Bang Bang Banged The Audience : 1.5 / 5

[i_am_different]

Review: Bang Bang is loud, dumb, exhausting

 

 

Bang Bang is a B-grade film made on an A-list budget, says Raja Sen.

Action films aren't what they used to be. Gone are the days when a girl would heat a knife on a candle and dig out a bullet while Amitabh Bachchan threw out a trademark grimace.Nowadays all the girl needs to do is shine a torch while the guy puts on a bandaid.

Expecting these insipid heroes and heroines then to, well, bang-bang seems like too much of an ask, especially from the man who made Ta Ra Rum Pum.

 

All we end up with is a film full of bad foreplay which cuts to a song just when the characters should go bang.

They aren't even good looking songs, alas. Every song sequence in Bang Bang, as well as the many uninventive but expensive action set pieces, looks like a television commercial for something: deodorant, talcum powder, lavender scented bath soap... This aside from the fact that the film is positively mired in grotesque product placements for pizza and fizzy drinks. This, of course, is what happens when a film happens to star two celebrities who are completely packaged products in themselves.

 

Unfortunately for director Siddharth Anand, however, his actors have zero chemistry.

 

On paper, I admit it's a good idea, to try and give us the Dhoom 3 experience we never had -- by bringing back Hrithik Roshan, heists and a hot girl -- and to improve it by removing Uday Chopra from the equation.

 

Somewhere in the middle of this restructuring, somebody had the bright idea to call this an official remake of Knight And Day, a Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz romp that had a ridiculous plot but worked because of how gamely the two superstars dealt with the material.

Roshan takes the material lightly and goes through the motions charismatically enough, but the formerly svelte Katrina Kaif -- trying too hard to recapture Diaz's sprightly goofiness -- comes across as insufferable. Perhaps she's been drinking too many of those artificially-sweetened mango-flavored drinks she flogs.

Bang Bang is all about Roshan stealing the Kohinoor -- which, given the film's advertorial bent, I'm surprised wasn't a product placement for basmati rice. The world is thus after him, but he falls for a naive girl dreamily hunting for a "kitna susheel" boy, possibly the only girl in the world who takes one look at the legendary diamond and asks what it is. Brilliant. Besides the consistently cringeworthy dialogue, all Bang Bang holds are stunts.

 

Oh, if only they were good stunts.

Alas, every over-choreographed look-at-me sequence looks like something we've seen a dozen times over, never thrilling and fundamentally unexciting -- if for the simple reason that Roshan's unstoppable character, much like the director, never does anything fresh or clever. He gets into big-budget fixes, sure, with cars and buses and seaplanes, but unlike in the original, where Cruise would actually do something ingenuous to get out of a jam, here conveniently timed coincidences do the job for him. As a result, the stakes never seem significant.

This is a stupid, stupid film trying to be slick, a B-grade film made on an A-list budget.

 

The one saving grace is to see Deepti Naval and Kawaljeet, two fine, underused actors, playing an old married couple. Except they live in a house named House. Everything else is like bad guy Danny Dengzongpa likes his pizza: mass-manufactured, with a cardboard crust and extra, extra cheese.

Rating: 1.5/5

[Johny]

ga 3 vesadu...vadiki cnma em artham ayyindho emo mari

[Krish]

lol...title...

[posaanisam]

avg  bye1  bye1

[Tadika]

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars (Two and half stars)

Star Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Danny Denzongpa

Director: Siddharth Anand

What’s Good: The overwhelming stunts and two extremely gorgeous looking people.

What’s Bad: I understand it’s an official remake but the film feeds on the original, not trying anything new, unusual or bold. If you have seen the original, then there is very little for you to enjoy. The film’s thrill quotient is low, hence. The writers did not toil enough in furthering the script, adhering to the original in terms of everything.

Loo break: Some.

Watch or Not?: Bang Bang is everything that Knight and Day was about and nothing even remotely as exciting as the original. It isn’t bland or boring just doesn’t match up to my expectations of the film. Gorgeous stunts, picturesque locales and a paper thin script might create a watchable film but it won’t be a brilliant or memorable watch. Hrithik and Katrina despite giving sincere and earnest performances fail to retain the film’s oomph quotient consistently. It isSiddharth Anand’s lack of vision that has cost the film gravely. Nothing except the script can be blamed for it. If stunts can sustain you for an entire film, then Bang Bang is a steal. Others might need more than just that to satiate themselves.

Harleen (Katrina) is a receptionist at Bank of Shimla. Leading a dull life, she has a more boring life than her grandmother’s. In an attempt to find love, she signs up for a blind date on an Internet dating website. At her date, she meets Rajvir (Hrithik) – gorgeous, sensitive and sweet, by the time she develops a crush on him, he is shooting down people and people hurling bullets at him. Harleen is stuck with him where she can’t return because people think she is an alias of an international criminal. Rajvir has stolen the Kohinoor diamond from London and everyone from the Indian police to the international police to the crimelord smuggler, terrorist Omar (Danny) everyone is on the lookout for him. Harleen reluctantly accompanies him and finds herself brisking from one mess to another. Will they survive this Bang Bang is what the film retells.

Bang Bang Review: Script Analysis

I believe the script is as much to be blamed in the lack of energy in the film as the direction. Sujoy Ghosh, Abbas Tyrewala and Suresh Nair did not bother stretching the contours of Knight and Day. They limited the film to Bollywood frills making it a potboiler not above than the regular ones we frequently watch these days. As it is the film’s story in the first place isn’t a work of genius and in their attempt to translate it for Bollywood, the writers have garnished it with judicious helpings of bhai ka pyaar story, estranged family melodrama, nani Ki yaad and a bunch of regular stuff that fails to fit in with the film.

For the whole first hour, the film meanders in speed as a car show. As Hrithik and Katrina slip from one car to another, it is a shoot out fest. The songs and dances are too frequent. In fact I could have easily watched Hrithik dance for the whole while, it would have been more value for money!

I can point out the basic logic lapses as well. In one of the earlier scenes in the film, Hrithik is seen meeting a bunch of people in an open air Dhaba. Later, a CCTV footage of his was sent to the Delhi Headquarters. CCTV in a Dhaba in Shimla, really? Could creative liberty get more ridiculous than this?

If I manage to forgive the endorsement of Mountain Dew, Pizza Hut and Micromax, I will still stand by the fact that I hated the script. It is a blatant, scene by scene, a more desi illustration of Knight and Day. Those oblivious of the original will find this spectacular but frankly the slim story fails to inject emotions, chemistry or anything that will remain with you after the Film is over. This one is a glammed up version of Knight and Dayand Siddharth has extracted Hrithik from Dhoom 2, gave him better toys (read guns, pistols and exotic cars) and asked him to go have fun. Anything that makes you like this film, give it to Hrithik and even Katrina and if you get bored blame the writer trio!

Bang Bang Review: Star Performances

Hrithik Roshan might quiver in his emotional scenes but hell when someone is that good looking, it is hard to notice. Roshan fans will spend half the film ogling at his Greek God looks. But as Rajvir, thankfully Hrithik seems to be enjoying himself. He is casual and breezes through his part brilliantly. He is pitch perfect as Rajvir making his character an extension of his image from Dhoom 2, just better.

Katrina Kaif too is fluent in the role of Harleen. She is innocent and charming and does quite well what is expected of her. Though really low on action, I am glad the script did not serve her another measly, thankless part and gives it a shade different from Cameron’s in the original.

Danny Denzongpa is not even half as menacing as you expect the villain to be. He is an absent character from the frame and when he makes an entry in the climax, he is left unused.

The same goes for Javed Jaffrey who is good as long as he is there but barely has much to do.

In a limited cameo, it is Jimmy Shergill who is terrific and such a pleasant surprise.

ang Bang Review: Direction, Editing and Screenplay

Siddharth Anand’s basic problem is his lack of foresight. He doesn’t think far, in terms of his story or where the film is heading. Though Ek Din is the concept and ‘lack of plan is the plan’ in the story, it sometimes is better to chalk things out before the story goes haywire. There is a certain predictability that plagues the film. It seemed like Anand organized a ramp walk for cars, bullets, pistols, guns and ogle worthy people. If you seek at a very superficial level, all this is enough for you to woot for. But for me, the film had nothing worthwhile. Even comparing this to Dhoom 2 will be demeaning that film, because it was enthralling, got you ecstatic, had its share of nail biting, hair raising, adrenaline rushing cues. Bang Bang is just a plain bore like Katrina’s character in the film.

Even the underwhelming and forgettable music would be meaningless if you take out Hrithik’s dances from it.

Bang Bang Review: The Last Word

Bang Bang is a plain film that is mounted on a breathtaking canvas and remains steady at the superficial level only. Low on logic and more on frills and airs, the best thing about Bang Bang is Hrithik Roshan. He sincerely drives the film with his swagger and hot bod droolworthy looks, with Katrina aiding him with her cutesy innocence. But the lack of inventiveness in Bang Bang irks me. When I am done with ogling at the stunts and stars, I have nothing to remember it by. I am going with 2.5/5.

 

[i_am_different]

Bang Bang is a waste of time and money - 1.5 / 5 - indiatoday

 

When Bollywood filmmakers remake a Hollywood film, I wish they would stick to the same duration too! Bang Bang is the Indian remake of Knight and Day, which as far as I remember, was about 110 minutes but the running time of Bang Bang is 156 minutes! For a film with no head or tail, that's quite long!

Harleen (Katrina Kaif) is a bank receptionist who lives with her grand mom-an enthusiastic woman who enters the bathroom when Harleen is having a shower to ask her why she has no boyfriends. Bored with her life, Harleen signs up for a blind date on a website. Enter trigger-happy thief Rajveer (Hrithik Roshan). He has robbed the Kohinoor from London, no less! Since her blind date has not turned up, Rajveer takes over and charms her. 

Of course there are people gunning for him because he has the Kohinoor and then starts the non-sense chase, which goes on till the end of the film.

Since Harleen was spotted with him, she is in danger too so he has to take care of her and himself. So she will tag along everywhere he goes. While they are in danger they go from one place to another and also make time to sing a song at every fancy location.

There are some terrible brand placements here like Mountain Dew-the hero of the film was made to drink it; he also had to say the tag line loud and clear, Dar ke aage jeet hai!

The makers have obviously pumped in a lot of money here. From shooting in various places from Shimla to Abu Dhabi to Greece. The actors are seen using every mode of transport from speeding bikes, formula one cars, speed boat and even sea planes. If all this could make the film entertaining, the whopping budget would have been worth. There is a difference between spending money and wasting it.

Hrithik Roshan looks good and that's nothing new but don't expect any great acting here since he was just expected to run from one place to the other. Katrina Kaif was given a silly role and there was little she could do about it. Music by Vishal Shekhar is average. Some songs are catchy and shot well too but over all the music doesn't make a mark.

If your idea of a fun film is watching two good looking stars running around senselessly for two hours and thirty minutes then go and watch Bang Bang.

The makers have put in a lot of money. Is it wasted or well spent, only time will tell. I would suggest you save your hard earned money and watch Bang Bang on TV someday soon.

 

 

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/movie-review-bang-bang-is-a-waste-of-time-and-money-hrithik-roshan-katrina-kaif-siddharth-anand/1/393841.html

[sompapidi]

GAV la idi kuda rod aa Bro

[gundubabu]

Eedu Bollywood prabas

[narap1i]

Deeni original "Knight and Day" ne bokkalo movie...dhani malli copy kottudu....