This 'Game' is not worth playing

Game (U/A)

Director: Abhinay Deo

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Sarah Jane Dias, Kangna Ranaut, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Gauhar Khan

Rating: **

 

“What the bloody hell is going on?” Yells an over enthusiastic, (almost comical) detective Sia Agnihotri (Ranaut), hot on the heels of the “case of her lifetime”.

 

That's Game for you! 

 

Business tycoon, recluse Kabir Malhotra (Kher) lives on a exotic Greek island called Samos. From here he sends hand-written letters inviting four strangers (obviously connected in some way) to discuss 'real' business. Prime ministerial aspirant in Thailand, OP Ramsay (Irani), Bollywood actor Vikram Kapoor (Shergill) from Mumbai, casino owner Neil Menon from Turkey and journalist Tisha Khanna (Goswami) from the UK are Kabir’s guests welcomed by Kabir’s “executive assistant” Samara Shroff (Khan).

 

Its hard to write about Game without giving out spoilers. The four reach the island, without much hesitation I may add, only to discover that Kabir knows ugly truths about each of them. Ramsay is a pimp, Neil a drug smuggler, Vikram a murderer and Tisha is Kabir’s lovechild (yawn). You know all this half an hour into the film and wonder what more could happen now? It so happens that Kabir commits suicide, or wait is it murder? Enter an investigative team led by Sia, who is supposed to be fearless but seems unconvincing.

Among the (few) strengths of the movie is the ensemble cast, with Bachchan standing out for his comfortable and confident portrayal of a drug lord. Even in the presence of fine actors like Irani and Kher, Bachchan manages to shine through. Irani, like always is his at his best as the temperamental politician and so is the brooding Kher. Shergill is good but  this role isn't etched out to exploit his acting skills. Goswami portrays her role with a natural ease, thus reinforcing her presence in the industry. Model-turned-actress Khan is the surprise package in Game, literally and figuratively. Dias’s debut isn’t particularly memorable as she’s overshadowed by Bachchan for the most part of the screen time she's got. Ranaut overacts, which is still acceptable but her jarring dialogue delivery makes her unbearable. Its about time she got voice modulation classes. Until then, stick to zero dialogue roles, please?

 

The film, which picks interesting (funny, too, for the discerning audience) twists in the second half, has dialogue credited to Farhan Akhtar (also co-producer along with Ritesh Sidhwani) which is not worth talking about. Too many twists and too many characters end up making Game a wan experience. However, debutant director Abhinay Deo manages to keep the audience hooked. Even though the story is character-centric, the director fails to let them take the story forward. The script with all its loose ends is the biggest weakness of Game. Tighter writing could have made this whodunit far more enjoyable.

 

Watch this one if you’re an absolute Abhishek Bachchan fan or if you’re looking for something to distract you after all the World Cup fever is down. Otherwise, just go play a game of cricket in your gully!