Ungli **

Dir: Renzil D’Silva

Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Sanjay Dutt, Randeep Hooda, Neha Dhupia, Mahesh Manjrekar

Only two movies into his career as a film director, Renzil D’Silva already appears to have developed a pattern of making movies which are slick and well-intentioned but utterly confused in the execution.

Kurbaan was probably meant to disprove the almost ubiquitous notion (in India and the West) that all Muslims are terrorists but ended up doing almost the exact opposite.

Ungli wants to vent the ordinary citizen’s frustrations with all the corruption and bureaucracy that makes his/her daily life miserable. We can probably all relate to that but the solutions to the problems that the movie offers (vigilante justice that aims to name and shame corrupt politicians, civil servants, bureaucrats, police officers and so on) only appear naive. The final con that the vigilantes pull on a bunch of policemen is even more simplistic and illogical than their earlier capers. If only D’Silva’s screenplay had been more thoughtful and thought-provoking.

A talented cast is wasted in what ultimately comes across as a mid-budget teleplay.

Only Randeep Hooda manages to make an impression as the head of the Ungli gang, a group of angry young people who are out to teach the bad guys a lesson.

Kangana Ranaut is the obligatory female presence in the gang but has nothing substantial to do except look good (which she does).

Emraan Hashmi and Sanjay Dutt are the two cops assigned to catch the Ungli gang but they kind of fade into the background and aren’t really able to make their presence felt. The item number with Emraan and Shraddha Kapoor is catchy but pointless.

Cut to chase: Not actively bad but too naive and too simplistic.