MOVIE REVIEW: PHANTOM

REVIEW: PHANTOM

I just watched Phantom today. I am an ardent Bollywood fan- all genres & I usually (at least 90% of the times) love the movies. However, I really disliked this one.

Now first let me put across that there are two kind of thought processes in Indians. Categorizing them very simply, one who are of the view as portrayed in the story-line & the other like me. I am, for the obvious reasons, excluding the oblivious-to-anything category here.

The story is attached to the 26/11 terror attacks. Now when I say 26/11 attacks, we all relate to it.  We know how terrible it was, how disastrous its impact was & how much far- etched effect it has on our minds & souls.

However, when you are connecting such a sensitive issue to a movie, it ought to strike a cord with you- which the movie clearly did not. Might be because, like I said, its not my thought process so I cannot personally digest it.

Shortening the story to the least, it is about how a RAW agent gets really worked up about how India does nothing with the terrorists (hiding in) Pakistan & how all we do is stop playing cricket with them. Which is in one way partially true, but lets not get into that. So this RAW agent does a masterstroke & the RAW assigns a man- Saif Ali Khan (who needs to really go back to the acting school), to go to Pakistan & kill the Lashkar-e-Taiba people who had planned the 26/11. So he sets out on the mission & goes on killing each such person, one by one, with acute planning & precise timings. In comes Katrina Kaif (who also needs to learn acting, but looks quite beautiful) who helps Saif & joins in into his "mission".

& the story goes on to... OK let’s skip it!

Technically, Phantom is a well accomplished film– all the military stuff is legit, the shootouts carry weight. There are a couple of applause-worthy lines thrown in in-between instances, but they fade away into the bleak sluggish story-line. While technically good, the film completely terminates logic! Oh, and also Acting! And also, connecting with the audience!

Honestly, I don't care how the movie was. What I care about is the concept. I know there are people out there who would justify the movie- who feel Indians should barge into Pakistan & kill all the masterminds plotting the terror attacks. I am an India too & I would also personally feel the same- kill every such mastermind. But I would also feel that before doing so, when you get hold of a terrorist like Kasab- & you hold him down with evidence, the Judiciary need not wait along following the principles of natural justice.

I also would like to state that before you plan about barging into Pakistan & killing terrorists or the masterminds or whoever the hell, first make your own country at least 95% efficient. I mean, it shouldn't be that easy to get into India, right? When we know our country is a soft target to terror attacks, shouldn't we first make it stronger on the defence front, make it sensible enough to handle such terrorism cases, & then talk about going into a foreign countries & killing the masterminds.

Of course, many people wouldn't accept my view & that's completely fine. Everybody is entitled to their opinion when it comes to our country. Patriotism for everyone spells differently.

Also, through the entire movie the Indians also did lose good people- their own or the Pakistani people. Doesn't that itself show that violence, when involving a greater lot of masses, always spells disaster?

But again like I said, patriotism for everybody is different. There are people who justify it & there are people who don't.

I, also, nowhere feel the masterminds should roam around freely & I also feel that they should (rather must) be killed. However, I would prefer my country making itself more stronger & more secure- a bit more efficient- before it thinks of something like this.

Apparently, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. 

Story- 2/5

Acting- 1/5

Dialogues- 2/5

Presentation- 2/5

Connects with you? - Not at all.