PHANTOM

Ek Tha Tiger, Agent Vinod, D-Day, Baby & the one we will talk now PHANTOM : What is common among all these features is the point they try to make which is enough of defending its time to attack! Jingoism isn't it ? Many peace lovers might say that if i say this is right, something of this is needed badly. Rather than going on war and losing thousands, a team of few brilliant mercenaries is what is needed to give a slap on the face of these terrorist organizations who have been attacking and killing innocents in the name of 'Jihaad' for long. 

Case in point is PHANTOM, based on the former investigative journalist S.Hussain Zaidi's novel Mumbai Avengers, Director Kabir Khan fails to turn the action thriller into what this movie could have been. It was the loose adaptation of the novel to script probably that gave this bad a result. There were several loopholes and i wont deny the fact that Kabir Khan tried his best to cover up but the lead pair made the biggest hole and that certainly was something no one could have blot out. 

Talking about actors; Saif Ali Khan tries.....really tries and the effort is visible on screen, he looks like the man in doubt throughout the movie. How can a man who looks confused be send on secret mission without plan, solely? Let me clarify why i said confused; Remember Akshay Kumar in BABY when he goes to UAE ?  His dialogue delivery, posture, action, anger everything he did showed passion. A certain attitude that you find in soldiers, being an ex army officer(that Saif is shown to be) he lost it for me in the first scene itself because of that missing. Arjun Rampal in D-DAY looked that masculine that if need be he can combat, even that was missing from Saif. And Salman Khan in EK THA TIGER was..... let it be why am i even comparing that! 

Kabir Khan tried to make it look like one of the Bond movies but missed the point, Saif is no BOND! Someone like AKSHAY KUMAR / HRITHIK ROSHAN / SALMAN KHAN would have been a better choice. One is intelligent and a fighter, second is super fit and super handsome and third one is 'Super Human' Khan. Any thing he does his fans like it. Recent example is the humongous success of the same director Kabir Khan's BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN.

Talking about Katrina Kaif, i am surprised for the fact that she takes so much for her acting fees and then comes on sets to learn acting ! Yes, she still acts like an amateur.  In a scene she does well where she fakes pregnancy apart from that one i am not reminded of any but major bad ones. One that stands out and was cringe worthy is one where Nawaaz (Katrina) tries to convince the pakistani nurse (Sohaila Kapur). Its a disaster, Katrina's expressions are so blank, she tries to touch her emotions of a mother but fails miserably whereas Sohaila Kapur's does a brilliant cover up for katrina's mistakes.I missed Huma Qureshi's D-Day brilliance in this role. 

Supporting cast needs special mention, its actors like Sabyasachi Chakraborty(we have seen him in Parineeta playing Saif's father) a distinguished bengali actor playing R.A.W Chief.  And the brain behind mission, representing the anger and passion of India's youth is Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub (People remember him for his superb acting as Murari in Raanjhana). 

These two actors push the envelope with their brilliant performances. Some of their brilliance is associated with their dialogues like when in his introduction scene Zeeshan says:

" Yeh log kitna bhi attack karein, hum  kuch kartey toh hain nahi, bass cricket khelna bandd karr detey hain."  

Not to be missed is Sohaila Kapur.

Very much thankful to the director as there was no forced songs and every song was a part of the story or the background. I hated the lyrics when heard Afghan Jalebi but even that looked well on screen and also as it was performed by Jameel Khan Sir, no reason to hate it anymore.

The movie is banned in Pakistan due to a plea by JUD Chief Haafiz Saeed, and Pakistani Judiciary obliged to it. Says a lot about the countries judicial nature! 

Kabir Khan has been trying to make the same point with all his last movies, "love between people and war against terrorism". Beginning from NewYork, where a Hindu girl falls in love with a Muslim guy, In Ek Tha Tiger it grows from communities to countries when an Indian RAW agent falls in love with a Pakistani ISI agent, Further in Bajrangi Bhaijaan a Hindu Brahmin Man takes care and helps a little Pakistani Girl to reach back to her homeland safetly. 
In PHANTOM he shows no love but just a more power punch to what he has shown in all the past movies war against terrorism not community. Very nicely he named all the important characters as Muslims to deliver the message that Indian Muslims are Indians and hate terrorists across border as much as any other Indian. 

Hope the message is delivered clearly to those 'master minds' across borders that Indians have had enough of the  defensive act and now the youth is full of agitation and it might burst...anytime. Even our movies and the recent 'Myanmar Operation' have started giving hints what lies in future for them.  

 As far as PHANTOM, its a one time watch high on patriotism but not the one like BORDER/LOC...this one is different in its own way.  A story i wish turns true!