India is known for its skilful shooters both in the ranges and the ravines. Director Anand Kumar, who has misfired at the box office for a number of times, this time hits the bull’s eye as far as the selection of subject is concerned. Gyani and Pali, two orphans grow in the crime belt of Eastern Uttar Pradesh to become sharpshooters under the tutelage of an astute gang lord-turned-politician (Ashutosh Rana).
Along the way, the boys get an opportunity to shoot for the country when an Army Major (Suniel Shetty) offers them to switch sides. Gyani lives upto his name while Pali decides not to shoot at cardboard targets. It is an interesting premise to play with but Kumar fails to fire our imagination and comes up with yet another hotchpotch after “Zilla Ghaziabad”.
For a large part, the movie seeks to glamourise crime with shoddy item songs and hollow dialoguebaazi where almost every other line begins with ‘abey’. The director seems to draw pleasure from showcasing kids showering bullets from country-made pistols and projecting women as objects of desire.
After wasting a lot of time in sketching cardboard characters and provide more than a glimpse of regional politics which has lost its novelty when the narrative comes to the point the performers lack the wherewithal to convey the emotional conflict. It seems the director is addressing the wishes of Palis in the audience.
The action in the shooting range looks cosmetic. The coach seems more interested in turning Gyani into a muscular hunk rather than an international shooter. Perhaps Kumar hasn’t seen the likes of Narangs and Jungs. When the Major talks of concentration and listening to heart beat it sounds as easy as lifting a dumbbell.
Jay has a couple of expressions and newcomer Akhil Kapur has none. Playing the most important cog in the wheel as the cocky Pali, he proves to be weakest link. Tia Bajpai repeats herself as the girl trampled by male domination.
It is only Ashutosh Rana who gets the measure of his character. As the criminal-politician who has his heart in the right place he is the reason to sit through the otherwise excruciatingly painful two hours. India’s exploits in shooting deserves a better deal.
Bottomline: A hollow attempt to mash-up crime and sports, Desi Kattey misses the target by a margin
