36 China Town

Even though Abbas Mastan claim that the inspiration for this movie came to them while watching Chinatown (1974), the movie is actually a scene-by-scene lift of the 1992 Hollywood comedy Once Upon a Crime, starring John Candy and Cybill Shepherd. Interestingly, that movie was also billed as a comedy-mystery, but was also much more comedy than mystery, like this one.

The roles played by Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor were played by Richard Lewis and Sean Young in the original. The plot has been Indianized: the main events in the original happen in Monte Carlo, and here, they happen in Goa, which is kind of the Monte Carlo of India. Several other aspects of the plot have been Indianized: for example, the two protagonists in the original are returning a lost dog (in this, they are returning a lost child). But several things are not changed at all, including the character of the married-for-money Paresh Rawal (played by John Candy in the original), the suave Casanova Upen Patel (played by George Hamilton in the original), and the inspector Akshaye Khanna (played by Giancarlo Giannini).

Despite having seen the original, I found this version to be highly entertaining. Especially impressive was Shahid Kapoor, who has excellent chemistry with Kareena. Akshaye Khanna does not have a very strong part, but still tries very hard. Overall, the movie does not disappoint.

After a decade of anticipation, I finally had the pleasure of delving into the cinematic world of 36 China Town on an online streaming platform one fateful night.

A true paragon of Bollywood, one of the greatest finds in the world of Cinema, Paresh Rawal, displayed an unmatched perfectionism. He played his role exceptionally well bestowing upon us masterful performances in every scene. However, his remarkable acting got ruined as soon as he began his journey into Politics, ultimately tarnishing the brilliance of his acting. There was nobody to blame, but him.

Debuting in this movie, Upen Patel portrayed a coming-of-age playboy in the throes of maturation. Regrettably, his portrayal felt rather pedestrian. On the other hand, Kareena Kapoor's presence was stunning. The role of the cop seemed tailor-made for the talented Akshaye Khanna, yet it became mired in excessive theatrics, hysterical, detracting from its potential impact. In contrast, Johnny Lever's impeccable comedic prowess shone brilliantly, single-handedly breathing life into the narrative despite the film's subpar script and direction. His presence was the best part of the movie.

The plot held great promise, offering a rare glimpse into a coming-of-age casino tale set in India, skillfully blending comedy and crime, a genre that typically resonates well with audiences and is rarely found! Unfortunately, the film's potential was impeded by its lackluster script and direction, leading to inexplicable scenes that failed to coalesce with the overall narrative. Some moments felt gratuitous, inserted merely for amusement's sake, such as the absence of windows in an air-conditioned train, a perplexing detail that would undoubtedly attract social media ridicule if released today, with netizens swiftly taking to Twitter to tag IRCTC, Indian Railways, PMO, and the Railway Minister, thereby propelling it into the viral stratosphere.

Most disheartening was witnessing the Senior Chief Inspector of Goa Police nonchalantly allow the culprit to tamper with vital evidence, all for the sake of amusement, thus betraying the gravity of the crime at hand. Equally unpalatable was the portrayal of the sub-inspector's wife, indulging in inexplicable liaisons with various individuals while her husband regaled in sharing these sordid tales, making it a parody film.

Now, allow me to broach the enigmatic Shahid Kapoor, whose portrayal throughout the entire movie struck a peculiar and discordant note. His character lacked coherence, failing to convey the essence of a protagonist. This stands as an anomaly amidst his otherwise brilliant performances, highlighting a character arc that seemed conspicuously absent in this instance.

36 China Town lured the audiences with its resplendent title and a star-studded cast, coupled with a promising coming-of-age premise. However, the film faltered in its character development and scriptwriting, squandering the potential of a compelling narrative. There were excessive and untimely songs in the film, way too many for 2023. The film did boast moments of genuine comedy that might appeal to some, but, alas, I found it to be an expired offering in the cinematic landscape of 2023!

I went into this movie expecting a stylised(somewhat overly) thriller from Abbas-Mastan duo and boy was I surprised.

The movie started off like expected with a stylised flashback and a decent attempt to merge to the stories of a few individuals but it was all different and confusing since then.

In fact everything about this movie and the motives behind it such as packaging it as a thriller and the dozen ploy holes (maybe more i lost count after a while) are confusing.

I've reviewed this movie like a comedy with a murder involved maybe even like a spoof as THIS MOVIE CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE CALLED A THRILLER AND ANYONE GOING INTO THIS MOVIE EXPECTING ONE WILL BE SEVERELY Disappointed also if i did review this movie as a thriller than even one star would be to much.

The story of this movie is promising enough with a few bumbling people all landing up at the same time at China Town(sic) in Goa at the same time a murder happens.

The characters are all caricatures with the henpecked husband, the suave playboy, the tough cop, the bumbling sidekicks etc. Even so they are all tolerable and the performances by everyone is good given the limited premise of the movie.

Special mention to Upen Patel (who I'm sure is dubbed) who has had a decent debut and Johny Lever who thanks to his short hiatus from films (and the fact that his Numero Uno status as the most annoying guy in Bollywood being taken over by Rajpal Yadav) is actually quite tolerable in this film. However he and Paresh Rawal have nothing new to offer in terms of their roles. In fact Item Girl Payal Rohtagi also gave a decent performance.

The songs in this film save for the first one are probably the worst part of this film as they completely destroyed the flow of the film and were played when you least wanted it. In fact one could easily hear the collective sigh of the audience when yet another HIMMESBHAI song was played.

The comedy is nothing special though a few scenes especially those involving the interrogation of the Suspects was hilarious. Some of the scenes even though they were predictable had me falling out my seat laughing.

Also a really funny person throughout the movie was the Stupid Junior Cop who was Akshaye Khannas sidekick all his one liners were absolutely hilarious.

The sets of this film were actually quite good although the crude labeling of the Casino was very annoying (come one people are gambling inside we all know its a casino).

Which brings us to Murder Mystery...the lesser said the better there were a dozen plot holes it was shoddily done and completely unimportant I'm sure almost no one in the audience cared who the killer was....hell it was so bad that the killer actually cracks a joke about the killing after being caught WTF.

Save for the first ten minutes when this movie tries to be a thriller this movie is actually funny.

A good comedy (maybe even a spoof)but the obtrusive songs and the fact that this movie was not supposed to be comedy and a thriller affect its ratings.

Watch this movie if you want to see a good comedy with the background of a murder mystery.

PS maybe subhash ghai saw the box office of the recent comedies and repackaged this movie as a thriller to con us whatever be the reason this movie will definitely reflect negatively against him.

Never had any expectations from this movie. Abbas-Mustan are the directors who have taken full responsibility to remake all the Hollywood movies in to Bollywood. Originality is alien to them. Remember Aitraz (Disclosure), Daraar (sleeping with the enemy), Baadshah (Nick of time)etc.. ?? I gave in to the force of my friends to watch this flick. As expected it's not a brilliant movie. Surprisingly, it succeeded in evoking few good laughs here and there. It is stylish and performance are up to the mark. Johnny Lever and Paresh Rawal are superb!!. Just watch the movie for them (Vote 7/10 is just for them). Finally, I was not able to figure out, from which Hollywood flick, was this inspired..any guesses??

Of course this starts with the usual Bollywood movies..with a lot of songs...

But the story starts taking its grip gradually. Great chemistry between Shahid and Kareena, real good comedy by Paresh, Johhny...Upen Sucks!!! but this guy has potential to do something gr888...Upen needs to be selective in his role....

All in all a great entertainer and would be really more entertaining for you too, if you just go ahead and watch the movie without knowing the ending. Its just superb...

The songs are good and the title track is the best one...Watch out for the remix version at the end..its really picturised very well...

Go ahead and enjoy the MASALA!!!!