Trailer Watch: 'Thugs Of Hindostan'

An Aamir Khan film is, more often than not, an event of sorts. Over the years, Khan has affixed himself to decent, content-driven cinema (with the exception of Dhoom:3), so perhaps, the expectations from this colossal, exorbitant venture backed by the same production house (YRF), and co–starring Amitabh Bachchan (Bachchan has never been cast with Khan mind), are unfairly high. Ironically, Vijay Krishna Acharya is at the helm of affairs again, so we know where to place the blame, if it fails to deliver and live up to its gargantuan expectations.

Despite its tepid posters which were unveiled last week, I tried to approach this trailer with an open mind, albeit with trepidation and tried to appreciate what they were doing here, its Pirates of The Caribbean hangover notwithstanding.

Did it deliver? I guess, a more accurate question would be, how does one polish a turd?

Thugs of Hindostan is based on Philip Meadows Taylor’s novel Confessions of a Thug, and revolves around a benevolent thug Khudabaksh Azad (Bachchan), whose gang of thugs attempts to thwart and overpower the British rule, specifically a ruthless British colonel (Lloyd Owen as a caricaturish, Hindi spouting antagonist) in India during the early 19th century. From the trailer, it appears that Khan plays a double-crossing scoundrel who most likely changes his allegiance half way through the film after a series of dramatic confrontations with Khudabaksh. Dangal’s Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Katrina Kaif complete the cast as ornamental set-pieces, who inevitably will have little to add to the plot and its progression, looking gorgeous besides, and in that department, it has to be said, Kaif steals the cake, as well as the bakery here, at least in whatever little we see of her.

Maybe I’m being a little cynical, but the CGI is ropey at best, and while there will be a little fun to be had (Bachchan especially looks like he’s in towering form), whatever they’ve unveiled in this three minute peek, left me feeling cold and with as much of a sinking feeling as one of the numerous ships in the film’s trailer that seemingly meet with the same fate.

Thugs Of Hindsotan, a much touted bonanza, hits the marquee, this Diwali, 8 November. What are your expectations from what looks like an excessively bloated epic?