A letdown. Review on Naksha

Naksha, directed by Sachin Bajaj, is an adventure flick that starts off well, but eventually falls in the same mould as a run-of-the-mill vendetta flick.

A secret treasure has been lying buried in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas for centuries, and a map holds the key to find it.

Two half-brothers, Vicky (Viveik Oberoi) and Veer (Sunny Deol), embark on a quest to find what the naksha hides.

Twenty years after their father loses his life protecting the secret of the map, they decide to complete his unfinished task. However, posing a challenge to their task is not only the difficult terrain of Uttaranchal, but also Jackie Shroff, who wants to get hold of the treasure before them.

Naksha has several interesting moments in the first half, but it settles down to a routine story as it reaches its finale.Infact the drama of good v/s evil just does not excite.The initial reels are engaging and the movement of the story catches the viewer unaware. In fact, so much seems to happen in the first half-an-hour of the film at such a brisk pace that the viewer gets completely involved in the goings-on.

The post-interval portions have a couple of interesting moments, but a few unwanted sequences too. In fact, even if these sequences weren't there, it wouldn't have made a difference to the main plot.

To cite an example, item song look forced in the screenplay. Ditto for the climax, which seems too far fetched.The comedy track involving Sunny ,Sameera and vivek oberoi is plain stupid. A better culmination to this complex story was the need of the hour.

The music is no great shakes either. In fact, given the theme of the film, Naksha should've been a songless film. In fact, the songs seem to have been inserted to divert your mind from a half baked screenplay issue. But, sadly, the TRICK doesn't work.

Director Bajaj seems at ease handling the dramatic portions, but is letdown by a mediocre screenplay. Cinematography is simply flawless. The locales of up [filmed in Australia] are a visual treat.In fact the entire look of film is magnificent. Editing is crisp in the first half, but not in the second.

Of the performances, Sunny Deol does make an effort to enact his part with conviction.Vivek does not impress, partly due to a half-baked characterisation. Sameera is just about okay.Jackiea is average.

On the whole, NAKSHA is a letdown.