Special 26 reviews & discussion thread. Index Pg1 - Page 25

Originally posted by: K.Sean

Honestly saying it doesn't really matter me how S26 is not earning as much atm.. ABCD looks like a great movie and finally a movie based on dance! I might be a fan of Akshay Kumar but at the same time, hiphop is my passion.

And I don't know why this seems like a surprise to some people, this movie wasn't really made for the masses which was obvious from the trailers! I mean I am pretty sure if it was something like K786 or H2 it would have got a better opening but it isn't. The praises Akshay is getting for this one is enough to make me happy :)

pecial 26 Movie Review by Indicine critic Joginder Tuteja

Expectations met

Brilliant. Simply brilliant. This is what you end up saying even before end credits start rolling for 'Special 26'. A film that goes beyond expectations, 'Special 26' is what ends up as a highly entertaining film that keeps you on the edge of the seat (many films promise that, this one does) right till the very finale. In the times when one continues to draw parallel with Hollywood films when it comes to heist thrillers and con games, 'Special 26' turns out to be an indigenous piece of cinema that manages to create it's own space.

Special 26 Review

What worked

In this endeavour of director Neeraj Pandey, his 'special' actors completely go with his vision. Akshay Kumarunderplays his part, Anupam Kher changes colour like a chameleon while Jimmy Sheirgill doesn't mind taking a step back but still stay in the game. In the middle of them all, Manoj Bajpayee creates a zone for himself. With an eclectic mix of characters contributing to the script, Pandey ensures that the roller coaster ride keeps the audience guessing without confusing them.

It is this very fun element that ensures that you do chuckle, break into loud laughter and at quite a few places, especially in the second half, even come up with claps and applause. Whether it is the sequences featuring raids or the entire recruitment drive that Akshay and Kher come up with or the 'Indian Idol' kind of auditions that happen for the open CBI posts or the manner in which Bajpayee gets his sleuths in place to prevent a robbery, you are totally glued to the proceedings while also ignoring any distraction whatsoever.

What could have been avoided

What does distract though is the entire love track. Completely unwarranted and only turning out to be an interruption, especially in the first half where a couple of back to back songs as well as few 'almost silent' scenes featuring Akshay and Kajal bring the pace down, they could have been better off the film in entirety. Thankfully Pandey manages to keep it all short instead of filling in this space.

What keeps the momentum on

To his credit though, he ensures that the space and platform provided to him is well utilised. 'Special 26' is one film which can well be tagged as a true blue period film. 80s is reflected beautifully, right from the hoardings to the traffic on the roads to the billboards to the political references to communication channels to the offices to the whole language, milieu and overall surroundings – Just awesome!

A major player in this whole game who keeps the momentum up is the background score that has been composed by veteran Surender Sodhi. He elevates the film to a different level altogether with an eclectic 70s style score that reminds of Amitabh Bachchan's 'The Great Gambler', 'Parwana' and 'Don' to name a few.

Special Chabbis Movie Review

The 'special' actors

Actors make sure that 'Special 26' never gets into a frivolous zone even once. Akshay never ever allows his stardom to come in the way of the film in even a single scene. Anupam Kher, despite an experience of around 350 films, can count this as one of his Top-10 performances till date. Manoj has a huge role to play and he does exceedingly well, as is expected from him. Jimmy justifies his presence and is important to the film. Kajal is fine in her limited part. Rajesh Sharma and Kishore Kadam provide support as the script demands. Divya Dutta has just one dialogue that she repeats throughout and that too for a reason.

The final word

Right from the opening sequences where a raid is conducted at the house of a politician to a similar, but highly effective sequence that follows in Kolkata, you know that director Neeraj Pandey is playing his game well. He teases the audience, engages them, indulges them and keeps the door open for the story to even demand a sequel.

Oh yes, we are waiting for the story to unfold further, like it was yesterday. Bring it on Neeraj, Akshay, Kher saab, Manoj, Jimmy and the team!

As for the commercial returns, 'Special 26' comes with the kind of strength and power which should allow it to see major growth on a day to day basis. Even though the film's opening isn't in line with the likes of a quintessential biggie Bollywood entertainer, it has in it to follow the route of the likes of 'OMG – Oh My God!' & 'Kahaani' and in turn emerge victorious.

Rating:

Greed is good

Special Chabbis

Rating:

February 08, 2013

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Rajesh Sharma, Kishore Kadam, Manoj Bajpayee, Jimmy Shergill, Divya Dutta

Director: Neeraj Pandey

That director Neeraj Pandey knows a thing or two about tension is evident from his previous film, A Wednesday, that crackling vigilante thriller from 2008. This time, he builds drama and a sense of urgency in Special Chabbis, about a group of conmen who posed as CBI officers in the eighties and did daring heists across the country through fake raids.

Truth is stranger than fiction, and so Special Chabbis is based on real events. The title itself is derived from a bold, daylight heist that took place in 1987 at a famous jewelry store in Opera House, Mumbai, that shocked the diamond trade. To pull it off, a team of 26 fake CBI officers were recruited by this group to assist them in making off with lakhs worth of jewelry.

In the film, Akshay Kumar is Ajay, the leader of this band of four conmen that includes Sharma, his right-hand man, played by Anupam Kher, and two nondescript cohorts, played by Rajesh Sharma and Kishore Kadam. The group targets rich businessmen and corrupt ministers, and their modus operandi is to pretend to be CBI officers on a raid. By intimidating their victims, they make off with black money hoarded away. Of course, the fear of a bad reputation ensures that these victims never file FIRs against the group. However, the law tends to catch up with the scamsters soon enough, when the real CBI is hot on their heels, led by upright and driven officer Wasim Khan, played by Manoj Bajpai. His plan is to nab Ajay and his gang right when they are executing their one last heist at that jewelry store in Mumbai.

Special Chabbis works on account of its meaty, realistic plot and nicely fleshed out characters. This is solid, assured filmmaking, evident in the meticulous detailing of its 80s production design. The film charms you with its subtle humor, through characters played by Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta – two cops conned into helping our fake CBI officers during a sham raid. These sequences in particular liven up the story, as does the portion where the gang interviews unsuspecting job-seekers to form their team for the big heist.

If the film falters occasionally, blame it on the pacing; the first half feels particularly stretched out because of the needless songs that act as speed-bumps in the way of a smooth narrative. Thankfully the reliable performances keep you consistently engaged. Manoj Bajpayee is a worthy adversary for the gang, and he gives the character gravitas, even though his face seems frozen into a scowl. Anupam Kher, playing Sharma, a nervous wreck when he isn't pretending to be a CBI officer, gets the tone just right. Kajal Agarwal keeps it real as the girl next door who falls for Ajay, and their romance is sweet. But it's Akshay Kumar who sets the tone for this adventure – he's wonderfully understated as the leader of this gang who's constantly thinking on his feet, and it's fun to see him brazenly conduct the raids with an as-yet-unseen panache.🥳

I'm going with three and a half out of five for director Neeraj Pandey's Special Chabbis. Infusing humor into tense scenes, he gives us a delicious thriller that you don't want to miss.

Originally posted by: StevieG786