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Khiladi 420
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'Khiladi 420' 'Khiladi 420': Worthy of a miss

By N K Deoshi
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Tryst with mellow roles over, Akshay Kumar is back to being an action hero in his latest in the Khiladi series, Khiladi 420.

The wine remains the same. Only the bottle has changed. You will leave the theatre with a disappointing heart if you have already been carried away by the film's promos and its review on Net. Expect nothing and chances are you may find something interesting. The breath-taking action sequences (as claimed) are in the latter part of the movie and by the time they come you would in all probability have already been sapped of any interest by the non-stop non-sensical kitsch that occupies the frame for the better part of the show.

Neeraj

Vohra, the film's director, has himself been a comedian but his sense of humor in Mann and Hum To Mohabbat Karega could find no takers. His expertise as a director would impress no greater a number. The psychotic touch he has tried to bring about in his Khiladi is too unconvincing.

Unlike previous Khiladis, Akki's character in this one is tinged with cunningness and has shades of gray. He plays double role in the film--one a swindler the other an eternal do-gooder.

Mahima Chowdhary, on the other hand is seen screaming most of the time. Gosh! The lady just yells her entrails out, so much that after better part of the movie your hands reach instinctively for your ears every time she comes on the screen. To the delight of the frontbenchers there is a hot number by the svelte lass Antara Mali who will no doubt revive some interest of those who care to trip on pelvic-savvy numbers.

Apart from being the first directorial venture of its director the film marks the acting debut of the ramp walker Sudhanshu Pandey who is playing a cop and Mahima's childhood friend who is secretly enamored by her.

So what's Khiladi 420 about? Dev (Akshay Kumar) is an absconder running from bhais (Sayaji Shinde, Mukesh Rishi) to whom he owes an astronomical sum of nine crores. He is in dire need of money and will do anything to get it. Here he eyes upon the beautiful damsel Ritu Bhardwaj (Mahima Chowdhary) who is the only daughter of a multi-millionaire Shyam Prasad Bhardwaj (Alok Nath).

Impersonating as a millionaire Akki soon wins the confidence of nubile Ritu and her scion father. Everything seems to be going groovy for him until Shyam Prasad comes to know of Dev's demonic intentions. Without a second thought Dev sends him on his heavenly abode. The way is now clear for him. All he has to do is marry Ritu to stake claim on her swelling fortunes and thereby get those unscrupulous bhais off his back.

He succeeds in tying the nuptial knot with Ritu but before their marriage could become consummate his secret is laid bare open. The unconscientious Dev even plans to slaughter his newly-wed wife. The only one to come to Ritu's rescue is her childhood friend Rahul (Sudhanshu Pandey) who secretly harbours soft sentiments for her. But Neeraj Vohra has surprise in the offing. Out of nowhere steps in Akki's look-alike Anand, a do-gooder who has this indefatigable stamina for daredevil acrobatics. In him Mahima confides and hopes that he will get her out of the mess she has got herself into.

By this time a viewer is already too confounded to pay anymore heed.

One highlight of the film, however, is Akki's daring stunts. One such sequence shows him perched atop a plane flying 300 mph at the altitude of 300 feet. What's more? Our action hero doesn’t just stay clung there but jumps on a hot-air balloon in which his ladylove Mahima is being taken away by the baddies. All this at rocketing heights where had anything gone wrong (which didn’t) Akki would have had to pay very dearly. Akshay's daredevilry, it is believed, left even Hollywood technicians in awe.

In a nutshell Khiladi 420 has its share of daring do, screeching, dangerous car chases and high decibel explosions, but nothing so gripping to hold your interest for three long hours.

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