To say honestly, this is probably one of the best Bollywood films from recent years. Considering that it's a total ripoff (and not the first time) of Hollywood crime and gangster movies, that's saying a lot.
The movie revolves around six Indian hoods living in L.A., each with a history or current involvement in crime. You have leader Major (Amitabh Bachchan), loose cannon Ajju (Sanjay Dutt), club bouncer Mark (Suneil Shetty), techie Andy (Kumar Gaurav), bumbling Bali (Mahesh Manjrekar) and his more sane partner, Mac (Lucky Ali). All of them have a desperate need for money for their own separate reasons and decide to band together and rob a bank. Upon doing so, they discover that the police were tipped off to it, and then try to discover which of them is an undercover cop.
The plot can be split into three separate acts, most of the first being derived from The Usual Suspects, the second from Heat, and the third from Reservoir Dogs. The first part (having little to do with the rest of the movie) serves as a character setup, through a police interrogation about a truck, the second about the planning of the robbery, and the third as it's aftermath. Every sequence taken almost page by page off their "inspiration." It's here that most would differ on the film, but I'm looking beyond.
All of the actors are well cast, save perhaps Lucky Ali and Kumar Gaurav. All a great at playing the tough guy, yet also as their individual characters. Sanjay Dutt portrays an essence of total badass gangsta, and Manjrekar provides some of the film greatest laughs as a bafoon with an affinity for sex an obscene jokes.
Which brings me to my next point. I have never seen an Indian movie with the amount of swearing and vulgar content as this one, probably because of it's Western source material. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it, but it goes to extremes. I didn't get the idea of an Indian strip club nor how and why the six got to where they were. The film makes a point that there is a huge Indian crime culture in L.A., which I don't believe for a second.
Wowing me were definitely some fun jokes as I mentioned above, and the centerpiece shootout with the cops, referencing almost every big action sequence in film. Mindless, but fun. The de-saturated green picture gave it a gritty look adding to the feel. And of, course, no Bollywood movie is complete without songs, and luckily this one gives us a couple memorable ones which fit the movie, and serve more as background score rather than part of the story.
All in all a fun flick that in fun to look at and watch. Maybe I'm going soft on it since I am very fond of the three aforementioned Hollywood movies, but this movie takes those plot lines and makes them its own. 3/4 stars
