Game is as interesting as playing chess with self

[anilsk01]

Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar.
Director: Abhinay Deo.
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Shahana Goswami, Gauhar Khan, Jimmy Shergill, Sarah Jane Dias.

MUMBAI: English films were normally used as an ‘inspiration’ to make Hindi films and the preferred language was Hindi, of course. Game is one of those new generation products which makes English or English kind of films virtually in English on international locations; something that has not been seen to benefit the product in anyway, though often it becomes a drawback.

Game begins as Mid 1900s kind of story where six people gather under one roof and one of them is murdered. From then on it becomes sort of international, not solving the murder within the precincts of the location of crime.

Anupam Kher has planned to punish three men responsible for wrecking the life of his daughter born out of a liaison with a woman he deserted and about whose existence and later death he comes to know three years ago. He claims to have enough proof and also video graphs the meeting with culprits. But, before he could call the authorities as he planned to, he is dead; seemingly a suicide. Had he handed over the proof to the police, he could have saved his life and the efforts spent on a mediocre film.

Anupam Kher, a tycoon worth $10 billion, owns and resides at an island off Greece, which is totally cut off from outside world for transport as well as communication. He lures four people in coming to this island: Boman Irani, who aims to become the next prime minister of Thailand (promising him election funds); Jimmy Shergill whose drunk driving has killed his daughter (with a major proposal); Abhishek Bachchan, who runs a casino in Istanbul but is broke and who is always attacked by gun wielding goons for no apparent reason and whom Anupam Kher blames of making his daughter vend drugs (with a promise to bail him out with an international casino chain); and a young journalist, Shahana Goswami who has made a habit out of getting drunk and banging her car at convenient places (with a story of her life time).

In this film, Indians rule the world. So when Anupam Kher is dead, Kangana Ranaut and a side kick from what is called IVS or International Vigilance Squad descends on the scene and suspect foul play. This squad would seem to have an international reign as Kangana jet sets across five countries chasing clues. After springing all the predictable surprises, the biggest of them being Abhishek Bachchan, was not really a baddy but also an IVS cop who has solved in three minutes what was stretching on for almost three hours. The killer is identified and so is the one who planned it.

Except that it has been contrived to be shot on various international locations (which is confusing because one loses sense of where is it now -- Thailand, Mumbai, Istanbul, London or Greece; who cares?), the film has nothing much of interest. The first half is static; songs have neither place nor appeal. Direction is average as is the script. Being a talkie film, the sound needed to be much better.

The film offers no real scope for acting talents and the stars go around being themselves throughout.

This Game is about as interesting as playing chess with self.