36 China Town - Movie Review

36 China Town - 9/10 - This who-dunnit comedy is one of the best I've seen lately. Akshaye is an inspector, Shahid a wannabe filmstar, Kareena - a cheated girlfriend, Upen Patel - a playboy, Lever and Paresh are gamblers, with a surprise appearance by Priyanka C and Tanushree. The story revolves around the murder of Sonia, the owner of a Casino in Goa and the 7 suspects.

The script is really excellent, the jokes kept me laughing non stop throughout the movie, and I could'nt find many holes in the story. Newcomer Upen Patel has acted well. Akshaye Khanna enters after the Interval and looks suave and more handsome than his dad Vinod ( unlike the Darra hua baccha roles he used to do before). The editing was great and so was the sound. Infact everything was awesome - the music - Aashiqui and 24X7 , choreogaphy of Shahid,Upen and Akshaye, well fitting costumes, cinematography and sets. The casting was just right. The Director has done a good job - firstly, by dubbing Upen Patel's voice and secondly by shooting Thailand as Goa. Goa is a nice place but the sea has big waves and looks blackish green unlike the calm light bluish green sea of Thailand, and also the casinos are more fancy in Thailand. The Chinese theme and decor gave an evil mysterious undertone to the film and added to the murder mystery plot.

36 China Town gets extra points for proving that a good film can be made without having to glorify tobacco use, alcohol and drugs, violence, gambling, sleazy sex and melodramatic rona dhona. Akshaye's cigarette never lights, the sharabi's bottle is always empty, there is no fight scene, gamblers lose everything and nobody sleeps with playboy Upen Patel which is a something outspoken 'frustrated' directors like Mahesh Bhatt can learn a lot from.

Those who want to know 'who did it' so they can boast to everyone that they watched the movie too, can hover thier mouse over this sentence !!

Around 70 percent of the audience was female including some firangs, obviously attracted by the sexy posters of Akshaye Khanna. Though most of the seats in the hall were empty, ticket sales should pick up in a few weeks as this is a decent, watchable with family, paisa vasool film that I would'nt mind watching again.