As I took my rightful place in the packed hall, there was all but one question on everyone’s lips: How will the costliest Bollywood film fare? (You can rephrase it to suit your liking). The opening credits rolled and for once I was glad that I had made it to the hall in time. However, by the climax, what I had feared had turned out to be true and I was forced to reconsider my judgment. Still all was not lost; there were sparkling moments which shouldn’t be overlooked. I wonder that if the director had thought of spending even 1% of that humongous budget (a supposed Rs 100 crore) on a good storyline, the end product would have been so much better – something which could have lived up to its promise.
Plot: Undoubtedly, the plot is the downfall of the movie. It is not gripping enough to hold the viewer’s attention. The climax is clichéd and the script is loose and ‘inspired’. If you have seen “Into the Blue”, you have seen it all albeit a Bollywood incarnation. Sagar (Sajay Dutt) is a diver who lives with his girlfriend Mona (Lara Dutta) in the Bahamas. They are accompanied by Aarav (Akshay Kumar, the screen name inspired by the name of his son in real life). Aarav is a rich playboy and Sagar doesn’t understand why he likes to hang out with a poor guy like him. On the other hand, Samir or Sam (Zayed Khan) is a champion racer who is in Bangkok. There he meets Nikki (a reinvented Goth look Katrina Kaif) and Gulshan (Rahul Dev). Samir falls for Nikki and gets mixed up in the affairs of Gulshan and the ‘bad guys’. To escape, he comes back to the Bahamas to seek refuge with his brother Sagar. But voila! The bad guys follow suit and kidnap Mona. Now, with the lives of both Mona and Sam in danger, Sagar has to confront his biggest fear – find the long lost treasure of Lady in Blue. Apparently, the ship was carrying a fortune and was on its way to India from England after India’s Independence and got drowned in the Paradise Cove in Bahamas. You can see it coming – the treasure and the betrayal, nothing to rack brains about. The film ends with one of the stupidest and clichéd Hindi film climaxes ever.
The style: Even after all its faults, one thing is certain – Blue is a visual treat! The opening credits which explore the depths of the ocean floor are brilliantly shot and shouldn’t be missed. The underwater cinematography is crystal clear and visually ascetic. And no, it is way better than National Geographic! This aspect is something which Blue prides itself in and it delivers. This on location shooting is really worth every penny. Also, the bike racing scenes are an adrenaline rush. Great action sequences and visual grandeur- this is where Blue scores. Also, the “shades with the Hawaii t –shirt” look is a nice change. Of course, in Akki’s case, he’d rather go shirtless! Blue is high on fashion statement as well. There is the ‘chin studded’ Katrina and the “chin stubble” Akshay. Sanju does look a little out of shape but that’s forgiven. The surprise package for me was Lara Dutta. She looks hot! And when I mean hot, I mean scorching hot. I swear, the temperature rose quite a few notches when she was around. She beats Jessica Alba from Into the Blue hands down. In essence, Blue is Dhoom reinvented (only in the style department, not the story mind you).
The substance: In one word: stale. Even though the film is only two hours long which a highly commendable job by Bollywood standards, the story could be narrated in only one hour. The rest is all razzmatazz. There is no substance for Blue to build upon. Whereas Into the Blue kept you on the edge of your seat because of the mystery, the sharks (or Jessica Alba); Blue has no such luck. You can see the betrayal coming long before its there. And the treasure hunting never really begins until the last thirty minutes. Also, I was hoping if they were going ‘old school’ with the good vs. evil formula, at least there would be a good fight scene in the end. No such luck. There are also a few corny and cheesy one liners thrown in which do not have the desired effect. For eg: Mona says, “Aarav has two of everything” (Really? Two of everything!? Wow!). Especially the climax takes it a step too far. I was laughing unintentionally by the end. C’mon, that is elementary, my dear director! The pairing of Sanju and Lara also appears mismatched. Lara is sizzling and Sanju… well ‘not so sizzling’. Now, Lara and Akki or even Lara and Zayed would have been right on the money. I think the director missed a trick or two there.
The razzmatazz: Even after so many faults, Blue scores so highly on the glamour quotient that you can’t deny the moolah and the effort that has gone into making this mega film. The cinematography is, I can say without doubt, the best ever seen in Indian cinema. The camera captures the ocean’s vast canvas with such grandeur that you are in awe. The setting of Blue looks real. There is no deception there. The film only robs you of a good storyline. The money they spent on Kylie Minogue has really paid off. Even though “ChiggyWiggy”might not appear to be the most ‘profound’ lyrics, the song really comes alive on screen. The tune is really catchy and you can’t help but move along with Kylie’s hips. This is undoubtedly one of the cleanest and best shot music videos in recent times. Especially the fusion track with Sonu Nigam crooning Chiggy Wiggy in Hindi really makes for good viewing. This jugalbandi is excellent. Farah Khan’s choreography is top notch. The steps are easy, yet very ‘hip’ (specially the ‘hand motion’). Apart from this song, only ‘Fiqraana’ stands out to a certain degree. The editor really needs to be given a pat on the back for keeping the film to a bearable limit. 2 Hours is excellent length. Still, the film appears to drag in places because of the lack in the depth of the story.
Finally, the question remains: would you spend your money on this flick? Well, the answer depends. On one hand Blue falls really short in depth of the plot and good direction skills. On the other hand, the visual canvas of Blue is so grand and astute that it offers 2 hours of a treat to the eyes. And I am not talking about National Geographic stuff, this photography is something to behold. This is definitely a movie made for the big screen. The clarity of the marine life really shines through. There is big moolah involved which has definitely been worth it. Yet, Blue falls short of packing a punch. The viewer can’t be bothered about the characters and that is any film’s biggest criticism. So take your pick. If you want to keep your brains at home and enjoy a visual treat, story be damned, Blue offers a tempting prospect. It is two hours of masala (maybe a bit of overdose). But if you are looking for some depth and something engrossing, forget it! This Diwali, complete entertainment is the way to go. This might not be a film you shouldn’t miss, but the film has its moments, given that you are ready to accept the conventions of a typical ‘masala’ flick. Blue is all style and no substance, yet the style quotient is so high that there is enough food for thought…