Film review: Family - Ties of blood

Don't be in galat family

Kahani mein twist

True to its title, Rajkumar Santoshi's Family — Ties of Blood, is about two families and loads of blood being spilled everywhere.

Viren Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), an underworld don, operates from his base in Bangkok, but has a family in India. During one of his operations, Sahai accidentally kills Shekhar (Akshay Kumar), who, unlike the don, has a regular family (loafer brother, sweet parents, and a loving wife).

The second half deals with Shekhar's younger brother, Aryan (Aryeman) kidnapping Sahai's family in an act of vengeance. The undercurrent of the film is the distinction drawn between Sahai and Aryeman's families.

Ekdum Jhakaas

Santhoshi's trump card in the film is definitely Bachchan. Adapting him into a desi Marlon Brando wasn't the best idea, though. The second half, especially the climax and the end, belong to the veteran, as he uses his eyes more than his body to say what he has to.

Barely there for 30 minutes, Akshay proves once again that he has not only fine-tuned his acting skills, but also emerged as an actor with amazing comic timing. Bhumika Chawla is wasted in a barely-there role as his wife.

Aryeman has miles to go before he can call himself an actor. He not only looks like a juvenile in front of Bachchan and Akshay (we don't blame him) but seems like he wasn't ready for a debut so soon.

Kuch gadbad hai

The biggest culprit is the script. From the first frame to the last, Santoshi offers nothing new. Also, showing today's youngsters as a bunch of losers who have no work other than chasing girls, watching po*n, and helping their friend in revenge murder, is totally ridiculous.

The songs are shot in the style of a low-budget music video. What with Akshay rapping and trying to act like Eminem (chains and bandana) in the Katra Katra song.

Towards the end, no one cares what happens to either the protagonist or Bachchan. The revenge bit goes for a toss with Santoshi aiming for the tear ducts with the usual hoopla about a perfect family.

Aila, yeh kya

While Bachchan has been shown as the notorious BIG in the beginning, throughout the film, he roams around the city scot-free. How can the country's topmost criminal's family not have any security cover?

Aryan and his friends kidnapping Sahai's kids and wife seems easier than a game of chor-police. Also, why does Akshay wear a chef's hat in his mobile restaurant, when he's hardly shown cooking? Yeh baat kuch hajam nahi hui!

Kya karein kya na karein

Skip this Family. Instead, take your own family for a fancy dinner and discover things about each other you perhaps didn't know. Even a game of truth or dare at this outing will prove more entertaining than Santoshi's Family.