New Delhi:
Kabir Khan, who is still riding high on success of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, blends fiction and fantasy with Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif’s ‘Phantom’.
The spy drama remains extraneous with subtle script and bland acting.
Grubbing up the festering wounds pasted on India during 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the film adds up a wishful journey of an agent on a mission to eleminate perpetrators of that crime.
As Kabir tries to sow patriotism in a new manner, execution of the drama reaps nothing fruitful. Saif Ali Khan’s desperate attempt to revive his image with spectacle hit goes wandering.
Like his character did in Agent Vinod, his fearless agent flies from one place to other in search of successful execution of mission.
Based on the book ‘Mumbai Avengers’ by S Hussain Zaidi, the film remains aimless in first half as hero tries to eliminate the big, bad terrorists hiding in different corners of the world.
While first half runs slow with expected incidents, the latter picks pace as Daniyal Khan executes his most crucial mission in Pakistan. The climax outlives, but Phantom takes about two and a half hours to reach there.
During the long journey, Nawaz (Katrina Kaif) plays a significant role in executing the missions. She is a former RAW agent and has her own personal reasons to hover around terrorists.
Chicago, London, Beirut, Amman, Lahore - the duo hops from one location to another looking for their quarries in dangerous places.
What they do, how they plan, and their executions give no trouble to mind as everything remains very much foreseeable.
Saif Ali Khan wore an expression which looks intense and tense. I am still wondering if it was due to character or current state of actor’s career chart.
Katrina Kaif falls way below the expectations and comes with an offering that disappoints to the core. Kabir failed to utilize the caliber she has. No song, no substance, she seems to have performed in a world where no one cares about what you are doing.
Final Verdict: ‘Phantom’ is like a cuisine which is dreamt by many, prepared by top notches, served with high quality still tastes as good as street food in India.
