Thugs
Of
Hindostan
Public
Review:
Aamir
Khan
|
Amitabh
Bachchan
|
Katrina
Kaif
|
FilmiBea
Rating:
2.5/5
Star
Cast:
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Aamir
Khan,
Katrina
Kaif,
Fatima
Sana
Shaikh,
Ronit
Roy
Director:
Vijay
Krishna
Acharya
At
one
of
the
most
crucial
points
in
the
film,
Firangi
Mallah
(Aamir
Khan)
tells
Khudabaksh
(Amitabh
Bachchan),
"Dhoka
Saubhau
Hai
Mera",
to
which
the
latter
quickly
quips,
"Aur
Bharosa
Mera'.
Thugs
Of
Hindostan
pretty
much
oscillates
between
these
two
feelings
for
the
viewers.
Two
heavyweight
champions-
Aamir
Khan
and
Amitabh
Bachchan
coming
together
on
screen
for
the
first
time.
What
more
could
we
have
asked
for?
Sadly,
the
lousy
screenplay
and
poor
direction
plays
the
main
villain.
Set
in
1795,
Thugs
Of
Hindostan
begins
on
an
exhilarating
note
when
Mirza
Baig,
the
ruler
of
Raunakpur
(Ronit
Roy)
and
his
wife
and
son
are
treacherously
murdered
by
a
tyrannical
British
officer
named
Clive
(Lloyd
Owen).
The
only
surviving
member
of
the
royal
clan
is
Zafira,
who
is
rescued
by
her
father's
trusted
general
Khudabaksh
(Amitabh
Bachchan).
Cut
to
eleven
years
later,
we
see
Khudabaksh
as
a
'Messiah' of
the
realm,
fighting
against
the
British
with
a
grown-up
Zafira
(Fatima
Sana
Shaikh)
by
his
side,
who
is
hell-bent
on
seeking
revenge
from
her
family's
slayers.
The
duo
marshall
their
people
against
the
British
clan
under
a
group
named
'Azaad'.
To
nab
'Azaad',
Clive
and
his
team
seek
help
from
a
thug,
Firangi
Mallah
(Aamir
Khan).
Beneath
his
outlandish
appearance,
he's
a
smooth-talker
who
repeatedly
switches
sides
and
won't
even
bat
an
eyelid
when
it
comes
to
double-crossing
his
own
pals,
just
for
the
sake
of
earning
guineas.
The
rest
of
the
plot
revolves
around
how
good
triumphs
over
evil.
To
put
it
in
Khudabaksh's
words,
"Do
Din
Ki
Dupahari
Chand
Raat
Amavas
Ki...
Shesham
Ke
Ghode
Pe
Hoke
Sawar
Aige
Shamat
Gunahgaro
Ki."
Two
of
Indian's
cinema's
finest
talents-
Aamir
Khan
and
Amitabh
Bachchan,
a
humongous
budget
and
a
Diwali
release,
director
Vijay
Krishna
Acharya
(Victor)
had
it
all!
Unfortunately,
it's
his
bloated
screenplay
and
shoddy
execution
which
fails
to
make
a
good
memory.
The
underwhelming
feeling
sinks
in
more
when
he
takes
the
formulaic
route
to
give
you
moments
that's
been
done-to-death
in
Bollywood.
Aamir
Khan
and
Amitabh
Bachchan
deserved
a
better
thug
life
than
this
drab
fare
called
Thugs
Of
Hindostan.
Speaking
about
the
performances,
Amitabh
Bachchan's
warrior
act
leaves
a
mark,
but
falls
short
of
being
a
spectacle
solely
because
of
his
limited
screen-presence.
Aamir
Khan
plays
the
sly
Firangi
Mallah
with
his
own
charm
and
flips
between
his
character
so
flawlessly
that
it
becomes
difficult
to
understand
if
he's
'mahaan'
or
'kameena'.
Well,
Firangi
does
have
an
answer
to
that.
He's
'mahaan
kameena'.
The
face-off
between
Aamir
and
Big
B
in
one
of
the
scenes
too
lacks
a
spark.
Fatima
Sana
is
lightening
as
an
arrow
in
the
action
sequences,
but
fails
to
impress
with
her
acting
chops
especially
when
it
comes
to
the
emotional
parts.
Katrina
Kaif
as
the
glamorous
Suraiyya
dances
her
way
in
and
out
of
the
frame
and
ends
up
as
a
mere
glam
prop.
Just
two
songs
and
two
scenes
in
the
film-
Katrina
fans
are
going
to
be
disappointed
for
sure!
Thugs
Of
Hindostan
impresses
when
it
comes
to
visuals,
barring
a
few
VFX
blotches.
Some
of
the
action
sequences
do
make
you
hold
your
breath.
The
film
could
have
been
snipped
short
by
a
few
minutes
at
the
editing
table.
Coming
to
the
music
of
the
film,
Thugs
Of
Hindostan
falters
miserably
in
this
department
as
none
of
the
songs
have
a
recall
value.
This
time,
even
Katrina's
dance
moves
lack
the
zing
to
keep
you
hooked
to
them.
All
that
glitters
isn't
gold,
right?
There's
a
dialogue
in
the
film
which
goes
like,
'Azad
Ko
Pakadne
Ke
Liye
Koi
Azaad
Jaisa
Thug
Chahiye'.
Unfortunately,
the
inconsistent
direction
and
wafer-thin
plot
fails
to
do
justice
to
the
two
acting
stalwarts
of
Indian
cinema
and
makes
the
audience
feel
'thugged'
instead.
I
am
going
with
2.5
stars.