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Join UsTezz is an action thriller about a man who plants a bomb on a London-Glasgow train in order to receive a ransom, after which he plans to take his family back to India. What happens? Find out in the full review.
Rating: 2/5 (Two stars)
Star cast: Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Kangna Ranaut, Boman Irani, Zayed Khan, Mohanlal, Sameera Reddy
What’s Good: Ajay Devgan and Anil Kapoor’s performances; a few action sequences.
What’s Bad: The ineffective drama in the first half; the lack of emotional connect between the characters in the film; the below-average visual effects.
Verdict: Tezz is an average entertainer at best.
Loo break: A couple, especially in the climax.
Watch or Not?: Watch if you want to see an Indian copy of many Hollywood train-bombing films.
User rating:
Tezz is about an illegal immigrant, Aakash Rana (Ajay Devgan), who is deported back to India from the UK because he is working there without a work permit. Aakash’s wife, Nikita (Kangna Ranaut) is left back alone in the UK.
Four years later, Aakash returns to London and teams up with Aadil Khan (Zayed Khan) and Megha (Sameera Reddy). He plants a bomb on a London-Glasgow passenger train and asks for 10 million Euros as ransom. Among the 500-odd passengers on the ill-fated train is the young daughter of the railway traffic controller (Boman Irani). The bomb, Aakash tells the railway traffic controller, will be triggered if the speed of the train drops below 60 miles per hour. While the railway authorities work hard to ensure the safety of the train and its passengers, Arjun Khanna (Anil Kapoor), a retired London counter-terrorism officer, is deputed on the case. He starts negotiating with Aakash through the railway traffic controller and slowly, but surely, picks up vital leads in the case. At the same time, Shivan (Mohanlal), a police officer on board the train, tries to help frightened passengers.
In a failed attempt at transferring the ransom money, Megha is killed in a bike accident while being chased by the police. Next, Aadil is also shot at by the police. Aakash, who knows where to find his long-lost wife now, thinks about dropping the bombing plan.
What happens next? Does Aakash go through with the bombing? Does he receive the ransom money? Is he able to re-unite with his wife? Or is Arjun Khanna successful in foiling Aakash’s plan? The rest of the film answers these questions.
Tezz Review: Script Analysis
The story of Tezz, which is inspired by several Hollywood flicks, is nothing out of the ordinary. Robin Bhatt’s screenplay is slacking in the first half but picks up speed in the latter half. In spite of a host of characters and their individual emotional connections (Aaksah – Nikita; Aakash – Aadil and Megha; Boman Irani – his daughter), the screenplay fails in bringing out the emotional quotient. Besides this, several questions remained unanswered in the viewers’ minds – why do Aadil and Megha go to such great lengths to help Aakash, who is only their former boss? Why does Aakash plan on asking for ransom in the first place when all he wanted was to get away with his family? His motivation / greed for the ill-gotten ransom money, has not been explained clearly.
All this might have been fine, as the drama does engage to a certain extent, especially in the second half, but the average visual effects make several action sequences seem rather fake. Otherwise, the action, especially the chase scene with Megha, is very well-executed.
In spite of the short, 120-minute running time, the film seems longer because of the dips in the script. Dialogues, by Aditya Dhar, needed to be more impactful.
Tezz Review: Star Performances
Ajay Devgan delivers a fine performance as Aakash. He is suitable restrained. Anil Kapoor, as Arjun Khanna, is superb. The performances of both these actors make the film palatable to a large extent. Kangna Ranaut, as Nikita, gets limited scope. She does an alright job. Zayed Khan, as Aadil, is okay. Sameera Reddy, as Megha, fits the bill. Boman Irani, as the railway traffic controller, is very good. Mohanlal, as police officer Shivan, does not add much value. Mallika Sherawat is alright in an item number.
Tezz Review: Direction & Music
Priyadarshan’s direction is found lacking in the dramatic scenes. Sajid-Wajid’s music is fine. Jalees Sherwani and Shabbir Ahmed’s lyrics are alright. Sandeep Chowta’s background score could have been better. Thiru S. Appun’s cinematography is functional. Sets, by Sabu Cyril, are fine. The visual effects are found lacking in several scenes. The editing is sharp.
Tezz Review: The Last Word
On the whole, Tezz works in parts only, primarily due to the fast paced second half and the performances. It will face strong opposition from The Avengers over its first weekend at the box-office.
