8 x 10 Tasveer (2009)

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Among the current generation of Indian film directors. Nagesh Kukunoor happens to be one of my favourites. I believe his 'Dor', 'Teen Deewarein' and 'Iqbal' are some of the best India has produced in recent times. Coming to the movie at hand, I have noticed that most share a love-hate feeling about '8 X 10 Tasveer', either it is overly praised or highly trashed. I would put it below average but it's not all that bad. However, it is Kukunoor's worst to date.'8 X 10 Tasveer' is a well-made film in terms of use of filming equipment. I liked the novel concept where a man can solve cases just by looking at a photograph. I think Kukunoor would have benefited far more if he had mentioned the concept to Hollywood, NBC, etc because it's an excellent idea for a TV-series. Kukunoor's story is a mess and the revelation in the end is a downright Bollywood cliché. This may remind one of Akshay Kumar's 'Khiladi 420' (Okay, it's not that bad but there is a resemblance in the story). Then of course there are too many plot holes and loose ends (for example, why on earth would a doctor advise parents to remove every memorabilia of their child and how exactly did that make Jai better?). Moreover, the movie moves at a very lethargic pace.The visuals, especially of the stunning Canadian landscape is enticing. The cinematography is amazing too and the background score works for most parts but at times (especially with that electric guitar track) sounds unfittingly awkward.Akshay Kumar does a wonderful job for the most parts. In a few sequences his dialogue delivery is awful but otherwise he proves that he can act very well and that directors need to use the actor in him more than the star. Ayesha Takia is passable. Sharmila Tagore has a strong presence. Girish Karnad is wasted. Clearly he either did this as a favour to Kukunoor or for money. Javed Jaffrey starts off irritating the viewer but he gradually grows on.Kukunoor has headed slightly downward with 'Bombay To Bangkok' (which itself isn't a bad film but it is not in the league of his best works) and with '8 X 10 Tasveer' he seems to steep lower. 'Hope he manages to make up for it with his next movie by making something with heart instead of sucking up to Bollywood conventions (of which this NRI thriller is a prime example).

A thriller that will keep one glued to the seat all the way through as it revolves around a man who has the ability to see the past and he uses it to help others, even though it can kill him.Starring Akshaye Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, Anant Mahadevan, Javed Jaffrey, Pia Shah, Benjamin Gilani, Uttara Baokar and Rushad Rana, this thriller genre movie is directed and written by Nagesh Kukunoor.Akshaye in such genre movies is always good and he has performed well but I must say that some are beginning to find his style a bit of a bore and he should not just stick to similar roles – he is capable of doing other roles and he should do them. Surprisingly, his co – star, Ayesha Takia, who I did not like in her previous movies, "De Taali" and "Sunday," has also performed well as was Javed Jaffrey, who has gone on to perform tremendously well after "Salaam Namaste" and also performed well in "Dhamaal." But what really made it better for me was to see two favourite actors of mine – Sharmila Tagore and Girish Karnad after such a long time. Director Nagesh Kukunoor has also done a good job of this and more so since this is his first thriller genre movie, though he was suppose to direct a movie based on the life of the late playback singer Kishore Kumar. However, I get the feeling that this has been shelved and it would be rather sad, not just because of me, being a fan of Kishore Kumar, but also having watched "K for Kishore" and knowing the amount of time that Nagesh Kukunoor must have spent on the sets listening to the participants and making comments, must have made it difficult for him.The cinematography and especially the underwater sequence were breath taking and this will make one want to know what is going to happen next. The only negative side to this is that sometimes its quite predictable. On the whole, it is a movie that is worth watching.

Tasveer is a superb thriller in all aspects. The cinematography, the BG, the locales everything was just so perfect. Tasveer in its own has set new standards of film-making, esp Hollywood style film-making.Coming to the movie, it is initially slow paced, but is needed to build up the story. As the film progresses, the pace is very well maintained. The BG music was just perfect to set your mood for a thriller. Its a movie shot very stylishly with amazing locales, added with some breathtaking stunts shot excellently. Nagesh certainly deserves an applause for such high quality direction usually seen in Hollywood movies. Regarding the climax, I didn't feel anything unusual in it. The climax really shock's everyone which is most important in a thriller. The thrill & suspense has been very well maintained till the end, and your curiosity to know the culprit just increases every passing minute.Coming to the acting part, Akshay Kumar's just amazing for this role. I cannot think of anyone else for this role other than Akshay Kumar. AKshay play's this role with extreme ease & grace and delivers a top-notch performance. Akshay was at his best performing those daredevil stunts, esp. the one where he jumps from the cliff. This film just proves that Akshay can play any role with effortless ease.Ayesha Takia was fine. Javed Jaafrey as expected was good with his humor. Rest of the cast was up to the mark.Music was excellent, with just 3 songs. BG was just perfect.Direction from Nagesh was just top-notch. Would like to see him making more thrillers.Lastly, Tasveer is a visual treat to your eyes, containing all ingredients of a perfect thriller movie. Highly Recommended!

The main subject of 8x10 is an interesting idea--that a guy can look at a photograph and travel back in time to when the photo was taken. I thought the explanation provided by Bebiji is very intriguing--comparing the concept to tarot reading. Despite having this interesting idea, this movie ended up being nothing more than a typical whodunnit with nauseating clichés. The climax in particular is absolutely abominable. I thought Bollywood had finally ceased the "bachpan mein bichda hua judwaa bhai" (long-lost twin brother) track ages ago, but once again it has popped up. The scene with the police not able to figure out which twin to believe reminds me of way too many films. Then it just so happens that the protagonist happens to hold a world record in holding his breath underwater so that the audience is "surprised" to see him survive almost drowning. I mean, for real, a guy is all chained up at the bottom of a deep lake and manages to dig into the sock of a nearby corpse, take out his gun, aim the gun through his chains, and shoot it to break the chains, and manage to come back to the surface, climb a yacht, and make a comeback. In addition, the movie is very dark in nature and not a pleasant watch. Akshay acted very well, while Ayesha gave a poor performance. Sharmila Tagore is really nice though.