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Friday, April 19, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD BOSS
EDITOR'S PICK
`Boss`:
Fun-filled, hugely-enjoyable Masala Dossier (IANS Hindi Film Review)
Rating: ****
The second-half of this breakneck-speed, blues-chaser of a movie opens with a
long chase sequence through the narrow gallis of a dusty small-town in North
India where we last saw Akshay Kumar having a ball in "Rowdy Rathod"
and "Khiladi 786".
Somehow in those films, Akshay ended up having more fun that we did. This time,
our enjoyment-quotient matches Akshay's step-by-step, scene-by-scene,
frame-by-frame chuckle for chuckle.
"Boss" is as much fun to watch as it must have been to shoot. Almost
every sequence is an 'item'. And for once the word 'item' is not a gaali.
Director Anthony D'Souza who failed so miserably in shooting an undersea
adventure thriller in "Blue", here rises out of the deep to deliver a
full-blast rabble-rouser that verifies what Vidya Balan recently said about the
movies - "They are all about three things....entertainment, entertainment,
entertainment".
To that we can add another golden rule of honest mainstream filmmaking: kinetic
energy. Every moment in "Boss" is a celebration of cinematic
conventions derived from decades of Bollywood entertainment.
Family-ties torn asunder by villainous machinations, brothers growing up with
different values, and a parent who frowns at the outlawed son's ill-gotten
wealth power.
Damn, Mithun Chakraborty as Akshay's disapproving father could be Nirupa Roy in
"Deewaar". But I doubt Amitabh Bachchan's character would see the
humour in the violence the way Akshay does. He stops a bone-breaking binge for a
titter and then goes right back to thrashing his enemies.
Then there is the deliciously subverted morality of la-la-land. A law-maker who
breaks every law of the land, and an anti-social hero who could have ended up
being boringly messianic. But just as the character seems to take itself too
seriously, Akshay Kumar brings him back a thumping thud, the kind that creates a
crater in the ground.
Akshay, God bless his innate sense of joie de vivre underlined by a distant
demeanour of unspoken tragedy that shows up in a welter of wistfulness, imparts
to the old-as-the-hills heroism, a sense of freshly-found humour.
A sense of sameness had crept into Akshay's recent serio-comic outings. But in
"Boss", he bites succinctly into his juicy role, creating a kind of
precarious balance into a part that blessedly careens more towards self-parody
than self-glorification.
And thank God for a formidable adversary! That brilliant actor Ronit Roy as
Akshay's main opponent - a khaki-clad brute named Ayushman Thakur, brings to his
role a chilling propensity to turn the colour khaki into a black display of
uniformed anarchy.
Ronit's introductory sequence where he ritualistically murders a cluster of
criminals sets the tone for d'Souza's narration.
Shiv Pandit as Akshay's sibling displays a sincere screen presence. This
newcomer's best sequence has Akshay comment, "That's the problem with you
newcomers. You need to be shown how to do everything."
Well, well.
Sonakshi Sinha looking like a full-on heroine, shows up twice, once jiving to a
zingy Yo Ho Honey Singh number and finally at the end to pay Sridevi an
unexpected compliment.
Sonakshi has no problem fitting comfortably in the screenplay.This is the kind
of film that easily absorbs awkward moments into the larger picture. Wisely,
this athletic spindly remake of the Malyalam blockbuster "Pokkiri
Raja" doesn't blindly borrow scenes from the original.
Taking the original material, writer Sajid-Farhad have completely reconstructed
the material bringing a sense of surging excitement and great fun to the
proceedings. The dialogues are bombastic but not repeatedly so.
The elaborate action sequences devised and executed by Anal Arasu are the
backbone of the robust narration. Every action sequence is done with virile
innovative enthusiasm, thrilling and rugged but never oblivious to the need to
lend laughter to the bloodshed.
Hence when Akshay fights a bunch of boorish goons in the first of the many
cleverly-executed stunt sequences, out come huge music speakers and three chorus
dancers to lend his fisticuffs a rhythmic accompaniment.
We always knew music was never very far off from the soul of Hindi cinema. Boss
shows us how and why. Director d'Souza shows a remarkable flair for blending
burlesque with violence. Many of the action sequences are over-the-top and yet
saved in the nick of time by Akshay's comic timing from toppling over into an
over-done kitschy mess.
The miracle of creating a masala film that doesn't take itself too serious or
the audience too lightly is here achieved with a credible quotient of
conviviality and a commitment to preserving the momentum of the narration.
Apart from a couple of loosely-designed scenes (one sequence has the formidable
Danny Denzongpa standing around doing nothing, something that this actor is not
comfortable doing) and some sidekick characters who are annoyingly intrusive, I
found myself completely entertained by the film's light-weight tone.
This is a fast-paced, zany, full-on masala fare. There is a tempting swagger to
Akshay's performance matched by the narration's tidal tempo. Irresistible energy
and endearing gusto underline the show's voracious appetite for a comic kill.
Ekdum fit hai, Boss!
Akshay Kumar is synonymous with action and he is ready to entertain his fans with another action drama "Boss".
Releasing Wednesday, this is his first film after the not-so-successful underworld drama "Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara" and it has already created a buzz by entering the Guinness Book of World Records and being the first Hindi movie to release in Latin America.
"Boss" entered the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest poster after beating Michael Jackson's This Is It. Created by the 46-year-old superstar's fan club, the poster is 58.87 metres wide and 54.94 metres high.
Made at a budget of Rs.72 crore, the Anthony D'Souza-directed film will hit 3,700-3,800 screens, including screens in Panama, Latin America.
A remake of Malayalam film "Pokkiri Raja", "Boss" is a situational comedy about a father and son and their relationship, and it has got a good dose of action too.
In one of his interviews Akshay said that he enjoys the father-son relationship the most and also pointed out there are not too many father-son films in Hindi.
This is Ashwin Varde's first film as a producer. He has co-produced the film under his banner Ashwin Varde Productions along with Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Cape Of Good Hope.
The makers have gone all out to promote the film - they launched their song "Har kisi ko nahi milta" in Dubai.
Interestingly, Akshay will be seen in a Haryanvi avatar in the film and presence of Mithun Chakraborty as his father in the film is expected to heighten the entertainment quotient. If that is not enough, the star will be seen doing jogging in a very peculiar style on truck tops.
The film will see Akshay as kind-hearted Haryanavi gangster, apparently known as Boss, while Shiv Pandit will be seen as his younger brother.
The director has roped in Danny Denzongpa as Akshay's mentor and Ronit Roy as a ruthless police officer who will be at loggerheads with the Boss.
As far as glamour quotient is concerned, it will be added by Aditi Rao Hydari as the female lead.
The film got into trouble when a lawyer filed a petition in Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the release of "Boss" on the ground that a Honey Singh song - 'Party all Night' - contained "vulgar" words.
Special screening of film Boss - Stills
Boss Bollywood Movie Promotion Stills
Promotion of film Boss - Stills