'Ready' - ATBB = All Time BlockBuster Pg.77 - Page 3

Entertainment | Film & Cinema

• 1Share

Dubai: When Bollywood hunk Salman Khan declared to reporters in Dubai that he's done with acting in bad films, he should have ideally added a clause– 'i.e after Ready'. A regressive love-story between Prem (Salman Khan) and Sanjana (Asin), the hero himself hits the nail on the head when he reprimands his side-kicks: "Right now, you guys look like villains from a cheap, B-grade Bollywood film". This line was Khan's attempt to raise their style bar, but his observation holds good for the entire film. A pot-boiler with loud-mouthed baddies, grating family-members who espouse values of togetherness and a simpering beauty is a part of this ensemble comedy.

It's clear from the very beginning that director Anees Bazmee was trying hard to ride on the steam generated by Khan's latest blockbuster Dabangg. But boy, does he fail. In certain scenes such as the climax, you are filled with a sense of dj vu as Khan roars, flies across the room to bash up the beefy giant villain, and ripping his tunic for better effect. In Dabangg such antics worked, because it had a decent storyline backing his actions. But to watch a 45-year-old Khan play a determined lover who promises to rescue his damsel from her greedy uncles who also happen to be underworld dons is as exciting as watching the grass grow.

And yes, the cheesy one-liners that are fast becoming Khan's trade-mark have been painfully inserted and resuscitated throughout the film. "In life you should never under-estimate three things: I. Me Myself," is one such war-cry.

The dialogue also borders on the dubious. Digest this: Prem's mother to Sanjana (in Hindi): "Even though you lived in America all your life, your Indian values are intact my child".

In case you are wondering what triggered that culture-centric compliment, it was a rather scheming Sanjana singing hymns at the crack of dawn to impress her potential in-laws. To be fair, Asin tries to inject some life into her badly-etched character, but her bad make-up and outdated costumes are a tad distracting. It almost makes you wonder whether she forgot to bring along her stylist and make-up man to work.

The chemistry between the lead-pair is almost non-existent. The scene where a chivalrous Prem rescues Sanjana when she hangs off a cliff, was intended to be steamy but came off as the funniest sequence ever.
Watch it only if you are filled with an all-consuming love for the matinee idol Khan.

The rest, be warned: You will never be ready for this one.

http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/film/you-will-never-be-ready-for-this-one-1.816661