Definitely (not) a perfect TEN. Review on Dus

'Will it be a DUS (ten) or a BUS, itna hi aur kuch bhi nahin?....said me to the friend as the movie started. Sure the movie starts quite well. Sleek. Smart. Wouldnt call it James Bondesque- but neat though.

Supposedly unconnected happenings - men in black killing/getting killed/ bullets etc. around the world. canada, algeria, - and leads on to india . We meet this Anti Terrorist Cell headed (ATC) by Sanjay dutt whose trusted deputys include Shilpa shetty, abhishek, zayed . They go all out in gunning down terrorists and go around in search of bombs (the RDX kind, of course !).

They get info that on may 10th (now u know why DUS ) there is a biggie operation being planned- but none knows what. Before u can say WOW u have the Prime Ministers office telling the ATC to windup ...!

Sanjoy decides to pool in resources and asks his deputy's abhi and zayed to leave for canada as the leads point there- this is to be done FAST - and get the big baddie. Just how fast it is we get to know in the coming scenes ; there is a function in the family, so people may not be leaving that fast.

Family did u say? well...whose? actually there lies the rub. You almost accuse the ATC of nepotism and realise what they meant by 'its all in the FAMILY ' when u realise that Sanjoy is elder brother to abhishek, Shipa his lover (sanjay's not abhi's), Zayed in love with sanjoys(and abhi's) sister, Dia mirza- but had said NO to marrying her (no, not 'cos of her innumerable flops)........anyway between the four, they have enough relations to put Balaji serials to shame.

Off go abhi and zyed to canada - while another ATC member quietly sulking at NOT being sent to CANADA- and once reach get entangled in a SPEED-like tryst in a car. They meet Neha, the ATC operative in canada .Thats Esha Deol, looking like she walked right from DHOOM with the horrible fringe , trying hard to do a Bipasha- why oh why , doesnt someone tell her what she can- at least tell her what she cant?

Anyway during their sojourn our guys (almost literally) bump into Canadian inspector Dan (Sunil Shetty) who looks like he was left behind by daler mehandi . Later they pick up a hench man (pankaj kapur) and get chased by shetty - who after some pow-wows joins the team and forgetting his obligations towards canadian police, dedicates himself to the indian team mission- fulltime. By the way he has a side track here with Raima sen- but dont ask me to get onto that, ok- must mention though that she looks pretty.

Anyways Pankaj is questioned - so is your sensibility and patience - and they succeed in keeping him in confines. He gets bored (who wouldnt) and leads them into key accomplices of the gang. All these while sanjay and shilpa battle out kidnappings and treachery in india....

Our canadian tourists finally catch up with Swami, a big wig (literally so- gulshan grover wearing a horrendous one- WHY cant we have a clean shaven villain, please?) ......abhishek and zayed think the job is done and plan to return to india . But not before abhi decides to proclaim his love for esha (ya, ya despite the fringe ) .........and lo and behold!... sanjay dutt decides not to be left behind in india - and miss all the fun of foreign locales- and makes an entry to spruce up proceeds.

He tries to explain the happenings to the gang- and the audience as well- and we are treated to a rip off from ' Sudden Death' with all of them abhi, sunil, sanjay and zayed trying to diffuse bombs during a game inside a stadium and doing jean claude van ......damn! u say to yourself as the credits roll and u realise u spent rs. 100 upwards for the movie.

So, was it DUS or just DUST......well, first the good stuff- the director begins nicely. fast paced. Even in picturising. Edits etc. story is told very matter of fact. even the sub plot - diya and zayed- is brought in well. No melodrama anywhere.

And then? he decides to open the deluge in the last 25 minutes- when he had a BOMB to be diffused in a hurry, he goes and does a karan johar -thats right - and gives us some stuff which would put the (in) famous hug between shahrukh and hrithik (in K3G) to shame. Sanjay, abhi and zayed do the honours here - supported by a visibly bored esha (by the movie or with the situatuion? )- anyways the audience jeered to it- and coming from an audience which clapped from start thats quite an achievement.

Acting?...Pankaj Kapoor, no doubts. Wish we see more of this talented actor. Even in trash like these he stands out and takes the taalis from abhi, sunil and zayed. Actually that didnt require effort, u would guess by now. others? well what of them? Zayed's ok. Hot-hot Abhi redoes his comedy-tough guy bit from DHOOM. His interactions with zayed remind u of the abhi-aditya combo of DHOOM....so does Esha. She should avoid getting cast...typecast, I meant. Sanjay, shilpa, sunil etc leave you even before u leave the theatre.

Final take- the director/producer- please decide what (kind of) movie u want to make. And do it properly. If its a light hearted entertainer do that- straight to finish. If its melodrama lets have that. Else you would get - you guessed !- a movie called DUS. one sincerely hopes this is not the movie the late mukul anand (remembered in the credits ) intended to make with the same name.