Director Zoya Akhtar chooses the latter path in her debut film, which is supposedly based on the inner workings of the Hindi film industry.
What's bad: The biggest drawback of the film is its script that doesn't rise above the predictable. We don't mind the archetypal filmi characters but Zoya puts them in situations that are expected and mundane. We know Sona's producer-godfather is eventually going to dump her; we know Vikram's ambitions will get the better of him; we know Vikram's first film will be a success; we can guess each and every situation that Zoya has planned for us. So where's the uniqueness? Probably restricted by her own affinity towards the business, Zoya doesn't risk getting into the murkyu00a0 side of the profession. She even shies away from showing that Sona is sleeping with the producer. And that's why even the vast array of stars she adds in the film cannot save its soul. Vikram's sudden turnaround after one conversation with Shah Rukh Khan is unconvincing. The climax seems like an echo of Page 3. Music (except for one song) is a bore and the film needed drastic trimming.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
What to do: Watch only if you're interested in a carefully camouflaged viewpoint of the film industry.u00a0u00a0
Rating: **1/2
Dir: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Isha Sharvani, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia
