Crook Movie Review, Rating

Emraan Hashmi is playing the crook. So what’s new you would ask, he does that in every film. From Murder to Once Upon A Time In Mumbai via Gangster and Jannat, Emraan has more or less defined crookism for Bollywood.

I’m guessing they decided to call this one Crook because they ran out of suitable names for an Emraan Hashmi film. The word obviously makes for a safe title when you cast the actor in a project. It’s in sync with all that his peculiar antihero screen image stands for.


Right, they needed a peg to rehash Emraan’s crook( ed) clichés. So, director Mohit Suri takes his brand of dark masala entertainment Down Under. The backdrop here is Australia, and the recent racist attacks against Indians in that country.

Crook is as relevant to the issue of racism as Jannat was to cricket matchfixing. Basically, the film sticks to the Bhatt factory logic of exploiting a topic that’s talking point at the moment and tries rolling into it a script idea that comes with the trademark angst, isolation and flaws that define Emraan’s set image.

Emraan plays Jai, a guy who is convinced that being good in life is a bad idea after a bitter experience involving his father. He takes to evil and when things get out of hand, he flees to Australia with a new identity. Jai starts off his new life as a cabbie. And if you were wondering where’s the sex factor in this Emraan Hashmi film, there’s the essential romp with a nightclub stripper before he meets Suhani (Neha Sharma).

He realises Suhani could be his ticket to permanent citizenship in Australia and tries wooing her. The twist Suhani's brother gets involved with the racism mess. Jai realises that a police probe could lead to his deportation back to India.

Jai’s character sketch is formulaic. In vintage Emraan Hashmi style, he is mischievous, flirts with flair, and doesn’t hesitate to lie to even those who trust him if need be. He’s a two- timing playboy to begin with but in the end it predictably turns out that he has a heart of gold.

Mohit Suri retains his knack for mixing romance with gritty drama. Like past ventures such as Zeher, Kalyug and Awarapan , Suri’s latest has a fair share of violence too.

The problem here is a weak script. Almost desperate to cash in on Emraan’s tested image, the story ignores the basic issue of racism. The theme should have created scope for genuine drama. It doesn’t.

To offset Jai’s overdone character, Suhani is your typical filmy heroine. The director’s brief to debutant Neha Sharma must have been something like this: grin, preen, pose, expose.

Neha has done it all in Telugu cinema before, so she didn’t have to try.

Rating - 2 / 5