Industry shock! Tashan is trashed

In 2008’s biggest yet blow to Bollywood, Tashan has opened to a below average response and a negative word of mouth. It was evident from the trailers that the movie was going to be loaded with style and guns. But how much of it, no one knew. Obviously, no one expected the movie to be so full of these two elements and so low on



the others. The critics for once have no divided opinion: they are unanimous to state that Tashan is one of the poorest products to come out of the Yashraj banner.

Full of mindless gunshots and one-liners, the movie seems to have totally failed to connect to any section of the audience. Saif Ali Khan has been criticized for accepting a role that never offered him much to do. Kareena managed to saved face with her new look physique. Many seem to have forgotten that Anil Kapoor was there, but his accented English has been picked for some special pecking. But, the reliable man of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar has done it again. If anyone has received some positive feedback from Tashan it is Akshay. He has been called the saving grace of the movie. Debutant director Vijay Krishna Acharya has made a very bad start to his directing career. His talent, considering that he has scripted Guru and Dhoom, can never be doubted, but he needs to back it with more solid performances.

Meanwhile, the picture for Tashan could have been much rosier if it had been the normal big release that Yashraj movies usually get. But owing to a dispute between the producers and multiplex owners the movie did not release in many multiplexes across the country. This has undeniably eaten hugely into the potentially tremendous opening that the movie could have got. Now with the opinion about the movie going public, the same kind of response cannot be expected if and when the movie releases in multiplexes. The overseas market looks like the only place Tashan can salvage its investments.