Review: The Xpose has nothing new, and it doesn't even care

Saddled with glaring plot holes, caricaturish supporting cast, unintentionally funny punchlines, and Himesh Reshammiya, The Xpose is like Gunda, with better production values, writes Nishi Tiwari.

If the sixties’ Bollywood knew just how it would be misrepresented in some future films -- Himesh Reshammiya starrer whodunit The Xpose in this case -- it’d recoil in horror and wish it had never existed.

So while we have movie stars cruising around in Impalas and a newbie actress prancing on the beach in a bikini and sarong a la Zeenat Aman, there are more strapless gowns, thigh high slits and old Hollywood hairstyles in this film than that era in Hindi films actually saw.

One particular instance takes the cake though.

While shooting for her new film, Zoya Afroz (upcoming actress Chandni in the film) is seen wearing a beige and red gown that bears a striking resemblance to the one Angelina Jolie wore to the 2012 Golden Globes.

That said; these may be only minor gripes one could have with this film.

Saddled with glaring plot holes, caricaturish supporting cast, unintentionally funny punchlines, and Himesh Reshammiya, The Xpose is like Gunda, with better production values.

It all starts with an actress (Zara Fernandez, played by Sonali Raut) plunging to her death (which is not a suicide, we’re told repeatedly) and an introduction to all the key characters, one of whom could be the killer, at her funeral.

Reshammiya plays Ravi Kumar, a superstar in South Indian films who enjoys a demigod status among his fans.

The gaunt Ravi Kumar’s punchlines are just as fascinating as watching him tackle baddies on screen -- he responds to his costar Zara’s advances with, ‘Ravi Kumar bistar mein neend ke alawa kuch nahi leta.’

Also, his idea of romance is just as misguided as his high opinion of himself. Ravi Kumar’s social encounters with his object of affection -- actress Chandni -- are downright lame, ruined as they are with cheesy flirtations.

Then there’s rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh making his acting debut as upcoming music composer KD who inexplicably walks with a stick in hand and slurs his way through the entire film.

The film’s director Anant Mahadevan plays the dazed and confused Subba Prasad, Ravi Kumar’s mentor in South films.

There’s also Irrfan Khan in a cameo, which is as inconsequential as the events that happen in the film.

The Xpose wastes no time in getting to the point, which is to swiftly move towards finding the killer. Only, the path to solving the mystery of Zara’s murder is rife with inconsistencies of epic proportions.

There is nothing new, story wise, to speak of and it is eventually reduced to a desperately stylised murder mystery with its single dimensionally dysfunctional and ditzy characters, jazzy music, dark glasses and trench coats, random slo-mo action sequences and what have you.

But the good thing is, it never pretends to care.

Instead, all its energies are expended on telling us how great an actor Himesh Reshammiya is.

And that is the only big reveal that’ll strike you as amusing in this whodunit at the end, if shoddy direction, acting and story aren’t your thing.

Rediff Rating: