Cash Movie Reviews

Kuch chor they, ek tha sipahi
Sipahi ne choron ko pakda, khatam kahani!

Right? Wrong!

Because not always does law win over the lawbreakers. And sometimes it indeed turns to be fun, if breaking of law is done in as cool a manner as CASH!

Welcome to the genre of films where crime like a heist, robbery or a con act is projected in an utter harmless and ultra cool eye candy manner. CHOCOLATE, BUNTY AUR BABLI, DHOOM 2, DON, APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY have been some of the recent films that have belonged to this genre. Now add CASH to the list!

What does one expect from a film that doesn't fake to be a SHOLAY in the making? Never once was there an indication that CASH would be embedded with heavy duty drama, emotions or 'hey, let me challenge you with my intelligence' kind of a screenplay.

The characters out here are not less than being a part of a corporate setup. They have boat -top meetings, travel business class, wear Armanis and Guccis, drive Mercs and even discuss business deals over a sip of champagne in up-market lounges.

One has heard of business outsourcing in the corporate world. The same happens in the world of CASH too which is about stealing of a 200 carat diamond.

Outsource #1: A shady South African 50 something Uncle wants his best man (no pun intended) Suneil Shetty to steal that diamond which is valued billions in international mafia.

Outsource #2: Suneil Shetty, with his loyal partner and love Dia Mirza, plans to hand over the job to Ajay Devgan, who is coolest in this business, and doubles up as a writer for his steady girlfriend Shamita Shetty, herself a Chief of Security for the diamond.

Outsource #3: Ajay Devgan, a veteran in this crime, knows that this is not a one man job. He works with friend Esha Deol to further outsource the job to cool-n-young chaps Riteish Deshmukh and Zayed Khan.

With a series of outsource jobs happening here, Ajay, Ritiesh and Zayed take places in air, ground and water respectively. With this they cover all possible geographical hindrances to set base for crime event of the year to happen. Do they succeed? Of course, yes!

The plot is kept simple and execution steady. From the tremendous opening credit rolls as the lead actors get together to dance to the music video of the title roll to the end, when they all come together again to have some 'naughty naughty' fun, the pace never slacks. Of course the noir angle to the story telling does take a European touch at places with pauses lasting for an extra second and background music vanishing from the premise. Now that's something which is relatively new for the Indian audience but should be absorbed by them sooner or later.

While action and music are the highlight of the film, as expected, what stands out as the most entertaining part of the film is Ajay Devgan. He makes sure that he keeps his HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM, THE LEGEND OF BHAGAT SINGH and OMKARA act aside (a difficult task to do if you have been acknowledged big time for that) and instead focuses on coming up with a performance that is truly massy.

He adds a bit of fun and satire to his personality that more often than not makes you giggle along. Watch him talk about his plan with Zayed/Ritiesh or his interaction with Shamita, first on phone and later in the house or his table booking for his sweetheart and you would know why!

Leading ladies are required to look pretty and they get full marks for that. There is eye candy all around sans any vulgarity with both Indian (Add Ayesha Takia in a special appearance to the list) and International females (one can't get enough of Uncle's regular partner at his boat and the 'Reham Kare' girl!) keeping you high.

What makes you glued to the screen are high quality action and stunt sequences. And this is what the USP of the film is anyways! Juxtaposed with animation sequences, the thrills are all over the frames with an appearance every 10 minutes. In fact most of the characters in the film are introduced while being a part of a thrilling sequence that is a novel experience in itself.

Yes, an experiment like animation is novel and may find it's share of detractors but remember something similar that happened in 'Life In A Metro'? Pritam's band making an appearance throughout the film was panned by many as well but it all seemed justified as the film continues to run even today?

Any hindrances in this popcorn entertainer? A few of them. While it is fun to watch Ajay Devgan entertain with his own sense of humor, one expected a little more of Riteish at the least. He is good in what he does but his comic timing could have been harnessed further. Secondly, the proceedings become a little confusing at times. Whether it is the elaborate heist sequence just before the interval or the entire double cross/triple cross conversations involving the lead actors towards the pre-climax, one has to concentrate hard to grasp everything that happens on the screen. Thankfully, the film moves at a rapid pace for one to move on to the next sequence with not much choice left but to enjoy the thrills that follow.

Another aspect where the film could have been better is the presentation of some of the key action sequences. Do they entertain? Yes, but they do not make you feel involved in the chase as you would have liked. They are well directed but some more effort in editing and background score could have added on that 'adrenalin rush' which one expected.

Music by Vishal Shekhar is a definite strength though one wishes 'Naa Poocho' on Esha Deol could have been more prominent. It is relegated to the background which doesn't do justice to one of the best tracks in the album. Cinematography is consistent throughout with the film bearing a lavish look though a few more aerial shots of Cape Town, especially in the night, could have added on to the visual appeal.

CASH was meant to be a simple, tried and tested, 'chor-police' action/thriller, which is by the way in force even at Hollywood. Remember OCEANS 11/12/13, SNATCH and more? Am I comparing CASH with the above mentioned films? No. The point I am trying to make is about the similarities in genre. CASH sticks it guns to and puts it's money at action and music. Come, watch a heist flick, munch your popcorn for those two hours and a little more, enjoy the action and move on. Who is asking you to think too much about 'what if' and 'what else' anyways?