A Mindblowing Spectacle: Tashan

A blood red Mercedes convertible racily advances through Ladakh's dusty terrain, the car radio nervously shuffles between AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Mukesh's rendition of Kabhi Kabhie.

That, my readers, is a pretty solid indication of what's in store in the following 17 reels -- a crazy fusion of everything desi and phoren -- style, soul and lingo. Welcome to debutant director Vijay Krishna Acharya's land of the English-challenged fashionably quirky, where Tashan is your passport to every conceivable absurdity and You-got-to-be-kidding brand of illogical twists step on your toes at every opportunity.

Then again, both the soundtrack and its promos, never really made any bones to hide that. Like, who expects meaningful cinema from a movie which parades its leading actors in outrageous blonde wigs, flashy attires; and on top of it, makes them do a power-packed jig, in the middle of nowhere, along with hundred other colourful extras?

And so Tashan is exactly what it looks like -- a silly spectacle which goes all out to entertain. Right from its sleek black & white graphic novel-inspired opening credits to fire-breathing gun-pipes charged at the villain or cycle-rickshaw chases in the dingy lanes of Kanpur, everything is ostensibly over-the-top.
Acharya's love for the implausible, previously demonstrated in scripts like Dhoom, Dhoom 2 might not appeal to the stubbornly sensible, but those looking for a harmless VFM outing, this is, what the heck, f-u-n!

Here's a sneak peek: a call-centre employee cum English-accent trainer, Jimmy Cliff (Saif Ali Khan) is a lusty loverboy with three broken relationships to his credit. Enter fourth, namely Pooja (Kareena Kapoor ). One look at the vision-in-emerald, drenched from head to toe, is enough to send Jimmy's fantasy-driven hormones in a tizzy.

Jimmy-Pooja aside, yes, Saif and Kareena do share that extra-something in their chemistry. Frankly, it was evident in LoC-Kargil too. Only people were too busy counting the number of stars in its cast to notice. Thankfully, their off-screen togetherness doesn't overwhelm any of Tashan's proceedings.

Pooja works for Bhaiyyaji (Anil Kapoor), a wannabe yuppie gangster, flanked by two roly-poly sidekicks (Manoj Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra) who hires Jimmy or 'Gaarge Bhoos' to teach him English. What follows is a Bhaiyyaji's 'hingliarious' version of Amitabh Bachchan's iconic 'Khush toh bahut honge aaj' scene in Deewar.

The over familiarity of this gimmick begins to seep in. And the mind begins to wander -- a complete no-no for any masala potboiler. Forty minutes in the film and still no sign of Akshay Kumar, I mumble, somewhat impatiently, while taking a long glance at my watch. Take the name of the daredevil, and there he arrives, as Bachchan Pandey in all his 10-headed glory, dressed as Ravana, vroooming in an Enfield, making an entry worthy of the film's title. Bottom-line, no soon has the paisa vasool factor come in, the cribbing takes a backseat.

A multi-crore betrayal throws Bachchan, Jimmy and Pooja together in a scenario involving extensive traveling throughout the country, even as Bhaiyyaji keeps track of their trail. I won't reveal anymore. The story, even though it makes little sense, is better enjoyed than told.

What I will tell you is that Tashan moodily swings from the dark alleys of Bhaiyya's savaging and often double-meaning humour to crass exchanges between Bachchan and Pooja to characteristically 'Saif' moments every time he candidly talks to the camera.

While this inconsistency could be avoided, Tashan, still, enjoys a smooth first half. Post-interval, as is the story of many so-far-so-good capers, the momentum slacks considerably. Thanks to Bachchan's unnecessary and lengthy childhood flashback episode and two elaborate Vishal-Shekhar songs -- Falak and Dance marein, which the film could easily do without.

What it couldn't do without is the cast. It's bang on. Kareena looks every bit of a deceiving goddess, whether she walks out of the Greek waters in a lime green bikini (oh yes, it's not just buzz) or gazes seductively into Saif/Akshay's eyes. She plays the temptress with an elegant, subdued air, which makes everything she says (lingerie talk) or wears (strictly skimpy) appear tasteful.

Saif Ali Khan plays Jimmy with tremendous generosity allowing the more gregarious section of the cast take centrestage while he ably lends support. Apart from the double-barrel moustache and frumpy pants, there's nothing outlandish about his character, he's just a cool guy in an uncool situation. And Saif invented cool.

Any other actor in Anil Kapoor's place would have hammed like mad in a role that spells g-a-u-d-y. Kapoor, however, conveys the English-obsessed temperament of his character with such utter seriousness, you really don't want to argue. Also, the man plays evil with equal relish.

Saving best for the last, Akshay steals the show. It's not like he excels only in scenes centred around his earthy cockiness or charm. Even when he's just excitedly showing off his pearlies to acknowledge Bhaiyyaji or cuddling up to a sheep in the back of a truck or turning red in an attempt to profess love to his childhood sweetheart, Akshay shines. Now, if he only weren't made to scratch his you-know-what in every reel.

The Three Musketeers of this flamboyant enterprise are definitely its cinematography, action and background score. Ayananka Bose's imaginative combination of great lighting, perfect compositions, adventurous angles and penchant for flawless close-ups is truly commendable. Under Peter Hein's deft action, Akshay transforms into a charged gorilla, leaping from one wall to another in a matter of seconds. The fast-paced stunts involving all the stars, even when a bit ludicrous --like uniformly clad martial art fighters popping out from nowhere, are likely to excite any action buff. Ranjit Barot brings out the attitude of Tashan through zingy, high-voltage beats, even find a slot to merge a high-pitched Chandi mantra during the climax, true blue Bollywood style.

Ultimately, it's a lavishly-told fairy tale of three con-men, which emphasises on swagger not purpose and settles for style over substance. But if you aren't looking for the latter, Tashan is all-revelry.

Trade analysts expects a lot of 'Tashan'

Abbas-Mastan's action thriller 'Race' has set the mood and Yash Raj Film's first release of the year, 'Tashan', seems set to reap the dividends. Experts say that the most awaited film of the year will keep the audience on the edges of their seats.

'The highlights of the film are its star cast and the packaging. It is surely going to rock,' Saurabh Varma, chief marketing officer Reliance Entertainment, told IANS on phone from Mumbai.
The action thriller stars Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and is directed by Krishna Acharya. The film will have its worldwide release Friday.

Vikas Mohan, editor of Mumbai-based trade magazine Supercinema, said: 'This is a perfect time to release the film. The holidays are starting, so people will throng the cinema halls.'
After a long time Akshay has teamed up with Saif in a film. The duo had worked together in Yash Raj's 'Yeh Dillagi' for the first time in 1994 and later featured in the hit flick 'Khiladi'.
With four hits under his belt in last year alone, Akshay is considered a bigger and more bankable name now and with his versatile performances Saif too has stronger box office prospects.

However, many feel Saif and Kareena pair would be the main highlight of the film, but Mohan differs: 'People will certainly come to see Saif and Kareena. But don't forget that the film also has Akshay, who is a bankable actor. He gave four hits last year.'

The audience, as well as the exhibitors, are eagerly awaiting the release of 'Tashan'.

The film is expected to have a good start, said Mohan and added, 'The initial earnings of the films are so good these days that most of the filmmakers recover their investments. Being a Yash Raj production, 'Tashan' will get good initials. It is a commercial film, so it will work in every centre.'
Just like 'Race', censor board has given U/A certificate to this film as well.

The story of the film goes like this:
Jimmy Cliff (Saif Ali Khan), a cool call centre executive, Bachchan Pande (Akshay Kumar), a desi-wannabe gangster and Pooja (Kareena Kapoor) are thrown together and embark on a journey to explore the spectacular India, a journey that alters the course of their lives.
And to top it all there is the evil eye of Bhaiyyaji (Anil Kapoor), a maverick gangster who enjoys killing people as much as he enjoys speaking English.

Keeping up with the Yash Raj tradition, the trailer of their next film 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', will also be unveiled with 'Tashan'.

Kareena says that she is not getting married for five years

Kareena Kapoor's next release is Yashraj Films' Tashan this week. "We've all worked really hard on the film. Let's hope it works. After Jab We Met, another hit wouldn't hurt."

Kareena is looking forward to another film with Saif after Omkara and Tashan. "We're doing Renzil D'Silva's film together. But it's very important to keep the personal and professional lives apart," she says with a new-found wisdom. "Both Saif and I need to concentrate on our individual careers. No marriage for me for the next five years." She also cuts down any speculation regarding her sister Karisma's comeback. "How will she work? All her attention is taken up in looking after her daughter Samaira. My niece is the apple of everyone's eyes at home…Come to think of it, the letter 'S' has always been important in my life," she laughs, referring not just to her niece Samaira but also to Shahid and Saif.

Saif was recently in Bangkok shooting an ad with Priyanka Chopra. Kareena who's known to be possessive about her loved ones was blissfully at peace with herself. "I've never been more comfortable in my space. And when I read stories about me, I can't recognise myself," Kareena sighs.

It hard for us to recognise the new ultra-svelte Kareena. Post-Jab We Met she has lost so much weight there is a ceaseless spurt of speculative stories about her weight-loss. "People are saying I want to be like Victoria Beckham. I think the talk started when Saif got himself tattooed with my name. David had done the same for Victoria. So…but honestly, I'm proud of my sculpted body. It's a look that I needed for my new film Tashan. But I haven't starved myself to look the way I'm looking these days. Why should I want to be like anyone else? I've done nothing drastic to myself. I do yoga religiously. And I'm eating like any healthy girl, thank you."

She faints with amusement at anorexic stories about her. "It was written that I fainted on the sets because I've become weak. Utter rubbish! Have these people seen me in person? I look no different from the way I looked earlier. I guess I'm just happy in life, and that shows. I haven't lost weight. I've just toned my physique and that too for a role."

If Kareena is glowing, it isn't just love. "I've right now entered the best phase of my career. Jab We Met has for sure been a turning point."

Her desire to pair with Aamir is fulfilled. "It was a dream to work with Aamir. We recently came close to working together in two films (Vishal Bhardwaj's Mr Mehta And Mrs Singh and Mani Ratnam's Lajjo).It's finally happening. As for Renzil's film, it's a stunning script. I'm doing something in it, I've never done before."

Saif Ali Khan becomes a part of the big league in bollywood

Life could not look better for actor Saif Ali Khan. The actor, who had a particularly bad year in 2007, can now safely count himself as being part of the big league in Bollywood after the success of Race.

Race, the Abbas-Mustan thriller, is being labeled a blockbuster by the trade pundits. The film is believed to have raked in Rs 29.5 crore in the first five days of its release. It is being counted as one of the two hits of this year, the other being Jodhaa Akbar. With the success of Race, Saif can easily set aside the bad memories of 2007 which saw his films like Ta Ra Rum Pum and Eklavya bombing big time at the box office. Also his personal life was in a mess following his breakup with Rosa Catalano and reported link-up with Bipasha Basu. But life seems to have finally stabilized for this Khan. His love life seems to be rocking and his career seems headed the same way with this one hit. And the year promises to only get better with Yash Raj's Tashan set to release as well.

Killing look of Kareena Kapoor in Tashan

Post the super success of Jab We Met, actress Kareena Kapoor is on cloud nine, specially after winning the Screen best actress award. She recently revealed that she was confident about the success of the Imtiaz Ali directed flick, but did not expect it to become such a big hit. However, the show goes on and so does Kareena aka Bebo.

The lady is now concentrating on her next release, Yash Raj's Tashan. Kareena is very excited about her role in the film because this will be for the first time that the pretty actress is attempting action, and that too the gun-totting type. Talking about her role, Kareena reveals that she sports a rugged Kill Bill type look, that is quite cool and funky. In fact she is curious to see how the audience reacts to it.

Well, we can assure Kareena that both Tashan and her role will be lapped up by the audience, if our trade sources and public reactions to the scintillating promos are anything to go by!