'A Flying Jatt': An agonising shtick (IANS Review, Rating: **)

Film: "A Flying Jatt"; Director: Remo D'Souza; Cast: Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, Amrita Singh, Kay Kay Menon, Nathan Jones; Rating: **

"A Flying Jatt", is the story of the local superhero of the same name. Apart from the name, there is nothing original about the film. The character, chiselled on the lines of the DC Comics fictional character Superman, is an Indianised version of the superhero which includes his traits and costume.

It is the story of a reluctant martial arts teacher, Aman Dhillon (Tiger Shroff) who is forced to fight a prominent and powerful industrialist, Mr. Malhotra and his goons, when they forcibly try to usurp a track of land which his mother, Mrs. Dhillon (Amrita Singh) owns.

How Aman transforms from a meek person to the local crusader -- "A Flying Jatt", forms the crux of the tale.

The film is director Remo D'Souza's pretentious plea to save the planet. Pretentious because the film, in all sincerity, is treated with an artificiality which includes his direct appeal -- "Everything has an alternative, except Mother Earth."

The plot is layered and complex, but not without flaws. It ropes in all the tried and tested formulas of film marketing; Deus ex-machina as a plot device, a superhero who tugs on patriotic themes and religious affinity, bonding with the mother, romance, fight between good and evil and moreover, it tackles the serious issue of environmental pollution.

Apart from this, the film is replete with tell-and-show expositions, half-baked characters, plot holes galore and interplanetary fight sequences.

Tiger Shroff in the titular role is sincere and charming. With a stubble and turban he is striking and he lights up the screen with his presence. His character is designed like a satire and he excels in its caricature, but the poorly scripted drama does not back him enough.

Jacqueline Fernandez in a relatively small role is competent as Aman's love interest, the giggly headed Kriti.

She looks radiant, performs ably and matches Tiger in histrionics. But she fails to be consistent in the accent. Her dialogue delivery fluctuates from an anglicised accent to a local one.

The hulk Nathan Jones plays the stereotypical henchman with aplomb and elevates the character to the rank of an antagonist. Kay Kay Menon as the pivotal bad man essays his role in a hackneyed manner.

The two characters who make their presence felt are Amrita Singh as the drunk Mrs. Dhillon and the character who plays Rohit -- Aman's friend, accomplice and brother-figure.

Technically, the film boasts of ace production values, but the spirit is diluted with poor craftsmanship.

The effects are not at par with international standards and though the computer generated images mesh seamlessly into the live action, the finesse is missing.

The songs are well choreographed and well picturised except for the "Beat pe booty". This one seems forced and poorly mounted in a studio environment.

Overall, the director seems to have lost the plot after the second act, as the narrative meanders making the entire comic affair agonising.

--IANS

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