“Ise ittefaq kaho or what the…”: there are two Sidharth Malhotras in A Gentleman. One is a dull executive with a good enough bank balance and house and car in a foreign location to warrant the attention of the curvaceous Kavya (Jacqueline Fernandez). The other is Gaurav, an Indian version of the high-kicking Hollywood action hero. They look the same – but are they the same person? Villains played by Suneil Shetty and Amit Mistry most certainly want to know. Is this a case of crossed identities or an example of a hero with a secret parallel life?
There’s a funny reference to Raj Kapoor’s Bobby in the bit about the man opening the door in the middle of baking and getting the dough on his face, but the overall feel is more Hollywood than Bollywood. Raj and DK, the directors of Shor in the City, 99, Go Goa Gone and Happy Ending, are better known for modestly budgeted quirky comedies. They hope to enter the big league with A Gentleman. Sidharth Malhotra too hopes to bury his chocolate boy image for good. All we are hoping is that the movie is as much brainless fun as its trailer.