Table No.21 movie review : glamsham.com

TABLE NO 21: Terrific!


Director :	Aditya Datt
Music :	Gajendra Verma, Soumyadeep Burman (Remix) and Sachin Gupta
Lyrics :	Gajendra Verma, Aseem Ahmad Abbasee, Jaspreet Jazz and Sheershak Anand
Starring :	Rajeev Khandelwal, Tena Desae and Paresh Rawal

January 5, 2013 11:00:19 AM IST
By Martin D'Souza, Glamsham Editorial

Two performances strike you like a thunderbolt in TABLE NO.21. One is that of Hanif Hilal. He is given no lines; all he has to do is be around and express with his face. Brilliant.

The second performance that knocks you out is that of Dhruv Ganesh towards the end. His performance will leave you with goose bumps!


	view TABLE NO. 21 videos

Giving anything out at this juncture of the review will be spoiling the movie for you. So guys, book your tickets for this thriller that will have you hooked from Frame No 1. The end is so stunning that it will have you stand up and applaud as the credits roll.

TABLE NO 21 not only is a thriller to the core, it also has a social message. Writers Sheershak Anand and Shantanu Ray Chibber have smartly woven this message giving a triple dose to the viewer - entertain, educate and also prick your conscience. It is all the more to be applauded because nowhere do they come down heavily on the viewer with their views; they just give you simple statistics towards the end which is enough for you to wonder what you can do to make this world a better place for the next generation.

CHECK OUT: TABLE NO. 21: Lucky or Unlucky?

Shot entirely in Fiji Islands with flashbacks to knit together a tight screenplay, director Aditya Datt first excites, then entices and finally terrorizes the viewer as the contestants in the game, who can win Rs 21 Crore as Prize Money, are put through nerve-racking tasks. The bottom line is clear: ''If you lie, you die.''

So there is no escape route for Vivaan (Rajeev Khandelwal) and Siya (Tena Desae) once they agree and sign on the dotted line with Mr Khan (Paresh Rawal). Vivaan and Siya have won a free stay in Fiji Islands to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Right from the time they disembark at Fiji they are treated as royalty. For an evening dinner they are flown to another island in a charted amphibian aircraft where they meet Mr Khan, their hosts, who offers them the bait of winning the money. He informs them that he has a portal where millions are watching the game live.

They bite the bait easily as Siya is the only earning partner with Vivaan still struggling to find a job. The money looks like easy picking... or is it?

Once they agree, they sail through the first two questions and tasks which follow them. But then comes the twist as the tasks keep getting weirder and weirder.


	view TABLE NO.21 stills

Rajeev Khandelwal gives another excellent performance. We need to see more of him on screen. He is supported well by Tena Desae who confidently storms the screen; be it in a bikini, locking lips or emoting in the most dreadful sequence. Given the right roles, this girl can go places.

Ravi Walia uses the camera superbly, throwing in recorded images which are being streamed onto the internet to give you (as an audience) the feel of a game show. So even though you are watching a movie, you also feel you are watching it ''live'. And this technical expertise by Ravi Walia is no mean feat.

CHECK OUT: Aditya Datt - TABLE NO. 21 is not a rip off

After MUMBAI MERI JAAN, Paresh Rawal comes up with another zabardast performance. You either loathe him or love him. In fact, you do both. The sincerity in his portrayal as the game show host and in the end when it is revealed leaves a deep, indelible mark on your psyche.

However, I feel this movie has come three years too late. But better late than never.

Verdict: Go ahead; book your seats for TABLE NO 21. You will not be disappointed.

Rating: 4.0