If you’re waiting hopefully thinking that the man who gave us films which are noted as some of the most torturous hours one could have spent in a cinema hall (Tara Rum Pum, Anjaana Anjaani, Salaam Namaste and Bachna Ae Haseeno), will deliver something enlightening then you’re just being downright naive. Why on earth does a man of Hrithik Roshan’s stature and talent sign a Siddharth Anand film will remain the biggest mystery of Bang Bang that you never solve.
Bang Bang is directed by Siddharth Anand and remakes one of the most abysmal Hollywood action films of the recent past, Knight and Day. So generally one goes into the cinema hall with next to zero expectations. And lucky you do because otherwise you’re to come out having lost your belief in cinema.
Get ready to exercise your mind’s ability to switch off to the greatest extent it possibly can whilst still remaining awake. That is because you’re going to be asked to believe the following things within the first few minutes of Bang Bang. Firstly, you are to believe that a group of five men can just waltz into MI6 headquarters on a few sleek ropes and break out the man who we are told is the most wanted man in the world. Then you’re to believe that there’s some major extradition treaty about to be signed, between which nations you’ll never find out, that said wanted man does not want signed. Kudos to the makers for at least realising that such documents exists! That is probably the smartest reference in the whole film. Okay back to the not-so-smart things. Wanted-Terrorist’s first move after escape is to demand someone steal the, wait for it…Kohinoor!
Somehow this will ignite a political game which will stop the treaty from being signed…sure Siddharth Anand I’ll go with that. Oh but it gets worse, Hrithik Roshan struts in next playing with the Kohinoor like yo-yo. Then cut scene to Simla where we are to buy the story that Katrina Kaif is a bechari lonely and boring bank receptionist who needs the help of dating websites to spice up her life. The rest of the film is basically about how bechari Katrina is saved from her boring life because of the Kohinoor-stealing-brother’s-death-avenging Hrithik Roshan.
Patience is the key to success if you’re planning to sit through this one. Not only is the writing nothing short of preposterous, the lead pair have next to zero chemistry. Anything they do have is forced and calculated. Hrithik tries his best to strike up something but the poor man is given nothing to work with. Siddharth, he’s good but not that good!
The action over endeavors to deliver wow effects one after another and in the end just ends up looking over the top. Sure there’s a level of disbelief we expect to exercise in an action film but what Bang Bang expected you to do was way beyond that.
Hrithik Roshan is the saving grace of the film and the reason you are able to endure it. A great deal of focus is on his looks but he focuses solely on the job at hand and does it with so much conviction despite having not much to play with. Katrina Kaif is forgettable, as she mostly is unfortunately. Her characterization is mostly annoying and therefore you completely tune out when she’s on-screen. Jaaved Jaffrey and Danny Denzongpa are the villains on the scene and as expected do their jobs very well.
Perhaps after Hrithik the only thing that holds your interest in the film is the music. But of course all the tracks seem disjointed from the rest of the film.
Bang Bang is a string of scenes as unexplainable as the one before it. From the get go you’re confused and even once the film concludes you’re not quite sure what happened in that final hospital scene. Did he just quit his job, did they betray him or is he just taking a hiatus? By that time your brain is numb and your care factor is zero. I wouldn’t call Bang Bang unwatchable but it sure as hell comes pretty close.
