Kidnap (2008) User Reviews

Watchable But Could Have Been Better.

[Pratik112 · 6/10 · 6 October 2008]

What can a father, who is filthy rich, do if his daughter, who he hasn't seen for eight years and then one day he finds out that she's been kidnapped? Simple! Try and find out where she's been held and by who and try and find out the ransom amount and pay. But no, its not that simple as it involves someone who is out take revenge.

Imran Khan has definitely grown up from his first movie and to match his character, he has done workout in the Gym and has shown it. He is the saving grace for this film and has matured. The same cannot be said for "Munnabhai," Sanjay Dutt – no doubt in my mind that he is a good actor but he could have performed better. He has played the role of a father before in "Pitaah," but playing the role of a teenager's father could have taken it to stronger position but never the less, not a bad attempt. Rahul Dev, in the meantime, has done a good job of his role in helping the helpless father.

Actresses nowadays can stoop to any length in a film, including exposing and unfortunately for Minnisha Lambha, she has turned to exposing a bit, which I thought was unnecessary. But I can't say the same for Vidya Malvade as she has definitely performed well as a mother. Lastly, there was nothing much for Reema Lagoo, who I felt was wasted when her role as a grandmother could have been improved.

This is not the same Sanjay Gadhvi, who has now separated from Yashraj Films, who previously directed hit movies such as "Dhoom" and "Dhoom2." The script was weak in many parts and this is perhaps the reason why he was not able to do better. The script could have been improvised and this would have made the film a bit better. Something to watch out for is the chasing scenes between the father and Kabir as they are very well filmed. I have been informed that for one scene, Imran Khan actually tried to perform a dangerous stunt himself only to receive a call from his uncle Aamir after Munnabhai gave him a call and informed him.

Conclusion: This is a watchable movie but it could have been better.

Barring the loose script and drag, it’s really not so bad at all!

[ssvikas · 4/10 · 13 October 2008]

For all the criticism this movie got, probably you can appreciate this movie better if you watch it just after the torturous ‘Drona’, another release of the same date. Courtesy Sanjay Gadhvi of Dhoom fame, this time we get to see negative shades of Imran after his chocolate boy looks in Jaane Tu. For another first, Minissha Lamba has opted to play a ‘me too’ skimpy look this time after having played a benign decent girl for too long.

A Juvenile prisoner Kabir (Imran) turns into a kidnapper of Sonia (Lamba) who we are made to believe is just 17 with someone just marginally elder, vidya Malwade playing her mother. Well, there is little to wonder when her grandma is shown to sport jet black hair. One fateful day after an argument with her mother, Sonia wakes up in the Kidnapper’s apartment with Imran desperately trying to look menacing, which he doesn’t seem like!

Kabir’s target is not money, but to play mind-games with Sonia’s father Vikrant Raina, the world’s richest Indian but alone at the mercy of the Kidnapper now. To get to his daughter, he solves clues by housebreaks, jailbreaks and finally a murder. For a film maker of Dhoom standard, the action sequences are not worthy of a thriller. Adding to the melee is that the film slows down on pace completely after the interval break!

What do you say of this character of Kabir who is meant to be a kidnapper but cares for her with much more attention than her stern mother ever did. He does dishes, takes her to beaches; she is shown well groomed just after being kidnapped. Not just that, the protagonist also helps her father realize his folly and gets her parents get back together! Any girl in her place should enjoy all this and the fact that the kidnapper was handsome!

Most flawed here is the script! Imagine a scene where Dutt is shown traveling South Mumbai to Panvel in 20 minutes flat! Despite the blunders, Imran still shines in the lead. Still, if this were Imran's debut movie instead of Jaane Tu, his Bollywood career may have begun in the red. Sanjay Dutt is his usual self and Rahul Dev was convincing in his role. Songs are passable and the background music doesn’t help much either.

A cheesy Indian Musical....Mildly entertaining at best.

[lubetkin-1 · 4/10 · 6 October 2008]

Maybe I just didn't know what to expect but the genre of this film could just as easily be musical as it is crime or thriller. If your not ready for the victim to spontaneously break into song and dance ala cheesy Indian music video skip this one. Still I was mildly entertained. As the title suggests the story is about a kidnapping but you just can't take it seriously.Many of the characters and locations look like Miami Vice if it had been shot in India on a low budget. I'm probably not reviewing this fairly as it needs a unique genre. I was also the only Non Indian in the audience. OK so their was a kidnapping. And the kidnapper takes the parents to go on a wild goose chase.All you need to know is Indian music video crossed with low budget Miami Vice.

why was the movie made???

[abhishek-anandk · 2/10 · 2 October 2008]

Sometimes u go for a movie and wonder why the hell didn't i go for an evening walk instead or why i didn't go to bed early today... Kidnap will make you wonder why do i bother to go to movies. Its one of those movies which makes you laugh..... on yourself. The movie has a basic storyline of revenge with unlimited flaws which we can ignore. But can we ignore the below average acting or the poor direction and editing of the movie? Apart from the background music i don't think the film makers have paid a lot of attention to what exactly they want to make. The movie was neither a thriller nor an emotional outburst. In the end it made me wonder was it a spoof of some Hollywood movie. Minisha Lambha looked hot throughout the movie and apart from her cleavage show there was nothing more to the scenes filmed on her. Her mother looked like her elder sister. Sanjay Dutt was average and looked a bit out of shape. Imraan Khan disappointed big time. He is no Aamir Khan and he proved it. His acting was not at all convincing and he looked quite uncomfortable doing a serious villain role. Overall I guess the fine actors are as good as director makes them work and here we know who is at fault. I hope all the review readers to skip this movie and think as if this movie just wasn't released. I made the mistake but I have just came back from the show and I have taken the best possible way to save the world from this movie. God help people who see this movie.

Another example of Good Promos and Poor Content

[bobbysing · 3/10 · 4 October 2008]

Sanjay Gadhvi, comes up with another thriller after his Dhoom movies. As everyone was appreciating the promising promos of Kidnap, it looked like a fast paced, stylish and engrossing thriller. But instead the movie fails to hold your interest from the first scene itself and is not even close to the earlier films by the director.

The most annoying thing is when a movie shamelessly starts with a song. This is like taking the viewers as granted and it also indicates that the makers didn't know how to start the movie, so they inserted a song with the heroine singing at the beach in some revealing dresses. I don't know what reasons can be given for starting a thriller movie with a song. Another shock comes right after the unwanted song, when you see Minissha Lamba calling Vidya Maldave "her MOM". Simply, a mis-cast. Neither Minissha looks like celebrating her 18th birthday nor Vidya looks her mother from any angle. By only putting a dialogue that "You became pregnant when you were 18" (for Vidya) cannot justify your mis casting.

The kidnap executed by Imran Khan, happens in the first reels itself and the complete story is revealed thereafter. As Imran is looking good playing the kidnapper, the viewer expects that some chilling and exciting drama will unfold in the later reels. But nothing happens and the film keeps on moving uninterestingly. Sanjay Dutt as the father of Minissha looks tired and just plays his part. Minissha acts OK but she seriously has to work on her close ups and Vidya Maldave looks more gorgeous than her on screen daughter. All the others in the cast having nothing much to do.

According to me, the USP of the movie could be the plot, where Imran is giving clues to Sanjay Dutt, which are to be solved by him in order to get his daughter back. But this very sequence is the most underwritten part of the script. The clues are uninteresting and the drama created through them does not create the required excitement. As a thriller the movie is not able to bring the viewer on the edge of his seat, which is a must for a good crime movie. It's just another revenge drama, where the child grows up and now wants to take revenge for his lost childhood.

There are many unanswered questions in different sequences in the script. Sanjay Dutt easily manages to get everything done as asked by Imran. He easily breaks in and out of the tight security in the house of his rich competitor. He takes a convict out of the jail as a piece of cake. He reaches the station in time, beating the traffic in a strange way and runs like a 25 year young boy. Very strangely, a revealing and stylish wardrobe changes are given to Minissha while she is locked up by her kidnapper. Too many liberties taken by the writer here. A film with this kind of subject surely does not require any songs, but here we have more than 3 songs and that too just as fillers. Pritam has given a very unexpected score with not even one exceptional song.

Gadhvi's seems to be a fan of chase and Heist movies. His "Dhoom's" had many sequences related to breaking in and beating security systems, "Kidnap" also has its own similar scenes. But whereas the loopholes of "Dhoom's" were covered by its huge and stunning starcast, this time "Imran" alone cannot cover the faulty script and becomes a victim of it.

In few words, Kidnap is another flick, whose promos were better than the main movie. All the expectations raised by its promos are not met and you feel disappointed. The only good thing in the movie is "Imran Khan".

Not just KIDs, all of us had a NAP

[SinglePlex · 1/10 · 2 October 2008]

After Jaane Tu.. and Bachna... the expectations from an Imran-Minnisha film were sky high. Sanju baba, of course, is all-time dependable. Gadhvi has done some good work in the past-- stylish if not sensible. So we decided to fork over the weekend premium (250 bucks a ticket, including popcorn!) without waiting for reviews.

Bad idea. Gadhvi decided to follow, again, the all-style no-soul route.

**** May contain spoilers **** The film starts with the dialogue "Maine tumhe kidnap kiya hai" which made the audience erupt in laughter. Not an auspicious beginning for an alleged edge-of-seat-thriller. We decided to give Imran time to find his bearings. Unfortunately, the dialogues kept getting more mundane from then on. It competes with Sarkar 2 for the year's dullest dialogues. (We so hope Sanjoy watches this movie, he can do another killer review!!) Vidya Malavade, the hot babe from Chak De, plays Minissha Lamba's mom in this one!! The casting director must be on drugs. Sadly, this may end Vidya's career, though Lamba looks way older than her. Lamba, on the other hand, is on a mission to establish a sexy image. She appears extremely uncomfortable in near-nothings-- not just in songs but even when she is supposedly in captivity. The costume designer was definitely high. She fails to realise that sexuality is not just in boob-shows but comes as a package-- the facial expression, the body language and the come-hither eyes. There was none. She looks as arousing as the mannequin being changed in a shop window. She tries too hard and wastes the goodwill created by the Bachna... role. Plus the fact that even though her role is pivotal, she hardly has anything to do except mouth dialogues fit for a 7 year old and remain undressed.

The acting by Imran Khan is first rate again and I do hope to see him bag the Oscars one day, in footsteps of his uncle. He is a sincere and fiery actor lost in an oddball script. Sadly, the screenplay is so awkward that his intense dialogues appear comical. Whoever in the audience was not sleeping was busy hooting in amusement...

He did have a fun chase scene. Outrageous but well executed stunts. The only highlight of the movie, IMHO. Reminded one of Jackie Chan, wish they kept that tone for the entire film. Sigh! Now for my main problems with "Kidnap". Firstly, the revenge motive is thrust down your throat. The plot is as dark as "Zinda", yet the movie maintains a candy-floss feel throughout. You can easily foresee that every character is inherently good and every one had their "majboori". Ergo, everyone forgives everyone and lives happily ever after. For the hate that Imran's character carries for Sanjay Dutt's character, the latter should have been shown more as the "Dilip Tahil" variety. A typical rich, arrogant and ruthless person. The audience must also feel some of the hate. Yet, we always see him in a sympathetic light, we root for him. That makes the revenge hard to digest. Similarly, Imran's character should have been a twisted freak but he appears sad, almost as if he'd stop the revenge if someone said Sorry to him just once. He's a frustratingly good boy, performing evil actions. While that syncs with his character, it jars with the plot.

Secondly, it has some gruesome songs. Picturised badly, appear illogically and sound terrible. They completely halt the narrative and everyone looks so uncomfortable even doing them. Lyrics like "Mausam kya Awesome hai". Yikes! Sound engineering is quite good, on the other hand. The scene where Imran brings back Minissha after her escape attempt has fabulous background sounds.

Lastly, the climax, like most Bollywood films of late whimpers down after a cool build-up. Somehow our directors start to copy their latest DVD purchase, perhaps Richard Shepard's 1995 flop Mercy in this case, but don't have the patience to watch till the end. Or in some cases, like in Zinda, they are unable to stay faithful to the climax for cultural reasons.

Kidnap belongs to the "Anjaam" genre. It is so bad, it finds a cult following. It is a great movie to watch with a large group of friend, hooting and whistling. Just make sure you don't pay attention to the screen, else you will end up with a power-nap.

Awful.. Yah..That's the word...

[arjunkelaiya · 1/10 · 2 October 2008]

What can I say about this movie?..I wanted to break something or pull my hair while watching the movie...

OK.. First of all about direction: In my opinion Sanjay Gadhvi was NEVER a brilliant director.. He was just as mediocre in "Dhoom" & "Dhoom 2" as both the movies were.. And yes, he delivers again the stupidity which he calls "a tribute" to classic Hollywood flicks..

About casting, I just can't believe Vidya Malvade was cast as Minissha Lamba's mother.. and a cheap plot point to justify that Vidya was married and pregnant at the age of 18..for God's sake they are not even of same skin color..

For Acting, Sanjay Dutt was good, Imran was OK and Minissha Lamba & Vidya Malvade was horrible!.. Ya, really horrible..

Other things about the movie includes, Worst music of Pritam (i think it is his original music .. so..), Unsituational songs.. in one song Minissha dances with her kidnapper Imran!.. in a waterfall of course!!..

So moral of the story is "Please, Please don't watch movie.. and Ya I said don't watch.. not even producer comes to you and tell you that there is special free screening for you, not even on your cable TV.. and in case if you have to, then make sure to ask for Aspirin"

Bad goods!!!

[AvinashPatalay · 21 February 2009]

Expectations are bound to run high especially when you deliver two mega grossers back-to-back ie. Dhoom and D2. And Sanjay Gadhvi is indeed accountable for the missing goods.

Sanjay Dutt:: His Conviction was missing and it was apparent.

Vidya Malvade:: For starters, I "never" knew she was the "Chak De" girl. Fitted well as independent & opinionated Mrs. Sanjay Dutt. But as Mum to Minisha - nay!!

Minisha Lamba:: Try and try harder until you succeed. Well this time around it was trying with the clothes I guess. Skimpy albeit.

Imran Khan:: It was written in bold that he was trying extremely hard to put up an intense emotion in the name of acting. Suggest he should stick doing chocolaty-boy roles and then make a natural progression towards parallel oriented performance. Uncle, where art thou?

At certain places, the movie carries a look which seems to be inspired by Sanjay F Gupta.

Background score is loud. Songs are passable and lyrics are crappy.

The plot simply doesn't connect. And the screenplay seems to be loaded with speed-breakers. Extremely poor in writing department (read that cinematic liberties!).

painfully disgusting..movie!

[sakhyin · 1/10 · 2 October 2008]

can't believer this movie, i bet a million bucks if you survive this mindless 'torture' thriller for 2 hrs, first 5 Min's into the movie, you'll be amazed how stupid and mindless so called 'game'its gonna be.

yea first 5 Min's into movie, you'll know this movie is all about 'revenge' stuff, then minisha lamba strangely seen in her bikini dancing to a haunting number, which irks every other min, then comes here mother who almost knocks you down with her killer looks, it becomes hard on us to believe shez is a mother of 18 yr old, wel there r many issues,like firstly both mother(vidya) and daughter(minisha) compete in showing so called "glamour" irrespective of the situation there r in, secondly, Songs, they do nothing but make things worse,finally the very lame suspense elements in the movie..make you sick n disgusting. its like buying ticket to 'hell' This is one sick movie i have seen in lOng tym..,

An average thriller...

[tusharvyas15041987 · 7/10 · 3 October 2008]

Kidnap has the right ingredients for the audience that love masala flicks. A hot Minissha Lamba in skimpy clothes, an item number by Sophie Chaudhary in clothes which if reduced by little would leave nothing to the imagination, decent songs which are beautifully picturized, great action sequences. But its the script that lets the film down. The main motive behind the whole Kidnap, when revealed, is a complete turn off.

Kidnap suffers from a story thats hard to digest. Without giving the story away let me brief you on some of the scenes.

* There is a sensual bath with loads of cleavage under a waterfall, which reminds us of Zeenat Aman, all this while the girl is held in hostage!

* Vikrant Raina releases a crimininal locked up in jail. Raina manages to do so by burning down the jail kitchen and escaping in a fire brigader's uniform.

* In a chase sequence, Vikrant is in pursuit of Kabir who climbs buildings like a hero straight out of a superhero film. Vikrant is no less, he gives Kabir a good chase performing those unbelievable stunts.

* Don't you think its a tad bit unrealistic for the visibly unfit father of a grown up daughter to be so athletic? Also, at times you can clearly notice the body double. Mind you, the exact same chase is one of the highlights of the movie and has been shot well.

* The climax during the New Year eve too is very unrealistic. Not a single soul notices the gun in the Ice box nor while Vikrant pulls the trigger!

The chemistry between Imraan and Minissha is poor. Minissha in fact shares a better chemistry with Sanjay Dutt in those limited scenes they share.

Sanjay Dutt sleep walks through his role. Imran Khan needs to work on his dialogue delivery. He's fine in his much looked forward-to negative role. Minissha Lamba manages to distract with ample cleavage show, with limited scope for histrionics she does well. Vidya Malvade doesn't suit her role.

Overall, Kidnap disappoints. If well-performed action sequences, skin show in abundance and great locales is what you wish to see, Kidnap is worth a watch. Else, wait for the DVD. At the box office, the hype due to several reasons mentioned above, would ensure a good opening. The lower budget (20 crores) compared to most biggies and good opening could result in the cost being recovered by the end of Week 1.

A Predictable "Thriller"(as the makers call it)

[noogh715 · 1/10 · 17 October 2008]

I had to go for this movie because Imran impressed me with his work in JTYJN.Well,he did not fail here either.Coming to the movie;I would say this will be one of the worst movies of 2008.The movie begins with a song(boring) and within the first 10 minutes of the film,there is the kidnapping(underwater kidnapping is a really stupid idea).This is the first and the last time you experience the thrill.With every 20 minutes the movie starts getting more and more predictable.Predictability is the worst,a thriller can suffer.Every clue that Imran gives Sanjay Dutt is Pathetic as no clue makes sense.The extent to which Sanjay Dutt goes to solve the clues is even more pathetic.The action sequences make no sense(Nobody would run a bike on the railway track to chase a train).Yes,there is one good chase sequence between Imran and Sanjay.But,this one too,"just looks good".(would you dare to chase a guy who jumps from one building to the other).The climax is something even a 7 year old could have guessed.The usual,"bad turns good" ending,laced with bad dialogs.As far as acting is concerned;Imran is at his evil best,Sanjay Dutt impresses with his body language,Vidya Malvade is just OK,Minissha has no scenes where she acts,rather she has overacted every scene in the film and Rahul Dev has given the worst performance ever.Talking about the technical aspects of the film;Shibani Bhatija has written a lifeless script,Screenplay and the dialogs are far too bad.Summing everything up,the movie is no thriller;rather a bad,action laced emotional drama.

awesome movie.......just like the song......

[afropuff1280 · 10/10 · 19 October 2008]

this movie is a very entertaining thriller...it's a must-see especially for Imran Khan fans!!! His lines in the movie were very serious yet hilarious in many ways...for example.....there was one scene when Sonia( main female) asked the kidnapper (Imran Khan)," Why are you torturing me instead of my father that you hate." the kidnapper says, "Why not??" lol....towards the end the kidnapper (Imran) tells Sonia, that, "the next time she decides to swim stay close to the shore." (that's how he kidnapped her in the first place) YOU MUST WATCH THIS MOVIE...especially with friends because there is a lot to comment on.....yay!!!!!

A good movie that could've been great

[springsunnywinter · 7/10 · 1 October 2008]

The story is about Sonia (Minissha Lamba) who lives with her mother, Mallika (Vidya Malvade) and grandmother because her parents divorced when she was ten. A week before her eighteenth birthday celebration, she gets kidnapped.

The abductor, Kabir (Imran Khan) is interested in speaking only to her father, Vikrant Raina (Sanjay Dutt); a New York based Indian business Tycoon with a net gross of $51.7 Billion, with whom he has an old score to settle.

Vikrant returns to India to retrieve his daughter from Kabir's clutches but is told to carry out a series of daunting tasks set out by Kabir - a condition to rescue her. At the end of each task is a clue that helps Vikrant in coming closer to Sonia.

The film had a good appealing story and screenplay but I still felt that it failed to deliver whatever it was supposed to. It is a thriller that wasn't thrilling and had so many flaws and plot holes that I was busy counting them rather than enjoying the movie e.g. Vikrant Raina is the richest tycoon but he only looked rich in his introduction and never throughout (John Abraham was rich in Zinda and he looked rich throughout). The movie never explained that why Vikrant Raina & his wife were divorced for 8 years? and why Vikrant Raina is afraid of water? The biggest mistake is the running length which was 2.5 hours and there just wasn't enough to make it that long and it certainly felt longer than that. The only memorable scenes were the animated sequence at the start, the chase scene on the rooftop and the nightclub near the end.

The Music is really good although it is really difficult to produce a collection of commercial songs for a thriller that is based around a kidnap. The best song is the gritty Mit Jaaye.

Overall it was O.K to be watched once but it didn't' live up to my expectations.

Minissha's costumes in 'Kidnap' reveal more than they hide.

[sumanbarthakursmailbox · 1/10 · 19 December 2009]

If not for Minissha Lamba's ample bosom, there'd really be nothing worth watching in director Sanjay Gadhvi's Kidnap, a tired ole' thriller about bad boy Imran Khan who kidnaps Minissha, and puts her richie-rich dad Sanjay Dutt through a series of twisted challenges as revenge for an old grouse. As far as thrillers go, Kidnap is a pretty lame one, considering not once during the film's two-hours-plus running time do you feel your pulse racing. The challenges Imran puts Sanjay Dutt through are silly and juvenile, and they lack that edge-of-the-seat tension that is so essential in a film like this to keep the pace brisk. Ashamed as I am to admit it, here's one time I wished they had whacked a few good ideas from a smart Hollywood film. Instead, Gadhvi and his writer seem to have chosen to whack the plot of an obscure Pierce Brosnan-starrer "Shattered" from which they've derived the premise of Kidnap. The least you expect from a thriller are a few fantastic sequences that will make your jaw drop for their sheer inventiveness. In Kidnap, there's precisely one good scene -- it's that breathless chase sequence between Imran and Sanjay which is the film's finest stroke. Much of the film's problem lies in its sloppy narrative which is repeatedly punctured by unnecessary songs and unintentionally hilarious dialogue that digresses from the film's thriller theme. Too much time is spent establishing and then repairing Sanjay Dutt's estranged relationship with his ex-wife, played by Vidya Malavade. Vidya's character, in fact, is the weakest link in Kidnap, serving no real purpose in the plot, instead slowing down the narrative every time she shows up on screen. It doesn't help that the poor lady can't act to save her life, she can't even deliver a simple line of dialogue comfortably. The worst disease a thriller can suffer from is predictability, and Kidnap falls bang into that trap. You know exactly what's going to happen when Imran takes Minissha out to the beach when she begs to be allowed to bathe -- although you probably can't predict the erotic dance she breaks into once there. You know exactly what's going to happen when Minissha has an opportunity to escape when Imran's injured himself. And you know exactly how the climatic challenge Imran puts Sanjay up to will turn out. You see what I mean, there's virtually nothing good about this film. Which brings me back to Minissha's cleavage. If clothes were invented to cover one's body then Minissha's costumes in Kidnap reveal more than they hide. Her entire wardrobe in this film looks like it was stitched out of the bits and pieces of cloth you find lying around in a tailor's room, the bits that didn't get used when he was stitching a real dress. Not that there's anything wrong in showing a little skin, but the problem here is that you're convinced Gadhvi went the whole hog because he knew the film had nothing but Minissha's curves to keep the audience glued to their seats. Of the two male protagonists, Sanjay Dutt looks completely disinterested in what he's doing; and Imran Khan appears earnest acting out his scenes but seems to be taking his character and the film a little too seriously. The final, most deadly flaw in Kidnap is the bizarre back-story about why Imran wants revenge from Sanjay. It's not only an unconvincing motivation but it's also a fundamentally wrong plot point especially when you consider Sanjay's 'crime' against Imran seems perfectly justified given the circumstances. The film doesn't succeed in seizing your attention.Here's a film that could have been so much more but settles for such little.

Total Waste of Time and Money

[modistreet · 3/10 · 1 December 2008]

This movie from start was ill-conceived. It was too simplistic with no twists and will fail to grab your attention for long.In short, this plot had more holes than swiss cheese. The casting was done by a clueless director. The dialogues were weird and didn't do anything to alleviate the miserable plot. Imran Khan did not look the part of a juvenile delinquent or a boy from an orphanage. He looked more like a spoilt brat trying to get his parents attention by creating a nuisance. He concentrated more on looking cool than actually playing the part. Sanjay Dutt's acting was OK but with a spare tire around his midriff he didn't seem to have too much problems matching step for step in the foot chase with Imran.Vidya Malvade looked too glamorous for a mother, whose child has been kidnapped. She didn't once sob uncontrollably or breakdown. I guess that would have messed up her hair and makeup. This wasn't a role for her. Inspite of being kidnapped, Minisha Lamba didn't seem to have any problems coming up with Victora Secret's sexy lingerie,designer clothes or bathing in picturesque settings. Almost makes you want to be kidnapped. Like the Summary Title says " Total waste of Time and Money"

made me highly disappointed

[mannuskyhigh · 4/10 · 25 June 2011]

This is the film which i expected to be good while watching the promos. Imran Khan looked good in the promos...So i was expecting a stylish thriller but it turned out to be a Damp Squib. This film can be a good lessons to actors like Imran Khan and other actors who sign movies in the love for their roles narrated in the film and forget about the script. This is a really awful predictable thriller.

Coming to performances, everyone is mediocre except Imran Khan who shines as the kidnapper, although he tends to go weak in his acting several times especially When He confronts Sanjay Dutt in the end, You feel the actor needs acting lessons. Minisha Lamba is an actress who has given respectable performances in her past movies. But here she is terrible. She opted for cleavage and skin show and got nothing from it. Vidya Malavade is OK but you feel like laughing when you come to know she is playing Minisha's mother. Sanjay Dutt is passable. His age is overpowering him,

The thing which always knocks my head, I would like to ask the scriptwriter, they never wanted a romantic angle in this movie right? then why they made the kidnapper having a heart of gold and showing a young lady who is showing so much cleavage and doesn't romance. Does it make any sense? A romantic angle could have saved this movie.

On the Whole, Don't waste your time for this one...this is one more example of a good idea turned horribly wrong.

A better try than Dhoom 2 but that still doesn't make it good.

[Miss_Weasley_Potter · 5/10 · 9 October 2008]

A very weak beginning. Minnisha Lamba can NOT dance and neither can she look sexy. Imran Khan needs to work on his expression and STOP speaking like Hrithik Roshan. He looked good. Vidya was plain bad. Her duologue delivery was horrible, she managed to look pretty. Sanjay Dutt was the best thing. He managed to hold some expression, though even he was stiff, expressionless and frankly, bored.

The songs (ALL OF THEM) were not needed. In fact, I fastforwaded a song and thank goodness I did.

The story had potential: A young man, named Kabir, has kidnapped Sonia, daughter of a trillionare, Vikrant Raina. Vikrant and his wife (whose name isn't mentioned anywhere...) had a horrible divorce some 8 years ago, when Sonia was 10. Mrs. I-don't-have-a-name seemed to hate Mr. Raina a lot. Yet, in the end, she and Mr Raina got together again. Cheers! Why can't Indians let movies remain be a bit more REALISTIC!?

Fast forward to when Sonia is kidnapped. Kabir leads Raina thorough a couple of stunts, all of them ending with a clue. During all this, Raina even meets his daughter once, and wow, what a scene it was!

Raina: *sees gagged, tied daughter who is struggling with the ropes* How are you? Sonia: mmmmhhhhmmmm Raina: Yes, your mother misses you. She is very tense. Sonia: mmmmmmhhhmmmmm Raina: *blushes* I look good? Thanks, you do too. Sonia: Mm.

Brilliant?

The movie was very interesting in places. The climax was interesting, won't spoil it for you, though I strongly recommend that you wait for the DVD.

The story wanted to teach something, I am not sure it will.

Overall, a much better try than Dhoom 2 but could have been a LOT better. The movie seemed to lose its way sometimes and then it would insert a stupid song. Could be so much better.

5/10

Indian crime thriller and... musical?

[Wuchakk · 4/10 · 29 January 2018]

RELEASED IN 2008 and directed by Sanjay Gadhvi, "Kidnap" chronicles events in India when the daughter (Minissha Lamba) of a rich tycoon (Sanjay Dutt) is kidnapped by a man driven by vengeance (Imran Khan). Vidya Malvade is on hand as the beautiful mother and ex-wife of the mogul.

This was only my third Bollywood movie so maybe I'm not the best person to appraise these movies, but I find them interesting for cultural reasons and generally entertaining.

The animated credits sequence is overlong and is curiously followed by a pop music video led by Minissha Lamba before the actual movie starts at the 8.5 minute mark. There are a couple of other music videos thrown in later. The language mixes Hindi with some English here and there, which is interesting (I gather this is how they actually speak over there).

The story and some of the dramatics seem too contrived and sometimes too quaint. The prison break sequence, for instance, is akin to a goofy Spaghetti Western from back in the day. Nevertheless, this is a unique crime thriller in that it bends over backward to entertain, literally throwing in kinetic song & dance routines. Lamba is curvy, the aging Dutt is resolute analogous to Bruce Willis with a small spare tire and the young Khan is unrealistically formidable, but likable. There's a dynamic rooftop chase in the second half and I liked the moral of the story, which is unmistakably driven home. But the movie is overlong at close to 2.5 hours.

WRITERS: Shibani Bathija and six others.

GRADE: C/C-

Recipe of a disaster film

[silvan-desouza · 1/10 · 13 February 2014]

Sanjay Gadhvi after making Tere Liye got another chance with Yashraj films with the moderate success of MYKSH which was a remake of My Best Friend's Wedding, but he got success after directing Dhoom and Dhoom 2 and then he left Yashraj and made Kidnap. The film was in news as it was Imran Khan's second film after JTYJN and Sanjay's comeback film after his jail term in 2007. The film is a comedy of errors, gone all wrong. To Start with:The story s so stupid it makes you cringe. The ease at which Imran kidnaps and the cat and mouse game is very childish, The film is filled with stupidity like Imran kidnapping Minisha underwater by making her unconscious when she has hardly worn anything but reaches the place fully clothed, Also the wardrobe changes by Minisha are hard to digest, the scene that takes the cake is Minisha wants a bath so Imran our darling kidnapper takes her to a sea and there is a song There are lot more, like Sanjay conveniently getting a bike to reach a train, Also the shootout at the disco towards the climax and climax.

Direction is bad Music is bad, too many songs spoil the show

Sanjay Dutt looks jaded and disinterested, plus his weight put on makes him look older and bored Imran Khan is hilarious, he doesn't look a kidnapper, also his accent is a put off for the role. Minisha Lamba hardly looks 16 and is okay, Vidya is a miscast as Sanju's wife and Minisha's mom, Reema Lagoo is as usual Rahul Dev has a brief role rest are okay.

Alright... here we go. All you need to know, if you haven't seen it.

[jaskunwar993 · 7/10 · 2 October 2008]

I expected better. I swear I did - after the renaissance that Jaane Tu... created, I expected much better. But yes, it was a nice watch.

I caught the First Day First Show, really eager to watch Imran on-screen again. No doubt his performance has improved since Jaane Tu, but, with Sanjay Dutt in the role he was, it just didn't tick as well as it could have. Minisha was pretty cool, no doubt, so was the mother (and the grandma!), but Sanjay definitely needed a better tone than he was using. There are questions unanswered, like how...? OK, no spoilers, but once you see it you will know.

It has a strong storyline, even though I know it's a remake, but Imran handled his role well. The twists were good, it could have been better if the ending was altered a bit... to fit into more of a... classy thing, know what I mean? No spoiling actually, so i can't express myself.

Good, Imran, you will definitely reach great heights. Same to you, Minisha.

Not as bad as people stated! Was pretty good!

[iluvblue23 · 9/10 · 12 October 2008]

OK first of all, I actually liked this movie.. yes liked! It had a unique story and elements of suspense and such that made it so exciting. The only thing that was the downside was the leading lady, Minissha, who didn't really suit her character.. I felt like all she did was scream and her acting wasn't that great. But that didn't keep me from liking the movie, overall.. the movie kept me hooked on the entire 2 1/2 hours. To be honest, the heroine was the only thing that bothered me and she was only in the movie like barely half the time so that wasn't a big deal. The other aspects were pretty good! So if you're not too critical about every part of a movie and just want to see an entertaining thriller.. go see kidnap! p.s. im not a producer or any part of the movie... lol... just thought i'd mention that... im just a regular teenager!

Enough of the bad reviews, this is quite good

[Ibuk · 6/10 · 27 April 2009]

It is just one those movies that I didn't expect to like but ended up liking quite a bit. I had heard some pretty unfavourable reviews but it was on TV a couple of days ago and there was nothing else on so decided to watch it and I am glad I did. It is by no means a masterpiece but compared to the stuff churned out by Bollywood nowadays this is pretty good. I have a pretty much love hate relationship with Sanjay Ghadvi's work, I enjoyed Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi, Dhoom was OK and Dhoom 2 isn't even worthy of being called horse dung. I feel Sanjay Ghadvi has really improved as a director. Kidnap could have gone the standard kidnap drama route that is high on action and low on substance and tension. Kidnap has some really tense moments,I have not seen such a tense Bollywood movie for quite a while. I really applaud Imran Khan for trying a negative role in only his second movie and he pulls it off with panache. Minisha Lambha is really hot in this movie, in particular in a song where she tries to seduce Imran Khan. The only weak links is Vidya Malwade, who looks too young to be Minisha Lambha's mother. The music is too pretty weak, there is not a single tune I remember from the movie and it's only been a couple of days since I watched it. The finale, in which Imran Khan reveals to Sanjay Dutt his reasons for making him carry out the tasks was very effective. Kidnap is pretty good movie from 2008 and most certainly deserved more success than mindless flicks like Singh is King. A word to the people who haven't seen it but want to: don't let the negative reviews stop you from watching it, watch it and decide for yourself. Who knows like me you might end up being pleasantly surprised.

Oh it's not bad.... it's abysmal

[Chrysanthepop · 11 July 2009]

'Kidnap' definitely ranks as one of the worst movies of 2008. With movies like 'Dhoom 2', Gadhavi has already proved to be one of the worst directors ever. The story, not surprisingly, is unoriginal and nonsensical. There is nothing impressive where the technical side is concerned. It has the funniest (unintentionally of course) casting. I wonder how they got Vidya Malvade to play wife of the old haggard Sanjay Dutt and mother of Minisha Lamba. I can understand why any respectable 30+ actor would turn down the role (or anything offered by Gadhavi) but the only reason I can think of is that poor Malvade isn't getting enough roles. Sanjay Dutt mechanically plays a cop for the nth time. Someone ought to teach Minisha Lamba that it is important to be classy in order to look sexy. Otherwise it's just sleazy and/or tacky, both of which apply to Lamba. She could learn a thing or two about class from her on screen mom who looks sensational without having to show any body part. In addition, Lamba's acting is pathetic. However, it is the so called upcoming star Imran Khan who delivers the worst performance. Perhaps this is one of the best examples of wooden acting. 'Kidnap' has nothing going for it. The action sequences are laughable. Even some B-grade films have done better than this. The songs are better forgotten. I'd suggest you take a nap instead of watching 'Kidnap'.

no bloody man can bring a magic to this!!!!

[itsmyreview · 24 June 2009]

they cant nobody can because the story is just too pathetic.....just like the old movies.........a guy tortures another guy who we care but at the end we get to know that guy is an idiot......and the other fellow is good. i didn't expect much from the director because i knew he would make a film like this.......you know after making his bike movie......john escapes at last....in 2nd part........small b lets thief get away...........now it wont be right for me to make the thief run off in the third part too SO HE MAKES THIS stuff......making the female lead get bad,make her wear bikini. and what i don't know is khan was an orphan kid and didn't even complete his education so how does he know all about cameras and all........and okay i don't remember right but if he was in a security agency then he got that from there i mean what how does he get all this in a house they should all show this........a poor poor movie.