After a long time, Ameesha Patel is
back in demand thanks to her recent superhit film ‘Race 2’. She has
managed to bag some decent films and ‘Shortcut Romeo’ is one of the good
ones. Starring the handsome Neil Nitin Mukesh and Puja Gupta, this
crime thriller is a remake of a Tamil film titled ‘Thiruttu Payale’. Susi Ganesan, who handled the Tamil version, also directs the Hindi remake which has music by Himesh Reshamiyya. ‘Shortcut Romeo’ has finally hit the screens today and so let’s read on to see how it enfolds.
Story:
Suraj (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is a good for nothing
young man living in Goa who keeps throwing his weight around his family
with his violent attitude. Depressed
and frustrated with his behavior, his family packs him off to his
uncle’s house in Mumbai. Once he lands in Mumbai, Suraj chances upon a
couple indulging in love making and he shoots the entire episode on a
video camera.
He promptly proceeds to start blackmailing the couple who are Monica (Ameesha Patel) and Ashish (Jatin Garewal). Despite Monica’s offering large sums of money
for the tape, Suraj refuses to part with it. Given his endless needs
and greed, he demands an assurance from Monica that she will pay for his
luxurious lifestyle throughout his life. Monica succumbs to the
blackmail and agrees to this option as she has no choice. Suraj soon
leaves for his holiday in Kenya and as days pass, Monica at every stage tries to outsmart Suraj which results in a cat and mouse game between them.
During his stay in Kenya, Suraj meets Sherry (Puja
Gupta), a rich but lonely girl, and falls in love with her. That’s when
he begins to realize that there is so much more being planned behind his
back. How does Suraj tackle his enemies and find his love and more
importantly does Monica free herself from the clutches of Suraj? That’s
what the rest of ‘Shortcut Romeo’ is all about.
Positive Points:
Though a remake, this film has been well adapted to
Bollywood sensibilities. ‘Shortcut Romeo’ manages to surprise you quite a
few times during the entire course of the movie. Neil Nitin Mukesh is
at his best when it comes to dark roles and his look, dialogue delivery
and the way he has approached the role is quite interesting.
Ameesha Patel gets a plum role and delivers a very good performance.
She not only portrays varied emotions of her character but takes care
not to make it look vulgar. Puja Gupta, recently seen in ‘Go Goa Gone’,
is the find of the movie as she not only looks good but also acts well.
Some of the twists and turns that are showcased are executed smoothly.
The first half hour of the movie is very interesting
and the cat and mouse games between Neil and Ameesha Patel have been
designed well.
Negative Points:
The songs are a big minus for this movie. The film
would have been a lot crisper if the makers could have omitted the
songs. The entire Kenya episode is stretched too far and many of the
scenes could have been omitted. Some logic is missing in the movie while
cinematic liberties have been taken in abundance.
The film is stretched way too much and the second
half takes forever to finish. Neil’s childhood scenes are a big letdown
and could have been easily chopped off. Also, Neil’s love track with
Puja lacks justification and is unbelievable at times. The last 20
minutes becomes highly predictable with many unnecessary fight sequences
spoiling the fun.
Technical Points:
As mentioned above, the director could have done
away with the songs. Surprisingly, none of the songs composed by Himesh
Reshamiyya are worth a listen. They are bad and only hamper the breezy
flow of the movie. The dialogues are just about OK and so is the
editing.
The screenplay of the movie is average as many
scenes are misplaced. The action sequences are showcased decently and
highlight Neil’s action image. Susi Ganesan’s direction is good as he
makes a film with smaller stars look decently convincing. Though he has a
very simple story line, he makes the film interesting with its
unexpected twists and turns.
Verdict:
Overall, ‘Shortcut Romeo’ is film which is
surprisingly decent. With no big stars and the lack of a proper
promotional strategy, it might see a shorter run at the box office. For
those people who like witty crime thrillers, ‘Shortcut Romeo’ can be
given a shot.
Movie Rating........2.5/5
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