Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005)

An Exercise In Nonsense

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

What really is the problem with Bollywood? Easy money, too many movies. Since Bollywood became recognized as an Industry, it has become a lot more easier for people to produce movies. This brings a lot more people to the director's chair. This could and should have been a good thing. But unfortunately, the equation stayed: only 2 out of every 10 mainstream movies is actually worth spending almost 3hrs on. With a lot more quantity, we see a lot more crap (mostly easy rip-offs) and a lot more wannabes. Do I sound deluded by Bollywood again? It's because Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena is a rip-off of Confidence *ing Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman & Paul Giamatti.Fardeen Khan as Arjun Verma is a con-artist (how many have we seen lately? Is it really that easy to make money? But that's a debate for another day/time). He gets hood-winked into pulling an heist to save his own life after his friend loses his (i.e. the friend's own) life after they (Hero+friend) successfully pull off a cheap heist. This is followed by another heist, and then a clinically-insane (as per Dr. Shariq)psychiatrist (Koena Mitra) turns up in one of those heists and then he (Fardeen Khan) has to double-cross someone and add a little coriander. Now cook for 27 minutes at 220C before garnishing with his friends & enemies & dhobiwallas - Mukul Dev, Kay Kay Menon, Gulshan Grover, and some *always friends* types. Serve with a hint of Feroz Khan for an after taste.Yes, the movie is a badly cooked dinner. A Single dish that comprises the starter, the neutralizer, the main-course & the dessert. Actually, the coffee too. Suparn Verma, the director & writer of this movie tries hard, and fails spectacularly. (Actually, when it is a copy, what do *writers* actually write?). But no - he does do well in very few scenes scattered through out, a little denser in the beginning portions, and scarce onwards. But they hardly make up for the entirely passable movie that he has made. Fardeen Khan talks to the almost non-existent audience throughout the movie. His commitment to the narration meant he forgot to act. But I won't be naive enough to blame him - coz Kay Kay Menon, the actor of actors, is also lost. He's looking to play a character that's so two-dimensional, he might just have played a water-bottle better instead. For those interested, Feroz Khan shows his style in a walk-through role.The point of this review is to tell you that if you have seen the original, save yourself - unless you like torture. If you haven't seen the original, you just may like it: If you don't realize that while Arjun Verma pulls off a fast one on his victims, YOU are the victim.Rated: 1.5/5

I really wish I could think of something constructive to say about this film, but absolutely nothing comes to mind, and that's not because it's a remake of a Hollywood film, there is nothing wrong with a well-produced remake i.e Kasoor. Likewise, I have nothing against (or for) any of the actors/actresses in this film or the producer. Watched this with an open-mind with my mum and brother. Mum got up and left the room after half an hour, brother fell asleep halfway through and I was left waiting for this film to pick up. But it didn't. The humour was terrible - think the kind of jokes used three decades ago in Hindi films (example; one of the characters whistles every time he tries to talk and that is repeated throughout the film and that's supposed to be funny! The other says 'hello' pronouncing it 'hay-lo' and this is used for half the film and supposed to draw laughter every time. P-lease!) Some jokes were just downright offensive. The plot was simple enough to follow but felt like it was made up as the film went along. Probably the only saving grace is the ending - 3 minutes that actually gripped the viewer, but to be honest it was too little too late. This could have been a really good film had the rest of the film been made with the same level of creativity. As a bonus, Britney Spears' 'Stronger' video and Christina Aguliera's 'Dirrty' video are ripped-off for two of the songs in the film. You might just notice them if you manage to stay awake that long! If you are a fan of 'Jurm', 'Kasoor', 'Raaz', 'Yakeen' or any other decent Hollywood remake, stay clear of this. It does not entertain, let alone hold your attention. Be warned!

Fardeen Khan's overacting + Koena Mitra's lack of emotion plus the factor that 80% of this movie is based on American movies makes this a very uncomfortable movie to watch. Even in the end when all the twists and turns are untied, the viewer really does not get a good grasp of what they were watching for the past two hours. It is so obvious that Koena Mitra was hired just for her looks. I would not even be surprised to hear that the producers hired her even before they heared her talk. Her monotonous voice made me physically ill whenever she was talking. From start to finish, she has the same tone of voice, no change or variation. What the hell did the producers think, throw in a couple of middle aged man, dress them up so that they look hip. Give them KOOOL hair cuts and throw in a beautiful girl just to get the sex appeal, not considering if she can act or not, mix this all together with some techno music and, you'll have a hit?????? This movie should have been never created.

I think this is a great Hindi movie I have watched after a long time. Of course this is a great Bollywood Masala. I hope people remember what Bollywood is about and forget about comparing it to Hollywood. In comparison to other Hindi movies' of the year, this is definitely on the top. Fardeen acting is great, Kay Kay really shows what he is all about. He has really done well. Of course Feroz Khan is at his best as he is always. Even though he shows visible age, the dialogue delivery is as ferocious as always. I wish he had a bigger part in the movie. The romance in the movie is about right and where it should be. The movie has really been edited well. The pace of the movie is about what it should be. I usually, will finish a 2Hr 30m movie in 1Hr, FF all songs, unnecessary scenes and mocked fights. But I really enjoyed all bits of this flick. I really think that Fardeen has a making of a great actor if he is cast in these sophisticated roles.