Art & Entertainment

36 China Town

For any mystery-thriller buff it is, literally, an insult to intelligence.

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36 China Town
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Rating:
*
[****Must See *** Good ** Watchable * Avoidable]

What do you need for a good whodunnit? One or more dead body, a bunch of suspects, some intriguing clues, stimulating red herrings, an absorbing suspense and a shocker of a climax. Abbas Mustan botch up the splendid formula on every single count. For any mystery-thriller buff 36 China Town is, literally, an insult to intelligence. Let's begin with the dead body. Throughout the first half of the film, there's this suggestion of a murder, but the actual discovery of the corpse happens with the intermission sign. Why come to the point so late? Instead of getting you to the edge of the seat, the director duo seem more interested in the song and dance tamasha—an item number here, a dream sequence there. That too, with lyrics like: 24X7 I think of you.... The plot, then, had to become secondary. That's not all. Some obviously foreign locale fills in as Goa-Mumbai, add to this a few stale sexist jokes (the one about a 'terrorist father, sex bomb daughter' was heard recently in Shaadi Se Pehle), some trashy buffoonery from a loud Johnny Lever and an even louder Paresh Rawal. Thankfully then, Kareena doesn't have much to do other than preen and prance. Her beau goes over the top and together they deliver zero chemistry—more like siblings holding hands on their way to the murder mansion.

The only bearable character is the laidback detective Akshaye Khanna—not because of the script-writer's craft but because Khanna, the actor, is essentially a likeable bloke (who is currently being unwise in his choice of roles). Like the corpse, Khanna too makes a very late entry to find himself surrounded by a gallery of jokers for suspects. Throughout the film, I wondered who among the dimwits would turn out to be the killer and surprise me. Answer: no one. The murderer's identity turns out to be possibly the worst twist in the tale in any thriller. Abbas Mustan have never been the greatest of filmmakers, but they've managed to give some nicely giddy entertainers like Khiladi, Baazigar and Badshah. My suggestion: skip this bore and reach out for the DVD of a Rishi-Neetu-Rakesh Roshan thriller Khel Khel Mein. That'd be more paisavasool.

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High Fives

Bollywood
1. 36 China Town
2. Gangster
3. Darna Zaroori Hai
4. Pyare Mohan
5. Humko Deewane Kar Gaye

Hollywood
1.Mission Impossible III
2. R.V.
3. An American Haunting
4. Stick It
5. United 93

Dance Tracks
1. Somebody's Watching Me
2. Sing EP
3. Most Precious Love
4. Steppin' Stones
5. Doctor Pressure

Courtesy: Film Information

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