8 x 10 Tasveer

Jai (Akshay Kumar) is a Canadian forest officer with an ability to see the past through photographs. When his father gets killed in a boat accident, he is informed about some foul play at work by a detective Habibullah Pasha (Javed Jaffrey). With the aid of a photograph clicked just moments before his father's death, Jai tries to find out whether his father met with an accidental death or whether he was killed? 8*10 Tasveer is one of Kuknoor's finest films that became a flop at the BO. But I am sure it will be regarded as a cult thriller in the years to come. A by-the-book thriller, it has the finesse of a Hollywood film. THe only flaw is the climax where the motive comes across as half-hearted without too much explanation about details. But if you have enjoyed Hollywood movies such as "The Ring" (2002), you will definitely love this movie.

Acting is solid here with Akshay coming up with a restrained and different performance. This is undoubtedly one of his best till date. Those who cringe at his comedies should check this out to know what a great actor he is turning out to be.

Akshay has been ably supported by the rest of the cast, including Jaffrey, Rushad Rana, Ayesha Takia, Girish Karnad, Anant Mahadevan and Benjamin Gilani. It was nice to watch Sharmila Tagore as AK's mother. Music was not good enough except for "Nazaara Hai". However, background score by Salim-Sulaiman is top-notch. Cinematography is excellent. My rating - 8/10.

Nagesh Kukunoor, the director started off brilliantly a decade back and gave some exceptional movies like "Hyderabad Blues", "3 Deewarein", "Iqbal" and "Dor". But his last movie "Bombay To Bangkok" and the current "8X10 Tasveer" stand nowhere close to his own set standards. The same can be said about Akshay Kumar, who seems to be lost in the gigantic hype surrounding himself. After "Chandni Chowk to China" this will be the second setback to his otherwise hit record.

The movie is based on a supernatural theme where Akshay can travel into the past by gazing on a picture and its individual characters. The subject looks exciting enough as we read or write about it, but the execution on the screen is not convincing at all as it lacks all the thrills and edge of the seat treatment required by the plot. Nagesh seems to be interested in making an artistic thriller, with long boring scenes, uninspiring writing and lazy editing.

The story moves slowly with no worth mentioning scenes or sequences. Even the over publicized shot where Akshay jumps from a cliff into the water is amazingly canned but has no relevance at all with the narration or script. Akshay seems to be quite confused and doing his role without any conviction. There was also news of both director and actor facing tough times together shooting abroad. Sadly, that shows on the screen and also in Akshay's recent interviews given for the movie. The time gaps which occurred while making the movie may also be visible to the sharp enthusiastic bollywood fans. Interestingly the main picture in the movie, which has got all the focus gets easily caught as a reworked photograph with background pasted later.

In a suspense thriller, the climax holds the key to its success. The more interesting and shocking the last minute revelations are, more are the chances of movie hitting the bull's eye. Moreover in a murder mystery it is always better that the culprit should be from the characters known to the viewer. If a sudden new entrant is introduced to be the killer then it takes away all the shock value and results in an unimpressive climax. This is the problem with "8X10 Tasveer" where the finale is too lengthy and not powerful as expected.

Acting department has got Sharmila Tagore and Javed Jaffery at their best. Javed should have been given more comic freedom in his expressions by the director as that would have added a lot to the movie. Akshay is not in form as he is always. In many scenes it looks like he is deliberately stopping himself from doing a comedy act. Ayesha Takia looks cute but lacks the depth required for the role. Benjamin Gilani, Girish Karnad and Ananth Mahadevan are OK in their short roles. Cinematography is top rate, specially the chase and actions sequences. But its time our film makers should realize that usually songs are not meant to be there in thrillers and murder mysteries. All the songs are simply unwanted and not worth remembering also. On the other hand Background score is fine as per the demand of the subject.

Now about the Inspirational influences of the movie:

1. The camera view from the inside angle of an eye seems to be influenced from the movie "Being John Malkovich (1999)"

2. Akshay moving into the past and then people ready to bring him back with medical support is very close to the similar sequences in "Flatliners (1990)"

3. The movie poster with Akshay eyes staring in, has similarity to the poster of Anthony Hopkins brilliant movie "Instinct (1999)"

In the end I would only like to say that after watching "8X10 Tasveer", I came to one conclusion that, both the talented director, Nagesh and hugely successful actor, Akshay now urgently need to re-invent themselves once again.

A thriller that will keep one glued to the seat all the way through as it revolves around a man who has the ability to see the past and he uses it to help others, even though it can kill him.

Starring Akshaye Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, Anant Mahadevan, Javed Jaffrey, Pia Shah, Benjamin Gilani, Uttara Baokar and Rushad Rana, this thriller genre movie is directed and written by Nagesh Kukunoor.

Akshaye in such genre movies is always good and he has performed well but I must say that some are beginning to find his style a bit of a bore and he should not just stick to similar roles – he is capable of doing other roles and he should do them. Surprisingly, his co – star, Ayesha Takia, who I did not like in her previous movies, "De Taali" and "Sunday," has also performed well as was Javed Jaffrey, who has gone on to perform tremendously well after "Salaam Namaste" and also performed well in "Dhamaal." But what really made it better for me was to see two favourite actors of mine – Sharmila Tagore and Girish Karnad after such a long time. Director Nagesh Kukunoor has also done a good job of this and more so since this is his first thriller genre movie, though he was suppose to direct a movie based on the life of the late playback singer Kishore Kumar. However, I get the feeling that this has been shelved and it would be rather sad, not just because of me, being a fan of Kishore Kumar, but also having watched "K for Kishore" and knowing the amount of time that Nagesh Kukunoor must have spent on the sets listening to the participants and making comments, must have made it difficult for him.

The cinematography and especially the underwater sequence were breath taking and this will make one want to know what is going to happen next. The only negative side to this is that sometimes its quite predictable. On the whole, it is a movie that is worth watching.

What a good movie. Well acted, good suspense, keeps you guessing. Yes a bit on the supernatural but that's the fun! Ignore negative reviews, give it a go!

From this year, I have observed that the Hindi cinema is taking a new leaf, more realistic, strong scripted and less dreamy story line, all in all its good to watch some really good movies in 2009. Way to go Bollywood.....Coming to the movie, from the start it will take you inside more deeply with every scene and your mind starts to think what could be the end? I definitely say the direction is way too good and every time he goes into the picture, you urge for one more second to find out the suspense. However, the sound effects could be better.

Akshay has done a fantastic job i think he should have to look forward for some serious roles and just have to take a step back from his comedy stature. Javaid has fulfilled the character requirement and the rest are good. Ayesha Takia was'nt of much impact in her role. The movie is a good way to spend a Saturday night and believe me you will enjoy.