Only for Naseeruddin Shah

Hours before the film releases and a day before the reviews appear, here’s what you can expect from this week’s release(s)…

Film: Maximum

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah (last seen in Chaalis Chauraasi), Sonu Sood (last seen in Bbuddah... Hoga Tera Baap, 2011) and Neha Dhupia (last seen in Dear Friend Hitler, 2011)

Storyline: Apparently a realistic account of the struggle for power between a young cowboy cop and an old experienced one. Yawn.

Director Kabeer Kaushik (last directed Hum Tum Aur Ghost, 2010)

Starring Dia Mirza, Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani, Kaushik’s last film was a disaster, critically and at the box-office. Before this, he wrote and directed Chamku (2008). His track record does justify our curiosity — after all, why did Naseer agree to do this one?

HT Image

Music
Amjad Nadeem and Devi Sri Prasad
From the makers of ‘Dhinka chika’ comes the item number ‘Aa ante amalapuram’, news of which the makers have plastered on the poster. Other tracks have received forgettable reactions.

Controversies/stunts
Want to have a film made on your life story? Become either an encounter specialist or a gangster. Bollywood seems obsessed with both. Apparently, Sonu Sood’s role is inspired by many police officers including one called Pradeep Sharma. And Naseer’s is supposedly based on Daya Nayak. Naseer denied any relation of course.

Marketing hype
Sonu Sood promoted the film on the Colors TV show Kairee: Rishta Khatta Meetha, while item girl Hazel Keech travelled to Indore to do the same.

Our assessment
The only thing working for this film is the fact that Naseeruddin Shah has chosen to act in it. The ones who would watch a film for him will probably try this one out. The promo doesn’t say much, literally. And the little that one does say (dialogue like ‘ya toh top pe raho, ya toh chup raho’) doesn’t excite.

For the final verdict, look out for Anupama Chopra’s review tomorrow in the Watch & Listen page of Hindustan Times’ Do! section.