Action that evokes opposite reaction

Nonika Singh

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Na appointment na commitment only punishment…. does that say it all? Well, if you are a stickler for a full-fledged review and one-liner won’t suffice… by all means read further.

Only let’s state it loud and clear. Neither the review nor the film will be any more

enlightening than the title. Action Jackson, as expected, is not just action galore but action ad nauseam. And from scene one Prabhudeva, the man who helms this directionless and action-full

juggernaut, makes his intentions deafeningly obvious. A body hits a moving car screen, is followed by another death and by the time it ends you not only lose count of the bodies which

have gone through glass panes of cars buildings but the number of times you had to cringe. So you do exactly that when Sonkashi Sinha as Khushi spots Ajay Devgn as Vishu in a trial room (and you thought men and women had separate trial rooms) in a mall in a state of semi-undress and believes he is lucky for her. And wants to see him again just the exact way. Funny? The director certainly thinks so.

Equally exasperated are you when her name and later that of AJ plays rather raucously in the background.

Jarring notes and we are not just talking of music! There are so many that we better list out some good points. Oh, let us think… perhaps Shahid Kapoor (in a brief appearance) shaking a leg.

Of course, lest we forget there is a plot even a love tale. Actually make that double dose of romance and even at the risk of spoiling your fun there is two of something more. Yes dear Ajay Devgn has a double role though it takes a while to figure it out. And keeping him company are two heroines who get their pound of flesh that is some naach gaana. Sure Sonkashi Sinha has a bigger part as Yami Gautam makes her presence only in the second half. And no fault of

hers though, the moment she appears credulity of any kind goes for a toss. To be honest, the first half, even though you have to stretch the suspension of disbelief to the utmost, works

somewhat. In a limited way Sonakshi, who by the way is playing a similar part for the Nth time since she made her debut not too long ago, does perk up the film. And the first half is well

edited too but thereafter the film continues to plumb deeper and deeper into a morass from which there is no escape for the film and none for you either.

Actually there is nothing that the film offers that you have not seen before. For starters there is a daredevil AJ... oh in case you couldn’t figure out Action Jackson is our leading man Ajay Devgn, who can take on an army of goons with a flick of his hand. And the other Devgn

is no saint either rather a small time goonda who too specialises in beating others to pulp.

As they take turns to kill, kill and kill some more, we also have a hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Enter Manasvi Mamgai, the don’s sister, who plays her part of a woman possessed

by love for AJ with suitable menace. But good actors or bad ones… all are tied to an inane plot which has all the ingredients that perhaps worked well in another age, another time.

Mein ek hi baar bolta hoon…. keeps saying Devgn. Only if our makers made these films just once! Since that’s not happening… hope hum dekhne ke liye dobara na bachein. But if you

dear viewer is alive and kicking and itching to watch… If torturing your senses reads entertainment for you, go ahead. Happy viewing…. though let’s say it again in one line. There

is nothing to make even an averagely intelligent viewer happy. This one certainly does not fall into mindless entertainment category rather is mind numbing and crunching.