Critics’ Verdict: ‘Kaabil’ Is Barely Rescued By Hrithik’s Act

Critics react to Hrithik Roshan’s new film - ‘Kaabil’

Film: Kaabil
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Yami Gautam, Rohit Roy

Excerpts from reviews of Kaabil:

The pocket vendetta thriller is delivered with surprising efficiency by Sanjay Gupta. The director is known for his over-the-top Hollywood copies. At least in Kaabil, possibly under his controlling producer’s influence, Gupta dispenses with the flourishes and proves that he has the ability to land the arrow on the target. Hrithik Roshan too rises up to the challenge, and channels the fundamental sweetness and innocence of his screen persona to make Rohan a no-brainer hero. Kaabil is highly capable but also entirely bloodless.

Nandini Ramnath (Scroll.in)

The challenge with doing a film whose beats are stacked from its opening frame is to insert surprise. Instead, Kaabil plays it strictly by the numbers, and you can see everything coming from a mile. Hrithik does all the heavy lifting and remains the only bright spot in this dispirited mess of a movie. He still has the moves. What he needs is a plot.

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express)

Whatever possessed the Roshans to opt for this project which harks back to the jawbone-for-a-jawbone blood-curdlers of the 1970s and ‘80s? Maybe it was viewed as an opportunity for Hrithik to play an empathetic, visually-impaired David who turns Goliath in face of gross injustice. But then hasn’t he enacted the challenging quadriplegic before in Guzaarish? Or maybe there hasn’t been a badla movie in ages. Er, say cheese but what about Badlapur please? Any which way, to be absolutely honest my heart and unshed tears went out to Hrithik. He’s a tremendous, meticulous actor who strives to breathe conviction into every minor and major scene. Snag: the scenes have an excruciatingly fake quality about them like a Rs 300 currency note. Sad.

Khalid Mohamed (Spotboye.com)