36 China Town

The movie was quite good with many twists and turns although it's a comedy thriller and they both don't match. Everyone did a good job in the film and Upen Patel was OK for his first film. I thought it was going to be rubbish but as usual Abbas-Mustan's films are always good. Their films are always copies but they turn out to be better than the original especially Disclosure which was so rubbish that I only seen the first 20 minutes but Aitraaz was brilliant. The best thing is that they're not a complete copy only the basic plot e.g.:

36 China Town- Chinatown (1974)

Aitraaz- Disclosure (1994)

Humraaz- A Perfect Murder (1998)

Ajnabee- Consenting Adults (1992)

Daraar- Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Baazigar- A Kiss Before Dying (1991)

Gone are the days of yore when edge on the seat thrillers used to mesmerize you and engulf you in their hunt for the unraveling of true suspense; but encountering a film like '36 China Town' it seems that thrillers have now been reduced to a vestige of RECLINING ON THE SEAT DROOLERS, which have nothing new to roll on the screen .It would be a hyperbole to categorize films like these as thrillers and an insult to the genre, because they stand nowhere near it and every moment they either lull you to sleep or tempt you to make your way to the sign flashing in red above the cinema hall door.

The whole movie stands on a wafer thin plot and is full of frippery. The director duo has taken enough leeway on the part of the public to torture them with their newest offering. Also the films suspense does not thrust like a rapier which was common to their earlier movies like Baazigar, Khiladi etc.The film just trundles along lacking the limpet like feeling a property which most of their earlier films possessed. They seem to have lost their sleight in making suspense films which they were considered masters once. The movie stands in complete shambles due to the fact of this duo not adding the right ingredients to the cauldron of film making. So a feeling of great felicity empowers you when this ordeal comes to an end.

Considering the star cast Shahid and Kareena seem to be too much engrossed in themselves to act well. Also they shriek and shout to ear-splitting decibels at the drop of a hat.Johny Lever and Paresh Rawal fail in their usual antiques of evoking laughter. Debutant Upen Patel seems just like any other model from the fashion world flaunting his six pack abs every now and then. The only saving grace of the film is the performance by Akshaye Khanna enacting the role of a detective with élan. Then we have Priyanka Chopra at the moribund end of the movie just to encourage some whistles form the front rows.

The whole story drags along failing to arouse your alacrity at any instance and the scene where the dead body is found by Shahid and Kareena is total balderdash and the internecine quarrels of putting the blame on each other are totally childish.

All and all the film is a tawdry show and is insipid in nature. The helmsmen have certainly taken the boat the wrong way. This one certainly serves as a punitive for people who have watched this movie and wont draw rewards form the film cognoscenti and certainly wont add good words to the directors repertoire.

Even though Abbas Mastan claim that the inspiration for this movie came to them while watching Chinatown (1974), the movie is actually a scene-by-scene lift of the 1992 Hollywood comedy Once Upon a Crime, starring John Candy and Cybill Shepherd. Interestingly, that movie was also billed as a comedy-mystery, but was also much more comedy than mystery, like this one.

The roles played by Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor were played by Richard Lewis and Sean Young in the original. The plot has been Indianized: the main events in the original happen in Monte Carlo, and here, they happen in Goa, which is kind of the Monte Carlo of India. Several other aspects of the plot have been Indianized: for example, the two protagonists in the original are returning a lost dog (in this, they are returning a lost child). But several things are not changed at all, including the character of the married-for-money Paresh Rawal (played by John Candy in the original), the suave Casanova Upen Patel (played by George Hamilton in the original), and the inspector Akshaye Khanna (played by Giancarlo Giannini).

Despite having seen the original, I found this version to be highly entertaining. Especially impressive was Shahid Kapoor, who has excellent chemistry with Kareena. Akshaye Khanna does not have a very strong part, but still tries very hard. Overall, the movie does not disappoint.

This movie is a typical bollywood film, keep your thinking caps at home and you can enjoy the movie thoroughly. The first half an hour drags on with 3 (!!) songs, but after that the things pick up. In fact all the scenes seem to have been stretched to give the film its running time. Akshaye Khanna makes an entry just after the interval. Now if the film followed the logical rules of life, it should have ended after half an hour from the interval. But all the suspects lie like kindergarten kids and complicate the matter. Even after all this there is hardly any suspense at all. But the ample comedy, good songs and Upen Patel makes up for all this. Upen Patel's performance deserves a mention, he really exudes that cool persona. Rest all are usual. So all in all its a good enough time pass, provided one is not paying the multiplex prices.

After a decade of anticipation, I finally had the pleasure of delving into the cinematic world of 36 China Town on an online streaming platform one fateful night.

A true paragon of Bollywood, one of the greatest finds in the world of Cinema, Paresh Rawal, displayed an unmatched perfectionism. He played his role exceptionally well bestowing upon us masterful performances in every scene. However, his remarkable acting got ruined as soon as he began his journey into Politics, ultimately tarnishing the brilliance of his acting. There was nobody to blame, but him.

Debuting in this movie, Upen Patel portrayed a coming-of-age playboy in the throes of maturation. Regrettably, his portrayal felt rather pedestrian. On the other hand, Kareena Kapoor's presence was stunning. The role of the cop seemed tailor-made for the talented Akshaye Khanna, yet it became mired in excessive theatrics, hysterical, detracting from its potential impact. In contrast, Johnny Lever's impeccable comedic prowess shone brilliantly, single-handedly breathing life into the narrative despite the film's subpar script and direction. His presence was the best part of the movie.

The plot held great promise, offering a rare glimpse into a coming-of-age casino tale set in India, skillfully blending comedy and crime, a genre that typically resonates well with audiences and is rarely found! Unfortunately, the film's potential was impeded by its lackluster script and direction, leading to inexplicable scenes that failed to coalesce with the overall narrative. Some moments felt gratuitous, inserted merely for amusement's sake, such as the absence of windows in an air-conditioned train, a perplexing detail that would undoubtedly attract social media ridicule if released today, with netizens swiftly taking to Twitter to tag IRCTC, Indian Railways, PMO, and the Railway Minister, thereby propelling it into the viral stratosphere.

Most disheartening was witnessing the Senior Chief Inspector of Goa Police nonchalantly allow the culprit to tamper with vital evidence, all for the sake of amusement, thus betraying the gravity of the crime at hand. Equally unpalatable was the portrayal of the sub-inspector's wife, indulging in inexplicable liaisons with various individuals while her husband regaled in sharing these sordid tales, making it a parody film.

Now, allow me to broach the enigmatic Shahid Kapoor, whose portrayal throughout the entire movie struck a peculiar and discordant note. His character lacked coherence, failing to convey the essence of a protagonist. This stands as an anomaly amidst his otherwise brilliant performances, highlighting a character arc that seemed conspicuously absent in this instance.

36 China Town lured the audiences with its resplendent title and a star-studded cast, coupled with a promising coming-of-age premise. However, the film faltered in its character development and scriptwriting, squandering the potential of a compelling narrative. There were excessive and untimely songs in the film, way too many for 2023. The film did boast moments of genuine comedy that might appeal to some, but, alas, I found it to be an expired offering in the cinematic landscape of 2023!