Boss
wogma rating: Switch channels if it's on cable (?)
Another one of those falling in the "What else did you expect?" genre.
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What if Robin Hood's father didn't know him for the good things he did and judged him for looting others? Maybe it'd make an interesting story, if it dealt with just that. Unfortunately, Boss starts out with this simple what if and complicates things beyond comprehension.
To make matters manifold worse, this Robin Hood, Satya (Akshay Kumar) spouts inane dialogue to look cool; laughs at his own poor jokes; literally sings his own praises (just in case you hadn't guessed from the his finger rings); and is generally way too full of himself. The only saving grace is that he doesn't have a lead lady as a show piece.
I guess, we could take offense that the makers of the film didn't even bother to have a role for a lead lady at all. But then if it were going to be as skimpily written as it was for Ankita (Aditi Rao Hydari), I guess it worked out best that there isn't a lead lady. Especially, given that Sonakshi Sinha's cameo had more recall value than Aditi's entire role. And I wouldn't blame Aditi's performance for it.
The writing department just doesn't care enough to be taken seriously. With the numerous complications added to fill in the story, the writing completely loses track from where it starts. For example, Satya and Shiv's maternal uncle (Johny Lever) suddenly behaves like a stranger in a scene in the second half of the film. With such glaring mistakes, attention to detail is just way too much to ask for.
Only aim here seems to be to give Akshay Kumar screen time. Interestingly enough, Akshay Kumar shows on screen 30 minutes into the film. I wonder what the reasons might have been. But, once he comes, he does his typical hamming and stays.
Till then and for little snippets after Shiv Pandit does try his best to make an impact. But, it is Ronit Roy who stays in memory. He does have the fierceness that a villain pitted against a boisterous Satya/Akshay Kumar needs. Yet, his role is too ill-defined and unidimensional for it to instill fear.
Sure, there are a couple of scenes which make you laugh out loud - more because it is silly beyond words than because it is witty. Also, the first one or two action sequences for Ronit Roy are brash enough to make you notice. Otherwise though, there are out-of-place film references, worse placed songs and over-the-top dialogues in the name of entertainment.
I really wonder how one doesn't get bored doing the same kinds of role one after the other. Maybe they are different roles but are just performed in the same old way. Or maybe the roles aren't defined enough to be different or similar. Goodness knows.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Subhash K. Jha, Apun Ka Choice : ...This is a fast-paced, zany, full-on masala fare. There is a tempting swagger to Akshay's performance matched by the narration's tidal tempo. Irresistible energy and endearing gusto underline the show's voracious appetite for a comic kill... full review
Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama : ...BOSS is a full-on masala entertainer that's very clear of its intent. It is designed to magnetize lovers of desi commercial cinema and woo the BO.... full review
Thumbs up, by Anurag Bhole, Desi Martini : ...Boss is a regular masala movie stop reading the review right there coz it not a regular masala, ... full review
Thumbs up, by Hardeep Singh Chakkiwaala, Desi Martini : ...Well, Well, Well .. For the first 25 minutes or so, I didn’t feel like I’m watching Boss. It was more of a south Indian movie... full review
Thumbs up, by Divya Solgama, MoviezADDA : ...The classes might prefer to stay away from this movie as it's not their cup of tea to digest such films, but for all others who watch movies for fun and entertainment this movie will make you say for sure - 'Time Pass Hain Boss'... full review
Thumbs up, by K N Gupta, SmasHits.com : ...Overall, the movie has good prospects as it released on the Muslim festival of Eid with a long holiday weekend. It's worth watch... full review
So-So, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ... BOSS - Akshay is in full form in this entertaining masala flick made on the lines of WANTED... full review
So-So, by Prathna Tiwari, Bolly Spice : ...Boss is perhaps one of the better masaledaar entertainers of the year. There’s definitely a script behind it all and it is packed with oodles of entertainment value... full review
So-So, by Nikhil Arora, Desi Martini : ... Boss is an enjoyable film ... full review
So-So, by Smita, Desi Martini : ...- A regular low brow entertainer with a sprinkling of jokes, fights and songs... full review
So-So, by Rony D'costa, Desi Martini : ... if you feel you life is empty without these masala flicks then venture out to meet this boss otherwise watch Big Boss on T.V. ... full review
So-So, by Tushar Joshi, DNA : ...Boss is unpretentious in its effort to draw you in with humor, action and some trademark filmy drama... full review
So-So, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Anthony D'Souza has done away with his Blues! He has smartly stuck to the basics using the old formula. Full-on timepass! ... full review
So-So, Indicine : ...Acting: Boss is a one man show and the man at the centre of it is Akshay Kumar. Akshay seems to have enjoyed being a part of a film after a long time and it shows.... full review
So-So, by Mohar Basu, koimoi : ...Akshay Kumar starrer Boss manages to indulge you in a feast of thrilling ugly action and crackling comedy with its crude and rustic premise... full review
So-So, by Shubha Shetty-Saha, MiD DAY : ...If dishum-dishum gets your adrenalin pumping harder, if high-in-the-air kicks give you a kick, may be you have a reason to be in the theatre watching 'Boss'... full review
So-So, by Roshmila Bhattacharya, Star Blockbuster : ...The Father is always right… The Son is always right... The Boss is always right…Wrong!... full review
So-So, by Renuka Vyavahare, Times of India : ...Mithun Chakraborty goes overboard with his preachy Nirupa Roy-esque character and is thus unintentionally funny. Ronit Roy has a superb presence. Sadly, he gets meagre footage. Aditi Rao Hydari and Shiv Pandit are used as mere props... full review
So-So, by Rummana Ahmed, yahoo! India : ...Except the ‘Har kissi ko nahi milta’ song, neither Sonakshi nor the music provides any relief. ‘Boss’ just reeks of lazy filmmaking.... full review
Thumbs down, by Anna MM Vetticad , annavetticadgoes2themovies : ...At his best, Akshay Kumar has an arresting screen presence and a flair for the action-comedy mix.... full review
Thumbs down, by Prathamesh Jadhav , Bollywood Life : ...All in all, Boss is a cliched action comedy that entertains in parts as Akshay Kumar tries to steer through the muddle with his star skill!... full review
Thumbs down, Daily Bhaskar : ...You will get a glimpse of Akshay Kumar's recent films in Boss.... full review
Thumbs down, Deccan Chronicle : ...This is not a movie that is worth your time and money. Spend it elsewhere.... full review
Thumbs down, by Mihir Fadnavis, FirstPost : ...Boss expects you to laugh in the face of amazing stupidity. ... full review
Thumbs down, by FPJ Bureau, Free Press Journal : ...There’s definitely no likelihood of this film doing a ‘Rowdy Rathore’ at the Box-office all over again... full review
Thumbs down, by Neha Mathur, fullhyd.com : ... Maybe we should have published this on a Saturday - in case the Boss is reading. It is his day off. Cue - another song with women in black leather. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...The movie requires that you apply neither common sense nor taste... full review
Thumbs down, by Suhani Singh, india today : ... Ultimately, Boss is yet another film which brings little creativity to a tried-and-tested genre.... full review
Thumbs down, by Saurabh Dwivedi , india today : ...Last words, if you are a fan of action and violence, go watch Boss. Otherwise, no point wasting your money!... full review
Thumbs down, by Rohit Khilnani, india today : ...Akshay's favourite line is "Boss is always right". I would disagree! ... full review
Thumbs down, by Vinayak Chakravorty, india today : ... For hardcore fans, maybe that would be a treat. For others, this Boss simply goes for a toss. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...Akshay Kumar does exactly what he does in his earlier films... full review
Thumbs down, by Karan Anshuman, Mumbai Mirror : ...Akshay Kumar plays his bad boy image with some good comic timing, but this puts his track on a different plane to the rest of the movie.... full review
Thumbs down, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...Since he obviously hasn’t done either of the two, Boss, a load of mindless dross, is what the audience is subjected to. ... full review
Thumbs down, by Mansha Rastogi, Now Running.com : ...Despite being an age-old cinema, Akshay Kumar's Boss will find its takers among the ones who have been making films like Chennai Express record-breaking hits. The movie for the others will prove to be highly mediocre... full review
Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: Loads of fights. A couple of scenes with brutal beating up too.
- Language: A couple of innuendos.
- Nudity & Sexual content: A skimpily clad Aditi Rao Hydari in a couple of scenes and songs.
- Concept: A goon with a heart, angers his father and has to save his brother time and again.
- General Look and Feel: Loud
![[Facebook page of Boss]](/static/images/icons/facebook_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Twitter account of Boss]](/static/images/icons/twitter_small.png){kind=icon}
![[YouTube channel of Boss]](/static/images/icons/youtube_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Wikipedia page of Boss]](/static/images/icons/wiki_small.png){kind=icon}
![[IMDB Page of Boss]](/static/images/icons/imdb_small.png){kind=icon}
Comments (28)
Yet another commercial potboiler panned by the critics. Yet another Hit in the making. When will our critics learn to review commercial films with accordance to target audience sensibilities and taste? Sheer arrogance and typical pseudo intellectual high headedness by the so called film experts :P
Taran Adarsh has given 4 stars. Other critics have given almost zero stars.
Anthony D'Souza's previous attempt, Blue, was a major letdown. Even worse.
So I am more tilting towards Meetu and other critics' advice to stay away. Nevertheless, if the box office goes as predicted by Taran Adarsh and Anuj then of course I would watch the film.
Agree with Anuj
Most of the time, I guess Wogma Rating correctly. After reading Meetu's several reviews, I know what she likes and what she doesnt. Boss is massala flick, some will like, and some will not. Now it depends how many people on each side, and that will make the movie hit or flop. There are a few people who liked Besharm, while it was super flop.
@Anuj @Mac once again, I can speak only about how I liked the film. I don't know how to look at films from another person's point of view. In fact, I think anyone who claims that is not being truthful.
Interestingly, suppose Boss flops, then does it mean I am not intellectual because my sensibilities matched with what the rest of the world thought about it?
@Fan wait and watch, it is then ;)
@Kuldeep absolutely! I am sure regular readers can tell whether or not I'll like a film. However, you have to give me the benefit of doubt that I walk into every film with the intention of enjoying it. Other than that, I guess I am consistent :P
The verdicts of 99% of our critics (barring my personal fav Komal Nahta) over the last 5-6 years have been highly questionable and influenced heavily with accordance to the cast and crew of the film. So when an Salman Khan does a mindless entertainer like Dabangg,he gets panned but when an Aamir does an absolutely illogical rotten film like Ghajini he gets praise for "being out of his comfort zone". When SRK does bogus stuff like OSO and Chennai Express,he gets away with it but its a cardinal sin for Akshay to do a Rowdy or a Boss (despite the fact that Hera Pheri,Aankhen,Khakee,Mohra,OMG,Special 26 are better than most Srk and Aamir films till date). I'm no Akshay fan,but the hypocrisy and double standards of our critics is glaring and evident. I am ready to bet my worth that Krrish 3 will get lower rating than Ra.1 despite it being a much better "clean and family" entertainer than the double meaning and tasteless crass jokes filled Ra.1! While Dhoom 3 will be hailed as the best commercial film of the year and a "class apart" despite it being just a westernized equivalent of Dabangg (mind u,Dabangg is far superior in content than any of the Dhoom films).
In all, BOSS is definitely massy, but too stupid and unrefined to deserve a recommendation. Don’t waste your precious time on this!
The fact Meetu still has the courage to walk into such films with expectations is the fact she is an awesome critic.
I don't even waste my time any more. Maybe because I'm getting old and my time is precious to me :D
Gravity, Prisoners and Captain Philips -> now these are movies on my list as of now.
Don't know which next Bollywood movie to look forward to with genuine expectations.
@Anuj :)
@Harpreet Thank you! Good to be acknowledged ;P. Gravity is awesome, I want to watch Prisoners and About Time too. Next Hindi one...hmmm...really don't know.
It is strange to see such loyal followers for such trashy movies who hound every critic not in awe of such films...
Blue was one of the worsts films ever made and the fans should be happy that the director got to make another one...
I'm waiting for the day Krrish 3 releases and gets panned by Hrithik Roshan critics (however few they are) and get egg faced for the nth time after the film becomes a Blockbuster ala its prequels! Ranbir fans and Roshan critics provide the greatest fodder for amusement as for as the so called "critical reviews" are concerned :P
oh yes.. krish 3... even god allah and bhagwan can't save its abominable OST...
the film is gonna suck too... and no, that doesn't make me a Ranbir fan...
and also, I know that it will make money as fanboys will make themselves poorer by watching it repeatedly, but that doesn't change the obvious...
Yes,the obvious is that its gonna redefine sci-fi and superhero genre films in India despite its below average soundtrack! And it will indeed be a huge hit 'coz unlike some self proclaimed ultra intelligent hollywood bootlickers who have no idea of the abc of Bombay cinema nor have any idea of audience taste,sensibilities and movie economics,a vast majority of the Indian audiences still got their roots intact and sensibilities traditional. Of course the so called "class" audiences who spent their childhood watching Walt Disney garbage and the one's who consider dungfests like Avatar and Avengers as masterpieces will never understand this! Nor do i expect them to.
And yes the above statement doesn't make me a hollywood hater or critic in any way (i'm certain i'v watched more hollywood films of diverse genres than the so called class audiences and urban teenage noobs). Just that some folk who consider themselves to be too brainy and classy need to be shown their true worth and place from time to time!
@Meeta:Here is an article that perhaps captures the essence of what i'm trying to convey
http://bomodel.blogspot.in/2013/10/the-need-for-pan-india-superhero.html
Pay heed to the second paragraph "Act 2" in particular!
U know Akshay has also large number of fan base same as SRK nd Sallu. Nowadays films are solely made for these fans nd the makers get away by saying we never made for critics. But change is inevitable , one day we will see dis bollywood masala formula defunct.
Best way to spot a desperate Bollyfan...
Will try to justify his non existent point by dragging Avatar, a sub-par yet goodlooking film at the best... because that's the extent of his exposure...
@Anuj Well, some of us watch the films for the films and not the stars or the film's commercial success or for the person sitting next to me in the hall.
@guddu inshallah!
@jitadiya ;) bingo!
Best way to judge a self proclaimed cinematic intellectual smartass who in reality is absolute idiot without an iota of brain inside him : Names a few award winning movies from around the globe to make a point that he's got better taste and knowledge of cinema than the average rickshaw-walla or halwai who too deserves to be entertained to the same extent as the unintelligent & mostly unwanted critics and the dumb degree holders/wannabe Nri's!
@Meeta : Watching films for films is one thing and going public in the media/discussion forums/blogs with your own "personal opinion" and thereby directly or indirectly influencing the public into watching or not watching a movie is a separate thing! Anyway,i'm sure looking at the box office performance of most "critically trashed" films year after year must definitely be giving u guys some food for thought (as evident by the Above Average rating for a "critical trash" like Chennai Express,notwithstanding the fact that Srk is media darling just like his predecessor and wannabe Ranbir Kapoor).
@Guddu:Right from the days of Dilip Kumar/Raj Kapoor/Dev Anand to the days of Dharmendra/Amitabh to the Sunny Deol/Anil Kapoor generation to the Khans' and through to the Roshan bloke,b'wood was,is and will always be about commercial potboilers.Mughal-E-Azam to Sholay to HAHK to DDLJ to 3I and now to Krrish 3 its all about "entertainment guaranteed".People who got so much of an issue with this are most welcome to stick to the pseudo Naseeruddin Shah/Om Puri/Farooq Sheik stuff which in the name of "intelligent cinema" dishes out trash that stinks worse than garbage(The Lunchbox being the latest in the long list). Or maybe just do us a favour and stop watching b'wood films altogether. After all we Indian audiences do not have the Intelligence to match up to you geniuses :P
@Anuj completely disagree with the job description of 'critic'. Refer to point 3 here - Roger Ebert's "How to watch a movie" - http://www.readability.com/read?url=http%3A%2F%2Facademic.sun.ac.za%2Fforlang%2Fbergman%2Ftech%2Fglossary%2Febert_howto.htm
You see dear lady,I do not need anyone to tell me how to watch a movie and how not to watch one!As for critics,i do not rate them any higher than a regular movie goer except for the fact that they've probably watched more number of films and of course the fact that they get paid for the language and vocabulary skills while writing mostly bogus reviews on media forums and thereby influencing the viewers' to watch or skip a movie. Let film makers make films for their target audience and let the target audiences decide what's good for them and what's not. Critics have no place in this cycle. That's what most commercially successfully movies from across the globe have proved!
Anuj don't get so brain dead and please don't rant ur frustration to meetu. Just because she responds every user's feedback (which no critic has courage to do) , she is not liable towards ur aversion to few psuedo intellect self proclaimed critic. I can vouch for her as d best unbiased and honest reviewer . Am not questioning ur intelligence , i think u need to acertain some facts before making such opinions.
I have always maintained that i consider her to be one of the best no doubt (esp when u compare her with the likes of Raja Sen,Rajeev Masand,Mihir Fadnavis and Anupama Chopra) but that does not take away from the fact that she makes her biases and prejudices way too evident at times.
@Anuj exactly how I thought you'd reply. (Re. You see dear lady...)
Also, if you say this "As for critics,i do not rate them any higher than a regular movie goer" then why make it an issue with "that does not take away from the fact that she makes her biases and prejudices way too evident at times." Critics/Reviewers _are_ regular movie goers and they are going to have biases. It's how they put forth and use/misuse their biases that matter.
Also, I have a feeling that the critics/reviewers do effect you in some way or the other. Else, why would you spend so much time, energy and effort debating at forums like these?
@guddu Thank you so much! :D
@Meeta:Discussing movies is my habit and despite the fact that you're a Ranbir Kapoor fan,i still rate your sense of judgement a tad higher than complete circus clowns like Mihir,Masand,Raja Sen and many more!
"Else, why would you spend so much time, energy and effort debating at forums like these?"~takes just a few calories and under 5 minutes of my time to comment here :P
@Anuj fan is a strong word. I like his persona and his acting.
Also, I don't see the need to call others (reviewers/commentors) names and get personal.
That is border-lining on being unnecessarily mean/nasty. Just thought you should know, I might stop responding if I feel the tone is not nice. (will post this part of the comment on a couple other films too)
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