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B-4 | Friday, November 16, 2018 BOLLYWOOD www.WeeklyVoice.com ‘Thugs...’ Is A Hollow Film, Passing Of Corny As Epic By Subhash K. Jha icky brand of perfume sells to the hero stands enchained, I was you when your olfactory nerves thinking of Laxmi Chaya sing- Film: “Thugs Of Hindostan”; are not working. ing Maar diya jay ke chhod diya Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya; There is something pro- jaye in the 1970s’ hit “Mera gaon Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir nouncedly hollow about the plot, Mera Desh”. Khan, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Ka- as it brings forward two larger- Not one to be left out, Fatima trina Kaif; Rating: ** than-life heroes, a wizened buc- Sana Shaikh bursts into a lullabye caneer Khuda Baksh Azad and there and then in the middle of Not done! You can’t take two a colourful con-man Firangi Kaif’s drizzle of sizzle, remind- of Bollywood’s superstars togeth- Malla. The latter’s scene-hogging ing us that sleep is perhaps one er for the irst time and then make moneky-tricks will annoy you to escape from this over-decorated, a ilm that confounds your senses, a breaking point. F underwhelming chamber of peri- boggles your mind and tries your Firangi is joined in this carnival odicity. patience. of confusion by others in the cast The one performance that tow- “Thugs Of Hindostan” does who dance, bellow and snarl in ers above all else is that of Mr all of this, and more. It is guilty a clueless mob, indicating some Bachchan. Silently seething for of many crimes, not the least of kind of ferocious pledge out to wrongs done, he was the charac- them being the rather strange at- get the British Colonists out of The plot is a mish-mash of There is no sincere attempt to ter I most identiied with. B tempt to pass off the corny as the our country. pulpy patriotism and tawdry create an 18th century aura dur- Not one dialogue, one song is epic, and the dishevelled as the The British are gone. But they swash-buckling. The ships areing the British Raj. This failing worth humming. spectacular. The plot, we are told, seem to have left behind a lega- not the only visible entities atis mostsea. evident in Katrina Kaif’s The characters simply speak is based on an ancient novel by cy of hate-illed ilms that show After a point, the writer-directorstyling. As Surraiya, the seduc- and snarl. And when they run out Philip Meadows Taylor which no them to be utterly stupid. From seems to have just given uptress onwith a permanent nose-ring, of energy they simply collapse in one seems to have read. Manmohan Desai’s ‘Toofan’ to the logistics of his purportedwho comes on screen only when heap of smouldering helplessness The ilm, if you ask me, also this the latest attempt to downsize spectacle, as scene after scene of she is required to contort her waiting for the writer-director to deserves much the same treat- and ridicule the Britons, makes us ireballs exploding midair weave curvaceous body to a tantalizing resuscitate them. ment. It is an overblown, under- wonder how they managed to rule in and out of the plot in a smoky tempo, Katrina must ask herself Alas, the air is so thick and cooked piece of abomination us for centuries. haze of absurdity. one vital question after she in- heavy no one gets a chance to masquerading as majestic when The more noise, colour and Besides the fact that Aamir ishes asking what on earth she’s breathe except a computer-gen- it is nothing of the sort. Speckled computer graphics director Vi- Khan plays his over-the-top char- doing in this ilm. erated hawk which pops now and on top and hollow and dull inside jay Acharya adds to the bristling acter with a hammy relish, the By the time Manish’s Surraiya then to remind us that pirates are this is the kind of con-job which broth, the more desperate the ilm ilm’s other major failing is its starts wriggling and sizzling in not only the prerogative of the a door-to-door salesman for an appears to qualify as an epic. pedestrian periodicity. front of the (gora) villains whileCaribbean. Rana Daggubati Launches Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh First Look Of ‘Next Enti’ Regale Audience At KIFF Opener KOLKATA: Bollywood su- perstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday- re galed the audience with smatter- ings of Bangla at the gala opening of the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival here. “Mamata di amaar ilm to na bhalobasi, (Mamata di, you may not love my ilm),” Khan made an attempt to speak in Bengali. He jokingly said that last year he was asked to learn some- Ben gali words and grace the occasion but he is never given any- ‘intel lectual role’ to play. gurujon, saamne boshe apanaraComing time and again to HYDERABAD: Actor Rana director Kunal Kohli, “Next Enti” As always, he wooed the- amaraudi nijer jon Namashkar -(greetKIFF is a big responsibility. He Daggubati on Friday launchedalso stars actors Sundeep Kishan ence by shouting ‘I love youings all’to Honourable Chief - Minissaid: “Acchha ei katha ta anek the irst oficial poster of actressand Navdeep in the lead roles. and also called Chief Ministerter Mamata Di and other -dignitarbar boelchi, kintu ingrijite. Ebar Tamannaah starrer Telugu ilm Talking about his experience Mamata Banerjee ‘beautiful’. ies present on the dais)”. banglai bolchi. Mamata di, asha “Next Enti”. working with Tamannah, Kunal, Bachchan inaugurated the “Abar ese gechi. Mukhyomant- kori ei bar bujhben (I have told “Happy to be launching thewho is making his debut in Telu- event by lighting the ceremonialrike anaek bar boelchi amakeher in English all the while, now irst look of ‘Next Enti’. Allgu the ilm industry, tweeted: “What lamp while Khan released dakbethe na. Ar notun kichu bolbarwill ask her in Bengali).” best..,” Daggubati wrote on - Insa pleasure working with you Ta- festival brochure. baki nei. Kintu mukhyomantri“Bujhben na? Ar parbo na. tagram while unveiling the irstmannaah. You made this ilm and Bachchan, who is referred tokathai as sonen na. Tai abar Rakkhaese korun. Aaamar sonar look of the ilm. your character come alive like the ‘Jamai’ (son-in-law) as hegechi is (I have come again asbangle, she ami tomai bhalobasi. So Through the posters, the ilmonly you could.” married to Bengali actress Jayadoesn’t listen. I have requestedcinema is very much apt - to Ben is touted to be a romantic enter- Produced by Raina Joshi and Bachchan, began his speech- hersay not call me as there is gal’snothing cultural ethos (You won’t tainer. Akshai Puri, “Next Enti” is re- ing, “Manoniyo Mukhyo Montrileft for me to talk about),”- understand?Bach it is no more- pos Being helmed by Bollywood ported to release this December. Mamata Di, Manche uposthitchan said in jest. sible. Save me.),” he said. SRK Regrets Not Having Got A National Film Award Yet KOLKATA: Megastar Shah “I have done 70 ilms so far, Rukh Khan has regretted he is yet but the only reason ilm festivals to receive a national ilm award call me is either to dance or come while none of his movies has ever and just speak about welcoming made it to events such as the Kol- the delegates, and being nice to kata International Film Festival, people, and not do anything intel - which, however, showcased the lectual. trailer of the actor’s upcoming “Reason for that is I am not movie ‘Zero’ at the opening cer- very intelligent. And I am not emony on Saturday. very smart,” he said, in an appar - The hugely popular actor, ad- ently zestful tone. dressing the opening ceremony However, SRK said, he has at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, said become “smarter” and more “in - he was invited to ilm festivals tellectual” after getting to know either to dance or say some nice Kolkata while spearheading the words welcoming people, and not Indian Premier League side Kol - for any intellectual deliberations. kata Knight Riders for 12 years. Huma Thrilled With ‘Leila’ Role MUMBAI: Actress Huma announced by Netlix at a confer- Qureshi can’t contain her- enceexcite in Singapore. ment about being directed by ac- The video on demand platform claimed ilmmaker Deepa Mehta used the second night of its ‘See for the “Leila” web series. What’s Next: Asia’ content gath- Huma on Saturday took to In- ering to unveil eight new original stagram to share a selie moment ilms for its India market, includ- from the sets of the Netlix series. ing “Hotel Mumbai”, “Selec- Deepa and Huma are joined by tion Day”, adaptations of books the actress’ mother in the frame. “Midnight’s Children” and “Bard “As you can see... I’m clearly of Blood”, “Baahubali: Before over-the-moon, working on my the Beginning”, a spin-off of the irst series, with Netlix’s ‘Leila’ feature ilm “Rajma Chawal”, a directed by none other than Dee- regional release for “Bleecker pa Mehta, Shankar Raman and Street”, and “Leila”. Pawan Kumar. As you can see, so Adapted from an eponymous excited to be directed by the leg- novel by writer and executive end Deepa Mehta... and mommie producer Urmi Juvekar, the series dearest dropped in on set to give is set in the near future and tells us her duas and pyaar?” the story of a mother’s search for “Leila” is a part of a slate of her daughter, from whom she was 17 original made-in-Asia shows separated 16 years ago..

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