Dus (**1/2)
Genre: Action Thriller
Released: 8th July 05
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Pankaj Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Abhishek Bachchan, Zyed Khan, Sunil Shetty, Shilpa Shetty, Esha Deol, Raima Sen, Diya Mirza
( Exceptional, Brilliant, Good, Average, * Avoidable)
Onlyl if style could make a good movie! This action flick is high on style, superb on presentation and outstanding on visual quality but it lacks the basic necessity of a movie – the screenplay.
Anubhav Sinha, who made Tum Bin and Aapko Pehle Bhi Khani Dekha Hai, has attempted a totally different story from the earlier two and has succeeded to a certain extent in captivating the audience.
In short: Watch Dus with your friends. Go in a large group. When the pace slackens or the mushy love story props up to put brakes on the proceeding just start screaming. This should keep your spirits soaring high throughout the story.
The highlights:
Brilliant Action. Allen Ameen takes the credit for the stunts of international quality.
Good music. ‘Dus Bahane’ and ‘Deedar De’ are chartbuster types while ‘Cham Se’ is a typical Hindi film song.
Pankaj Kapoor’s performance.
The let-downs:
The Screenplay. It is not up to the mark.
Storytelling focuses too much on style and too less on content.
The limiting factors:
This movie does not live up to the expectations and hype that it generated
Thanks to a bad screenplay the movie loses impact in the post-interval part
A little more about the movie: This movie is a classic instance of how even good performances and action filled sequences do not create the desired effect if screenplay falters. The first half of the movie is good because the execution (direction, camera-work, and action) are all brilliant but execution alone cannot keep the interest of the audience alive for a long time.
The story leaves many questions unanswered. This probably is a regular problem with Bollywood and I guess that is not a big issue but the culmination of the story is what leaves you high and dry. If it is Bollywood, you know for sure that the terrorist is going to be defeated but the way it is done should send chills down your spine. Unfortunately, a good promise ends in a heart-break without even a thud.
Direction is good. Anubhav Sinha has the courage to experiment and the flair in presentation. Expect this man to come up with better movies in future.
Music lives up to the expectations and gets the crowd cheering with ‘Dus Bahane’ and ‘Deedar De’. Vishal-Shekhar duo has been on the music scene for quite a while and they know how to produce a popular music. Thumbs up to the music of Dus!
Acting performances are good. It is nice to know that Zyed Khan can act and that too pretty well. Sunil Shetty is OK but his character is so loosely etched that you tend to ignore him as a player in the story. Shilpa Shetty does a couple of stunts and that is it. All ladies are for introducing unwanted fourth angle in an otherwise triangular action flick with heroes, villain and Ten (Dus) days.
Abhishek Bacchan, I wrote earlier in my review of his movie Naach, is the new kid to be taken seriously because he has so much potential as an actor. He has worked hard. This has lead not just to a better performance on screen but also has earned him sympathy and love from the people who believe he has worked really hard on himself to come up trumps in recent times. All working in his favor currently, I see him competing with his dad for the best actor category in all major award nights later this year.
Snaju Baba (Sanjay Dutt) is at ease with his character and terrific as always. His screen presence can be matched by very few in the industry. He lights up the silver screen with his charisma. Acting performance becomes secondary when he is on screen but for the uninitiated he is one of the finest in the business today and growing as an actor even at this age with every release.
In all a movie that requires your participation to make it enjoyable. So, get hold of some friends and carry enough money to buy yourself (and your friends) lots and lots of popcorn. This movie should be fun with popcorns and friends!