - hotting things up. With each Punjabi Papa - and one Batuk Patel (Irani, all dimples and nasal inflexion, father of Parul, Talpade's sweetheart - Shahzahn, with more bikinis than lines) - vying for Jolly, the 'dirty dozen' reaches JD's house. But they're walking on water here. JD's got a temper, a dark secret - and a gun. 

Housefull-2 is a bag of laughs with eye-candy - Akshay in linens, Jacqueline in minis - and some crackling performances. Mithun commands with sheer presence while the climax belongs to rip-roaring Lever. Riteish plays 'helpless' with flair while a guest scene by '70s veteran Ranjeet - "From rapist to therapist" - provides a vibrant stroke of colour on this house-wall. Abraham manages the muscle-man while Malaika Arora Khan sizzles in 'Anarkali Disco Chali' - and an oomphy little scenario later. But the film belongs to Akshay Kumar who carries off a sharp suit and 'jhaari-mein-chalein' jokes with glossy aplomb. And to Sajid Khan who, despite a smorgasbord of stars, ensures one prevails - the mad storyline. The music (Sajid-Wajid) could have been punchier while some scenes sag. But with cracks like, "Aasman se gire, Khajuraho mein atke," as Akshay parachutes down on his mum-in-law, you can't complain - unless you were looking for Einstein, of course.

Courtesy: Times Of India