Confusing! Indeed, very, very confusing!!! All style and no substance…the old story of a big flashy entertainer falling prey to its ploy and surfacing again as a flashy entertainer in the shape of 'Cash' hitting the marquee with a big bang. Anubhav Sinha's 'Cash' adds itself to the genre and cadre of such big budget entertainers that promise loads of hi-octane thrill and style but falter miserably on inadequacy of substance.
What more can any film expect for its grand opening? A multi-starrer face value, upbeat and foot-thumping music and above all the unexplored adventures of kite surfing, river rafting, skate boarding, sky diving in its action packed endeavors. To make it even more stylized, there is plenty of animation in its narration but the soul of a competent entertainer is completely missing. Like 'Tum Bin' and 'Dus', the film lags in its scripting and narration department.
The escapist cinema surfaced with the surprise success of Yashraj's 'Dhoom' and thereafter created unparallel history with the supreme success of its sequel 'Dhoom 2'. There were disappointments in this genre when stylish action flicks like 'Dus', 'Kaante', 'Musafir' and lately 'Fool n Final' failed to find acceptance among general audiences despite their glossy and different styling and treatment.
Anubhav Sinha, the technocratic film genius has had a successful career in advertising and video songs world besides making a mark with his stylish form of filmmaking in 'Dus' and 'Tum Bin'. However, none of these films fared brilliantly at the box office though the director got rave reviews and acclaim for his stylized presentation.
Anubhav's 'Cash' is the first film where Bollywood giant Adlabs has ventured into centralized distribution and marketing. The film got its major boost when Adlabs targeted its release on more than 800 screens, making it one of the widest releases ever for Hindi films especially at a time when several big films from Hollywood and Bollywood are fighting for screen space. It can't be better pedestal for any film but the hype and hoopla failed to find its desired result.
Cash' works on the ideology of diamond stealing "hit and run" chase thriller similar to the adventures of Hollywood's 'Ocean Twelve'. It works on many plots and sub-plots and includes a bunch of bankable and upcoming star cast. Ajay Devgan, the lead man and mastermind of all con acts, leads the cast that includes Riteish Deshmukh, Zayed Khan, Esha Deol, Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza and Shamita Shetty in the lead roles.
'Cash' runs on a ploy about capturing series of three priceless diamonds by groups of gangsters . Thereafter it shapes into "chor-police" potboiler. It traces back to the 80's era where the escapist cinema achieved its golden success This was the era where directors like Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra ruled the industry with their mystical directorial charm.
'Cash' fails in gripping and besides all major cracks and dents, its biggest drawback lies in its characterization and narration. Director Sinha lacks the talent of a good storyteller though he succeeds commendably in delivering an upbeat stylized presentation to his work.
The plots are meekly narrated and the sub-plots (stealing and conning acts) show the height of amateurishness among the writers (Yash-Vinay). The film fails to prove the might of the protagonist as an indomitable con artiste but definitely proves the inefficiency of an otherwise competent South African police.
'Cash', a film about perfect thieves, con men comes out as scheming act of "stealing" diamonds from the mindsets of two masterminds - Karan alias Doc (Ajay Devgan) and Angad (Suniel Shetty). Both the shrewd con men have big plans of capturing three priceless diamonds and it involves some major players who make their plans work in the best possible way. Doc seeks the help of Danny alias DJ (Zayed Khan) and Lucky (Riteish Deshmukh). If Danny is a "water baby" and can conquer all water acts then Lucky has the power to race the wind through his immaculate skating skills.
Pooja (Esha Deol), a street smart club dancer, is torn between Danny and Lucky but plays an important role in Doc's plan of capturing diamonds. Aditi (Dia Mirza), a gorgeous looking con girl who initiates the plan of stealing diamonds, is a close associate to both Angad and Doc. Finally, there is some positively groomed character in Shania (Shamita Shetty), an agile and honest cop who fights her heart out in tracing out criminals.
Doc alias Karan wears multiple personalities in his life as he hides his real identity to his lady love Shania. Doc plans to steal diamonds along with Danny, Lucky and Esha. However, he faces competition from his rival don Angad. Aditi is the common factor between them but the stolen diamonds are still far from their reach. 'Cash' ends on a very disappointing and predictable climax though the producers have made all efforts by infusing loads of actions and thrills in it.
It's enthralling to view breathtaking action sequences where kite surfacing, skate boarding and skydiving have been brilliantly visualized. Unfortunately, the poorly narrated screenplay fails to bind these flashy endeavors and the film ends on a very cold note.
The characterizations are haphazardly sketched and the plots relating to their skills and their characters are even more disappointing. Ajay Devgan's acting like a cold lover in front of goons and thereafter blasting their car outside the hotel is monotonously penned. Riteish Deshmukh's stealing of an expensive painting museum through his silly kabadi act is ridiculous.
The sequence where both Zayed and Riteish plan to rob a French bank seems absurd. Esha Deol never looked like a club dancer in her coarsely designed skimpy outfits and her poor make up and costumes show the poor vision of costume designer and choreographers. Shamita Shetty's mediocre acting skills are another disappointing factor that makes it an unworthy show. Zayed Khan's shayari lacks the desired hilarious punches.
The movie's high point lies in the action department where action director Anthony Stone has delivered the needful at all places. Animation (by Graphiti) works in tandem with the narration but obstructs viewer's attention at many places.
It has to be curtailed and should have been placed and packed the way director Kunal Kohli has adapted skills in 'Hum Tum'. Vishal and Shekhar have fought back commendably with their hi-pitched "trance" music.
Their foot-thumping entertainment is delivered through tracks like "Cash", "Na Pucho" and "Mind Blowing Mahiya". Dialogues (Anubhav Sinha) suffer from mediocrity and fail in delivering hilarious one-liners. In spite of this, there are few sequences that evolve laughter but overall it disappoints.
Cinematography by Ravi Walia is breathtaking and captures the urbane delights of Cape Town and other South African cities.
Story and screenplay (Yash-Vinay) are the major culprits and this is where 'Cash' fails to "cash" its hype and buzz. Director Anubhav Sinha has once again shown his inadequacy in delivering a competent storyline that could guarantee success at the box office.
'Cash' will be enjoying a better opening than its contemporaries but later on it may falter for its average performances, poor scripting and low substance.
It's once again proved that "style" alone can't be a winner for any film and the filmmaker needs to shoulder his or her project with reliable scripting skills.
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