Agent Vinod (2012 film): Difference between revisions
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*[http://www.desiblitz.com/content/agent-vinod-is-saif-as-a-spy Agent Vinod is Saif as a spy] DESIblitz Article cover and review of Agent Vinod. |
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Revision as of 15:34, 24 April 2012
| Agent Vinod | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sriram Raghavan |
| Written by | Sriram Raghavan Arijit Biswas |
| Produced by | Saif Ali Khan Dinesh Vijan |
| Starring | Saif Ali Khan Kareena Kapoor |
| Cinematography | C.K.Muraleedharan |
| Edited by | Puja Ladha Surti |
| Music by | Pritam |
| Distributed by | Illuminati Films Eros Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 152 mins |
| Country | Template:Film India |
| Language | Template:Film Hindi |
| Budget | ₹60 crore (US$7.2 million)[2] |
| Box office | ₹54 crore (US$6.5 million)[3] |
Agent Vinod a 2012 Indian action spy film directed by Sriram Raghavan. The movie borrows its name from the 1977 film of the same name. The film stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in leading roles and also features Ravi Kishan, Prem Chopra, Ram Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Maryam Zakaria. It was filmed in India, Morocco, Russia, Latvia, UK, South Africa and Pakistan. Agent Vinod was co-produced by Illuminati Films and Eros Entertainment and was expected to release on December 9, 2011. However, the release was delayed to March 23, 2012.[4]
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (March 2012) |
In the Dasht-E-Margoh desert in remote Afghanistan, inside a Taliban camp, an ISI official, Col. Huzefa (Shahbaz Khan), is interrogating a captured man (Saif Ali Khan) suspected to be a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), agent. The man offers up details about RAW's operations in Afghanistan in exchange for money and safe passage across the border. He betrays his colleague, Major Rajan (Ravi Kissen), who has also infiltrated the camp. This is only a ruse, as both overpower their captors and fight their way out of the camp. Along the way, they rescue a girl called Farah (Maryam Zakaria). The man is actually a RAW agent and his nom-de-guerre is Agent Vinod.
In New Delhi, Agent Vinod enters RAW headquarters to meet his boss Hassan Nawaz (B. P. Singh). Nawaz shows him Major Rajan's final message from Russia. Just as he completes his message, Rajan is killed by a man who has a scorpion tattoo on his forearm. Nawaz asks Vinod to find out what '242' actually is. Vinod travels to Moscow, and enters a nightclub owned by Abu Nazer. He manages to capture and interrogate Nazer, who tells him a man called Freddie Khambatta is to smuggle the million to Morocco. Vinod is almost captured by Nazer's men, but manages to escape, killing Nazer in the process.
Vinod boards a flight to Marakkesh, Morocco. Freddie Khambatta turns out to be the flight steward. Vinod picks him up from the airport, only to assume his place. As Freddie, Vinod meets local mafia boss David Kazan (Prem Chopra). Kazan is accompanied by his personal Pakistani doctor, Ruby Mendes (Kareena Kapoor). Kazan suspects Vinod, and gets Ruby to administer him a truth serum. Vinod blurts out that he is a RAW agent and killed Abu Nazer. Kazan confronts Vinod when he regains consciousness, but Vinod manages to convince him he is Freddie Khambatta, and explains he had to kill Abu Nazer to protect the mission. He manages to clone Kazan's phone and finds out that a MI6 agent is reaching Morocco the next day.
In the meantime, Vinod gets closer to Ruby, and tries to find out what '242' is. Ruby is actually Iram, a British-Pakistani who is working undercover for the ISI. Vinod goes to meet the MI6 agent and finds him murdered in his room with strong pointers that the murder was committed by Ruby. He gets an invitation card from the murdered agent's room for a private auction. He learns that many international terrorist groups are converging on an antiques auction in Marakkesh to purchase '242'. Vinod brings Ruby to the auction, where Kazan is also present along with Jagadishwar Metla (Dhritiman Chatterji). Vinod spots an LTTE agent he had encountered previously, and from him, learns that '242' is actually the detonator for the nuclear device, disguised as an antique volume of Omar Khayyam's 'Rubaiyyat'. A bidding war ensues, and Kazan manages to secure the detonator.
In Chaman, Baluchistan, the head of the ISI is murdered by Col. Huzefa, who is actually part of a group of rogue ISI colonels who are planning an attack on India. In Morocco, Kazan locks the detonator with a password, and hands it over to Colonel (Adil Hussain), who has arrived in Morocco. Ruby/Iram stumbles into the real Freddie Khambatta, and finds out Vinod is a RAW agent. Managing to escape from men trying to kill them, both agree to work together to prevent the nuclear device from falling into the wrong hands. Ruby returns to Kazan's estate only to find out that the estate has been ransacked and Kazan has been shot dead by 'Colonel'. 'Colonel' captures Ruby and asks her to reveal the whereabouts of Agent Vinod. He plants a sniper next to the hotel where Agent Vinod is to rendezvous with Ruby. The sniper takes a shot at him but Vinod manages to escape and is admitted to a hospital. The assasin reaches the hospital in the guise of a doctor and tries to administer a venom injection to Vinod. Vinod spots the scorpion tattoo on the doctor's forearm and overpowers him, killing him. He then clears his way out of the hospital to find Iram.
'Colonel' who is now in possession of the detonator, has reached Latvia to acquire the bomb. He enlists Iram to seduce an airport security employee to get his ID card so that the nuclear bomb can be transported out of Latvia. Iram succeeds in doing so, and 'Colonel' provides the ID card to his man, who is to transport the bomb out of Latvia. Colonel also sets up a rigged bomb so that both the airport employee and Iram die in the blast. Vinod arrives and as he interrogates Iram, the blast occurs, giving Iram the realization that she was being set up to be killed by the Colonel.
Vinod and Iram join hands and try to capture the Colonel and the bomb. Iram tells Vinod that the Colonel has called for a meeting at Karachi with fugitive don Pasha who can also be in the plot. The Colonel gets the Rubaiyat and tells his men to kill Vinod and Iram. However, Vinod manages to kill them all. Iram and Vinod reach Karachi, where they meet the rescued girl Farah, who is a dancer. With her help, they enter the wedding attended by an Indian mafia don (Gulshan Grover). There, they learn that Col. Huzefa and the don have agreed to smuggle the nuclear device from Karachi into India via the sea route. However, they are captured by Col. Huzefa, from whom they learn the target of the bomb is New Delhi. They manage to escape, and make it to New Delhi, where they try to find the location of the bomb. They find that the Colonel is staying with an ISI/Lashkar agent, who is an old professor. Iram finds the professor's map, which is of the bus route that Jimmy is taking with the armed bomb.
Iram hurriess to the exhibition where Colonel is hiding as a pilot in disguise. Iram runs into 'Colonel', and is shot, but points him out to Indian security forces, who kill him. Eventually, Vinod tracks down the bomb and takes the bomb up in a helicopter to detonate it as far away from the city as possible. Iram, who realizes that David Kazan had set the password to the detonator, asks Vinod to try the name of Kazan's camel. The bomb is defused.Later Vinod sees a recording, showing Metla planning the attack. Vinod accuses Metla and the Zeus group for murdering millions for making money at the global stock exchanges. Metla mocks Vinod, telling him world affairs are too complex for 'lowly police officers' to understand. However, Vinod is wearing a wire, and London cell of the Lashkar-e-Toiba are listening in. Realizing that they have been manipulated by Metla into almost starting a war with India, and has been badly damaged in the process as the Pakistan government is now violently cracking down on them, the Lashkar sends a suicide bomber (Arif Zakaria) to assassinate Metla at a function in his honor. Metla is killed, but posthumously feted as a great philanthropist.
On a beach in Capetown, the beautiful Russian girl who first acquired the nuclear device, is seen sunbathing. She looks up to find Agent Vinod smiling at her. It is apparent Vinod has moved on to his next mission.
Banned in pakistan
Some scenes of the film have been shot in Pakistan without prior permission of the Pakistan government. The movie also contained some scenes about terrorist connection of a section of ISI officers. This was regarded as unsuitable for audience in Pakistan and the Pakistan CBFC banned Agent Vinod from its release in pakistan.[5][6][7]
Cast
- Saif Ali Khan as Agent Vinod
- Kareena Kapoor as Iram Parveen Bilal
- Ravi Kishan as Major Rajan
- Prem Chopra as David Kazaan
- Ram Kapoor as Abu Sayed Nazer
- B. P. Singh as Hasan Nawaz
- Shahbaz Khan as Colonel Huzefa Lokha
- Gulshan Grover as Tehmur Pasha
- Adil Hussain as Colonel
- Maryam Zakaria as Farah Faqesh special appearance in song "Dil Mera Muft Ka"
- Mallika Haydon as a special appearance in song "I'll Do the Talking" & "Pyaar Ki Pungi"
- Dhritiman Chaterji as Sir Jagadishwar Metla
- Rajat Kapoor as ISI Chief Iftekhar Ahmed
- Anshuman Singh as Jimmy
- Arif Zakaria as the Lashkar Suicide Bomber
- Vasilisa Petina as the Mysterious Girl
Production
According to Raghavan, Agent Vinod is not a remake of the 1977 action film of the same name.[8] In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, he described it as "a realistic film [...with] full of action pieces, thrills and characters."[8] On 30 May 2010, the director reported that the film's shoot had official begun in Mumbai. Filming later continued in Morocco[9] and Latvia.[10]
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack has been composed by Pritam. The track "Steal the Night (I'll Do the Talking)" is a partial interpolation of the 1978 song "Rasputin", composed by German disco group Boney M.[11]
| Untitled | |
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| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Steal the Night (I'll Do the Talking)" | Neeraj Shridhar, Aditi Singh Sharma, Shefali Alvaris, Barbie Amod, Sheersh Dhodi | |
| 2. | "Raabta (Kuch To Hai)" | Shreya Ghoshal, Arijit Singh, Joi Barua | |
| 3. | "Aakhri Hero" | Amitabh Bhattacharya, Rags | |
| 4. | "Govind Bolo Gopal Bolo" | Shubhojit, Sharve Dhodi | |
| 5. | "Dil Mera Muft Ka" | Nandini Srikar, Muazzam, Rizwan, Shadab Faridi, Altamush Faridi, Shabab Sabri | |
| 6. | "Pungi" | Mika Singh, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Nakash, Pritam | |
| 7. | "Raabta [Siyaah Raatein]" | Hamsika Iyer, Joi Barua, Arijit Singh | |
| 8. | "Raabta Unplugged" | Joi Barua, Arijit Singh | |
| 9. | "Raabta [Night In Motel]" | Aditi Singh Sharma, Arijit Singh | |
| 10. | "Pungi Remix" | Mika Singh, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Nakash, Pritam | |
| 11. | "Dil Mera Muft Ka Film Version" | Richa Sharma | |
| 12. | "Dil Mera Muft Ka Remix" | Malini Awasthi | |
| 13. | "Agent Vinod Theme" | Instrumental |
The reception of the album has been positive. Musicperk.com rated it 8/10 quoting "Just go for it !". [12]
Release
The film released on 23 March, 2012. Few days before release, the film was banned by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan, for containing various controversial references to the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.[13]
Critical reception
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| † indicates that the given rating is an average rating of all reviews provided by the source | |
The movie received mixed reviews. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 4 out 5 and says "An ambitious script, set in various countries, AGENT VINOD is by far the most credible secret agent movie made in Bollywood. This hi-octane thriller has style and substance, both!" Gulf news commented that "Agent Vinod is the kind of meticulously crafted spy drama where cerebral considerations mesh into more earthy demands of commercial Hindi cinema". Martin D'Souza from Glamsham gave it a 4 rating and said "It's on par with any Hollywood James Bond thriller. The action is slick and execution of the set-pieces impeccable." </ref> Kaveree Bamzai of India Today gave the film a mixed review, saying, "If only Sriram Raghavan had not gone weak on his knees at the thought of love, Agent Vinod would have been a smarter, sharper, cooler film."[14] Gaurav Malani of The Times of India called the film "above average" and said "The film is entertaining but not in entirety. Agent Vinod gets the nod though not whole-heartedly!"[15] Jaidev Hemmady of Movie Talkies gave the film 3 out 5 stars and said, "Guns, Grit and Glamour - Saif's Slick Spy Act Agent Vinod is definitely worth a watch for all the thrill junkies out there "[16] Blassey Chettiar of Daily News and Analysis rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "Director Sriram Raghavan (Ek Hasina Thi, Johnny Gaddar) delivers a neat package, a suave lead hero slogging it out in picture-perfect locations, packing punches here and there, zooming off on sexy bikes, sexier cars and finally a copter, all in a day’s work."[17] Kunal Guha of Yahoo! rated the film 1 out of 5 stars, saying, "Let’s just say foreign locales, weapons to annihilate the world, designer suits and not-so-excruciating interrogations don’t cumulatively justify Agent Vinod as a thrilling movie-watching experience."[18] Raja Sen of Rediff gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and said, "As a film, Agent Vinod must be termed a disappointment, a slick and well-produced throwback to the spy thriller that feels both overlong and under-conceived.".[19] Film Writer's Association said "Different names. Exotic countries. Couple of hot chicks. Some poker faced jokes. Several villains. Sexy bikes, fuming cars, snazzy helicopters and beautiful trains. Several stunts.One handsome spy and a budding romance.More than enough to sustain an almost three hour long spy flick part inspired from James Bond, part Bourne." 123Telegudotcom says in its review for hindi movies "Agent Vinod’s biggest strength is Sriram Raghavan’s script that reads like a thriller with each character fleshed out to only so much detail as required for the character’s screen time. Despite the multiple sub-plots or the sheer number of characters in the script, all of them are neatly tied up by the end." Shobha De in her column in Times of India wrote "There wasn't a single dull or clumsy moment and the pace was breathless. Saif retained his positioning as one of the most sophisticated stars in Bollywood, with a witty, tongue-in-cheek performance in the best traditions of international spy thrillers."
Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave 2.5 out of 5 noted "The result is that Agent Vinod never becomes more than the sum of its parts and even though it picks up speed in the second half, it leaves you both exhausted and unsatisfied [20] Mrigank Dhaniwala of Koimoi gave the film 2 out of 5 stars as well, commenting, "Agent Vinod is a bold experiment gone wrong; certainly not something that entertains in its entirety ... (and) comes nowhere closer to the Bond or the Bourne series of Hollywood films."[21] Zee News commented that, "Agent Vinod is a genuine attempt at entertaining in a sensible manner. But it somehow falls short of being declared as a brilliant piece of work. Watch it for its stylish presentation, it hasn’t got anything else to offer."[22] Khalid Mohammed of Deccan Chronicle rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, commenting, "Suggestion: if you do venture into this at best, average Agent Vinod, carry a huge thermos of coffee to stay awake."[23] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave 2/5 feels "Agent Vinod with so many varied influences that it never finds its own distinct identity".[24]
The film got very good reviews overseas. The NRI blog SearchIndia "enthusiastically recommending" Agent Vinod. The Birminghammail gives it a 3 out of 5 and comments "Director Raghavan has delivered the first slick action spy thriller which has been properly adapted to Indian taste.What’s refreshing about the central character is that Raghavan makes sure Vinod is not a clone of either Bond or Bourne." Richard Kuipers of Variety commented that "this big-budget exercise bears all the hallmarks of a franchise-in-waiting; with an injection of the elan the real Maibaum brought to the Bond series, such an enterprise could prove successful". Independent Online from South Africa gives 3.5 out of 5 and says "the the film is undeniably a cool and entertaining spy thriller". New Strait Times from Singapore says the movie is "a spy story and will satisfy those looking for a Bond or Jason Bourne sort of film".
Box office
On its opening day, the movie collected ₹9.41 crore (US$1.1 million) at the box office.[25] The movie showed less growth during the next two days[26][27] ultimately grossing around ₹18 crore (US$2.2 million) in its first weekend.[28] Agent Vinod went on to earn a total of ₹36.75 crore (US$4.4 million) during its first week.[29] The movie has a collection of around 54 Cr from India and Overseas box-office.
See also
References
- Agent Vinod is Saif as a spy DESIblitz Article cover and review of Agent Vinod.
- ^ "Release Dates". Bollywood Hungama. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ "Agent Vinod Budget". Retrieved March 24 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ ""Agent Vinod" Finishes With Poor Numbers". Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ "'Agent Vinod' riddled with woes". Mid-Day. Retrieved 28 March 2012.sdate=2012-04-15}}
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3017419.ece
- ^ http://www.indianexpress.com/news/agent-vinod-banned-by-pakistan-censor-board/926127/
- ^ http://pkonweb.com/2012/03/agent-vinod-shot-in-pakistan-without-permission-saif/
- ^ a b IndiaFM News Bureau (12 October 2007). ""Agent Vinod is not a remake of Rajshri film" - Sriram Raghavan". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ Kotwani, Hiren (30 May 2010). "Saif's second home production goes on the floor". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Indo-Asian News Service (2 November 2011). "Language barrier for Agent Vinod crew in Latvia". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ "Pritam buys Boney M's Rasputin's rights". The Times of India. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ^ Venkatrangan .R. (30 March 2012). "Agent Vinod | Musicperk - Trending news, analysis, reviews, ratings and exclusive content for music". Musicperk. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ^ "Saif-Kareena spy flick Agent Vinod banned across Pakistan". Express Tribune. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ^ Bamzai, Kaveree (23 March 2012). "Agent Vinod movie review". India Today. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Malani, Gaurav (23 March 2012). "Agent Vinod: Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Hemmady, Jaidev (11 April 2012). "Agent Vinod: Movie Review". Movie Talkies. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ Chettiar, Blassey (23 March 2011). "Blassy Chettiar reviews Agent Vinod". DNA India. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Guha, Kunal (23 March 2012). "Agent Vinod review". Yahoo!Movies. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Sen, Raja (23 March 2011). "Review: Agent Vinod just isn't clever enough". Rediff. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ anupama chopra. "Anupama Chopra's review: Agent Vinod". Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Dhaniwala, Mrigank (23 March 2011). "Agent Vinod Review". Koimoi. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Zee News Bureau (23 March 2012). "Review: 'Agent Vinod' - All style, no substance". Zee News. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Mohammed, Khalid (23 March 2012). "Agent Vinod review: Now, here's boretainment". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ Rajeev Masand. "Masand: 'Agent Vinod' is a boring, disappointing film". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ "Agent Vinod First Day Territorial Breakdown". Box Office India. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Agent Vinod Second Day Business". Box Office India. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Agent Vinod Has Limited Growth On Sunday". Box Office India. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Agent Vinod First Weekend Territorial Breakdown". Box Office India. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Agent Vinod Has 36.75 Crore First Week". Box Office India. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.