Cast: Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Mohan Joshi, Pankaj Dheer, Kamal Chopra, Mukesh Tiwari
Director: Rohit Shetty
Music: Himesh Reshammiya
Cinematography: Aseem Bajaj
Action: Jai Singh
Screenplay: Suparn Verma
Dialogue: Javed Siddique

After suffering through Zameen, I am quite incapable of thinking but a few stray thoughts cross my numbed brain. K3G was bad, yes, but what about this jingoistic, meaningless, simplistic, exploitative indulgence? Who buys this (pardon my French) crap? And what does this film’s moderate Box Office success say about the emotional intelligence of the average Hindi movie watcher?

Zameen is based on the December 1999 hijack of the Indian Airlines Airbus to Kandahar and the subsequent release of Masoor Azhar, Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Zargar in exchange for the passengers in the plane. The two patriotic, Testosterone laden toughies Ajay Devgun and Abhishek Bacchan take over the responsibility to save Bharat Mata from the evils of terrorism that clutch at her breast. They glower, they tear up, they walk about looking incredibly tough (and immeasurably stupid) in slow- motion, while strains of the song ‘Vande Mataram’ blares out in the background.
Pakistani residents and terrorist merit another kind of music, eerie, guttural and vicious, just to help a viewer out, you know, tunes that yell ‘ Watch out for me, I am evil, evil, evil.’ So much for subtlety.
Ajay Devgan plays the strong silent kind who only opens his mouth to utter laughably lame lines like” Hamarey desh mein hum kutton ko nahin marte” (I hope Koreans take offense to this line and sue the pants of Devgan and Co). Abhishek as an Army officer turned Police chief looks miserable even when he is with Bipasha Basu, his main squeeze.

Cars explode, shells fly and our heroes fell Pakistani terrorists with bullets at regular intervals, emerging unscathed from each skirmish, more dashing, handsome and cocky. When they pair up and track down the evil minds behind the hijack rescuing the victims in the nick of time is a breeze!

No light in shed on the factors that motivate the light-eyed monster that poses as a professor to mastermind plots or the weak-kneed garage owner who aids and supports terrorists.
The film should evoke some head scratching and much tearing of hair.
The final verdict, in case you have missed the point I am trying to make.
Steer clear!

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