FIRST LOOK: Right Yaaa Wrong

Fox - Movie Review

Making a suspense thriller is tough. To keep the audience attentive, besides keeping the viewer guessing till the end, requires complete understanding of the craft.

Deepak Tijori had attempted a suspense thriller earlier [most storytellers have a penchant for this genre] and FOX, a complex theme, is more of a challenge for him. So, does Tijori get it right? Initially, yes. But Tijori loses it all towards the post-interval portions. The culmination is the thorn in the flesh.

Verdict? This fox lacks the bite!

Arjun [Arjun Rampal] is a successful criminal lawyer whose knowledge and aggressive interpretation of the law makes him a name to reckon with. He is reputed to have never lost a case and can get anyone acquitted, no matter what the crime. No wonder then, criminals swear by his name.

After years of saving criminals from punishment, one day, torn with guilt, he decides to quit his law practice and change for good. However, someone seems to be unwilling to let him go so easily. Now, Arjun is in a race to save himself and must use the help of his girlfriend Urvashi [Sagarika Ghatge] and a police officer Yash [Sunny Deol] before it's too late.

FOX starts off very well. The suspense builds up beautifully… in fact, everything's going fine till it's time to lift the veil of secrecy. A number of sequences are truly well canned and the characters and situations only evoke mystery. In fact, FOX has an intriguing start and an absorbing middle.

But, as mentioned at the outset, the conclusion lacks fizz. The film ends on a tepid note, with things suddenly turning 'filmy'. The villain's motive seems so bizarre and predictable that it puts you off instantly. In fact, whatever impression you may've generated evaporates into thin air.

Nigam Bomzan's camerawork is striking at places. But why is the camera shaking so much? Hand-held camera movement even during courtroom sequences is disturbing to the eye. Monty Sharma's music is sloppy, although the background score is alright.

Sunny Deol is restrained this time. Arjun Rampal looks perfect for his part. But why is he sporting a hideous wig at the start? Udita Goswami is wasted. Where does she disappear midway? Sagarika Ghatge is convincing. Vipul Gupta is a confident entrant. Ravi Gossain is okay.

On the whole, FOX fails to hook your attention. At the box-office, despite the presence of star-names, the fizz would be missing.

Stars are not shooting!

There was a time was when actors like Govinda would shoot for six films a day.

Yup in the 80s through part of the 90s, most actors be it Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt would invariably be shooting at least two shifts a day for different productions. “With actors picking their projects with precision now, this phenomena is a thing of the past,” says trade consultant Amod Mehra.

When producer NR Pachisia wished to take a couple of his guests on a set recently, he discovered that a majority of the Bollywood superstars/stars were not on a film set. BT found out that:

Aamir Khan: Has just wrapped up a schedule of Three Idiots. He is currently gymming, playing badminton and table tennis and interacting with media personalities

Shah Rukh Khan: Is shooting for various brands that he endorses or is busy with press conferences. The actor has recently returned from London after a vacation.

Hrithik Roshan: Is practising for his role as a paraplegic in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish. His shooting schedule was delayed by a couple of days because of his co-stars’ previous commitments.

Salman Khan: Is busy attending mahurats and chilling at home while he waits for the next schedule of his home production Veer to begin.

Kareena Kapoor: Cutting ribbons in New Delhi, will do a show in the US and ring in Saif Ali Khan’s birthday on August 16 in Switzerland.

Katrina Kaif: Will return from London soon and resume dubbing for Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.

Vivek Oberoi: Is holidaying in USA till August 10.

Fardeen Khan: On a brief vacation with in-laws in London.

Sunny Deol: Is home, and has to begin dubbing for his next release Fox.

Fox - Theatrical Trailer - Video

Fox - Theatrical Trailer - Video

First Look: Fox

Fox starring Arjun Rampal and Sunny Deol is due for an early September release.

Zee Motion Pictures, in association with Rohit Kumar Productions and Tijori Entertainment, is ready to roll out with its first Hindi production Fox which is directed by Deepak Tijori and stars Sunny Deol, Arjun Rampal, Sagarika Ghatge and Udita Goswami. Music is by Monty Sharma.

Fox is a modern sleek thriller shot in the exotic locales of Goa and Mumbai. It is a story about a cat and mouse chase between a young successful criminal lawyer (Arjun Rampal) and a mysterious stranger who is controlling and threatening his life. Now the lawyer must seek the help of a reluctant cop (Sunny Deol) in solving the mystery.

Arjun Rampal has had a successful return to cinema in recent times with hits like Om Shanti Om and Rock On. What is to be seen is if he can carry the run with Fox, which from the look of it has an intriguing name and will also see the return of Sunny Deol after a long gap. He was last seen in Heroes which tanked at the BO.

Deepak Tijori isn’t particularly a great filmmaker to watch out for and all his films so far, such as Oops and Fareb have been washouts.

Sanjeev Lamba, Zee Motion Pictures says- 'Fox is our first offering as independent producers in the Hindi film market, and we are all eagerly looking forward to its release. This stylish and suspenseful thriller has Arjun Rampal and Sunny Deol together for the first time, a very powerful combination on the screen.'

Sure, this one looks like a watch.

Fox - First Look

Shilpa’s tantrums trouble Sunny Deol

He also ends up spending more money

Shilpa Shetty has been accused of throwing tantrums and acting pricey on the sets of Sunny Deol’s film “The Man”.

Shilpa, who was shooting for a song sequence, apparently demanded senior professional fighters for the sequence, which required her to jump on to the crowd.

Producer Sunny and director Neeraj Pathak are said to have had a real tough time over this. They tried their best to convince Shilpa to shoot without the professionals but the actress did not listen to them and finally the two had to give in to Shilpa’s demands.

Professional fighters were called in and junior artistes were asked to leave the set. Due to this the cost of the song shot up.

In past Sunny has worked with Shilpa in films such as “Himmat” (1996), “Indian” (2000) and “Apne” (2007) but we wonder if they’ll work together again after “The Man”.

Dharmendra and Sunny Deol on ‘10 Ka Dum’

It’s father-son’s first joint appearance on TV

Salman Khan’s name and presence was enough to draw the ever reticent and rarely-seen-in -public Sunny Deol to the game show ‘10 Ka Dum’.

And what’s more, Sunny Deol will be teaming up with his dashing dad Dharmendra.

The father-son duo will be seen for the first time ever on a TV show in this week’s episode of ‘10 Ka Dum’ on Sony TV. Catch them together at 9.00pm on July 4, 2009.