The Film: Talaash
Producer: Pahlaj Nihlani
Director: Sunil Darshan
Music: Sanjeev-Darshan
Lyrics: Sameer
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Pooja Batra
RATING: 1/10
Chiragdeep International's Talaash (UA) is a routine vendetta drama with a story older than the hills. A young man sets out in search of his sister who had been picked up by underworld dons when both of them were kids. With the father having been murdered by the same dons to avenge a wrong done to them and the mother having lost her mental balance due to the aforesaid incidents, it falls on the little boy to battle it out alone in this mad, bad world. He is helped in his mission to rescue his sister, by a police officer who trains him up in all his growing years.
Once he grows up, the boy begins his search which takes him to Rajasthan, Delhi and thereafter, South Africa. The two dons, who had kidnapped his kid-sister and who were presumed to be dead, are actually alive and carrying on their nefarious activities in South Africa. His task is to track down the mafia and reach his sister. He is also handicapped by the fact that he doesn't know what his sister has grown up to look like.
As fate would have it, his sister is to be sold in the flesh market on the very day he reaches the spot where she is on sale. How he recognises her and rescues her while killing the dons forms the climax.
The story and screenplay (Suneel Darshan and Robin Bhatt) are replete with hackneyed scenes and cliched situations. Life in this drama is full of coincidences. Everything - right from tracking down the dons to reaching his sister - seems so simple for the brother that you wonder why he didn't embark on the job of rescuing the girl years earlier. The police officer is shown to be helpful enough to make him accomplish his mission but he (officer) himself doesn't do a thing for 15 years!
The biggest joke, however, is that the girl has not been sold off for years together. Was she picnicking in South Africa? The writers don't even attempt to answer these and many similar questions which crop up in the viewers' minds for the smple reason that no answers exist. In short, the script is one big platform of convenience - anybody can do anything and get away with it. There seems to be no word as 'plausible' in their dictionary!
K.K. Singh's dialogues try to elevate the drama but even a learned writer like him finds himself helpless in an illogical enterprise like this one.
It is sad to see good actors like Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor being wasted in mindless stories like Talaash. Akshay impresses in the stunts he performs in the pre-
climax and climax where he gives himself completely to the film. But before that, he gets hardly any scope to act. Kareena Kapoor's case is worse still. She seems to be completely at sea. She tries to make do with the half-baked and inconsequential role she has by putting in her best. Raakhee leaves a mark in the scene in which her husband is killed in front of her and her little daughter is taken away by the dons.
Dalip Tahhil, Raj Babbar and Kabir Bedi play the routine villains. Pooja Batra looks pretty and acts naturally. Ashish Vidyarthi is restrained. Gulshan Grover is good. Shakti Kapoor and Upasna Singh's comedy is hardly funny. Ditto for Razak Khan, Vrajesh Hirjee, Dinesh Hingoo, Veeru Krishan, Viju Khote and Ghanshyam. Kunika Lal, Supriya Karnik and Rami Reddy are alright. Jeetu Verma impresses with his get-up and acting. Maya Alagh, Shiva and the rest pass muster.
Suneel Darshan's direction is hardly any better than his story. Emotions fall flat and so does the comedy. Romance is totally missing. Action (stunts) are very good and they will appeal to a section of the audience in U.P., Rajasthan and smaller centres. Music (Sanjeev Darshan) is good but songs sometimes crop up out of context and, therefore, lose their impact. 'Dil le gaya pardesi', 'Bhangra paa le', 'Rabba pyar se milaa de' and 'Yaar badal na jaana' are quite tuneful. Song picturisations are ordinary. Camerawork is excellent. Production values are quite good.
On the whole, Talaash is a dated drama with minimal entertainment value. Not having taken an impressive start at most places, it will entail its distributors to heavy losses. Business in parts of U.P. and Rajasthan would be slightly better on the strength of action. Business in multiplexes will be poor.
Released on 3-1-'03 at Maratha Mandir, New Empire and 24 other cinemas of Bombay thru Vishal Distributors. Publicity: very good. Opening: dull. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak almost everywhere; it was fairly good in Jaipur.
