eBolly's Movie Reviews
TATHASTU
- by Viral Bhayani (eBolly.com)
More worries for Sanjay Dutt
Director:Anubhav Sinha
Producer: Nitin Manmohan
Music:Vishal Shekhar
Starring:Sanjay Dutt, Ameesha Patel, Jaya Prada, Gulshan Grover, master Yash Pathak
Our lives are full of worries and at the end of day when watching a movie like this, it adds to it! Maybe not, when you watched a brilliantly crafted John Q starring Denzil Washington. Now our Anubhav Sinnha rented the DVD and tried remaking the same desi style.
Strictly for TV viewing, this movie has a good story though a week screen play. The premises of the film holds good till some time, but then you realize its heading where. The only surprise comes our way when Sanjay Dutt decides to hijack the hospital. But the audience in dejected and feels like nabbing the director and asking him few questions.
The Plot:
Thathastu
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Ameesha Patel, Jaya Prada, Gulshan Grover.
The Indian version of Denzel Washington starrer John Q has Sanjay Dutt playing a factory worker. He is married to Amisha Patel and has an eight-year-old son (Yash Pathak). One day, the son falls while playing cricket. Medical diagnosis reveals a hole in his heart, but he does not respond to the treatment. Unfortunately for the father, his office and the insurance company all refuse help. Desperate, armed with a gun, he takes the hospital hostage to get a new heart for his son. Despite a good doctor (Jaya Prada) and a good cop (Gulshan Grover) supporting him, the father still has to fight a corrupt system. Whether he succeeds in saving his son forms the crux of Tathastu.
The Verdict
Why they heck would an ordinary factory worker get his child to an expensive heart hospital. Though emotionally you feel it is possible but later you feel no mercy for Sanjay Dutt as he could shift his child to another hospital sponsored by charitable institutes.
The only reason you want to watch this film is Sanjay Dutt. Like an extension to his Pitaah by Mahesh Manjrekar, he plays a caring and loving father brilliantly. Sanjay Dutt would have got a killer movie this year perhaps if this movie slightly modified with good direction and definitely not with Amisha Patel.
Amisha does not do any justice to a middle class house wife. Her hair colored, puffed make up look and from the look of her face, it did not look as if she was suffering from her child’s death concern. Amisha’s dialogue delivery too is trashy and she needed a lot more homework to do this role. For a change, Amisha must start being an actress and not herself as when she cried – the audience laughs!
Actors like Darshan Jairwala and Anoop Soni shine in this film. They play their roles well and make it look real and believable. Gulshan Grover was as usual good.
The background score by Vishal Shekahar is quite effective and will be enjoyed in a theatre or a surround system at home.
One of the most important scene which is of the hijack looked fake enough to lose your interest. Looks like the scenes were canned as if they wanted to rush and complete it. Small minute details needed to be checked when shooting such important roles.
On the whole, good attempt and worth watching for Sanjay Dutt. If not in theatres, not worth missing it on your TV or rented DVD.