Mahesh
and
Mukesh
Bhatt
have
often
admitted
that
newspaper
headlines
citing
a
burning
issue
have
sown
the
seeds
of
a
film
in
their
minds.
And
Crook:
It's
Good
To
Be
Bad,
directed
by
the
talented
Mohit
Suri,
deals
with
one
such
issue:
Racism
in
Australia.
Well,
depiction
of
racism
on
the
Hindi
screen
isn't
entirely
new,
since
I
–
Proud
To
Be
An
Indian
explored
the
issue
several
monsoons
ago.
In
fact,
the
issue
has
only
got
aggravated
across
the
globe
post
9/11.
A
film
like
Crook
holds
a
lot
of
significance
because
the
plight
of
Indian
students
in
Australia
continues
to
hit
headlines
to
this
day.
Known
for
high
concept
films,
Bhatt
brothers'
new
outing
Crook,
unfortunately,
tackles
the
issue
half-heartedly.
Sure,
you
expect
more
from
the
Bhatts
since
they
are
known
to
call
a
spade
a
spade,
but
the
problem
with
Crook
is
that
the
message
doesn't
come
across
strongly.
That's
because
it
tries
to
strike
a
balance
between
a
love
story
and
the
racism
issue.
In
fact,
it
takes
a
really
long
time
to
catch
the
bull
by
the
horns
(read
the
racism
issue)
and
when
it
does,
it
doesn't
leave
a
stunning
impact.
In
fact,
it's
all
superficial.
Also,
the
Bhatts
are
synonymous
with
lilting
music
in
film
after
film,
but
unlike
their
earlier
attempts,
the
music
of
Crook
lacks
the
quality
to
linger
in
your
memory.
In
a
nutshell,
Crook
comes
across
as
a
half-hearted
effort.
Crook
tells
the
story
of
Jai
(Emraan
Hashmi),
who
has
a
knack
of
getting
into
trouble.
His
father
was
a
gangster
who
wanted
to
reform,
but
was
killed
by
the
cops.
When
Jai
grows
up,
Joseph
(Gulshan
Grover),
a
friend
of
his
father,
sends
him
to
Australia
-
a
land
far
away
from
his
past.
Almost
immediately
after
landing,
Jai
meets
Suhani
(Neha
Sharma),
an
Indian
Australian.
Her
elder
brother
Samarth
(Arjan
Bajwa)
is
convinced
that
Australians
have
a
one-point
agenda
to
bring
Indians
down.
Jai
finds
accommodation
with
a
group
of
youngsters
(Mashhoor
Amrohi).
Jai
knows
that
if
he
can
make
Suhani
fall
in
love
with
him,
he
could
eventually
attain
permanent
residency
by
marrying
her.
Jai
also
flirts
with
Nicole,
the
stripper
from
a
strip
club.
However,
her
brother,
Russel,
is
against
Indians
and
attacks
them
for
a
reason.
Jai
had
left
India
to
lead
a
hassle
free
life,
but
finds
himself
in
the
heart
of
a
racially
disturbed
city.
Frankly,
you
expect
the
writer
to
come
to
the
point
at
the
very
outset.
Instead,
he
tends
to
focus
on
the
(lackluster)
romance
between
the
lead
pair,
songs
and
(forced)
comedy,
while
the
core
issue
(racism)
takes
a
complete
backseat
towards
the
first
hour.
The
writer
ought
to
know
that
this
one's
an
issue-based
film
and
the
romance-song-comedy
routine
cannot
be
the
priority.
However,
the
point
that
both
Indians
and
Australians
are
racist
and
both
sides
need
to
introspect
is
indeed
novel.
Crook
redeems
itself
in
the
second
hour,
but
it
has
more
to
do
with
Mohit
Suri's
handling
of
the
subject
than
the
subject
itself.
However,
one
fails
to
understand
why
the
Australian
guy
has
a
change
of
heart,
when
he
zeroes
on
Neha
towards
the
end.
There
should've
been
at
least
one
sequence
to
clear
things
up.
But
in
this
case,
no
explanations
are
forthcoming.
There's
no
denying
that
Mohit
Suri
is
capable
of
much
more,
but
the
ordinary
script
doesn't
really
provide
him
the
wings
to
fly.
Pritam's
music
is
of
'run
of
the
mill' variety,
with
'Chhala'
being
the
pick
of
the
lot.
Emraan
Hashmi
is
competent,
giving
his
all
to
the
role.
He
looks
aggressive
when
required
and
expresses
helplessness
well,
when
he
turns
his
back
on
Neha
at
the
interval
point.
Neha
acts
very
well.
The
confidence
is
visible
in
several
sequences.
Gulshan
Grover
is
hardly
there.
Mashhoor
Amrohi
leaves
a
mark.
Arjan
Bajwa
is
fair.
Smilee
Suri
appears
in
a
cameo.
The
Australian
actors
are
nice.
On
the
whole,
Crook
has
its
moments,
but
they're
few
and
far
between.
It
lacks
the
power
that
one
associates
with
an
issue-based
film.
Director:
Mohit
Suri
Cast:
Emraan
Hashmi,
Neha
Sharma,
Arjan
Bajwa,
Kavin
Dave