Teen Patti Review

Teen Patti - An equation challenging all the other equations

A Leena Yadav venture, Teen Patti opened in the Indian Cinemas this weekend. The film is very fresh in its approach, although it revolves around the basic fact of life - There is enough to satisfy every man' s need, but not every man' s greed.

Venkat is a tortured mathematician who has cracked a theory, based on probability and randomness, for anyone wanting to earn quick money at the game of teen patti. He is coaxed into trying out his theory in the real world by Prof. Shantanu, a colleague. Together along with a few students, they set out to explore the realms of the Mumbai underworld. Greed and Deception are their best friends, and what starts out as an experiment soon spirals into a game completely out of anyone' s control.

Set in London and India, the film stars Sir Ben Kingsley, of noted fame, and Amitabh Bachchan. Their acting and the ease with which they fit into the very skins of their characters dashes down all the bad mouthing they have been subjected to. The narrative rapport built between the two as the story juggles between the past and the present is plain brilliant.

The film has refreshing teasers and promos - remember the tantalizing moves of the dancer with vague flashes of scenes just touching erotica? But, one does wish the film did not limit itself to the big city audiences and the intelligentsia for the simple reason that one does take time to grasp the very concept of the movie and for an average movie-goer looking for entertainment, the movie has very little to offer. The pace slackens greatly between the cameos, played by Shakti Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Jackie Shroff and Tinu Anand, all well suited for their roles. However, the move also tends to get repetitive. The pace picks up again with a classy twist just before the interval, heightening the anticipation of the audience.

The movie then weaves around the fine lines of treachery, greed, deception and mystery. How one of the students commits suicide to end the vicious game is the masterstroke. Bachchan continues to impress till the very end, when he gives a speech that moves you to know bounds on winning the Sir Issac Newton Award. However, the pace is lost and your mind is drifting away somewhere in the middle again.

The film also stars R. Madhavan, Saira Mohan and Raima Sen, all playing roles that add further definition to the movie and its erratic plot, sometimes touching peaks and at times, the ebbs. R. Madhavan is excellent, with just the right amount of darkness needed to baffle you. Saira Mohan is hardly there and Raima Sen is just about okay.

The film introduces Dhruv Ganesh, Shraddha Kapoor, Siddharth Kher and Vaibhav Talwar. The new comers, all of them, have enormous screen presence, but Vaibhav Talwar clearly stands out although his role lacks anything substantial.

Azeem Bajaj' s cinematography is up to the mark as always, and strikes you. The visuals create the necessary thrill. Music is catchy, with the videos having much that has been left to imagination such as the B&W usage in the credits track. Leena Yadav' s writing and direction, both, are mature.

On the whole, Teen Patti is a one-of-a-kind film for Bollywood, with new comers, old timers and brilliant talents all coming together. It is slow and complicated to understand, admitted, but the visuals and the sheer twists would make it an average watch. And then of course, there is Sir Ben and Bachchan, who just keeps getting better, even at 68! Watch it, if you want something hatke, something different from the comedy-love-tragedy plots.

Review by - Malvika Asher

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