Review: Accident on Hill Road

(Using this on my blog as it was not published on AOL since they were all on New Year leave. Never like things going waste)

Cast: Celina Jaitley, Abhimanyu Singh, Farooque Shaikh

Director: Mahesh Nair

Producer: Nari Hira

Rating: *1/2

If you thought Manoj Bajpayee's character was the strongest man ever in Bollywood film history when he was shot some 30 bullets in LOC and yet managed to kill all the enemy soldiers in front of him, think again! Or let's say watch Accident On Hill Road. You will realize Farooque Shaikh is 'the man'! The veteran actor plays a man who just refuses to die despite being run over by a car and then staying stuck on the wind shield of the car for almost a day with glass pieces piercing his tummy and draining him out of blood. For any thing else, please don't watch this piece of cinema!

Accident on Hill Road is a movie that could leave you crippled with the trauma it can give you. The film, remake of an independent film from US called Stuck and also based on a true accident that took place in the States some years back. However what the writer forgets is that remakes don't necessarily need to be a duplicate of the original. The characters need to be adhering to geographic specifications. Since when did a nursing assistant afford a mid-segment car plus accommodation in a cool place? And then this nurse goes out getting drugs for her drug dealer boyfriend! Funnier – where did they get lonely roads in the concrete jungle of mid-Mumbai Hill Road?

Accident on Hill Road fails on most counts of filmmaking. It is a bad example of screenplay, characterization and casting. It is almost irritating at times to see the way the characters behave – the desperation not coming across for once. The background music does not help and neither does the songs.

And with such huge issues, even the most sincere efforts of actors go waste. And they end up looking complete off track. Lack on effort is seen on part of the director. The careful director will at least take care of spellings on hospital boards. One of the signboards mentions a doctor as 'gastro entrolost' – whatever that means. There are enough such examples of lack of detailing shown across the film.

To be fair the thrill does grip you a few times but that's only momentary and the director wastes no time is disappointing us.

Overall the only person who probably benefited from this film is Abhimanyu Singh as he gets to romance a stunningly hot Celina Jaitley. Farooque Shaikh only stands to loose on the respect and name he has earned for himself over the years. Do yourself a favour – have a happy New Year without headaches!