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Friday, April 19, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD TEZZ
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***
What do you do when a country, a culture and their purveyors wrong you
irreparably? You plant a bomb in a speeding train and hold the establishment to
ransom.
Taking a cue from Hollywood`s most watched bomb-maro-bomb rush-hour excursions
into plunder-land Tezz springs forward a nicely-packaged
expertly-cut he-dunnit. And that`s a very different genre from the whodunit.
Here we know Ajay Devgn is the closet terrorist. But since his fans won`t like
it, Devgn is, with due respect to Mira Nair, a reluctant terrorist... how
reluctant, we won`t reveal fully.
Devgn has a back story with screen wife Kangna Ranaut, who in keeping with her
character`s British domicile, sports blonde hair. No, this is not a joke.
Luckily, Priyadarshan`s plot has a lot more going for itself than its leading
lady`s hair-to-stay problems. The director creates a taut cat-and-mouse game
between `terrorist` Devgn and cop Anil Kapoor who in true Hollywood style, is on
the verge of retirement from service when duty beckons.
There are enough men on duty on both sides of the law here to fill up one
section of Tihar jail. The narration allows elbow-room for an army of actors
laden with anxious motivations and tense expressions to match, all hurling like
the speeding train towards an uncertain nemesis. Luckily, the plot finds itself
a convincing finale. And we can go home feeling all is not lost for the slick
action genre in Bollywood.
There is hope.
There are some jaw-dropping action sequences here. Some of them, like Devgn and
Kapoor`s fist-to-fist in the grand finale and the search for Devgn in a
hospital`s car park, are so expertly executed they make you forget how far
Bollywood lags behind in the action genre from its firangi counterpart. But then
again some of the stunts like the one where passengers from the bomb-threatened
train climb into a safe train, are done clumsily enough to bring us down with a
thud.
Curiously, Zayed Khan and Sameera Reddy who play Devgn`s accomplices in the
terror crime are given one extended heart-in-the-mouth chase sequence each. They
show remarkable agility in their given space. Ditto the film`s technicians.
Thiru S. Appan`s camera looks at London with keen anticipation.
Aditya Dhar doesn`t come up with one memorable dialogue except, Teri Maa
Ki... when Devgn while negotiating his ransom money with train executive
Boman Irani drops his cellphone.
He`s Indian, not Pakistani, Boman confidently informs cop Anil
Kapoor with a straight face.
The absurdities don`t swamp `Tezz`. True its title, the tale of a bomb and a
Boman trying to diffuse the crisis, whizzes by at breakneck speed.
Priyadarshan`s tackles what`s a new genre for him, with pleasure and aplomb.
Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani, Sameera Reddy and Zayed Khan furnish a
flavour of slickness to a story that holds your attention till the end.
Not quite edge-of-the-seat, the thrills in Tezz are engaging enough to keep us
watching.
When Mohanlal agreed to do a cameo in Priyadarshan's action film "Tezz", perhaps he didn't know what he was getting himself, Read More
Watch `Tezz` for fast paced action (IANS Preview)
After entertaining people with comedy
capers like Hera Pheri and Bhool Bhulaiya, filmmaker
Priyadarshan is set to regale audiences with some high octane stunts in his
forthcoming multi-starrer Tezz.
Made on a budget of approximately Rs.40 crore, the film features an ensemble
cast of Anil Kapoor, Zayed Khan, Ajay Devgn, Kangna Ranaut, Sameera Reddy, Boman
Irani with southern superstar Mohanlal in a cameo.
Anil returns to Priyadarshan`s direction 15 years after Viraasat.
It is the also the first time that Zayed is teaming up with Priyadarshan and the
actor admits the veteran is a tough task master.
Tezz is the story two men - Aakash Rana (Ajay) and Arjun Khanna
(Anil). One is out to get back what was taken away from him in an unjust way,
and the other is willing to do whatever it takes to stop him in order to serve
justice.
Sameera, Ajay and Zayed play illegal immigrants in Britain. The film shows how
they turn against the authorities who try to deport Ajay and plant a bomb on a
train speeding between Glasgow and London.
The film has been extensively shot in Glasgow, Strathclyde, Perth and Kinross,
Southall in Middlesex and St. Pancras in London.
Priyadarshan hired Hollywood action choreographer Peter Pedrero to write and
direct the action sequences. Pedrero has worked for films like Braveheart,
The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bank Job. So no wonder it
should be a treat for viewers with a thirst for some good action.
Actress Mallika Sherawat has done an item number Laila in the film.
There were reports that Sameera was miffed with the producer, Ratan Jain, for
offering the item number, earlier reserved for her, to Mallika.
However, the producer denied this, saying that the issue was over-hyped. Sameera
later clarified that she wasn`t supposed to do the song.
Sameera would be seen doing some amazing stunts in the film and the actress
admits doing action was not an easy thing and wasn`t even prepared for it.
Even Anil, 52, performed some parkour sequences all by himself.
The promos of the film have created quite a buzz with their fast-paced sequences
and people are eagerly looking forward to the release of the film, which
promises to keep the audiences on the edge of their theatre seats.
