Aladin - Movie Review

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sahil Khan

Rating: **

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

Music: Vishal-Shekhar
 
If you have a look at the films that are coming up in Hollywood in the next one year, you can’t help hoping we could have similar concepts in Bollywood as well. That’s where all the expectations arise when a project like ‘Aladin’ comes across.
 
A story ahead of the regular love story or revenge drama, told in a fantasy land, is quite an experiment and it could clearly work as a stepping stone for braver films in the future. Films with a lot of special effects like ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Spiderman’ could be made in India too which could appeal to all sections of the audience and not just to kids; films where sensibilities would be more universal rather than confused attempts to appeal to an uncertain audience.
 
Sujoy Ghosh’s ‘Aladin’ is set in a fantasy premise, though it is not based anywhere around Disney’s ‘Aladin’. Here Aladin Chatterjee (Ritesh) is a student in Khwaish University. He is an orphan and quite a loser who is bullied by his classmate Qasim (Sahil Khan). A new girl in the college, Jasmine (Jacqueline), brings in desire for company in Aladin’s life. Things change when Aladin is gifted a lamp by Qasim on his birthday. Enter Genius, the genie who promises three wishes to Aladin, who is however too simple to come up with any wish. Between all these enters Ringmaster with his evil intentions of gaining power and ruling the world. There is a fair amount of drama and action after that.
 
Despite a good enough story to carry the film ahead, Aladin falls due to blunders in screenplay. Attempts to rush up things and add entertainment make the story go haywire. For example the song ‘Tak dhina dhin Aladin’ right after Genius appears makes no sense. Neither the first two wishes nor the sped up romance with some loud songs add much. They just make a mockery of all good intentions. While the first half goes slow and fails to take off to any place, the second half delivers more. The climax however never really builds up as much as you would have expected.
 
What makes ‘Aladin’ a must watch is the special effects and set designs. The director is clearly inspired by ‘Harry Potter’ movies as we see everything from college campus to tables similar to those of Potter movies. The special effects too are pretty good, apart from a couple of scenes where it is visible and disconnected from the surroundings. ‘Aladin’ has been shot well and has good music for people who like songs in the movies they watch.
 
One thing the director manages perfectly is the casting. Amitabh Bachchan’s class act as Genius, the loveable Ritesh Deshmukh and a deadly Sanjay Dutt make this movie lively. Jacqueline does not have much to do apart from a couple of dance numbers and kicks towards the end. But she is impressive.  
 
‘Aladin’ is a massive disappointment for anyone who expected something international. It is yet another case study where the makers could not decide who they are making the film for – kids or for everyone. ‘Aladin’ might be appealing to kids but it is not half as engrossing for adults with little sense of judgment. Watch it if you are an SFX or fantasy tale enthusiast.