Ayaan Kapoor (Malhotra), a Mumbai-based real-estate tycoon, collides with a car while swerving erratically to save a motorcyclist who gets in his way. The screen completely blacks out. When Ayaan comes to, he finds himself in front of CG aka Chitragupt (Devgn), who appears to be lording over an unearthly arena dotted with rows of silent witnesses.
The black-clad CG serves as a judge, jury, and executioner all in one. And Ayaan is imprisoned: what kind of person is he? The kind who lies and cheats and deserves to spend eternity in hell, or the kind who wants to spend the rest of his life with his adoring wife (Singh) and young daughter?
‘Thank God,’ the official remake of the Norwegian film ‘Sorte Kugler,’ marks Indra Kumar’s long-awaited return to Bollywood. His style remains consistent, and it does nothing for a fantasy that needed to be light on its feet. He is best known for his musical rom-coms starring Bollywood stars as overgrown delinquents (‘Dil,’ and the raunchy ‘Masti’ and ‘Dhamaal’ franchises stuffed with oversexed men and double-meaning dialogues).
A common image is of a person caught between life and death, embracing reform and turning over a new leaf. We’ve seen it in both Hollywood and Bollywood, but none as dull and pointless as this one. Devgn smirks and waits for the obligatory ‘Singham’ reference, which comes quickly enough because the very svelte Singh is a cop. Malhotra wields little power. Seema Pahwa and Kulbhushan Kharbanda, as usual, are underutilised. As is our time. Ms Fatehi appears to shake her hips, but there is no soap.
This was supposed to be a cautionary tale full of laughs and lessons. Where is the thrill? Even the Almighty cannot prevent it.