![thugs of hindostaan thugs of hindostaan](https://images.indianexpress.com/2018/10/thugs-of-hindostan-making-7591.jpg)
Comparison with Jack Sparrow of Pirates of Caribbean: Aamir's character had much similarity to the character of Jack Sparrow, which raised the level of expectation even higher.Moreover, the film suffered from serious logical irregularities. Although the subject matter had the potential to be turned into a master-piece, the movie's overall treatment appeared to be quite outdated.
![thugs of hindostaan thugs of hindostaan](https://www.koimoi.com/wp-content/new-galleries/2018/10/thugs-of-hindostan-box-office-opening-day-vs-top-3-openers-of-aamir-khan-where-it-will-stand-0001.jpg)
![thugs of hindostaan thugs of hindostaan](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/855d8526c31d3503d8e4b7439f155b8dce3be124db7878809b6468286db1e636._UY500_UX667_RI_V_TTW_.jpg)
I’m going with a generous two out of five for Thugs of Hindostan. For that we’ll just have to wait until a better film comes along.
![thugs of hindostaan thugs of hindostaan](https://media2.bollywoodhungama.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Thugs-Of-Hindostan-0011-2.jpg)
The biggest disappointment, without question, is the wasted opportunity of a plot that squanders the possible chemistry between Bachchan and Khan. His constantly jabbering Firangi gets the best lines in the film, and the actor’s inherent charm lifts this anti-hero off the page, although after Lagaan and Mangal Pandey it’s getting a little tiring watching him go up against the British again. It’s only Aamir Khan who appears to be having any fun around here. Her chief job here is to writhe around on the floor for two songs.Īmitabh Bachchan, his expressions hidden under a mound of facial hair and long tresses, performs the action bits convincingly, but is barely challenged in a role that doesn’t require him to utter his first words until nearly an hour into the film. Katrina Kaif, who plays a dancer named Surayya, shows up for precisely three inconsequential scenes. Fatima Sana Shaikh is blank in the emotional scenes, but fares better when she’s shooting arrows or landing blows in the action portions. Barring Firangi, the other characters are a sullen lot that sport long faces as if they were fed sour lemons all their life. An early sequence in which a Trojan horse is smuggled onto a ship is especially impressive.īut for the most part Thugs of Hindostan is a humourless, solemn affair. It’s a good thing the action scenes are nicely mounted and executed, especially the ones in which rival ships go to war on the sea. The film in fact is riddled with corny bits involving protection bracelets, poisonous laddoos, and a falcon (perhaps loaned from a Sooraj Barjatya set) that not only appeals to a character to make the right decision, but on another occasion, wisely drops the bracelet into the correct hands.Īll of this unfolds over an exhausting 2 hours and 44 minutes. In a corny scene we watch as the righteous Khudabaksh rubs off on Firangi while convincing him to till a barren land with him, planting seeds of hope. The British hire him to infiltrate the rebel group, and we’re never quite sure which side he’s on. He’s a duplicitous double-crossing rogue a charming opportunist who cons people for a living. Into this mix, writer-director Vijay Krishna Acharya throws the film’s most colourful character, Firangi Mallah (Aamir Khan). For some reason they insist on speaking in mangled Hindi even among themselves, instead of switching to English. Khudabaksh is also the guardian to the heiress of the Raunakpur throne, Princess Safira (Fatima Sana Shaikh), who is tormented by the brutal way her family was killed by ruthless British officer Clive (Lloyd Owen).įrankly we’re equally tormented by the way Clive and the other British officers murder the Hindi dialogues. Khudabaksh and his army go by the name Azad, which means the word is bandied about dozens of times to milk the patriotism angle. Set in the 18th century, Thugs is about a gang of rebels, led by the heroic Khudabaksh (Amitabh Bachchan), trying to win back their kingdom of Raunakpur from the East India Company. This is trite, outdated plotting a revenge saga that never lifts off the ground. The problem is that it’s all held together by a moth-eaten script from some 70s vault.