Article Updated 06 May, 2006 12:26:16 AM IST   36 China Town By Prema K. ©2006 Bollyvista.com   This is one of those rare films that pick up post-interval. The first half is just spent in establishing characters but it ends up looking like a wishy washy film made by some amateurish filmmaker. It's difficult to believe that it's the thriller-specialists Abbas-Mustan at work! One wouldn't miss much if he caught up with the film after the interval. However, to give credit to the makers the post-interval section when the investigation begins is entertaining and engrossing but is by no means an edge-of-the-seat thriller! One murder, seven suspects, is the story in a nutshell. Sonia (Isha Koppikar) in a friendly appearance, is the owner of a casino in Goa. The most important person in her life is her son, Vicky. One day he's kidnapped and she's depressed. She offers a reward of Rs. 25 lakhs to anyone who can bring him back. Raj (Shahid Kapoor) and Priya (Kareena Kapoor) accidentally spot the child simultaneously and decide to split the reward money. This makes them partners. But when they finally reach Sonia's mansion late in the night as planned, they find that she's murdered! In true filmi style they get trapped and become the first two suspects. There are other five suspects; two couples (Johny Lever-Tanaaz Currim), (Paresh Rawal-Payal Rohatgi), and a playboy, Rocky (Upen Patel). Who's the murderer? Well, we can't tell you that but it's as usual someone you never suspected. Or probably you have in case you've grown up on a staple diet of Agatha Christie books. Akshaye Khanna is the investigating cop. In fact, his character ties up the loose ends of the film and salvages it. But the problem with the film is that it's not a slick thriller. There's humour and romance that seems forced at times. There's also an overdose of songs. 'Aashiqui Meri', '24 x 7' and 'Badi Dilchaspi Hai' are great numbers. Good cinematography but poor dialogues especially in the first half. Now for the performances. Akshaye Khanna stands out as usual. Upen Patel has made a brilliant debut. He's full of confidence and has great screen presence besides being a great looker. Kareena is okay. Honestly speaking, Priyanka Chopra who is the surprise package of the film, makes a greater impact in her two scenes. Shahid tends to go over the top initially but settles down as the film progresses. Paresh Rawal is excellent and is just brilliant in the cross examining scene when he's trying to prove his innocence by convincing Akshaye Khanna about how he climbs down his balcony of his top floor apartment, just to add excitement to his life. All his scenes are hilarious. Ditto for Johny Lever. But on the whole, '36 China Town' falls below expectations. *** (Three stars) *poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/6585