BOLLYWOOD | Film Review
Staple Masala Entertainer: Boss
Written and Directed by: Anthony D’Souza
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Danny Denzongpa, Ronit Roy, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shiv Pandit, (Sonakshi Sinha, Honey Singh in “Party All Night” song), and others.
Review by: Joginder Tuteja
Rating: ** (Mediocre)
(Above): Akshay Kumar in “Boss.”
A masala entertainer with some story to boast of as well - this is what Boss turns out to be. A film that maintains a good pace throughout, save for some overtly emotional moments that at times stay on for a little longer, Boss has good dose of action, music and comedy ensuring that as a viewer, there is some time-pass entertainment in the offering.
Thankfully, it is not a film that just happens to pack in every ingredient of a commercial cinema for the sake of it. Instead, it has a base to it, albeit 70’s style, with baap-bete ka pyar actually coming close to the conflict that became a template in itself after Deewar. There, it was Nirupa Roy, practically disowning Amitabh Bachchan in favor of Shashi Kapoor. Here, it is Mithun Chakraborty picking up Shiv Pandit and announcing loud and clear that for him, his elder son Akshay Kumar is as good as dead.
Well, some misunderstandings lead to such vociferous statements being made and for that, there is an extended prologue sequence and a couple of flashback scenes added into this 140-minute affair. As it turns out, while the context setting is all fine (and there is a thread maintained, with good relevance too, till the very end), however one wishes there moments were a bit curtailed. Childhood episodes of Akshay Kumar as well as extended emotional moments of Mithun make one miss the presence of Akshay Kumar more than ever.
(Above): Sonakshi Sinha and Akshay Kumar in “Boss.”
There is a good reason behind that. After all Akshay, for every moment that he appears on screen, makes sure that you don’t look elsewhere. He comes up with his trademark mannerisms and ensures claps. He gets into maar dhaad mode and brings on whistles. He gets his comic timing perfectly right and evokes laughter. He gets all misty eyed in presence of his father and shows the ‘actor’ side of him, a la Patiala House and Namastey London. He dances like the party would never end inviting you to the dance floor.
He plays his ‘complete man’ and ‘complete hero’ parts so well that in his solitary moment of romance with Sonakshi Sinha, one really wishes they do meet in the end!
Well, they do meet up but before that the “Boss” has some unfinished business to complete with people around him. One gains a sense of a volcano erupting in the end when he and Ronit Roy, menacing to the core, meet for the first time in the five star baithak, on the top of a truck, no less.
(Above): Aditi Rao Hydari in “Boss.”
One waits for the finish to have a dekko at the fight and the end result is rewarding indeed. In between, his sidekicks (Sanjay Mishra, Johny Lever) do little justice but one doesn’t mind because “the ‘boss’ is anyways right.”
Between this all, Shiv Pandit tries to make his presence felt and justifies his presence in that hilarious scene where Akshay gets into a mock fight with him. On the other, hand Aditi Rao Hydari comes out of the pool in a scene, which as Shiv rightly says, “has been seen hazaaron baar before but still leaves an impact.” She makes one feel there was more glamour on display.
Instead, it is Mithun who gets maximum screen time after Akshay but after a while, it becomes a little too repetitive. As for the ‘comic bad guys,’ Aakash Dabhade scores in every scene while Govind Namdeo is as usual, something that works in the context of the film. Meanwhile, Danny does score for a man of his personality, it is tough to imagine him as a soft guy whose ‘mental boiling point’ is always under control.
(Above): Prabhu Deva and Akshay Kumar in “Boss.”
Thankfully, director Anthony D’Souza keeps things under control, especially when it comes to the masala element being put together in good proportion. For someone who adopted a Western narrative in his debut film Blue, it is remarkable to see how he has gone totally desi with Boss.
In the process, he has also ensured that for the heartland of the country, there is some staple entertainment available in good proportion.
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