Creative Quotient:

Dhoom maker Sanjay Gadhvi is back with his pet plot - the con game. But this time it’s a vendetta saga with a boy-versus-man plot where the kidnapper boy leads the man on a treasure-hunt with clues galore. The first clue is on a train that he must catch within half-an-hour - zooming off in cars, racing past traffic jams, rushing ahead on a ferry-boat and finally vrooming off on a motorbike as he chases the train. Vikrant Raina (Dutt), the desperate father of kidnapped teen daughter Sonia (Lamba) prises away his first clue from a nun on the train. The treasure- hunt continues and the kidnapper emerges as a tech- savvy criminal. The chase continues through a series of clues planted in unlikely places like a highly-guarded safety vault of a gambling den owner, a jail et al.

The plot is interesting but writer Shibani Bathija isn’t able to build the requisite drama either through screenplay or dialogues. The motive of the kidnapper doesn’t come across as effectively as it ought to. The entire narrative has a Dhoom hangover which is turning out to be director Sanjay Gadhvi’s signature style - beaches, bikini babes and the hi-tech conman with pure intent being the vital elements. Gadhvi’s chase sequences are enjoyable yet again. And the climax has an intriguing twist.

Technical Expertise:

While the writer isn’t able to provide the punch, editor Rameshwar S Bhagat isn’t crisp either with his cuts as the chase sequences go on endlessly slackening the pace of the narrative. Of the players, Imran Khan has an endearing screen presence with his wide, expressive eyes and bushy eyebrows. The lad manages to pull it off as a kidnapper. However fit she may be, Minissha is simply miscast as sweet 17 about to turn 18! Ditto Vidya Malavade who plays her divorced mom! For strange reasons, Sanjay Dutt is out of sorts, his lack of interest shows up.

A trifle low on the emotional front and the musical score, the film scores in technical departments with Bobby Singh’s poetic frames, Guruji Brother’s cool sets and Allan Amin’s tantalising action sequences. A film that could have done with some real sizzle and dazzle.

Rating: