So to watch India’s answer to films like Pirates Of The Caribbean, at the onset, seemed like a novel experience. Thugs Of Hindostan Review: Action, adventure and fantasy is a genre that you associate with Hollywood’s big-ticket movies. The British Company in return, hire the wily thug Firangi (Aamir Khan) to track Azaad’s gang and thwart his plans. Thugs Of Hindostan Story: After the British company’s officer Clive (Lloyd Owen) takes over the kingdom of Mirza (Ronit Roy), princess Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Khudabaksh aka Azaad (Amitabh Bachchan) form a band of rebel pirates who swear to defeat the English officer and win their freedom back. is one of Aamir Khan’s worst films in recent times If only we had more of their confrontation scenes together, Thugs Of Hindostan would have been an infinitely better film. And Aamir as Firangi, is someone you can relate to because the actor portrays it with the right amount of cynicism, the right amount of grey shade. Mr Bachchan as Khudabaksh, for whom azadi is an idea that should be planted in everyone’s hearts and minds is someone you root for because the actor makes sure his angst speaks to you. The firang actors, be it Lloyd Owen, who plays Clive or Gavin Marshall, who plays Clive’s second-in-command, are reduced to playing caricatures. Katrina Kaif has two songs and a couple of scenes and even Fatima Sana Shaikh is reduced to being a gymnast here, despite having more screen time than Katrina. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub’s character of Shanichar was totally not needed. But the lack of a concrete screenplay, a coherent story, makes everything fall down like the sandcastle we see in the beginning. Mr Bachchan’s baritone, his histrionics or Aamir Khan’s ever changing expressions also need some foundation to fall back on.
But even their combined presence goes in vain after a while. They are so good that they lift the film up by their mere presence. It’s a criminal waste to take actors the calibre of Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan and have them flounder because of lack of material. What worked in that era - and even that was better written - may not necessarily work today. The plot reminds you of masala potboilers of the ’80s. But it could only have been edited properly if it was written well.The film falls flat in the writing department. We all like swashbucklers and despite the Pirates Of The Caribbean overtones, it could yet have been an engrossing film if it was edited properly. What could have been a crisp adventure drags on and on. The problem with Thugs Of Hindostan is that it’s too long by modern standards. As long as some sort of action - and there is plenty of it - keeps happening you don’t get bored. The fight scenes in the climax where Fatima kicks some butt literally flying across the landscape with the help of curtain cloth reminds one of Hong Kong cinema. Be it swordplay as displayed by Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan or archery as displayed by Fatima Sana Shaikh, it’s all nicely done.
The action choreography is brilliant as well. And all those frames of Indian pirates jumping ships and harrowing the British are truly world class. Two seaworthy ships were apparently converted into giant sets to showcase sea battles. No expense is spared to bring the high seas adventure to life. Shot extensively in Malta, Thailand and Mehrangarh, the film is a period extravaganza unlike anything you’ve seen before. Thugs Of Hindostan is Yash Raj Productions most lavish film as yet.
How Firangi goes about his mission and whether he succeeds in it or not forms the crux of the story. Tired of their raids both on sea and land, the British hire the services of Firangi Mallah (Aamir Khan), a con man whose only God is money. Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh), grows up to be a fierce warrior herself and her only aim is to win back her kingdom and make the British quit India. The only one left alive is the little princess Zafira, who is saved in the nick of time by the royal guardian Khudabaksh (Amitabh Bachchan). Clive (Lloyd Owen), an officer belonging to the East India Company, does the dastardly act of taking over Mirza’s (Ronit Roy) kingdom, killing him, his wife and son in the process.