The plot is simple enough. The movie starts off in Afghanistan with Agent Vinod (Saif Ali Khan) getting into high-packed action and a racy escape sequence and then shifts to a half a dozen exotic locations where seemingly unrelated terrorist activities are shown to be taking place. [break]
Turns out that the terrorists are actually trying to get their hands on a nuclear bomb detonator, and Agent Vinod is sent on a mission to find them and thwart their plans.
While he hops all over the globe in his quest, he meets the Pakistani ISI agent Iram Parveen Bilal (Kareena Kapoor) who joins him in his endeavors.
From Russian arms dealers, Afghani terrorists, car chases to money laundering, threats of nuclear disaster and globetrotting mayhem, the movie has all the makings of a spy thriller and hence a riveting watch but falls short because of its confusing plot and subplots.
The only saving grace of the movie is the suave nawab with his convincing acting and occasionally witty dialogues.
Kareena Kapoor manages to look good throughout her escapades but fails to impress in terms of acting and character portrayal.
At times, she seems like a tough ISI agent and the next moment she’ll be your damsel in distress.
The onscreen chemistry between the leading pair could’ve been better. The rare glimpses of it aren’t enough to keep you enthralled.
The director, Sriram Raghavan, who gave the audience movies like Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddar, doesn’t seem to have done justice to this ambitious James Bondish project.
The opening bit and the train sequences remind you of spy thrillers you’ve seen before and you wonder if the director has watched way too many of those.
The supposed villains of the movie, like Ram Kapoor in his Russian drug lord avatar and Prem Chopra with his ponytail, aren’t convincing, leaving you with more reasons to blame the director though Ravi Kissen manages to stand out in his special appearance.
Music is by Pritam Chakraborty which is okay. The song sequences don’t seem to fit into the narrative. The background encore during some of the action sequences seem out of context.
C.K. Muraleedharan’s cinematography, however, is quite at par with Hollywood movies, making it visually appealing.
The movie picks up pace in the second half and the last thirty minutes or so is where all the action and the story lie. But sadly, by then you are so bored that you couldn’t care less.
There is a point in the movie where Kareena Kapoor says she wants to die and you echo the same feeling just to bring the boredom to an end.
The editing, however, is somewhat slick and makes the otherwise erratic storytelling crisp to a certain extent. But even then there are parts where it could’ve been better.
Among the multitude of flaws Agent Vinod seems to be comprised of, the major one is that it has just too many locations and plots crammed into it.
As the story jumps from one place to another and characters come and go, the audience is bound to get baffled.
All in all, the movie is a series of could’ve-been-better moments, rare amusing scenes, a few laughable ones and a predictable climax. It fails to impress, entertain and win the audience over.
Agent Vinod doesn’t offer the adrenaline rush you look for in an espionage thriller movie. It has no jaw-dropping or edge-of-the-seat moments and it is definitely not the overwhelming experience you’re looking for while opting to watch a movie of this genre.
Surely the movie is glossy and shiny but doesn’t have an equally polished script to match, making it a colossal waste of time. Watch it only and only if you’re a fan of the charming nawab and his glamorous leading lady.
Screening at QFX Cinemas.
Related story
Kathmandu’s traffic becomes chaotic due to street demonstration...
