the emphasis on style (aka tashan) runs havoc and inanity through the proceedings. The story is simple, stupid and entertaining. And the cast does a great job with their characters, with Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar as the stand-outs. The former does a marvelously convincing job with an outlandish and ludicrous villain, so much so that you know anyone else could only make Bhaiyyaji look like a cartoon. And Kumar's transformation from action hero non-actor (a la Stallone) to comedic king the last few years is unbelievable. But as Bachchan Pandey, you gotta give him kudos for managing stupidity with brawn. (That "I love you" monologue Bachchan spouts to Pooja, with Jimmy holding cue cards in the background is worth the price of admission alone.) Alas, you can't hold together such a slim premise in over two hours of celluloid. The action sequences are ridiculous, over-the-top and ten times too lengthy. They'd be fine, maybe, in a superheros flick, but here, no. OK, I can believe that our protagonists have bodies of steel - the non-stop focus on bare torsos and breasts is not family friendly - and will win the battles with their foe... but without a single scratch to show for their efforts? Come on! Yashraj is finally trying to change their image from the mushy, crappy, super-hits they have given us the last ten years. Though they still need to learn that style is not substance, I'd prefer ten Tashans to a single Veer Zaara.
Review of Tashan
