SELFIE 2023
by
Raj Mehta
Selfie is an example of Bollywood’s self-indulge, whereby it sees actors as not less than superstars and possibly as superheroes, and commoners as mere suckers for craving a piece of celebrities, and abject worshippers of star power.
Akshay Kumar has lost all fizz, and comes across as a pale shadow of himself. Perhaps, he should proceed on a long break and try to rediscover his passion. Why is he still doing 4 films, 2 OTT releases, 28 ads, 17 live events etc if people don’t find him interesting anymore? The idea of a break is not as disastrous as it sounds. An actor is not a bottomless well. Although a man like Akshay might refuse to classify himself as an artist, and prefer to introduce himself as just a businessman, yet one has limited life experience to keep drawing from his bottom, and perform in film after film. After a point, the well must dry up if there are no aquifers to recharge, and the well is unwilling to accept what is pouring into it.
Emraan Hashmi has tried to play a sincere transport cop, but there are no shades in his character. He requires the role to have some dark edges to make any kind of impact- a fixer, a bookie, a gangster, a pimp, a bad cop, something, anything to provide him raison d’ etre, to steal the focus.
I wonder how such a script, featuring two flat lead characters, and completely lacking in drama get approved. The film must have felt a drag even on the discussion table. I am not going into the socially unacceptable points, technical goof-ups or incredulous moments in the film. There is an undercurrent of needless hostility towards a government servant performing his duty vis-à-vis undesirable adulation of a film actor.
The uninspired nature of the project can be gleaned from the soggy remix of the Main Khiladi Tu Anari song. The new version is so bad that one can’t even sit through it as it plays through the credits. Lastly, Abhimanyu Singh is so very bad as comic relief in this below ordinary film, that he is the only thing that makes you smile through the whole drudgery.
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