Brilliant and touching

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Abbas-Mustan known for lifting Hollywood films, this time lifted CONSENTING ADULTS(1992) which is too advanced for our Indian audiences who rejected Sauda(1995) and Karobaar(2000) too. The film starts off as a normal romance film but when Akshay enters things get interesting till the interval however the forced comedy of Johny Lever does get irritating. The twist at the interval is good and also the second half but things start getting predictable and the manner in which Bobby tries to settle things looks contrived, the climax too is heckeyened.Direction by AM is quite good but not one of their best Music by Anu Malik is decent, songs are tuneful, Mehbooba was Adnan Sami's debut as a singer for films, other songs are goodAkshay Kumar did well in his 3rd negative role after Khiladi 420 and Aflatoon where he had a dual role, Bobby Deol too does his part well, Kareena Kapoor is okay, Bipasha Basu in her debut with a dubbed voice is decent Sharat Saxena is okay, Dalip Tahil irritates, Johny Lever and gang irritate more then amuse, rest are okay

Another unoriginal fare by Abbas-Mastan, Ajnabee does work maybe because it was generally well made by the directors-brothers duo Abbas Mastan who often prefer to concentrate on the making of a film rather than invest time and write a new script. Well a job is a job and everyone is working for money, so remaking a foreign film is a much easier way to make money. Creativity/originality is not the word to describe this duo but they do manage to make an enjoyable flick every once in a while so let it be. Ajnabee is quite an interesting watch - it has good cinematography, very good editing, exceptional music, suitable actors and a very modern concept. The portrayal of Indians living in a foreign country is well done, the suspense is successful, and it uses the usual Bollywood clichés from time to time. The film is mainly surprising because of Akshay Kumar's shocking villainous turn (well if he had accepted the directors' early film Baazigar maybe things would have gone differently for him). He is convincing and wins most of the viewers' attention. It has a very lovely newcomer named Bipasha Basu who makes a confident debut. It also has an average Kareena Kapoor, a Bobby Deol (about him I don't have anything good or bad to say), and a hilarious Johnny Lever. I was annoyed at the beginning of the film to see Dalip Tahil who laughs and laughs for no reason - very disturbing. Anyway, you can try it if you like, it is a decent Indianised, fairly updated and changed version of Consenting Adults.

Of all the Bollywood-films I've seen, "Ajnabi" is one of the mediocre ones. The songs didn't work for me, the tension was flat and the actors were average. Bipashu Basu made a gorgeous debut, but that's about it. Oh and the comic relief was bad. Really.But, as many Bollywood films do, this one has some scenes in Switzerland. Actually about 50% of the movie takes place somewhere in the country. I don't want to blame the film because many movies treat geography rather loose, but "Ajnabi" is a hoot on that level. I'll start with the policemen. They swap languages in every scene - from English to German to French. Trust me, I know that Switzerland has a French part, but then the Police-cars should be labeled "Police" not "Polizei" - the film does it vice versa: In Luzern (German speaking part. With many *bad* extras!), no police car would be labeled "Police".The funniest stuff is in the court room sequence. This doesn't look like a Swiss court room at all, but I didn't mind. Then, Raj jumps out of the window and runs. He runs through streets with many Asian looking people. Tourists perhaps? Well, even some Chinese signs. And what's that? A subway? There aren't any subways in Switzerland! Wow! It's Singapore! He ran around the world in a couple of seconds, hunted by Swiss policemen. Well, what shall I say ... I had great fun with stuff like this.But the film itself is mediocre, so I give it a5/10

Much hoopla has been made about the Americanization of Indian cinema and how Abbas-Mastan have dared to cross all barriers of culture by copying a bold film like "Consenting Adults", the theme of which revolves around wife-swapping. Well, rest assured - this is Hindustan and our "lajja" is still intact (R.K. Santoshi might feel otherwise). Let me dare to reveal to you that though the idea of wife-swapping does come up, it never really occurs. Still - Neeraj Vohra has managed to write an entertaining story which Abbas-Mustan have infused with their usual slick direction.The film follows the plot of a newlywed couple - Raj (Bobby Deol) and Priya (Kareena Kapoor). They move to Switzerland so Raj can be a professional polo player where they encounter another couple - Vicky (Akshay Kumar) and Sonia (Bipasha Basu). The couples become close but it becomes apparent that the husbands share more common interests with the opposite wives. To top it off - Sonia tries to seduce Raj and Vicky goes one step further. He suggests to Raj that they swap wives for one drunken night. The next day things go haywire as we learn that somebody is murdered. And somebody is framed. Or are they guilty?Abbas-Mastan do a good job managing what would otherwise be a confusing narration. They manage to reveal just enough to keep the plot tracking along the line of indifference. The problem is that with four lead characters and one supporting actress introduced pre-intermission in a fleeting scene - it isn´t too hard for the audience to put two and two together. This is not a complex "who-done-it". Still, they are somehow able to maintain as neutral a narrative as possible which is commendable in Hindi cinema - where nothing is really a secret. We all know not to believe somebody is dead unless you see their body and they attempt an interesting twist to get around that fact. Enough said.The performances of their lead cast add to the slick direction in maintaining any suspense possible. Akshay Kumar is the real star here - but this is his third film with a similar role. It didn´t work for Shahrukh and it gets tiresome even here. Bipasha Basu makes a commendable debut in her seductive, confident role. Just brush up those dancing skills, honey! Bobby Deol does his job as the protagonist well. And Kareena Kapoor breezes through a relatively simple role. She is particularly good in the comedy scenes (David Dhawan, are you listening?).Music? It does the job. The one song that really sticks in one´s mind is the one that is already there - "Mehbooba Mehbooba" - which is nicely shot. Cinematography? Switzerland. Nobody has the power to make it look fresh at this point. Comedy track? DA. That´s "Don´t ask" for those that have seen the film.This isn´t necessarily great cinema. Still - in a time where the world is at war, it managed to make me forget about that fact for almost three hours. That in itself is a commendable feat. "Ajnabee" is Hindi cinema at its escapist best.