Review: Bang Bang

Bang Bang!
Directed by Siddharth Anand
Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Danny Denzongpa
3 stars
Is Bang Bang! one of those intelligent, thought-provoking films that Bollywood sometimes surprises us with? No. This is something you discover in the very first scene, where Abu Dhabi is passed off as - wait for it - London. So sit back, switch off your brain and enjoy the ride.
The plot is simple enough: the Kohinoor, a precious Indian diamond that was shipped off to England during Queen Victoria's reign (this is true), has been stolen from the Tower of London. The thief (Hrithik Roshan) is now on the run, taking with him a pretty, young bank receptionist (Katrina Kaif, in her most annoying character yet) who has unwittingly been drawn into the mess.
But there's more to the crime than meets the eye, including a dead brother, the ISS (the fictitious Internal Security Service) and, at the centre of it all, the dashing Danny Denzongpa, who is No 1 on Interpol's most-wanted list.
Despite a couple of twists that never quite dovetail, Bang Bang! is fast-paced and great on the eye. It is also is Roshan's film all the way through. Handsome and witty, dangerous and romantic, he manages to get out of the hairiest situations by the skin of his teeth and is only slowed down by the insipid Kaif. In fact, towards the end, when everyone's trying to shoot each other's heads off, you can't help but wish that one of the gazillion bullets flying around will hit her.
To everyone who gave this film a bad review: boo-hoo. Bang Bang! was marketed as a masala movie - what else did you expect, given the title? - and has all the necessary ingredients: great music by Vishal and Shekhar, slick dance sequences, in-your-face action, and several exotic locations, including our very own Abu Dhabi.
No Shakespeare remake, this, but you'll get your money's worth. In Hindi, that's called paisa vasool.