All Movie Reviews: 8x10 Tasveer

By Taran Adarsh, April 3, 2009 - 11:56 IST

Nagesh Kukunoor enters a new zone with 8 x 10 TASVEER: Suspense-thriller. His choice of the genre and subject material is also right. Yet, 8 x 10 TASVEER goes wrong, horribly wrong.

Now what was that? This is one question that haunts you at the end of the show. And, seriously, you want to direct this question to Kukunoor, who is also credited as the writer of this film.

Okay, let's dissect... The concept is interesting. The atmosphere is perfect. The mystery deepens with each passing minute. Just when you thought that Kukunoor had pulled it off, a twist in the tale pulls the carpet off your feet. The film crumbles and the impression generated by some brilliantly executed sequences evaporate into thin air.

For any whodunit to succeed, it ought to hold your interest till the very last frame. Most importantly, the answers raised in the screenplay have to be convincing and justified. But 8 x 10 TASVEER gets unbearable towards the penultimate 20-25 minutes. When the mask is taken off the killer's face, you are surprised. But the reasons that compelled him to act that way are childish. What happened, Mr. Kukunoor?

To cut a long story short, this tasveer is out of focus!

8 x 10 TASVEER is about Jai [Akshay Kumar], who possesses supernatural powers. Jai is of Indian origin who works as a forest ranger in Canada. His life is shattered by a loss of an important person in his life - his father [Benjamin Gilani]. This personal tragedy leads him to use his unique supernatural powers to unravel the mystery.

Now let's get to the root of the problem: The discrepancies in the script. Of course, 8 x 10 TASVEER is a whodunit and it would be sacrilege to reveal the end or the identity of the killer, but the reasons that compel the murderer to commit crime after crime are unbelievable and far from convincing.

The moment the truth is out in the open, from that point onwards, the writer doesn't have convincing answers to offer. There are so many gaps that remain wide open till the end.

Nagesh Kukunoor goes two steps ahead as a technician, but five steps behind as a storyteller. The film has been shot stylishly and the breath-taking locales of Canada and South Africa only give the film a picture perfect look. But the screenplay is faulty. So faulty that you exit the auditorium with questions and more questions in your mind. The outcome fails to convince.

Vikas Sivaraman's cinematography is top notch. The locales are splendid and the DoP has captured them with lan. There's no scope for music in the film and the three songs [opening titles, romantic song and end credits] are passable. The background score [Salim-Sulaiman] is electrifying.

Akshay pitches in a sincere performance. 8 x 10 TASVEER is a complete departure from the kind of films the actor is popular for and it only goes to prove that he's ready to experiment. Ayesha is natural. Sharmila Tagore is graceful. Jaaved Jaaferi is first-rate. Girish Karnad, Benjamin Gilani, Ananth Mahadevan and Rushaad Rana are perfect in their respective roles.

On the whole, 8 x 10 TASVEER disappoints. The film goes wrong, in fact horribly wrong, in the penultimate 20-25 minutes, which is the lifeline of any suspense-thriller. Nagesh Kukunoor has missed the bus this time!

1.5/5


http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/13783/index.html

Tasveer: Movie Review

3 Apr 2009, 1623 hrs IST, Gaurav Malani, INDIATIMES MOVIES

Director: Nagesh Kukunoor

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia

Rating: *

The hero of this film has a mystique ability to gaze at photographs and visualize immediate happenings after the picture was clicked. How one wishes the viewer had similar superpowers of seeing scenes from this film by just gaping at its poster thereby avoiding foreseeable hazard.

Jai (Akshay Kumar) is a forest officer in Canada who snoozes at the sight of snaps, his pulse rate drops and blood from his body evaporates in thin air. All this to envision the future tense of the clicked image! The director however chooses to impose the action image of Akshay Kumar over explaining the supernatural gift of this character. So as Jai jumps off cliffs, the film begins to slide down from start.

Just when you expect the film to open up as a supernatural thriller through Jai's vision, Nagesh Kukunoor changes your viewpoint turning the film into a conventional who-dun-it murder mystery drama. His father drowns to death and Jai smells (rather sees) something fishy. A self-appointed detective (Javed Jaffrey) strongly believes the death to be a murder though there isn't the weakest of evidence implying so.

To avoid additional efforts to script an intriguing crime thriller, Kukunoor opts the easy way out of employing Jai's photographic foresight to unearth clues for cracking the case. Jai stares at a foursome photo clicked just before his father's death and envisages the ensuing death scene through each person's version and vision, falling in momentary naps. By the time he dozes for the fourth time, the viewer is already in slumber.

Habitually, you ignore the usual suspects and expect the unsuspected person to be the killer. While you aren't wrong on that front, Kukunoor attempts to add an extra twist with the killer's identity which falls flat terribly. The climax is agonizingly stretched and beyond acceptance.

The basic idea of visualizing through photographs was interesting enough but unfortunately Nagesh Kukunoor lacked the vision of exploiting it effectively. Despite the suspense genre, there are no tense or thrilling moments and the screenplay has a lax and laidback approach. Rather redundant scenes are filmed to accommodate brand endorsements of concealed camera and security locks that are not key to the plot.

The performances stand by the title, Tasveer – still and ineffective. After long you see Akshay Kumar in a non-comic character but he doesn't impress much. Not because of the image-change but for the bland story. Ayesha Takia seems on a Canadian holiday. Javed Jaffrey gives a few redeeming moments in his half-baked character and full-on Hyderabadi accent.

Reportedly Nagesh Kukunoor appealed critics to not divulge the ending of the film in their reviews. The question is how many will actually sit till the end.

The film neither works as a murder mystery nor as an X-File kinda supernatural thriller. Tasveer just doesn't click with the viewer!

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Media--Entertainment-/Tasveer-Movie-Review/articleshow/4355324.cms

REVIEW: 8x10 Tasveer

A sincere Akshay tries hard to rise above this painfully slow, confusing film

By Anand Vaishnav . Buzz18 Apr 03, 2009

If Neil Nitin Mukesh could use a bunch of photographs to peek into the future, Akshay Kumar does just the reverse. In Nagesh Kukunoor's 8x10 Tasveer, Akshay possesses a power to go back in time, simply by staring at a photograph.

The mysterious death of his father prompts Akshay to search for clues in the past. Given his special powers, Akshay's only lead is an 8x10 still of his father and the suspects. With this photograph, Akshay repeatedly goes back in time to unravel the mystery and identify the real culprit.

Director Nagesh Kukunoor uses the famed and much abused Rashomon effect - giving his viewers multiple perspectives of the same incident. Unfortunately his characters are too stereotyped to create any feeling of suspense. A jealous brother, lawyer friend, depressed wife and a sly business partner – we have seen these usual suspects in countless murder mysteries.

Maybe that's why the writers throw up a sudden surprise in the climax. But this forced element of mystery is far from shocking. It is laughable, comical and confuses the viewer even more than he already is.

Nagesh has sent out emails requesting critics not to reveal the end. But one seriously wonders what convinced the talented director to introduce such a wobbly tangent in his story. Had 8x10 Tasveer stuck to a linear narrative it wouldn't have been such a bad watch after all. It's all the unnecessary twists and turns that take the film downhill with each passing minute.

8x10 Tasveer suffers big-time on accounts of its pace. Race was also packed with forced twists - but it moved at such a brisk pace that the viewer had little time to think. This movie is painfully slow for all its 120 minutes. In fact even Jodhaa Akbar's four hours felt shorter in comparison.

Kukunoor treats 8x10 Tasveer like a Manoj N Shyamalan film. The suburban North American houses, eerie woods and dysfunctional protagonists remind you of The Signs and Happening. Even poor Akshay Kumar is saddled with a Mel Gibson-Mark Whalberg like perplexed expression throughout the film. Yet like most of Shyamalan's recent works, 8x10 Tasveer is a tiresome and boring experience.

Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad and Ananth Mahadevan are all given thankless parts sans any back stories or logical progression. Javed Jaffrey does well in his cameo as the absent-minded cop - providing some relief to the dull proceedings.

Eventually Akshay Kumar is the only positive you take back from the film. Widely accused of being repetitive, Akshay is unusually restrained in a set up that is unlike any of his other work. And despite his unflattering presentation, Akshay oozes sincerity. The slight gray streak to his character in the climax shows you just how much untapped potential lies beneath the Khiladi. This was a great opportunity, completely blown up by Nagesh's direction.

One wonders if all the confusion on Akshay's face was for real - as he might be wondering just what the hell his director was getting him into. When Nagesh made Hyderabad Blues, it pioneered the trend of small budget, innovative films. He followed it up a number of equally interesting ideas. But with time, Nagesh seems to have lost that innovative streak, as big budgets seem to have clouded his vision. And that's why his latest work 8x10 Tasveer lacks both clarity and focus.

Verdict: 8x10 Tasveer is neither a gripping murder mystery nor a riveting supernatural thriller. In an attempt to blend the two genres, the makers serve up one hotchpotch of a film.

Rating: 1.5/5

http://buzz18.in.com/reviews/movies/review-8x10-tasveer/125192/1

8x10 Tasveer Movie Review

April 3, 2009 3:56:47 PM IST
By Martin D'Souza, Bollywood Trade News Network

Nagesh Kukunoor gives this flick a super Hollywood feel and manages to pull off a slick thriller. But I have a problem with the end, which escalates, or should I say degenerates to a climax of a typical Bollywood masala film. But this is not to deny the finesse with which this film has been captured on camera and the climax when the murderer is revealed. But you pretty much guess the involvement of one of the characters in the film.

Akshay Kumar is shattered by an incident, which takes place when he is perhaps eight years old. Deeply traumatized he absorbs the power of venturing into a photograph to understand what could have transpired, thus helping many who come to him for help when the police have failed. He now has the unenviable task of venturing into a photograph, clicked just moments before his father could die, to find out whether it was murder or natural death. His journey to unravel the mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat.

What the incident was that moved him to these powers is vaguely shown, and you realize towards the end that it was not a convincing shot because his parents were not at all shattered by that huge loss. In fact, it looks like a picnic out when the tragedy was colossal. I will not divulge what the tragedy was, because that would mean giving the story away. But I have a question for Kukunoor. How could you show such a tragic incident so nonchalantly? I mean, we as an audience think it is the loss of a football, when the fact is little Jai (Akshay Kumar's) world has come crashing down. And his parents, I mean they do not even acknowledge the loss, or were they not told of the scene you were canning? Even the hospital scene where Akshay is helped by a staff on duty for a blood transfusion in a storeroom is not happening.

Akshay Kumar as a forest officer in Canada is convincing and so is his performance. No tomfoolery here. There's not much for anyone else to do, with the exception of Jaaved Jaffery who impresses in his role as a cop. The action sequences are slickly shot and the camera moves delightfully capturing every thrill. The background score is fantastic. If only Kukunoor had been more open about the sequence in the flashback, the finale would have been well received. I mean, the audience is no dodo. Or perhaps he had no faith in his script that he had to indulge in a vague hotchpotch of a plot (read flashback) to come up with the climax.

What Kukunoor was looking for was the climax of Wolfgang Petersen's 1991 thriller, SHATTERED. That climax was out of this world.

Having said that, this movie does thrill and chill.

Rating - 2.5/5

http://www.glamsham.com/movies/reviews/03-8x10-tasveer-movie-review-040906.asp

am i seeing doubles.. LOL..

Originally posted by: pksanam

am i seeing doubles.. LOL..

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bollywood/1155822/tasveer-movie-review

The very fact that Nagesh Kukunoor is directing a thriller is more than enough to go to watch 8 x 10 Tasveer. The director of critically acclaimed Hyderabad Blues and Iqbaal is back with a bang after his previous disappointing film, Bombay to Bangkok.

8 x 10 Tasveer is about Jai (Akshay Kumar), who has a natural ability to travel into past with the help of pictures. He uses this power to unfold the mystery of his father's death. And this leads to very interesting moments and some great cinema.

Hero of the film, Nagesh

The concept is very interesting and Nagesh pulled it off very well. He had the vision to direct this movie unlike many directors who lack the vision to pull off an interesting concept. It is because of his sincere efforts that movie is worth watching. He has done his homework and he has made sure that you won't leave the hall before the end. Two thumbs up for his direction.

But, Nagesh somewhat disappoints in the script department. 8 x 10 Tasveer takes its own time to grasp you completely and initial 20 minutes of the first half are responsible for it. Honestly, the first half is weak and juvenile dialogues don't help either. But, the second half is the USP of the movie.

The climax of the movie can be disappointing for some of you but the majority in the hall liked it. There were claps during the last 20 minutes and to honest, I have mixed feelings about the climax.

I've one complaint against him and that is shameless brand advertising of "Godrej" in the movie. I mean, come on, this looks really cheap and kills the whole fun. You can earn money from the tickets, don't do it in your next movie.

Technical Department

8 x 10 Tasveer is technically perfect. Mostly shot in Canada, movie looks great with some awesome visuals. Cinematography of Vikas Sivaraman is top notch and he has left no stones unturned. And this brings us to music department.

There are only 3 songs, "Nazaara Hai" in the opening credits, "Kuchh Is Tarah" used as background song and "I Got The Picture" in the credits. Nazaara Hai is my favorite of all the three, primarily because of Vishal's superb singing.

The background score by Salim-Sulaiman is prodigious. It is perfect of the movie and plays a vital role in setting up the mood of the film. Good job, Salim-Sulaiman.

The Actors

To be very frank, I'm disappointed from Akshay Kumar. The intensity, the charisma, and the sincerity which we see in his other films were clearly missing in 8 x 10 Tasveer. This movie was a perfect opportunity to prove himself as a great actor but he clearly missed it. He is carrying almost a single expression throughout the movie. The scenes which involve waking up from sleep or shocks of nightmares were poorly executed by him. I expected a lot from you, Akshay.

Other actors such as Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Benjamin Gilani, Ananth Mahadevan and Rushaad Rana were alright in their small roles. Javed Jaffrey who plays the detective in the movie deserves a special mention. He provides a comedy element in the movie and he does it gracefully.

And what's with the Canadian actors? None of them knew ABC of acting. Please go for professional actors so that these amateurs don't kill the fun. And honestly, the actors involved in the initial 20 minutes were partly responsible for the weak first half.

Verdict

8 x 10 Tasveer is a great thriller and a technically perfect film. The hero of the movie, indubitably, is Nagesh Kukunoor. 8 x 10 Tasveer works because of his direction and vision. Akshay Kumar has wasted a wonderful opportunity to prove himself. Considering, there are no releases in the next two three weeks due to Producers – Multiplex war, 8 x 10 has an amiable chance to score at the box office. It is one of the best movies to come out in 2009. A big thumbs up, go watch it!

Rating - ***

http://thenewsdose.com/2009/04/03/8-x-10-tasveer-movie-review/

Originally posted by: pksanam

am i seeing doubles.. LOL..

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bollywood/1155822/tasveer-movie-review

aww man, i wasted my energy on flop(critical) movie 😆

Originally posted by: Zareena

aww man, i wasted my energy on flop(critical) movie 😆