Bell Bottom Movie Review: Swashbuckler Akshay Kumar saves India and theatres once again

Bell Bottom Movie Review: Akshay Kumar is on a mission - to pull the audience back into the theatres.

It is simple protocol that RAW agents have to be known by a code name, in order, of course, to keep their identity a secret. Akshay Kumar's Anshul instinctively opts for 'Bell Bottom' during his training. He is literally thrust into RAW, at a time when India is grappling with back-to-back hijacks, the inevitable hostage negotiations that follow and the ultimate freeing of captured terrorists along with crores of money to ensure no lives are lost. It is the 80s, Indira Gandhi (played by Lara Dutta) holds the Prime Ministers's chair, with her trusted aide, RN Kao (Denzil Smith) by her side. Akshay Kumar has flair. And sometimes a bit extra too. Even though Anshul wasn't meant for or didn't intend to come into this line of work, he seamlessly fits right in. Director Ranjit Tewari (of Lucknow Central fame), however, doesn't go full out sprinkling the trademark Akki charm on us; he tries hard to keep the flamboyance of Akshay, the actor, and buoyancy of Akshay's gait - swishing the hem of his extra-flared bell-bottoms - in check. Which is why perhaps the only whistle-worthy dialogue in the film - something about a dog, daddy and RAW - was given to Adil Hussain, to be delivered in his deadpan humour. This bottom-of-the-barrel dialogue, however, should have been entirely avoided. But a Bollywood masala movie director can do only so much; ultimately the slow-motion shots take over.