Movie Review: Thugs Of Hindostan

    • TNN
    • Publish Date: Nov 8 2018 5:14PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Nov 8 2018 5:14PM
Movie Review: Thugs Of Hindostan

Story: After the British company’s officer Clive (Lloyd Owen) takes over the kingdom of Mirza (Ronit Roy), princess Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Khudabaksh aka Azaad (Amitabh Bachchan) form a band of rebel pirates who swear to defeat the English officer and win their freedom back. The British Company in return, hire the wily thug Firangi (Aamir Khan) to track Azaad’s gang and thwart his plans.


Review: Action, adventure and fantasy is a genre that you associate with Hollywood’s big-ticket movies. So to watch India’s answer to films like 'Pirates Of The Caribbean', at the onset seemed like a novel experience. While 'Thugs Of Hindostan' has the aspirations to be a big-budget entertainer, it can’t quite emulate the same thrills of a Johnny Depp swashbuckler. In all fairness, despite the lacklustre writing, the film does manage to look and feel like a top-grade adventure film. It certainly looks like a million bucks, sadly it doesn’t feel the same way.


The story begins in the late 1700s, where a conniving British officer named Clive deceives the honest king Mirza and dupes him off his family, life and kingdom. The young princess Zafira is the only one who escapes, along with the king's trusted guard Khudabaksh, and many years later they form a gang of pirates who are also goodfellas. Their only mission is to get their kingdom free from Clive and his company rule. 'Thugs Of Hindostan' is based during the East India Company’s rule in India, when the British used their trading position to dominate India’s princely states. But the fact that the heroes of this tale are pirates, doesn’t quite fit into the Indian context, given that Indians never gained notoriety as pirates. The Maratha navy under leaders like Kanhoji Angre did gain bandit status during the 1700s, but 'Thugs Of Hindostan' (TOH) doesn’t look like it’s based out of coastal regions of the country. Historical inaccuracy aside, 'TOH' is an adventure movie and you need cinematic liberty to setup a swashbuckling story. While the production design by Sumit Basu and cinematography by Manush Nandan are excellent, the predictable nature of the writing by writer / director Vijay Krishna Acharya doesn’t help the movie at all. You can guess every plot development and the fact that the movie doesn’t throw up a single good surprise or twist, just rocks the boat. The tedious screenplay features scenes that are too prolonged and over dramatic, that’s why the movie feels like it's always on choppy waters.


Another disappointing aspect of the movie is the music by Ajay-Atul, that doesn't add to the narrative. While the individual performances by Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are noteworthy, the rest of the cast just never comes together. Aamir excels in the physical comedy and banter, while Mr Bachchan pulls-off the heroics and the intense dialogues well, but the rest of the cast isn't able to rally up any serious effort. Katrina Kaif is limited to two songs and a few lines of dialogue, while Fatima Sana Shaikh is left at the mercy of some badly choreographed action sequences.


Apart from the stray funny moments and consistently good visuals (thanks to decent CGI efforts), 'TOH' doesn’t really have the punch or the thrill that is required to pull off a film of this scale. At 2 hours and 45 minutes, the film feels a little too long and that’s down to the problematic editing. The grand canvas of the film does hold sway in terms of the visual experience, but at the end, this one is all show and no substance. With the mammoth expectations attached to this movie, the end experience just leaves you all at sea.

 

Comments

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Thugs of Hindostan has been directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who has previously helmed the third installment of the Dhoom franchise, Dhoom 3. Apart from Aamir and Amitabh, the film stars Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Lloyd Owen in significant roles. The film has been produced by Aditya Chopra with music by Ajay-Atul.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Thugs of Hindostan has finally hit the screens. The movie created quite a storm ahead of its release. However, only time will tell if the film lives up to the hype. The film’s primary plot revolves around a band of thugs led by Amitabh’s character Khudabaksh whose motive is to gain freedom for India from the British Raj.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Albeit borrowed heavily from Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean, Firangi (played by Aamir Khan) is the one character in Thugs of Hindostan with some personality, whether he is conning British officers or the rebels.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

The setting is the late 18th century. British traders/ colonisers stationed in India and led by a merciless commander called John Clive (Lloyd Owen) are destroying the Indian monarchy by capturing their kingdoms. One such king (Ronit Roy) falls prey to British treachery, but his surviving daughter Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) is saved in the nick of time by the kingdom’s crinkly general Khudabaksh (Amitabh Bachchan).

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Zafira gets inducted into a rebellious army filled with the dregs of Hindostan, out to oust the British and seek vengeance. Troubled by their revolutionary ways for over a decade, Clive decides to use wily Indian thug Firangi (Aamir Khan) to track down their leader. Khudabaksh, who is also known as Azad, is so over-clothed that the rebel leader looks like he is covered by many rugs of Hindostan.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Firangi, the thug who is easily swayed by many intoxicating mugs of Hindostan and the lure of gold, infiltrates Azad’s lair. Moved by some patriotic punch lines from Azad about the thugs of Hindostan, Firangi appears to undergo a change of heart—or does he? Which way will Firangi’s loyalty land—in favour of the British colonisers or the homeland?

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan’s film is Pirates Of The Caribbean without pirates or Caribbean. It is a film so dull and unoriginal that it can only inspire the shrugs of Hindustan. Full of slow-motions sequences, director Vijay Krishna Acharya amps up the frames per second to disguise the lack of storytelling craft. Aamir’s character in the film is one of his most unremarkable characters, a rogue free of charisma or cleverness, with barely a line worth remembering.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

It takes a lot to make pirates boring. Without a doubt, Thugs Of Hindostan is a whole lot of movie - the biggest budget Yash Raj production of all time, the first film to star both Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan — and yet this giant period epic turns out to be feeble, formulaic and entirely forgettable. Directed by Dhoom 3’s Vijay Krishna Acharya, here is a film so dull and unoriginal that it can only inspire the shrugs of Hindustan.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

This is Pirates Of The Caribbean without a pirate or Caribbean, a knockoff to suit prejudiced audiences like cricketer Virat Kohli who prefer to exclusively admire the locally made. In this 1810-set adventure, Aamir borrows the Jack Sparrow eyeliner, while Amitabh is literally given the bird, his entrances on screen preceded by a noisy hawk.

Amogha M Koulapure STJ PU COLLEGE

Bachchan plays a rebel, a freedom fighter rallying troops against the colonisers, while Khan is a two-faced rogue on the Company payroll sent to infiltrate Bachchan’s squad and bring him down.

Maitri Mishra Chanderbala Modi Academy

its a nice movie where aamir khan confuses everyone about his concept of british or freedom

Maitri Mishra Chanderbala Modi Academy

its a nice movie where aamir khan confuses everyone about his concept of british or freedom

Maitri Mishra Chanderbala Modi Academy

its a nice movie where aamir khan confuses everyone about his concept of british or freedom

POST YOUR OWN ARTICLE, PHOTO & VIDEO

SIMPLY FILL DETAILS & POST


 
SIGN UP & EXPLORE MORE...
*


*
* *
* *
img
REGISTRATION SUCCESSFUL...
THANK YOU FOR REGISTERING
  • About Us

Times Newspaper in Education (Times NIE) is a novel program that helps students ‘Stay Ahead’ and aims at making ‘Learning Fun’. It introduces concepts that help individual growth and development beyond school curriculum.

A brainchild of The Times of India, the world’s leading English newspapers, Times NIE nurtures progress and innovation. Adapted from the international concept, Times Newspaper in Education program (Times NIE) was initiated in India in 1985.

Today we have over 3000 schools and over 9 lac students subscribing to the programme, spanning 16 cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Lucknow, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Jaipur.

The Times of India Student edition, a customized student newspaper exclusively for the students, packs a powerful punch in terms of content that leads to a smarter and superior learning experience. The information is crafted such that it finds use in classroom discussions, thus making it relevant and current. It truly gives education a new dimension by fostering the simple habit of reading which in turn paves the way for a confident, informed and aware individual. A newspaper that inspires young minds and equips them to face challenges of today’s world, making way for global citizens.

Empowering students with new cutting-edge knowledge through various educative and informative activities is a commitment and tradition of Times NIE. The programme serves as a catalyst of education and interaction, as well as a window into the minds of the quintessential Indian youth. On a significant scale Times NIE comprises diverse interesting activities and events that boost the child’s passion for learning, while revealing hidden talent.

While you are aware that The Times of India is among the leading English Newspapers across the world, it has consummated its position as an everlasting winner. With several international awards and recognitions to its credit, The Times of India and Times NIE have validated an enduring tradition of setting the highest benchmarks in every respect. We have been awarded with the two most prestigious awards, Times NIE - World’s No.1 NIE program and The Times of India, Student Edition - World’s No.1 Newspaper for the youth in 2006 by the celebrated World Association of Newspapers (WAN). In 2008 we were honoured by the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA), yet another international recognition for ‘Youth Audience Development’. In 2013 we were again honoured by the celebrated World Association of Newspapers (WAN) as the ‘Times NIE - World’s Best Youth Engagement Program’.

Times NIE has grown remarkably over the last three and a half decades, touching millions of children across more than 16 Indian cities. Our absolute commitment towards the fledgling generation remains undiluted and our greatest strength lies in the school partnership and commitment.

  • Times NIE World Awards
EDIT STUDENT PROFILE...



img

JOIN NOW !!!

Create or join groups, share your views, ideas through posts (Text, Pictures & Videos)

GOT A QUERY?

FEEL FREE TO ASK HERE. GET IT ANSWERED BY EXPERTS

CLICK HERE TO SEE YOUR PREVIOUS QUERIES

win

Why You Think India Is Great....