Aiyaary Hindi Movie
Major Jay Bakshi is an important part of the special covert unit called Data & Systems Diagnostics or DSD. Mid-surveillance, he's gone missing, and they're looking for him. His Unit chief Col. Abhay Singh (Manoj Bajpayee, the best thing about this movie) goes AWOL after shutting down the regular offices and moving them to a hangar and goes off in search of Jay.
Jay, the Intelligence Officer (who does not know how to hack into a computer, seriously?!) of course has fallen in love with a girl who teaches him how to hack (Rakul Preet Singh, rather unimpressive). And you're groaning into the multiplex coffee. Then groan some more when you realise that his 'hacking' is then never really utilised and he's only listening in to bugged recordings.
However, you're on the side of the sharp-mustachioed Colonel Abhay who is righteously angry about being betrayed. Jay Bakshi (played by Sidharth Malhotra, who has fewer expressions than John Abraham) and his girl are in London now. So is Abhay. Abhay meets Anupam Kher who plays Tariq Sahab, a player who knows everything about everything. They need not have wasted Anupam Kher's talent at such a poorly written role (he has to send texts to Abhay organising 'things'). The same goes for the big bad guy Mukesh Kapoor who stands around holograms of guns to prove he is the big gun runner doing deals with everyone. Why did they need Adil Hussain? Anyone could be that guy.
But you like Manoj Bajpayee, so you watch. A few more groanworthy, and eminently editable flashbacks happen where Jay reminisces about the valor or Abhay Sir and we see how cool Indian Army guys are and why Jay wants to be like Abhay Sir. The hacker girlfriend is reduced to someone making coffee for Jay. You know by now, or begin to suspect that Jay and Abhay are on the same side. But Abhay sir telling all the bad guys, kill Jay is just a ploy because Jay has learnt all the techniques from Abhay sir only!
There's also Naseeruddin Shah practically locked up in a hotel room who has enough proof to blackmail to the Arms dealer in India (Ex Army general Gurinder Singh played quite nicely by Kumud Mishra). Why he needlessly cackles is a directorial debacle, but hey, it's Naseer-ji! Who can tell him to keep it understated like he did in A Wednesday?
It takes almost three hours to get to the point. And by then you know Jay and Abhay will be the best chaps in the Army. You wish someone would teach Indian directors to tell their stories simply and quickly. They'd be so much more thrilling.