Film: Cash

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Producer: Anubhav Sinha, Sohail Maklai and Anish Ranjan

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Esha Deol, Shamita Shetty, Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza and Ayesha Takia

Rating: 2/5

Sign a few somebodys and nobodys from Bollywood, grab hold of a few stunt men, fly down to South Africa and begin shooting what you like, where you like. Ladies and gentlemen you’ve got a film called Cash canned and ready for pathetic editing.

The story is as banal as the characters in it. A set of three diamonds tour the globe and finally two fall in the hands of the mafia (who, what, where, figure out for yourself). The Mafia leader, greedy that he is, wants the third diamond as well so that he can sell it to a buyer at an exorbitant price. 

But then Angad (Suniel Shetty) double crosses the leader of the pack and hatches an elaborate plan to get the diamonds for himself. He has Karan (Ajay Devgan) do the job for him, who in turn delegates the task to Lucky (Riteish Deshmukh), Danny (Zayed Khan) and Pooja (Esha Deol). Each one is off on a trip to con the other, till they figure out who the actual conniver is. Caught amidst all of it is security agent and Karan’s love interest Shania (Shamita Shetty). She is responsible to nab the bad guys, but is unaware that one lives in her own house, playing the role of her lover (a la Mr and Mrs Smith).

If the story is not confusing enough, characters in the film die at the drop of a hat and talk forever sounding intellectually hollow. There are so many people doing so many things that lead to a road that goes absolutely nowhere.

While the story is heading nowhere, the shallow depth of the characters doesn’t entertain either. The characters seem as though they have been chalked out of a story book, which is read by no one. Their one liner witty remarks are great, but often they indulge in some pseudo intellectual conversation that really has neither a head nor a tail.

No doubt the stunts have been pulled off rather well and the slickness the film offers is good. But that’s all you get. The out of focus shots and random scenes has you rub your eyes to verify your near perfect vision. While the sidekick actors only bother you, the editing irritates. Scenes come and go as though it is nobody’s business and is cut even before you catch a glimpse of something. Just for the added value songs are shoved, one wonders if the excitement of making the film superceded in providing depth to the story, characters and even their look.

So everything looks uber cool and so do the clothes hanging on each characters body, little do they look nice in them. The film is so treated with filters and the good stuff that everything screams to have you take notice.

All said and done there are only a few things that you can watch the film for. For starters the crisp and rich colors are good and so is the stunning locale. The action surrounding the film too is good. The spells of humor is likeable. And lastly what makes for a good watch in this film is the animation that breaks the monotony of the live characters.

The lesser said about the acting talents the better. Shamita Shetty does a Shilpa through the film, making it difficult to identify one from the other now. Deshmukh does well in his role. Khan sports a pair of glares and well that’s all there is and following him closely is Deol who does no justice to her role. Devgan and Shetty seem lost and that’s the expression you get through the film, they are good only in parts. Mirza conjures up a set of three expressions and delivers a performance that may very well be forgotten.

While Cash might garner a great first week collection, its stay in the theatres for a longer duration is questionable. The aggressive marketing drive is what aids the film.

You could very well watch Cash, but if you aren’t the curious type try saving the money for a rainy day.