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Dus
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'Dus' Bullets and Brawn

By Nitika Desai
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Dressed in black, the quartet - Abhishek, Sanju, Zayed and oh-so-shapely Shilpa - almost look like models flaunting their zany outfits, besides some attitude, of course. They are not. In Dus, they are the members of an Anti-Terrorist Cell. They are the people who diffuse bombs, take on the terrorists and thwart possible attacks.

Anubhav Sinha's movie Dus is a slick product - made with heavy budget and huge star cast. To have as many as eight known Bollywood stars in a movie is no small feat. But to relegate a movie's story to the backdrop and to give precedence to what is secondary - style, action, stunts, dresses, visual appeal - is a big flaw. That is what handicaps Dus.

As

the movie begins with a dance number Dus Bahane, it doesn’t take much time for you to realize that on offer is a celluloid feast, stodgy with breath-taking stunts but bereft of a substantial story. Logic, rationale and realism are simply not to be expected.

The ATC, led by Dutt, is deft in handling terror situations. The swaggering Abhishek is the dude who maintains his cool in the dangerous of situations and the catty Shilpa can surprise the bad guys with her martial arts skills and a kick into their butts. Zayed plays the man who is a bit flippant in diffusing bombs, but luck, luckily, stays on his side all the time.

The dashing foursome get a mission to stop a terrorist from unleashing terror in Canada when the Indian PM visits there. No one has seen the terrorist. What they know about him is his name - Jamwal.

Abhishek and Zayed get orders to reach Canada and nab the bad guy. There, they meet Esha Deol and a Canadian Cop, Sunil Shetty, who eventually help them in their mission.

Just when the story seemed to be gathering some momentum, director Anubhav Sinha decides to throw in some romance. Hence the audience are subjected to the muted, unexpressed sparks between Esha and Abhishek. But the romantic interlude gets extended with the Sunil Shetty-Raima Sen track and also Zayed's daydreams of his 'darling' Dia Mirza.

By the way, the guys are supposed to be on a mission not on dates.

As the D-Day draws closer, the ATC guys pull up their socks. And it is just in the nick of time that Sanju (who arrives in Canada later) figures out who the terrorist is. But no reasons are given as to how Sanju came to know the terrorist. Perhaps some sort of super-intuition.

Despite the absence of story, there indeed are certain things about Dus worth appreciating. Director Anubhav Sinha tells the movie's story at an electric pace. Dus is replete with high quality action scenes and stunts, previously unseen in Bollywood films. The background music by Ranjit Barot adds the extra punch.

However, the climax takes the fizz away, firstly because it is long-drawn, secondly the way the identity of the “much dreaded terrorist” is revealed lets you down.

Abhishek Bachchan is the one who stands out in the colorful cast ensemble of Dus. Sanjay Dutt looks intense, but age has begun to show on his face and body language. Zayed Khan is amusing in his clumsy antics. Sunil Shetty hardly leaves any impact except looking dashing.

Among the ladies, Shilpa Shetty is unmatchable. Her sylph-like figure is a constant distraction from what is going on the screen. Raima Sen is oddly cast while Esha Deol gets a few moments to display her histrionics.

All said, Dus is a movie that will appeal to those who dig action thrillers, no matter what the story is. Brawns, bullets, bombs, high-speed chases, pyrotechnics - all is on the platter in Dus. The romance, in-between, is a sore thumb.

Fast but not moving.

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