Journalism of Courage
Jai Dixit (Emraan Hashmi) pirates films for the underworld and is the son of a reformed criminal who was killed for his noble changeover. Inspector Joseph (Gulshan Grover),who has adopted Jai,is sure that he is good at heart and so provides him a new identity as Suraj Bharadwaj and packs him off Down Under.
But Suraj,even if set on going straight,faces trouble here as well. He makes quick buddies with Romi (Kavin Dave),who has come to study there on a scholarship,a likeable weirdo (Mashhoor Amrohi) who keeps saying Fact hai without reason,Suhani (Neha Sharma) who guides Indian students about any problems they are facing and her hotheaded brother Samarth (Arjan Bajwa),who has a bee in the bonnet against the Aussies and runs a cab service.
Soon the racist attacks (a reality in 2009) begin and Samarth is the protector-turned-oppressor. Turns out there is a back-story: Samarths other sister (Smilie Suri) had become pregnant from an Aussie named Russel (Francis Michael Chouler) and then died while aborting her child. And Russels sister,a nightclub stripper named Nicole (Shella Allen) loves Suraj,who loves Suhani. As things come to a boil and the Australian cops trace Jais past (how? how? how?) there are twists in the tale and a happy ending – for a price,of course.
For a film claiming to be issue-based,this is remarkably unfocussed,superficial and flippant. The story is flawed and offensive in concept: the conclusion is that the racist attacks in Australia that erupted on such a huge level were because of an Indian fanatic,which is not only untrue but blatantly offensive as a premise. Whats more,if for a welcome change Vishesh Films have stuck to a single Indian composer for the music,did they have to bring in their oh-so-predictable love-Pakistan angle with Suraj – who is innocent in the whole racist imbroglio – being saved in the nick of time by an Allah ka banda (check Pakistani shop-owner) whom he had once saved from the white racists?
The music and technical levels are average and the writing extremely below-par,convoluted and flawed. Sequences like the stripper telling the hero,You are still a virgin! after he spends a night in her house elicit titters. Plus,there is too much of forced comedy.
Emraan is his usual efficient self and Neha Sharma has lots of promise. Mashhoor Amrohi impresses in a light role and Arjan is aptly incandescent. Kavin Dave is adequate and so are the foreigners and Gulshan Grover. But in the final analysis,this is a colossal disappointment from the talented Mohit Suri,who has given us issue-based films like Zeher,Kalyug and Raaz – The Mystery Continues. In the last film,he deftly blended a vital social issue into a horror format. This time he completely turns an issue-based subject into a near-horror in a different sense.
Rating: *
One star for Emraan,Neha,Arjan and Mashhoor put together.
