Director Ram Gopal Varma plays a dangerous game with this reinterpretation of the biggest Indian film of all time, ‘curry western’ Sholay (1975). Set in modern times with a high-profile cast, it’s sure to have a divisive, Marmite-like effect on audiences. A good guy in the original, Amitabh Bachchan switches sides here to play a stellar villain, while Nisha Kothari flaunts an inordinate amount of flesh as the heroine. Dull in parts, funny in others, it’s lumbered with a dreadful background score, but the editing’s slick and there’s a subtle turn from ex-Miss Universe Sushmita Sen as widow Durga Devi. Hindi film fans should keep their eyes peeled for a few cameos during the remixed Mehbooba number.
