Aladin
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ritesh Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Rating: ***
Aladin is a fairytale without the mandatory rousing fairytale ending. Don’t misunderstand. It has a happy ending, of course. But because the journey to the final good Vs. evil face-off is rather clever and smart, and the setting of the climax so full of promise, that when it eventually arrives, only to limp off meekly, you feel cheated of a good catharsis.
Aladin is director Sujoy Gupta’s inspired take on one of the oldest and most fascinating fairytales. While some brilliant twists to this familiar story and its old characters are his own bright ideas, several others are stolen from Harry Potter and Disney’s 1992 animated version (Jasmine with bouncy, lustrous hair for one). The special effects too, though impressive, scream Lord of the Rings. Even what Genius the genie (Amitabh Bachchan) says every time he grants Aladin a wish, “satyakalpadroom”, is a twist of the title of a poem by Satyajit Ray’s father Sukumar Ray, Shabda Kalpa Drum, from his book of nonsense verse Abol Tabol.
Aladin Chatterjee (Bengali director gets his jollies) lives in the mythical town of Khwaish — here stone houses have chimneys, vintage cars are parked on cobbled streets and garbage is packed in black plastic bags. It’s Jaisalmer with a dash of Covent Garden. Aladin’s parents died in a magical lamp related tragedy, and he live a lonely loser’s life. Now in college, Aladin falls in love with gorgeous Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez). On Aladin’s birthday Jasmine gifts him a lamp and Aladin rubs it reluctantly. Some smoke and lightening later appears Genius, in a fedora worn stylishly skewed, and says, “Yo! Brother”. Genius is charming, impish, smooth and in a rush. Close to retirement, he would like to get his last assignment over with and be free from lamp duty for life.
Another man’s interest in Aladin was stirred up when he rubbed the lamp. The evil renegade genie, Ringmaster (Sanjay Dutt) who travels with his deadly circus troupe — a fire-spitting belle, a joker, a knife thrower and other freaks — and kills with a smile. He is after the magical lamp, a comet and super powers. Secrets are revealed, Ringmaster acquires the lamp, Genius loses his powers, good people get killed and much action ensues till Aladin, who is the chosen one, saves...
Though it helps that all fictional characters here speak in a language that’s cool and contemporary — very Shrek, it is Aladin’s first half, in which Genius has powers, that is fascinating and fun. As soon as genie’s powers go, the movie begins to hunch.
Aladin’s casting is near perfect. Sanjay Dutt is dark but fun. His Ringmaster struts with a bit of Khalnayak madness. Though Aladin’s character is so inert that it’s impossible to feel anything but pity for him, Ritesh Deshmukh is efficient and funny. Jacqueline Fernandez’s Jasmine, thank god, is not a simpering bimbette. Her karate chops are deadly and her beauty pure sunshine.
But Aladin the movie belongs to the Genius genie with kohl-lined eyes and salt-pepper curls. There has never been (yes, I am accounting for Robin Williams) a groovier genie than the one Amitabh Bachchan plays here. He’s really got the moves. And when he’s in the groove, baby he's got more ishtyle and spunk than the latest hip-hoppin’, rappin’ dude.