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By Taran
Adarsh, August 3, 2007 - 13:12 IST
 Okay, Anubhav Sinha unleashes his heist saga today --
CASH. Come to think of it, CASH is very similar to DUS.
A plethora of stars, stunning locales/visuals, an
energetic musical score and stylized action. CASH goes
a step further -- it has animation too!
Sinha has mastered the craft and garnishes CASH well,
but as you begin to savor the taste, you realize that
the recipe isn't perfect. Perhaps, writers Yash-Vinay
had the right intentions of making a chor-sipahi
kahani, but the writing is just not convincing.
Where does the problem lie? Not with Anubhav Sinha,
for the director is, without doubt, one of the most
stylish narrators in Bollywood. The choice of subject
is also right, but the writing lacks the meat to
mesmerize the viewer. Clearly, the screenplay is the
villain here!
To sum up, you expect a sangam of style and substance
in CASH, but what you eventually get is style, style
and only style!
CASH is a thriller set in Cape Town, South Africa.
The film revolves around an ace con artist [Ajay
Devgan], who hires a set of topnotch robbers [Esha
Deol, Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza and Ritesh Deshmukh] to
steal a set of priceless diamonds in South Africa.
The group also faces a threat from underworld don [Suniel
Shetty], who is after the same diamonds and also the
Head of Security [Shamita Shetty]. How these three
groups manage to thwart each other forms the rest of
the story.
 CASH bears an uncanny resemblance to some films. The
concept of a guy hiring professionals to execute a
plan brings back memories of SHOLAY. There's an
uncanny resemblance with DHOOM 2 as far as the stylish
stunts are concerned. Also, a number of individuals
wanting to lay their hands on the priceless diamonds
take you to SHALIMAR.
It's not blasphemous to be inspired by any film, past
or present, but what the writers ought to know by now
is that there has to be a riveting story at the end of
the day. What you take back as a viewer is only style.
The writing is unenergetic in the first hour, but the
second hour, you've to admit, is far more absorbing.
The marked currency notes and also the chase by the
cops [Ritesh, Esha, with Zayed atop the speeding car]
are pulse-pounding.
Director Anubhav Sinha does make a 'good looking
film', but the writing curtails it from being called
an engrossing saga. If Sinha deserves brownie points
for making a visually enticing movie, all you want to
remind him is that the viewer wants to listen to an
absorbing story at the end of the day. As the captain
of the ship, he should've ensured that Yash-Vinay gave
him a smart screenplay that compliments his skills.
Anthony Stone's stunts are topnotch. A
never-seen-before experience on the Hindi screen.
Vishal-Shekhar's music is trendy and the visuals and
choreography supporting the tracks make you exclaim
'Wow'. Ravi Walia's cinematography is mesmeric. The
film bears a striking look all through. Dialogues are
well-worded at times.
 Ajay Devgan is not in form this time around. He looks
unenergetic… something is missing! Suniel Shetty gets
to play a role he has visited a few times in the past.
Zayed Khan is strictly okay. The real scene stealer is
Ritesh Deshmukh. Very confident and easy-going, he's
sure to walk away with ceetees and taalis.
Shamita Shetty stands out. Esha suffers due to sketchy
characterization. Also, her make-up makes her face
look hard. Dia is far more appealing and enacts her
part well. Ayesha Takia adds to the star-value.
On the whole, CASH has style, but rests on a thin plot
and that is its biggest flaw. At the box-office, the
film might attract the audience in its initial
weekend, but a weak script will throw a spanner.
Rating:- * *
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