Release Date: November 08, 2018
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Lloyd Owen, Ronit Roy, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Abdul Quadir Amin, Surendra Pal
Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Duration: 2 hours 45 minutes
When freedom is threatened, there will always be the ones who will rise to oppose it. We have seen quite a few movies about India’s struggle for independence, but Thugs of Hindostan creates an entirely new experience. Movies about independence have always been black and white, but Thugs of Hindostan does away with the stark differences and showcases various shades of gray. Thugs of Hindostan also has aspirations to create its own pirate movie franchise and take on the likes of Hollywood blockbusters such Pirates of the Caribbean. Whether or not it succeeds in the mission will be decided in the coming days.
The movie utilizes a simple story, wherein king Mirza (Ronit Roy) is deceived by a cunning British Company officer named Clive (Lloyd Owen). Clive takes full control of the kingdom, leaving everyone devastated and penniless. Only princess Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Khudabaksh aka Azaad (Amitabh Bachchan) survive and they create their own militia to take on Clive. Their mission is to get independence for the kingdom, something that brings them in direct confrontation with Clive. However, it won’t be easy, as Clive hires another thug named Firangi (Aamir Khan) to take on Khudabaksh. Firangi’s mission is to infiltrate Khudabaksh’s militia and help the British company to eliminate the entire group.
Thugs of Hindostan is high on star power and one of the most anticipated movies in recent times. However, as we have seen many times in the past, only having star power does not guarantee a movie’s success at the box office. The movie’s focus is more on action and CGI, which leaves the main story a bit orphaned. Another problem with the movie is that it does not have any surprises or twists. The narrative seems bland and you can always predict what’s going to happen next. British officers speaking Hindi in a fluent manner is also something that appears quite weird.
Thugs of Hindostan came with good packaging, but there’s not much on the inside to cheer or excite you. After the grand Diwali celebrations, Thugs of Hindostan appears like a firecracker that only had a large fuse and nothing substantial to create a big bang.