Crook (film)

Crook

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mohit Suri
Produced by Mukesh Bhatt
Starring Emraan Hashmi
Neha Sharma
Arjan Bajwa
Music by Pritam
Babbu Maan
Distributed by Vishesh Films
Release dates
  • 8 October 2010
Running time
 121 minutes
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget INR175 million (US$2.8 million)
Box office

INR124 million (US$2.0 million)

[1]

Crook is a 2010 Bollywood thriller film popularly known by the title of It's Good to be Bad!. The film stars Emraan Hashmi and Neha Sharma in the lead. It is directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mukesh Bhatt. It was released on 8 October 2010.[2] Before the release, the film was given an 'A' certificate from the Indian Censor Board. Mostly shot in Australia and South Africa, the film is based on the controversy regarding the allegedly racial attacks on Indian students in Australia between 2007 and 2010.[2][3]

Story

The film starts with Jai Dixit (Emraan Hashmi), a youngster who sells pirated DVDs. One day, his uncle Joseph (Gulshan Grover) caught him and changed his personality completely, he changed his name to Suraj Bhardwaj and sent him off to Australia. At the airport, he meets Romi Latti, a teenager who got a scholarship to a University College. He also meets Suhani (Neha Sharma), a young girl who has come to pick Romi up. Suraj gets attracted to Suhani, and therefore he pretends to be Romi and leaves with Suhani. When Suhani finds out that he is not the real Romi, Suraj makes a run for it. Suraj then stays with Goldie (Mashhoor Amrohi), a responsible adult living with his brothers. While Suraj is at a grocery store, on phone with his uncle Joseph, he finds that Australians are attacking the shopkeeper because he is a Muslim, so Suraj finds a gun and comes out. He has the Australians on the gunpoint as the police come. Suraj remembers that his uncle told him not to get in any type of trouble with the police, so Suraj runs away. Suraj hides in Nicole's car, although he finds out Nicole is the younger sister of the Attackers. Nicole works in a strip club named 'Duke's Club'. Suraj and Suhani had a dispute due to which he gets intimate with Nicole. When Suraj has to pick between Suhani and Nicole, he picks Suhani and takes the duty to be Suhani's brother, Samarth's (Arjan Bajwa) driver. When Samarth's car breaks down, Suraj has to get help, but instead he tells Romi to go and fix his car so Suhani and Suraj can have a beautiful night together. But when they are about to kiss, Samarth shows up, and concepts that Romi has been badly beaten up by Australians on the highway and Romi and Samarth are about to protests against the Australians. When Samarth is attacked, he loses his temper and kidnaps Nicole, when Suraj goes to save Nicole, it turns out that Samarth is planning to murder Nicole and blame the murder on Suraj. When Suraj comes to know about Samarth's plan, Samarth beats Suraj and tells him that he is doing all this because his sister Sheena (Smiley Suri) was also murdered by the Australians once. But when he accidentally shoots Suraj, Romi comes up behind him with a shovel and hits it on Samarth's head and he dies. The film ends with Suhani and Suraj getting back together.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack has been composed by Pritam & Babbu Mann and was released on 6 September 2010. Lyrics are penned by Kumaar."Challa" song lyrics are Penned By Babbal Rai.

Track listing

No. TitlePerformer(s) Length
1. "Challa"  Babbu Mann, Suzanne D'Mello 3:45
2. "Mere Bina"  Nikhil D'Souza 4:49
3. "Kya"  Neeraj Shridhar, Dominique Cerejo 3:49
4. "Tujhi Mein"  KK 5:00
5. "Tujhko Jo Paaya"  KK 3:04
6. "Challa (Remix)"  Babbu Mann, Suzanne D'Mello 4:26
7. "Mere Bina (Unplugged)"  Mohit Chauhan 4:49
8. "Tujhi Mein (Reprise)"  KK 4:40

Critical reception

India

Reception of the film in India has been mixed. One critic writes praises the music, writing: "this along with its already popular songs makes Crook a full on entertainment package that should not be missed when it releases all over on 8 October".[4] Movie critic Taran Adarsh, criticized the film as a "half-hearted effort", but praises Mohit Suri's handling of the subject during the second hour of the film.[5] Another critic praised the film for presenting "an altogether different approach to the situation and (the director) takes both the sides and speaks in favour of Indians and as well as the Australians.[6]

Among negative reviews, a critic at India Today complained that the film racially vilifies Australians as:

“ A country of ex-convicts. A country where they sleep with each other without marrying. A country where they don't take care of their families. Yes that's the sort of venom that's spewed against the Australians in Crook ...... ”

Also that "it is badly directed and doesn't even have that one redeeming feature of all"[7]

A critic at Rediff.com complained of a weak script and story line.[8] A reviewer at bollyspice.com said that the film was "too insensitive" and "superficial".[9]

Australia

One media outlet in Australia voiced concern about the film, repeating Indian newspaper reviews that Crook portrayed Australia as "A country of ex-convicts. A country where they sleep with each other without marrying. A country where they don't take care of their families. Yes that's the sort of venom that's spewed against the Australians in Crook."[10]

Among Australia's local Indian population, Gautam Gupta, spokesman for the Federation of Indian Students criticised the piece, saying: "They have performed their research so badly, it's shocking." He also complained that, far from helping the situation, that the film could help inflame tensions.[11]

Director Mohit Suri responded to these charges, rejecting the claims of bias. The Hindustan Times quoted Suri saying:

“ I am facing flak from both sides. Indians are saying that the film is pro Australia, and they are saying it shows them in bad light. I think Australians should watch the film as a cinematic experience. The film does not show them as 'wrong'.”[12] ”

Responding to allegations that the film is "poorly researched", Suri says, "I have just made a film. At 28, don’t expect me to have a cure to racism worldwide. I have just expressed my opinion."[12]

Suri also complained that during the production of the film:

“ "Permissions were not given in several places and even our online Australian producer had his doubts. One day, we were stopped from entering a club by an Indian bouncer who allowed other foreigners in! Then there was the incident where Emraan Hashmi asked an Aussie to click a picture of all of us at a beach. He agreed, and then tossed the camera far into the air and walked away!”[13] ”

Awards and nominations

6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards

Nominated

References

  1. ↑ . Bollywood hungama http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/boxoffice/id/536608. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Emraan Hashmi’s Crook to release Oct 8". WorldSnap.
  3. ↑ ""Crook is based on racial discrimination" - Mohit Suri". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  4. ↑ http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/10/sep/22-crook-its-good-to-be-bad-is-not-just-about-action-091004.asp
  5. ↑ Crook: Movie Review by Taran Adarsh
  6. ↑ ‘Crook- It’s Good To Be Bad’ Movie Review
  7. ↑ http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/115753/Cinema/film-review-crook.html
  8. ↑ http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/oct/08/review-crook.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.bollyspice.com/movie-reviews.php/0772-crook-its-good-to-be-bad-movie-review.html
  10. ↑ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/bollywood-film-paints-australians-as-violent-racists/story-e6freuy9-1225938649634
  11. ↑ Firkin, Katherine; Bradshaw, Finn (15 October 2010). "Bollywood blockbuster paints Melbourne as racist". Herald Sun.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Crook panned by Oz media
  13. ↑ Of Dark Narratives

External links