Mr. X

Don't jump out of your skin to find a reptilian like guy hitting on a pretty girl and wins her heart instead of experiencing a brief history of pain from the back of her hand. Yes! We are talking about Emraan Hashmi !!!Save your face-palm act for later as we have numerous such examples in bollywood and what's more disappointing is that they never give up. Such movies extend the credibility gap by portraying those girls as willfully offering to indulge in carnal acts with such atrocities. Majority would question that if it were some kind of legal Euthanasia? Even you may want to slit your own throat before watching such ugly duckling get lucky again, but believe me that is his USP (Even you might have secretly wished to switch roles with him).

Storyline: Raghu(Emraan Hashmi) a short stature cop from Mumbai police was assigned to protect the CM. He proved himself worthy of it by successfully terminating a terrorist who had hijacked a roadways bus, while leaving the tough job of diffusing the bomb to the girl. Thereafter, Raghu fell into the trap of his ambitious senior(Arunoday Singh) who sets him up to kill the CM. Hah! child's play! Raghu does the job in a jiffy. Now to ensure a clean job the senior(Arunoday Singh) had to wipe out the loose ends by killing E.H. restoring the law and order back. (You must have seen this part in -Phir bhi Dil hai Hindustani)

What I like about Mahesh Bhatt is how easily he slaps on the face of any logic one could ever come across. His new anti-radiation drug could make anybody disappear by its mere ingestion. Moreover such scientific breakthrough drug was being tested in a roadside company with practically no security at all. Yeah, burn those obsolete schoolbooks and join Bhatt classes on IIN instead; his daughter had already topped IIM's in "two states" and I am sure most of us have seen that flick too. The experimental drug was carelessly tossed in a beverage refrigerator of that company and was in easy access to any Tom, Dick or Harry. The Doctor easily transported it out of the company and was pretty confident while delivering it to Raghu, maybe she also wanted him to give up the ghost.

One can assess her level of confidence when she explained that the drug was not tested even on lab mice. But much to her dismay the lecher disappeared immediately after its consumption as a side effect to that drug. F***ing nemesis !!! He could only be seen under UV radiation now..Wow ! How ? Bravo Bhatts ...I wanna kick you butts . But on the other hand this discovery solves the riddle of invisible audiences who are occupying most of the seats for this Movie. Verdict: (Vanished) /10

I usually abstain myself from rating a film 0%, but earlier this year Roy (2015) and then Ek Paheli Leela (2015) forced me to go ahead with naught. Vikram Bhatt's latest experiment also falls in the same category.

With a feeble opening sequence, the film begins to confirms its audience's nightmare by constructing a make-believe story on a clumsy and baseless plot. Raghu (Hashmi) is an officer with the anti- terrorist squad who is cheated by his own men and eventually murdered. Only, to find that he's not really dead, but invisible; and helping him in becoming undead is, no prize for guessing, none other than the Almighty. Now, as absurd as it sounds, the writers flounder with the most basic factor involved in a sci-fi setup like this - they fail to distinguish between science and God. And we end up wondering - was it God that made him invisible or science? And if you choose to watch this (which I am advocating you not to), that should be the one thing you must try to find out, for there is not much excitement anywhere else.

There is dub-step music for revelers if they feel like getting up in between the movie and dance. The dialogs are pure terrible with some examples that goes like "...nahi, tum kanoon mat todo..." as if justice is a ceramic plate, or "...jab science ko kuch pata nahi hota, to samaj lo wo Bhagwan hai..." While Emraan Hashmi is the showman, he clearly does what he was told and I am not much of a fan of his script- choosing abilities. His co-actor Amyra Dastur should have packed her bags the day she was cast opposite Prateik Babbar in her debut film. She CANNOT act. Period.

In addition, the CGI makes Jaani Dushman (2002) look like a masterpiece. There is no single source of entertainment in this film that one could possibly extract. With scenes copied from Badshah (1999) and The Italian Job (2003), Mr. X should be shoveled right into where most films of the Bhatt clan go: the overfilled dustbin.

BOTTOM LINE: I cannot be more critical than this and if you still decide to watch it, then let Mr. X save you. 0/10 - fail.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Vikram Bhatt's 'Mr. X' rides on an interesting premise, that had tremendous potential to become a solid Sci-Fi Thriller, but what is eventually served here, is bland.

'Mr. X' Synopsis: After gaining the power of invisibility; a man becomes a vigilante, in order to take revenge on those who have wronged him.

'Mr. X' doesn't make use of its blockbuster storyline. The Screenplay is problematic & unconvincing. The Screenplay has a few good moments initially, but just drops later-on. You don't root or feel for the Protagonist in his quest for revenge.

Vikram Bhatt's Direction is below average. Cinematography is fair. Editing is zigzag. Music is the sole saving grace. Special Effects are ordinary.

Performance-Wise: Emraan Hashmi is strictly okay, delivering a very ordinary performance. Amyra Dastur looks gorgeous, but that's about it! Arunoday Singh is better. He holds on his own as the villain. Funnyman Tanmay Bhat is unimpressive.

On the whole, 'Mr. X' doesn't work.

Nothing great can be expected from the Bhatts these days. Still I gave Mr.X a try considering Emraan Hashmi's acting and it being promoted as a science fiction. Forget science-fiction this movie defies your logic. The screenplay feels like it has been written for people with single digit IQ. Raghu (Emraan Hashmi) works in anti- terrorism department with his girlfriend Seeya (Amyra Dastur). He is framed for murder of CM and then presumed to be killed by the bad guys who set it up (who actually work for the anti-terrorist dept. itself!?!). But the hero lives and helped by some unknown doctor giving him some drug. This induces some reaction making him invisible. Bravo! The hero is set, time to beat the bad guys! There is absolutely zero science here and all we get is fill of ho-hum. The action is worse so is the crappy CGI! The dialogues are pathetic and even Emraan Hashmi couldn't save this ride. Not at all recommended.

RATING: [0.5/5]

Mr X review :

He is an ATS cop livin' in with his junior colleague. The lovers crack down on terrorists and make out during their spare time. Life's pretty wham bam (pun unintended) for the couple until Mr. Cop becomes victim of a conspiracy, gets burnt in a chemical factory, emerges as an invisible entity and rechristens himself Mr. X. Directed by Vikram Bhatt for his family banner (Vishesh Films) and featuring their in- house protege Emraan Hashmi as You-know-who, the film is a latest interpretation of the invisible man.

If the attempt was one upmanship on Shekhar Kapur's 1987 classic 'Mr India' or an Indianised 'Hollow man' (2001), regret to inform that X comes nowhere close to them. At most, it gets better than RGVs unbearable 'Gaayab' (2005) which had an invisible Tusshar Kapoor doing unmentionables to Antara Mali.

Of the cast, Emraan Hashmi plays the lead with a feel that he can do such roles in his sleep now. Newcomer Amyra Dastur is easy on the eyes but falls flat on the acting front. Still, she fares better than Arunoday Singh who makes a laughing stock of his ATS chief character. He deserves applause for providing unintentional LOL moments in serious situations something even Tanmay Bhat (of 'All India Bakchod' defame), the supposed comedian of the piece isn't able to pull off.

The dialogues are stale. Lyrics contrived. And the music unsatisfactory. The conspiracy plot is borrowed from SRK starrer 'Baadshah' (1998), transformation to invisibility has a 'Hollow man' hangover and the vigilante hero resembles 'Mr. India'. Situations are specially created for item numbers and smooch sessions.

The only positive aspects are the VFX and 3D effects worked within a low budget, something Vikram Bhatt has mastered over the years ('Haunted', 2011 and 'Raaz 3D') and he doesn't disappoint on this front!

One thing certain, Emraan Hashmi needs to shed his repetitive acts film after film and re-invent himself at the earliest. He's clearly not enjoying himself in such mediocre enterprises now and the disinterest shows on screen. As a film reviewer, I may be sounding harsh and judgemental, but trust me sir, the audience can be more cruel!!

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.