BOLLYWOOD AAINAA BOX OFFICE:
BA RATING: 2/5
Director: Sohan Roy
Cast: Rajit Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi
At concept level, a film about dam-destruction brought about in the 3D format could sound exciting. But what starts as a film about colossal disaster, ends up being nothing more than a disastrous experience for the viewer who soon realizes he is in troubled waters.
A dam's basic purpose is to stock water and perhaps the director's idea of making the viewer correlate with the water reservoir is by testing how much can they hold on to the film that has everything on show but the dam. And by the time Mr. Dam makes a special appearance in the final reel, audience ke sabr ka baandh toot jaata hain.
So you are supposed to endure multiple tales including a star-crossed couple, a love triangle, a child longing for his mother's love, a mother yearning to have a child, a sailor-turned-author, a scheming politician, his wheel-ridden wife and an old man who specializes in alternate treatment therapies. Imagine the director going that extra mile for character development in a film that is primarily about dam destruction and moreover none of them are even remotely connected to the dam or its disintegration.
Dam 999 also seems to be culturally confused cinema. The setting is in Kerala yet the locals insist on speaking in heavily accented English and whenever cupid strikes, the love songs play in Hindi. Add to it, with the collapse of a dam that is located somewhere in South India, the film attempts to give a tribute to a dam disaster in China.
Intermittently the film seems like a documentary highlighting the miracles of Ayurveda, though that again has nothing to do with the dam. Simultaneously it also promotes astrology and strongly endorses the belief that some mismatched horoscopes influenced the dam wreck. Which makes us wonder whether other categorical issues like the dam's structural weakness, political intervention and an earthquake were insignificant for the climatic catastrophe!
Coming to the 3D aspect of the film, the stereoscopy merely adds depth in some frames but who cares for 3D effects in a film which has 2 hours of human drama and (literally) 2 minutes of dam-break footage. And even the special effects in the film's two minutes of fame are so tacky that you curse yourself for sitting till the end.
The performance from the lesser known cast is mediocre and nothing much to rave about. Both Vinay Rai and Joshua Fredric Smith lack screen presence. The leading ladies - Vimala Raman, Megha Burman and Linda Arsenio have face appeal, but nothing beyond that. Child actor Jineet Rath irritates with his mugged up lines. Thankfully Ashish Vidyarthi doesn't go overboard. Rajit Kapoor tries to get the body language and accent of his character correct, though he stresses a little too much at times.
This is one damn boring film. Avoid or be damned.
Director: Sohan Roy
Cast: Rajit Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi
At concept level, a film about dam-destruction brought about in the 3D format could sound exciting. But what starts as a film about colossal disaster, ends up being nothing more than a disastrous experience for the viewer who soon realizes he is in troubled waters.
A dam's basic purpose is to stock water and perhaps the director's idea of making the viewer correlate with the water reservoir is by testing how much can they hold on to the film that has everything on show but the dam. And by the time Mr. Dam makes a special appearance in the final reel, audience ke sabr ka baandh toot jaata hain.
So you are supposed to endure multiple tales including a star-crossed couple, a love triangle, a child longing for his mother's love, a mother yearning to have a child, a sailor-turned-author, a scheming politician, his wheel-ridden wife and an old man who specializes in alternate treatment therapies. Imagine the director going that extra mile for character development in a film that is primarily about dam destruction and moreover none of them are even remotely connected to the dam or its disintegration.
Dam 999 also seems to be culturally confused cinema. The setting is in Kerala yet the locals insist on speaking in heavily accented English and whenever cupid strikes, the love songs play in Hindi. Add to it, with the collapse of a dam that is located somewhere in South India, the film attempts to give a tribute to a dam disaster in China.
Intermittently the film seems like a documentary highlighting the miracles of Ayurveda, though that again has nothing to do with the dam. Simultaneously it also promotes astrology and strongly endorses the belief that some mismatched horoscopes influenced the dam wreck. Which makes us wonder whether other categorical issues like the dam's structural weakness, political intervention and an earthquake were insignificant for the climatic catastrophe!
Coming to the 3D aspect of the film, the stereoscopy merely adds depth in some frames but who cares for 3D effects in a film which has 2 hours of human drama and (literally) 2 minutes of dam-break footage. And even the special effects in the film's two minutes of fame are so tacky that you curse yourself for sitting till the end.
The performance from the lesser known cast is mediocre and nothing much to rave about. Both Vinay Rai and Joshua Fredric Smith lack screen presence. The leading ladies - Vimala Raman, Megha Burman and Linda Arsenio have face appeal, but nothing beyond that. Child actor Jineet Rath irritates with his mugged up lines. Thankfully Ashish Vidyarthi doesn't go overboard. Rajit Kapoor tries to get the body language and accent of his character correct, though he stresses a little too much at times.
This is one damn boring film. Avoid or be damned.
No comments:
Post a Comment