Jan 05, 2013 04:58 PM
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MY 400TH REVIEW!
They seemed like an ideal married couple. They had their own dreams and hopes for a better future. They looked cute together and were game for some cutesy and naughty stuff, in private. Most importantly, they looked innocent. However, a good old saying holds true – don’t judge a book by its cover. One never knows the kind of brutal and shocking past a person have had, even though his present state might not be giving even the slightest inclination of the same. Table No. 21 deals with this notion though it is essentially a thriller. Not a great piece of cinema…but a well-executed 108 minutes of entertainment…and surprises and shocks too!
The story of the movie: Vivaan (Rajeev Khandelwal) and Siya (Tena Desae) are thrilled as they win a trip to Fiji. Their marriage anniversary coincidentally falls on this trip and on this special day, they meet a suave Mr Khan (Paresh Rawal) who runs a lavish resort and hosts an exciting live game – Table No.21 – which is seen by millions of viewers worldwide. Khan invites the couple to play the game and they accept. The rules are simple – there will be eight questions and the answers should only be in ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and there will be a task associated with this question. They get a chance to win Rs 21 crore if they successfully answer all questions right and complete the tasks. However, there’s a catch – they can’t lie while answering for if they lie, they die! Initially, the questions seem easy and Viaan-Siya enjoy the game. But as the game progressed, the questions get more and more personal and even disgraceful. The tasks get even more shocking and in some cases, near-fatal. However, Vivaa-Siya can’t quit mid-way and the only way they can get out is by completing the game till. Will they succeed?
Table No. 21 has a crisp and fast-paced narrative although at places, the film could have saved more time. There are plenty of flashbacks in between but is well shot and doesn’t delay the proceedings. The initial sequences are breezy, romantic and even funny. But the film gets into serious shocking zone from the fourth question. The thrill continues in the second hour too. After a point, it does get too heavy and didn’t seem convincing. The final flashback in the climax was too shocking and registers impact. But at this point, one loses sympathy for a principal character in the movie. A conventional ending would have just not worked after that. And very thankfully, the film ends on a much unexpected but extremely justified note.
Table No. 21 rests on the performances of five actors. Rajeev Khandelwal brings back memories of Sach Ka Saamna and even his debut film, Aamir, but no complaints. He puts his best foot forward and comes out with flying colours. Hope to see him soon in his next! Tena Desae shows off her acting prowess and the challenging role gives her ample chance to do so. Bollywood deserves this Hollywood actress for sure! Paresh Rawal is terrific to say the least! If one loved him in OMG Oh My God, one would hate him as the evil game host of Table No. 21. It’s always a pleasure to see Paresh Rawal essaying such author-backed roles and hope he continues to do so from now on. Hanif Hilal was fine although he doesn’t get a single dialogue. Dhruv Ganesh registers a lot of impact.
There are only two songs in the film, and none of them hinder the film’s narrative and are more or less relegated to the background. The promotional ‘If You Lie You Die’ track is missing from the film. Amar Mohile’s background score is exhilarating. Ravi Walia’s cinematography is eye-catching. The locales of Fiji are beautifully captured and maybe the film will help Bollywood open up to this beautiful place. Abhijeet Deshpande’s dialogues (and shayaris) are sharp. Shantanu-Sheershak’s story is impressive although one can argue that it’s inspired from certain films. Aditya Datt’s direction is much better than his previous flicks. Surely it could have been still better in the sense that there are certain cinematic liberties and some sequences, especially in second half, seem unconvincing. But the director handles the film and its graph well overall and does manage to give a jolt to the viewers towards the finale. A fine job and hope he gets even better in the future!
Some good scenes of the film:
Vivaan gifts a necklace to Siya
Vivaan-Siya meet Khan
The flashback portions
The third task
The fourth and fifth task
Cops on Vivaan’s trail
The last 20 minutes
On the whole, Table No. 21 is a taut thriller that has its share of flaws but gives a thrilling time to the viewers. The climax is disturbing and shocking but the unconventional culmination to the film gives a justified finale to the plot. The film has opened to poor houses and it doesn’t stand much of a chance from the box office perspective. But the film has a chance in the DVD-satellite market and that’s where most moviegoers would catch the film and appreciate the team for their decent job. But watching it in theatres would be no harm too!
