Drab. Review on Aladin

Okay, so the film-maker's wanted to recreate the popular fairly tale as a modern-day fantasy, relete with real-life characters. But truly, we fail to get the point because the film doesn't work at any level. Neither do the genie(AB) and the ring-master(Sanjay Dutt) create magic with the over-the-tops acts, nor does the Ritesh-Jacqueline romance strike a chord. Ritesh, meanwhile, shuffles through the film with a hangdog expression, woozy and woolly-headed for most of his I'm-the-archetypal-loser act. The film that scores mostly in one department: the art direction(Saby Cyril). Yes, it is the sets of the film alone, comprising a fictitious township, Khwaish, which evoke some interest.

Saddled with a name like Aladin, orphaned kid Ritesh Deshmukh spends most of his school and college days bearing the brunt of bullies who force him to rub lamps at odd juncutes in order to produce the famed genie. The jaadu works just once when Jasmine(Jacqueline), the college hottie presents a lamp to the oddball on his miserable birthday. This time, the rubbing acutally has results: a not-so-funny Mr. Bachchan appears with his zestless monlogues and mantras, urging Aladin to make his three wishes.

Tryly, a big let down from director Sujoy Ghosh who lost both his Jhankar and his beats after Home Delivery and Aladin, his films following a scintillating Jhankar Beats