Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Amyra Dastur, Arunodoy Singh
Directed by: Vikram Bhatt
Written by: Shagufta Rafique
Cinematographers: Pravin Bhatt, Chandan Gupta
Produced By: Vishesh Films
Distributed by: Fox Star Studios
While watching ‘MR X”, there’s just one thought that kept recurring to me- did no one notice just how dated this film is? Apart from other defects of course.
In a nutshell, ‘Mr X’ is a super agent of ATD named Raghu Rathod (Anti Terrorist Department, a fictional Mumbai Police division) who fights criminals along with of a super thin, pretty female agent who also happens to be his girlfriend. Their love nest is a plush home with designer interiors & a stunning bay view. Clearly, after work, these super agents take off to the First World & splurge their CEO scale pay packets. Life takes a twist when super agent Raghu gets dragged into a murky plot and commits murder to save girlfriend. When the bad guys try to burn him to death, he lives thanks to divine intervention (or at least an idol of Lord Krishna). And now looks like ‘Auro’ from ‘Paa’ with a neat baldpate & a bit of boiled flesh. After all, what chance does mere radiation stands next to ‘Mr X’? When treated with ‘anti radiation medicine’ in a pharma lab, ‘Mr X’ is born. He is partially visible under sunlight & ultraviolet light only (a fact that the director often forgets for the rest of the film). And fights for revenge while also making love to his super agent girlfriend.
There isn’t much of a story or anything else here. It’s neither sci fi, nor action, nor a love story, nor a populist entertainer. It’s just a badly written film with non-existent thrills & a wooden heroine. Actually, I wonder if Amyra Dastur charged the producers per expression. If she did then she must have been an economical choice. For throughout the film she has exactly 1 expression; whatever be the situation. For a Vishesh Films production, the music is less than average. The narrative is pot holed and the dialogues are outdated & corny.
But the funniest bits are when Mr X supposedly carries out his revenge. Evidently, the makers have lost track of when he is supposed to be invisible onscreen. His invisibility plays out randomly. His self-righteous super agent girlfriend never once tries to find out what in god’s name happened for him to turn invisible! She simply says, ‘nice trick’!
It’s unfortunate that Emraan Hashmi is saddled with this unsubstantial role & poor script. His performance, despite corny dialogues, is restrained.
As for director Vikram Bhatt, I wonder if he is haunted by images of certain melting humanoid. For this chap did show up in ‘Khamoshiyan’ earlier this year; where he donned the part of a creative director. For all its special effects, this film is simply out of sync.
For a banner that has cracked the formula of sleek, entertaining, low cost thrillers, ‘MR X’ is a step back. I wouldn’t advise taking a chance with it unless you want to chill with popcorn and the air conditioning. Best to save up for ‘Avengers- Age of Ultron’ next week.
Ticket Price Value: 30 Percent
