Tezz Movie Review

Months before the film Tezz released, everyone involved with the project from producer Ratan Jain to director Priyadarshan kept insisting that the thriller is as good as any Hollywood fare and Priyadarshan, who has made a thriller for the first time in his career, doesn't disappoint with Tezz, though one is left with the feeling that the movie plot could have been a tad crisper and tighter.
 
 Revolving around the issues of illegal immigrants, the movie has Aakash Rana (Ajay Devgn), an engineer staying with his UK citizen wife Nikita (Kangana Ranaut) in London before his illegal status gets discovered and the courts order him deported, thus crushing his dreams of an ideal life.
 
 Four years later, Rana returns with vengeance on his mind and teams up with his former employees Adil Khan (Zayed Khan) and Megha (Sameera Reddy) to wreak some havoc. What follows is a bomb threat on a train and a tensed Railway Control officer Sanjay Raina (Boman Irani) and Anti-Terrorism officer Arjun Khanna (Anil Kapoor) trying every trick in the book to avert the disaster and to apprehend the culprits. Thrown in the mix are police officer Shivan Nair (Mohanlal) and his team of cops, who are escorting a prisoner on the same ill-fated train and the stage is set for thrills galore and an exciting cat and mouse chase.
 
 Ajay Devgn once again proves that he is one of the best actors in the industry and his intensity is unmatched in scenes that require emotions. Devgn lets his eyes do the talking and does not fail at any juncture as the wronged hero who is pushed into a desperate situation. Anil Kapoor, who plays Khanna, also delivers his part and proves that he can carry off a lead role despite his 50 plus years. Boman Irani is excellent as always, bringing out the anguish of a father quite effectively though Mohanlal, who is without doubt one of the most talented actors, seems miscast as the London police officer attached to a tactical unit because of his chubby frame and a thick South Indian accent.
 
 On the flip side, though the chase sequences are capable enough to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, the effect of the thrilling parts in the movie is somewhat marred by songs that intrude in the middle of the excitement. A scene where Rana and Khan are being chased by cops suddenly gets chopped to make way for item number Laila, which is a sure dampener. However, the slow romantic number Tere Bina is quite hummable. Moreover, the director's habit of inserting flashbacks at the time when the movie should speed ahead also tends to affect the interest level of the viewer. Also, the director fails to explain why the protagonist's former employees Adil and Megha risk life and limb for Rana-it would have sure helped if the relationship between the trio was explored to justify their dedication. Some elements of the movie (like the bomb, which could get triggered if the speed of the vehicle decreases and the scene where a garbage can with a hollow bottom is used for whisking away the money from under the noses of the cops) seem to be inspired from the Hollywood flick Speed.
 
 Nevertheless, Priyadarshan gets full marks for the overall racy pace of the movie and the nail-biting chase sequences. Moreover, the cinematography is also worth mentioning and the great locales of the United Kingdom, from the cobbled streets to the green countryside have also been captured well.
 
 Like mentioned earlier, apart from the few scenes, where the pace of the movie drops, the film overall lives up to its title Tezz.

Rating 3.5/5