Karan Johar, the king of emotional tear jerking dramas changes horses midstream, and jumps into a genre of films more commonly associated with Ram Gopal Varma’s FACTORY. The film, co-produced by Karan and SRK, is directed by upcoming director Soham, and is set to some terrific music by the duo of Salim Suleman. Much media hype has preceded the film, with news of shooting in Corbett National Park amidst tigers, and the film has been touted as an out and out thriller. Do it live up to expectations? Well...
Here’s the story in a nutshell, without giving much away. There are mysterious killings taking place in a sanctuary called ORBIT, and John Abraham, who is a researcher with The National Geographic, and his ace photographer wife Esha Deol set out to unravel the mystery. Accidentally bumping into them is a group of loud-mouthed friends, headed by Vivek Oberoi and Lara Dutta. Vehicles get damaged, the weather turns bad, and the entire gang is forced to stay in a guesthouse, in the jungle, aided by a not so straight driver, and a crooked tourist guide. The killings continue, and as our heroes and heroines find themselves in deep trouble, enter the mystical Ajay Devgan, who promises to reach them to safety, even as the forest officer Parmeet Sethi urges them to leave immediately. As the movie heads towards its climax, it moves into the realm of the bizarre and the supernatural.
The story line it tight throughout most of the film, although it becomes repetitive, and one tires of seeing the same baboon, owl, bat and crocodile over and over again. The much talked about tigers are more conspicuous by their absence rather than their presence. Scary in parts, the suspense is reasonably well maintained till the climax.Of the cast, Vivek Oberoi is impressive, while John looks like a million bucks, and is ably suited for all the jungle action, showing off his macho body. The ladies scream and shriek, and do little else. Ajay Devgan is competent.
All along, the story emphasises one theme--don’t mess with nature and don’t break the rules of the jungle. It’s a good lesson for tourists, who wander into a sanctuary as if it were a seaside resort. For the first time, the director has taken the action into the jungle, away from the city life, with its population, pollution and chaos.
The music by Salim-Suleman is very forceful, and the background music is definitely scary. The best aspect of the film, however, is the opening item number Kaal Dhamaal, which is picturised on Shah Rukh Khan and Malliaka Arora, both making a special appearance for this title song. Otherwise, there are no songs in the films, barring Kailash Kher’s background number.
A different film, one must give the makers credit for entering unknown territory, although the film could have been wrapped up better, with a different more acceptable and a more scientific ending. Performances are a let down.