OTT Round Up - Akshaye Khanna And Jimmy Sheirgill Rescue Hostages This Week, Farhan Akhtar Gets Set To Enter The Ring With Biggest OTT Release Of 2021, Toofaan

Akshaye Khanna brings in a lot of weight into the proceedings whenever he appears in State of Siege: Temple Attack.

By Joginder Tuteja

This could well be a first where two made-for-OTT films released this week, and both dealt with hostage crisis. This isn't all as both the dramas featured a Bollywood actor as the central protagonist. While Akshaye Khanna leads the show in State of Siege: Temple Attack, Jimmy Sheirgill is the leading man in Collar Bomb. Moreover, both the films released on the same day as well, Friday.

Let's talk about State of Siege: Temple Attack first which has arrived on ZEE5. There were good hopes from the film, considering the fact that the franchise's first offering, a web series, dealt with 26/11 attacks and had emerged as a credible affair. This time around, Ken Ghosh was in charge for the film which goes back in time when the deadly terrorist attack at Akshardham temple in Gujarat. Since this is a true story, there were further expectations of seeing a riveting affair on screen.

As expected, the action sequences are the mainstay of this film which gets into the zone right from the prelude sequence. From there till the very end, the combat by the NSG commandos is well executed. That said, I wished that Akshaye Khanna had a few more meaty scenes in the film that would have made the entire narrative even more exciting. He brings in a lot of weight into the proceedings whenever he appears but since the terrorists and other supporting characters get a lot of footage as well, I would have liked to see more of him.

The other release of the week, Collar Bomb, which arrived on Disney+Hotstar is a Jimmy Sheirgill show all the way. A movie that lasts a mere 80 odd minutes, this too is a plot based film and just like State of Siege: Temple Attack, this too deals with hostage crisis. Here too, a bunch of kids find themselves trapped in an auditorium, with a terrorist wearing a collar bomb that would explode if the right code is not entered to deactivate it.

Though it starts off as a linear hostage drama, multiple layers begin to peel off 15 minutes into the film itself. There is a deadly back-story, a video that could go viral, an accused who may or may not have committed a crime, a couple of characters who aren't entirely how they seem, and a flurry of killings that take place from past and present. From the core plot perspective, this could well have been a staple diet for a Vikram Bhatt horror film. However, it is more of a contemporary thriller due to which the back story seem a bit surprising in this set up.

The film does look rich but one has to admit that there are glaring loopholes right from the beginning till the end. Other than the fact that many episodes unfold in an unconvincing manner, sheer logic goes for a toss in a couple of very crucial sequences. Still, what works is two factors - Jimmy Sheirgill and the fact that the germ of the idea is quite good. 'Are decisions sometimes perception and looks driven' is the core of the film and though Jimmy isn't really required to bring on major histrionics, for the genre that the film belongs, he does well.

Coming soon

This Friday would be special as 2021's biggest OTT release, Toofaan, would arrive at Amazon Prime. The film was originally slated for theatrical release last year but pandemic pushed it to the OTT. Later, when the timeline was finalized for May release, the second wave meant that the film had to be further pushed. Now that it is finally arriving this Friday, all eyes are on the biggie which sees Farhan Akhtar reunite with his Bhaag Milkha Bhaag director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

Considering the fact that the film is coming from the house of Excel Entertainment [Farhan Akhtar & Ritesh Sidhwani], one is assured of a quality product in the offering. Moreover, the promo is quite promising and one expects some good dramatic moments in there. Farhan is looking quite convincing as a street-smart fighter who could well be a celebrated boxer, and hence one waits to see him enter the ring and get into some deadly action. It is apparent that he has given a lot of him into this role and the film promises some good cinematic experience.

Release dates

Toofaan - Amazon Prime - 16th July

(Joginder Tuteja is a trade expert and film critic, and loves to talk and write about anything that is related to films. Views are personal)