It has been a while since a multiple hero movie has come out and both of them belonging to the same league in Bollywood, as of now. So even though the movie has managed to create quite a buzz I was not excited about it, as I usually am. I thought maybe it was a good thing because I had no expectations and that has helped in the past. But it didn’t quite go according to that expectation of having no expectations. If you know what I mean.
The story is about the friendship of two orphans Bikram ( Ranveer Singh) and Bala (Arjun Kapoor) who find themselves abandoned by both countries, India and the newly formed Bangladesh, during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. With nobody to guide and take care of them, they commit all sorts of illegal acts to keep their hunger at bay. What becomes of them as they grow to be Kolkata’s most powerful but respected Gunday and the coming of Nandita (Priyanka Chopra) in their lives, is what the movie is about.
First of all, the movie is extremely, extremely LONG. The same story could be conveyed in 2 hours instead of 2 hours and 30 mins. The plot is not very difficult to guess, especially if you have the whole thing figured out in the first 20 minutes like me, the movie feels like it has been going on forever.
Too much emphasis has been given to both their bodies, which is made sure, are in your face ALL THE TIME. It is nice to see that our two male leads have worked hard on their physique, but it does not have to be rubbed into your face with heavy oiling and tanning of their upper bodies, throughout the film.
The story has substance and so much potential but it falls flat, 20mins into the film. All of a sudden the pace of the movie is being majorly compromised along with over acting from all three actors Ranveer , Arjun and Priyanka. Badly written scenes and lack of clarity from the director result in a very hotch potch kind of a first half. And by now, anybody has figured out what the second half is going to be like, so there is no interest to watch it any more.
It is an action film so I was prepared for quite a few crass and raw, fighting scenes. The problem was is, that there are quite a few of them and the bigger problem is that they are shown in slow motion so that you get to see how the skin on our well built, nicely chiselled heros, moves. *_*
Personally it is a big, BIG TURN OFF as I don’t enjoy checking guys out like that, be it the most good looking fellow on this planet with the best body. Plus, they look fake in a lot of places which is poor computer graphics.
None of the actors stand out in terms of acting, including Irfan Khan who plays the cop. No character in the movie creates an impact on you except Pankaj Tripathy, who plays the young Bikram and Bala’s namesake uncle, who has an extremely small role.
There are some spine chilling scenes though in the beginning of the movie which makes you question the truth of beasts in human form, completely justifying why these two boys become what they do. Their friendship and the need to protect each other, no matter what, comes through beautifully on screen. The belief they have in each other and on what they share is so much so that they believe even if Nandita chooses anyone between them, it will not bother the other and will not change anything between them.
The album is extremely good and Sohail Sen has done a Fabulous job with the music. Song placing in the film is quite awkward though. It is as if the songs were made first and then the scenes were written to fit them in.
There are some good dialogues, but some pathetic ones too. There are some good moments, but some absolutely ridiculous ones too. Ranveeer and Arjun have to do better than this to make their mark in Bollywood, and soon. They are not bad in the movie, but they are not growing and improvising as actors. It’s time they bring something new for the audience to feel and discover.
The movie does makes you think though, about how life pans out and about what is right and wrong. You are forced into thinking that what these two become, is not what they chose to be but the circumstances make them what they are, not once giving them a chance, to be the good people they actually are. But then there is another part of you that knows that, that is no reason to stand against the law and continue to rise on an empire built on the foundation of illegal acts.
So does the film justify its existence, not really. But did it have potential? Immense! I would not recommend a watch unless you are die-hard fans of any of the male leads. If not, this can easily be given a miss. Wait for next Friday and I’m hoping Highway will make up for this and much more.
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