<p>A purely fiction fantasy, "Bangistan" is a flimsy, sardonic film which may have been crafted with good intentions, but is poorly executed.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Set in a make-believe land called Bangistan, it is the story of two fundamentalists, Hafeez-bin Ali (Riteish Deshmukh) and Praveen Chaturvedi (Pulkit Samrat), on a mission in Poland. The film encompasses their journey from being terrorists to peace-loving missionaries.<br /><br />Initially, the contrast between the two, Hafiz and Praveen, and how they are initiated into their respective missions, is what keeps you hooked. But as the tale progresses, the transition from a comedy to a film with serious messages seems incongruous and the film loses its appeal.<br /><br />Packed with amusing, satirical reference points and silly antics by the characters in the beginning, the film shifts gears as it slowly degenerates into a social, preachy drama which is cliched and tedious to watch. Some of the dialogues in the latter half, are reminiscent of scenes from Amir Khan's "PK", Akshay Kumar's "OMG: Oh My God!" and other recently released films that spread the message of non-violence and tolerance to all religions.<br /><br />The writing lacks depth. The issues are generically tackled, the characters are all poorly etched and the subject content, except for names like FcDonalds, Al-Kaam Tamaam, Maa-Ka-Dal, offers nothing new by way of humour, making it seem boring and trite.<br /><br />With the focus mainly on the two protagonists, the other characters are relegated to two-dimensional flat characters.<br /><br />Riteish Deshmukh is a good actor and he makes a sincere effort as always, to bring gravitas to his character. On the other hand, Pulkit Samrat with his excessive histrionics, tends to emulate Salman Khan. Together, they do make a formidable pair, but are not strong enough to hold the entire film squarely on their shoulders.<br /><br />Only with a few scenes, Jacqueline Fernandez is obviously wasted as a bar hostess Rosie. With nothing much to offer, her character is easily dispensable. Chandan Roy Sanyal as Tamim, the taxi driver in Poland tries his hand at some over-the-top acting and is least amusing.<br /><br />Visually too, the camera work is limited and unexciting. The computer-generated graphics seem elementary and unattractive.<br /><br />The songs "Saturday night full tight", "Hogi kranti...mann mein hai vishwas", are effectively used for exposition and story progression, but fail to strike a melodious chord.<br />In his directorial debut, Karan Anshuman disappoints as he fails to wield the baton effectively to elevate a poorly written script, of which he too is a part.<br /><br />Overall, the film is mediocre fare. You can safely avoid a journey to "Bangistan" unless you are a Riteish fan.<br /><br />Film: "Bangistan"; Language: Hindi; Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Kumud Mishra and Arya Babbar; Director: Karan Anshuman; Rating: **</p>
<p>A purely fiction fantasy, "Bangistan" is a flimsy, sardonic film which may have been crafted with good intentions, but is poorly executed.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Set in a make-believe land called Bangistan, it is the story of two fundamentalists, Hafeez-bin Ali (Riteish Deshmukh) and Praveen Chaturvedi (Pulkit Samrat), on a mission in Poland. The film encompasses their journey from being terrorists to peace-loving missionaries.<br /><br />Initially, the contrast between the two, Hafiz and Praveen, and how they are initiated into their respective missions, is what keeps you hooked. But as the tale progresses, the transition from a comedy to a film with serious messages seems incongruous and the film loses its appeal.<br /><br />Packed with amusing, satirical reference points and silly antics by the characters in the beginning, the film shifts gears as it slowly degenerates into a social, preachy drama which is cliched and tedious to watch. Some of the dialogues in the latter half, are reminiscent of scenes from Amir Khan's "PK", Akshay Kumar's "OMG: Oh My God!" and other recently released films that spread the message of non-violence and tolerance to all religions.<br /><br />The writing lacks depth. The issues are generically tackled, the characters are all poorly etched and the subject content, except for names like FcDonalds, Al-Kaam Tamaam, Maa-Ka-Dal, offers nothing new by way of humour, making it seem boring and trite.<br /><br />With the focus mainly on the two protagonists, the other characters are relegated to two-dimensional flat characters.<br /><br />Riteish Deshmukh is a good actor and he makes a sincere effort as always, to bring gravitas to his character. On the other hand, Pulkit Samrat with his excessive histrionics, tends to emulate Salman Khan. Together, they do make a formidable pair, but are not strong enough to hold the entire film squarely on their shoulders.<br /><br />Only with a few scenes, Jacqueline Fernandez is obviously wasted as a bar hostess Rosie. With nothing much to offer, her character is easily dispensable. Chandan Roy Sanyal as Tamim, the taxi driver in Poland tries his hand at some over-the-top acting and is least amusing.<br /><br />Visually too, the camera work is limited and unexciting. The computer-generated graphics seem elementary and unattractive.<br /><br />The songs "Saturday night full tight", "Hogi kranti...mann mein hai vishwas", are effectively used for exposition and story progression, but fail to strike a melodious chord.<br />In his directorial debut, Karan Anshuman disappoints as he fails to wield the baton effectively to elevate a poorly written script, of which he too is a part.<br /><br />Overall, the film is mediocre fare. You can safely avoid a journey to "Bangistan" unless you are a Riteish fan.<br /><br />Film: "Bangistan"; Language: Hindi; Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Kumud Mishra and Arya Babbar; Director: Karan Anshuman; Rating: **</p>