Thank You Review

Going by the promos, one would have expected that 'Thank You' is yet another Akshay Kumar dominated show where he gets the best scenes and dialogues for himself while hogging all the limelight. However what one sees is Akshay being one of the driving factors here instead of being the sole actor who is carrying the entire film's weight. Of course he is the key to the entire movement of the film's narrative but then Suniel Shetty, Bobby Deol and Irrfan Khan are not mere peripherals here; they traverse a much greater distance.

Cards are laid out at the very beginning of the film with Rimi Sen and Celina Jaitly realising that their flirtatious husbands (Irrfan Khan and Suniel Shetty respectively) could well have taken Bobby Deol in their wings. They warn Bobby's unsuspecting wife Sonam about this who reluctantly agrees to hire the services of private detective Akshay Kumar. While Akshay goes on to find ways to expose the erring husbands, they have their own plans. They instead reach out to Akshay and hire his services to find the identity of the man who is out to expose them.

There is ample scope for the other actors in the film as well which means that Suniel Shetty as well as Irrfan Khan get numerous moments to excel. In fact Suniel makes the most out of it and goes about enticing laughter in practically each of his scenes. Watch out for the scene where he is caught red handed by his wife. Or later when he plots revenge against Irrfan and Bobby. The trio is also brilliant in the best scene of the film which is set on a balcony and comes soon after the song 'Razia'.

As a chauvinist, Irrfan Khan brings the house down with his one liners. His deadpan dialogue delivery and a body language which is still, yet so effective, works wonders. Watch out for the extreme transition he goes through from someone being over confident to a meek man in the later part of the film.

Bobby doesn't have many comic scenes to his credit and he primarily excels when entrusted with a few dramatic moments. He is decent, though not the kind of scene stealer that Suniel or Irrfan turn out to be. Sonam looks pretty and does a decent job in a role that requires her to be sad for most part of the film. Celina surprisingly disappears after a couple of scenes. In fact Rimi has a much meatier role and she displays her very good comic timing all over again, something that she had demonstrated quite well in her earlier films like 'Hungama' and 'Dhoom'.

As for Akshay Kumar, he truly is the soul of the film. He neither tries to be an over smart a la 'Tees Maar Khan', doesn't behave like 'Mr. Know it all' and definitely doesn't play a flirt. In fact he keeps it all under control while taking a balanced approach without being loud at all. The point where he excels though is the one in the climax where he delivers an emotional speech on infidelity and why women are far superior than men.

Any points where the film falters? A few moments in the first half and the beginning of the second half when comic moments tend to vanish. Also Akshay's back-story, though relevant, comes a little too late by which time one is rather expecting the film to end. The King (played by Mukesh Tiwari) angle seems forced and could have been more effective. The action sequences are just about okay as well when one would have rather expected them to be far more thrilling. Climax is predictable as well and makes one remember the last (wedding) scene of 'Break Ke Baad', which again wasn't the most original of all.

Nevertheless, 'Thank You' works as a package where it carries a message in addition to entertainment. Since the film is a clean family entertainer, it has the potential to expand its boundaries and find good audience for itself. Considering the fact that audience has been starved of any major film for weeks now and there is a fortnight ahead with minimal competition, 'Thank You' should find itself in the safety zone pretty soon and then also go on to make decent moolah for it's makers.

Rating: ****