Mumbai Xpress – Way above the ordinary

Rating:- ***

A three-member gang [Vijay Raaz and his friends] had a plan, an ingenious one at that, of kidnapping a millionaire's [Sourabh Shukla] son from his school. They needed one more man. They come across Avinash (Kamal Haasan) who has a strange professional name: Mumbai Xpress. Unfortunately, the kidnap plan goes haywire when the gang kidnaps not the millionaire's son, but the son of an A.C.P. [Om Puri] and his mistress Ahilya [Manisha Koirala].

What follows are hilarious situations, mistaken identities and a comedy of errors.

A film like MUMBAI XPRESS relies heavily on wit and humor to make the proceedings come alive and the film abounds in funny situations.

From the writing point of view, MUMBAI XPRESS has a novel plot. Although a number of kidnapping sagas have been attempted in Bollywood earlier, what sets MUMBAI XPRESS apart from films of its ilk is that the serious issue has been tackled in the most humorous fashion.

While the first half of the enterprise looks at the kidnapping story, the post-interval portions also look at, besides kidnapping, the eternal love story without which Hindi films are incomplete.

MUMBAI XPRESS works primarily because director Singeeetham Srinivasa Rao has treated the film with that rare maturity so vital for a light-hearted entertainer. And yet a bit of trimming of the flick, say 15-20 minutes, would make for a better impact. The absence of songs in the film [it has just one song!] contributes to the quality.

Dialogues [Saurabh Shukla] are fantastic. A film like MUMBAI XPRESS relies completely on witty lines and Shukla's pen works magic. Stunts [Vikram Dharma] are effective.

MUMBAI XPRESS is a Kamal Haasan film all the way. As the story-screenplay writer, he deserves browny points for making an implausible plot look thoroughly interesting. As the lead man, the actor is in complete form, handling the comic situations with effortless ease. MUMBAI XPRESS wouldn't have been as impactful had it not been for Kamal Haasan's bravura performance.

There are three more performances that deserve an ovation: Om Puri, Vijay Raaz and Saurabh Shukla. Om Puri is superb in a role that seems tailormade for him. Vijay Raaz proves yet again that he's amongst the best talents India has produced of late. Saurabh Shukla is first-rate yet again.

Manisha Koirala is likeable. Also, she looks quite pretty. Pratima Kazmi is brilliant again. Sharat Saxena provides some entertaining moments. Master Hardik is cute and stands on his feet despite facing veterans.

On the whole, MUMBAI XPRESS is a well-made entertainer.