Sriram Raghavan's Agent Vinod is a definite must watch, atleast once. To know why? Read on..
Saif Ali Khan never impressed us with his action hero antics. Or even if he tried doing, I don't remember any instance. But with Agent Vinod, although he tries to prove that 'HE' should be chosen as the next James Bond, he does impress us. The actor pulls of stunning stunts and he does so in a stylish and suave manner.
The movie starts of with an interesting and confusing premise in Afghanistan and then the plot takes us through an action packed tour of the world. (Should have been titled AW i.e. Around the World)
Kareena is definitely not the 'bond' girl (or Vinod girl) but she plays an innocent looking yet spy-capable Pakistani girl who woos the hero with her looks and in bollywood ishtyle.
Perhaps every Indian RAW or CBI or whatever agent is trained to fall in love with someone or the other (maybe that is a reason why Indian Intelligence doesn't feature among MI6, FBI, Interpol, etc.). That is one thing that Bollywood movies never come out of. Maybe its the 'mass pleasing' ingredient but I strongly feel these should be given a break to actually see if we really miss these things. Kareena has learnt acting well and after "Ekk main aur ek tu" she definitely proved that she has some potential but there was one flaw which went to the final print without any one noticing. She says "aage se left me mera ghar tha" and she points to her right. (How stupid!).
Sriram Raghavan takes us through cricket rival nations (in the midst of European exotic lands) namely Pakistan and Sri Lanka where they speak Hindi and Tamil so fluently that you start getting a doubt. Sri Lankan tamil is totally different from what you used to speak Mr.Raghavan and I did like Rajnikanth song playing all of a sudden when the hero chases a Tamil tiger. (Also seems like Raghavan's ode to James Bond-Sin City-Quentin Tarantino)
Most of the supporting cast reveal their characters so easily that you can clearly guess. It all starts of with Bhojpuri Superstar from Bihar regiment (read. Ravi Kishen special appearance) who clearly shows with his suspicious face that he is here to save the hero. (And how many spy films will have the spy-spy brotherhood, partners in the agency one loses the other and feels bad, huh! Aren't spies trained to be strong at heart. They always lose their heart to a hot and/or cute chick)
It is interesting to see the presence of a Mahindra Scorpio in a convoy for a Pakistani hot shot in Karachi. I really can't comment on the authenticity because there is always a possibility that they have a market there or that a possibility of cars being smuggled in.
To sum it all up, its BMW(v)Chevrolet-Harley-Delhi CNG Auto-Bajaj Pulsar-Mini graphic Helicopter hovering over Delhi-Slow moving boats-fast moving camera-slick editing-pathetic and sometimes funny dialogues-poor characterization-70s background music here and there-Lashkar-Tamil tigers-decent premise and plot-brilliant direction powering an intellectually able story with many inexcusable flaws.
The ending was brilliant. The message conveyed was something no one would have thought of and is something which will leave everyone pondering about the truth of it. If only had these logical flaws been corrected and few unnecessary scenes been removed, Agent Vinod would have set a benchmark of a perfect spy thriller. But nobody is ever perfect. Next time, Mr.Raghavan. (Why don't you try Kollywood?)
Should be a digestable movie by anyone. A brave attempt in Bollywood and something to be appreciated rather than crushing it. (An awesome video game material which also could have been a trendsetting movie franchise)
Rating: 2.5/5
Agent Vinod: If only!
P.S. Wait till the credits roll out to get a glimpse of the actual Vinod girl(s)!
1 comment:
Good one time watch movie. Should have been at least 25/30 min shorter. Hopefully they come out with sequel and improve.
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