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Cast:
Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, |
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Javed Jaffrey, Girish Karnad, Anant
Mahadevan |
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Year:
2009 |
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Music:
Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant, Neeraj
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Shridhar, Bohemia |
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Lyrics: Sameer, Irfan Siddique, Bohemia |
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Executive-Prodecer:
Elahe Hiptool |
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Banner:
Percept Picture Company, SIC Productions |
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Producer:
Bhushan Kumar |
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Story and Director:
Nagesh Kukunoor |
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Nagesh
Kukunoor enters a new zone with 8 x 10 TASVEER:
Suspense-thriller. His choice of the genre and subject
material is also right. Yet, 8 x 10 TASVEER goes wrong,
horribly wrong.
Now what was that? This is one question that haunts you at
the end of the show. And, seriously, you want to direct this
question to Kukunoor, who is also credited as the writer of
this film.
Okay, let's dissect... The concept is interesting. The
atmosphere is perfect. The mystery deepens with each passing
minute. Just when you thought that Kukunoor had pulled it
off, a twist in the tale pulls the carpet off your feet. The
film crumbles and the impression generated by some
brilliantly executed sequences evaporate into thin air. |
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For any whodunit to succeed, it ought to hold your
interest till the very last frame. Most
importantly, the answers raised in the screenplay
have to be convincing and justified. But 8 x 10
TASVEER gets unbearable towards the penultimate
20-25 minutes. When the mask is taken off the
killer's face, you are surprised. But the reasons
that compelled him to act that way are childish.
What happened, Mr. Kukunoor?
To cut a long story short, this tasveer is out of
focus! |
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8 x 10 TASVEER is about Jai [Akshay Kumar], who possesses
supernatural powers. Jai is of Indian origin who works as a
forest ranger in Canada. His life is shattered by a loss of
an important person in his life - his father [Benjamin
Gilani]. This personal tragedy leads him to use his unique
supernatural powers to unravel the mystery.
Now let's get to the root of the problem: The discrepancies
in the script. Of course, 8 x 10 TASVEER
is a whodunit and it would be sacrilege to reveal the end or
the identity of the killer, but the
reasons that compel the murderer to commit crime after crime
are unbelievable and far from
convincing.
The moment the truth is out in the open, from that
point onwards, the writer doesn't have convincing answers to
offer. There are so many gaps that remain wide open till the
end. |
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Nagesh Kukunoor goes two steps ahead as a
technician, but five steps behind as a storyteller.
The
film has been shot stylishly and the breath-taking
locales of Canada and South Africa only give the
film a picture perfect look. But the screenplay is
faulty. So faulty that you exit the auditorium
with questions and more questions in your mind. The
outcome fails to convince.
Vikas
Sivaraman's cinematography is top notch. The locales
are splendid and the DoP has captured them |
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with elan. There's no scope for music in the film and the three
songs [opening titles, romantic song and end
credits] are passable. The background score [Salim-Sulaiman]
is electrifying.
Akshay
pitches in a sincere performance. 8 x 10 TASVEER is
a complete departure from the kind of films the
actor is popular for and it only goes to prove that
he's ready to experiment. Ayesha is natural.
Sharmila Tagore is graceful. Jaaved Jaaferi is
first-rate. Girish Karnad, Benjamin Gilani, Ananth
Mahadevan and Rushaad Rana are perfect in their
respective roles.
On the whole, 8 x 10 TASVEER disappoints. The film
goes wrong, in fact horribly wrong, in the
penultimate 20-25 minutes, which is the lifeline of
any suspense-thriller. Nagesh Kukunoor has missed
the bus this time! |
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