Kamalahassan is arguably the best performer on the scene, in Indian cinema today, and everytime he does a film, it’s always something different and extraordinary. A look at his past films reveals the versatility of the actor, whether it is as a dwarf in Appu Raja, as a middle aged lady in Chachi 420, as a bald psycho in Abhay, as an old freedom fighter in Indian or as an elderly person with broken teeth and a scarred face, in the Tamil film Anbe Sivam. And so, when director Sangeetham Rao and Kamal team up of Mumbai Xpress, after their brilliant venture PUSHPAK, years ago, one is all ears and eyes, to see what the maestro does this time.
Mumbai Xpress is an out and out comedy film, involving three small time crooks who plan a kidnapping, which is jinxed from the word go. Kamal (deaf, this time around), who earns his living by driving in a motorcycle show, is a last minute recruit. This only adds further to the existing confusion, as the three oafs goof up, picking up the wrong victim. Kamal has a change of heart, and decides to return the victim to his parents, much to the chagrin of his accomplices. In the process, he has to contend with a corrupt police officer (Om Puri, brilliant as usual), a builder(Saurabh Shukla, excellent) and an bar dancer turned avaracious concubine (Manisha Koirala, glamorous).
A comedy of errors, the films moves fast, keeping one engrossed. Kamal is very good, but has started looking his age, and has put on too much weight. It’s time that he stopped playing lead roles, and shifted to character ones.