I Am A Citizen Of The WORLD

Thrillers always set the pulse racing especially when it is a suspense also. This whodunit has Akshay Kumar in a new avataar. Away from his action and comedy image, he has given a power-packed performance. He and the cinematography are the top highlights of this movie.

Nagesh Kukunoor has walked away from his arty image to an Abbas Mastaan genre. He has succeeded up to a point. But in the climax the movie caves in. The audience are left gaping as it is an unbelievable end. Wish he could have come up with a plausible ending.

Let’s see what the movie has to offer. Akshay is a 30-something forest officer in Canada in a live-in relationship with Ayesha Takia.

Akshay is gifted (with supernatural powers) as he can look at the photograph of the dead and tell whether it was a natural death or a murder. If you have seen the Hitchcockian thriller Shattered (1991) you will draw parallels with Tom Berenger’s flashbacks.

Akshay is shaken when his dad Benjamin Gilani dies. Everyone including his mom Sharmila Tagore thinks it is an accident. The tragedy occurs while on a picnic on a yatch. Ben slips, has a heart attack and falls into water.

But an ex-cop Javed tells Akshay that it might be murder. Slowly Akshay too believes it is indeed murder. Everyone present on the yatch – Ben’s brother Anant Mahadevan, business associate Rushad Rana and lawyer Girish Karnad - come under the needle of suspicion.   

Akshay uses his gift to find the murderer through one last photograph that was clicked minutes before the murder. Everything is not that easy as two more murders take place. And then one development leads to another leading to an ‘implausible’ climax.

It seems when Akshay was eight, a tragedy had occurred and that led to these developments. Kukunoor does not delve deeply on this major event. When the murderer is finally revealed, his reasoning for murders is not convincing. Audience will end up saying bakwaas. It will still be stunning to know the identity of the murderer. But that’s about it. Plot is its major weakness.

Technically, the film is perfect. Cinematography is excellent. Akshay has added another feather to his whodunit cap after Khiladi (1992). It catapulted Akshay to stardom. Tasveer may consolidate his position that was left shaken after CC2C.

Performance-wise, all actors have acted their roles well. Javed Jaffrey is tops. Watch out for him. Ayesha, Sharmila, Girish, Anant and Rushad too enact their parts well.

Songs are melodic depending on your taste. I particularly liked Hafiz Khuda. It will grow on you. Nazara Hai and Aaja Maahi are hummable. I Got The Picture and Kuchh Is Tarah have the rap beat. It is foot-tapping music to go to the dance floor.

The film has been shot in Calgary, Canada and South Africa. Locales and scenery are out of the world. Action is top notch.

But the end is tai tai phish. You have been forewarned. So if you can tolerate it and don’t end up throwing rotten tomatoes at Kukunoor, the film is worth watching.

Remember, this is the sole flick this week. And in the coming weeks too there are no new releases due to producers-multiplexes row. So, enjoy it while the going is good.

Also known as (AKA) / Was earlier titled: Tasveer

Banner: Percept Picture Company/Suspense

Shooting Locations (City & Country): Canada

Producer: Shailendra Singh

Executive/Associate / Co-Producer: Elahe Hiptoola

Director: Nagesh Kukunoor

Star Cast: Jai Puri (Akshay Kumar), Sheela Patel (Ayesha Takia), Savitri Puri (Sharmila Tagore), Jatin Puri (Benjamin Gilani), Javed Jaffrey, Anil Sharma (Girish Karnad), Sundar Puri (Anant Mahadevan), Adit (Rushad Rana), Utara Pawkar, Andrea Tully, Pia Shah

Cassettes and CD's on: T-Series

Singers: Vishal Dadlani, Mohit Chouhan, Tulsi Kumar, Neeraj Shridhar, Bohemia

Lyricist: Irfan Siddique, Sameer, Bohemia

Music Director: Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant, Neeraj Shridhar, Bohemia

Story / Writer: Nagesh Kukunoor