i saw this movie. i liked the story. but i felt there is some problem in the direction, they made the movie like a family drama or something like that. a bit of chill and would have made it better. in whole cinema in just one scene it looks like thriller, the scene where akshay and Ayesha searching the house. I also felt tired watching the same scene again again when it shows akshay going into the pic and his journey to the boat. in the movie they can give some clues about the ending to us, at once the ending feels like the '80's movie. but hats off to the production team to try a new genre... but whatever it is, it is not a thriller, you can say it mystery movie.
40 Reviews
A Thriller without thrills and excitement.
bobbysing5 July 2009
Nagesh Kukunoor, the director started off brilliantly a decade back and gave some exceptional movies like "Hyderabad Blues", "3 Deewarein", "Iqbal" and "Dor". But his last movie "Bombay To Bangkok" and the current "8X10 Tasveer" stand nowhere close to his own set standards. The same can be said about Akshay Kumar, who seems to be lost in the gigantic hype surrounding himself. After "Chandni Chowk to China" this will be the second setback to his otherwise hit record.
The movie is based on a supernatural theme where Akshay can travel into the past by gazing on a picture and its individual characters. The subject looks exciting enough as we read or write about it, but the execution on the screen is not convincing at all as it lacks all the thrills and edge of the seat treatment required by the plot. Nagesh seems to be interested in making an artistic thriller, with long boring scenes, uninspiring writing and lazy editing.
The story moves slowly with no worth mentioning scenes or sequences. Even the over publicized shot where Akshay jumps from a cliff into the water is amazingly canned but has no relevance at all with the narration or script. Akshay seems to be quite confused and doing his role without any conviction. There was also news of both director and actor facing tough times together shooting abroad. Sadly, that shows on the screen and also in Akshay's recent interviews given for the movie. The time gaps which occurred while making the movie may also be visible to the sharp enthusiastic bollywood fans. Interestingly the main picture in the movie, which has got all the focus gets easily caught as a reworked photograph with background pasted later.
In a suspense thriller, the climax holds the key to its success. The more interesting and shocking the last minute revelations are, more are the chances of movie hitting the bull's eye. Moreover in a murder mystery it is always better that the culprit should be from the characters known to the viewer. If a sudden new entrant is introduced to be the killer then it takes away all the shock value and results in an unimpressive climax. This is the problem with "8X10 Tasveer" where the finale is too lengthy and not powerful as expected.
Acting department has got Sharmila Tagore and Javed Jaffery at their best. Javed should have been given more comic freedom in his expressions by the director as that would have added a lot to the movie. Akshay is not in form as he is always. In many scenes it looks like he is deliberately stopping himself from doing a comedy act. Ayesha Takia looks cute but lacks the depth required for the role. Benjamin Gilani, Girish Karnad and Ananth Mahadevan are OK in their short roles. Cinematography is top rate, specially the chase and actions sequences. But its time our film makers should realize that usually songs are not meant to be there in thrillers and murder mysteries. All the songs are simply unwanted and not worth remembering also. On the other hand Background score is fine as per the demand of the subject.
Now about the Inspirational influences of the movie:
1. The camera view from the inside angle of an eye seems to be influenced from the movie "Being John Malkovich (1999)"
2. Akshay moving into the past and then people ready to bring him back with medical support is very close to the similar sequences in "Flatliners (1990)"
3. The movie poster with Akshay eyes staring in, has similarity to the poster of Anthony Hopkins brilliant movie "Instinct (1999)"
In the end I would only like to say that after watching "8X10 Tasveer", I came to one conclusion that, both the talented director, Nagesh and hugely successful actor, Akshay now urgently need to re-invent themselves once again.
The movie is based on a supernatural theme where Akshay can travel into the past by gazing on a picture and its individual characters. The subject looks exciting enough as we read or write about it, but the execution on the screen is not convincing at all as it lacks all the thrills and edge of the seat treatment required by the plot. Nagesh seems to be interested in making an artistic thriller, with long boring scenes, uninspiring writing and lazy editing.
The story moves slowly with no worth mentioning scenes or sequences. Even the over publicized shot where Akshay jumps from a cliff into the water is amazingly canned but has no relevance at all with the narration or script. Akshay seems to be quite confused and doing his role without any conviction. There was also news of both director and actor facing tough times together shooting abroad. Sadly, that shows on the screen and also in Akshay's recent interviews given for the movie. The time gaps which occurred while making the movie may also be visible to the sharp enthusiastic bollywood fans. Interestingly the main picture in the movie, which has got all the focus gets easily caught as a reworked photograph with background pasted later.
In a suspense thriller, the climax holds the key to its success. The more interesting and shocking the last minute revelations are, more are the chances of movie hitting the bull's eye. Moreover in a murder mystery it is always better that the culprit should be from the characters known to the viewer. If a sudden new entrant is introduced to be the killer then it takes away all the shock value and results in an unimpressive climax. This is the problem with "8X10 Tasveer" where the finale is too lengthy and not powerful as expected.
Acting department has got Sharmila Tagore and Javed Jaffery at their best. Javed should have been given more comic freedom in his expressions by the director as that would have added a lot to the movie. Akshay is not in form as he is always. In many scenes it looks like he is deliberately stopping himself from doing a comedy act. Ayesha Takia looks cute but lacks the depth required for the role. Benjamin Gilani, Girish Karnad and Ananth Mahadevan are OK in their short roles. Cinematography is top rate, specially the chase and actions sequences. But its time our film makers should realize that usually songs are not meant to be there in thrillers and murder mysteries. All the songs are simply unwanted and not worth remembering also. On the other hand Background score is fine as per the demand of the subject.
Now about the Inspirational influences of the movie:
1. The camera view from the inside angle of an eye seems to be influenced from the movie "Being John Malkovich (1999)"
2. Akshay moving into the past and then people ready to bring him back with medical support is very close to the similar sequences in "Flatliners (1990)"
3. The movie poster with Akshay eyes staring in, has similarity to the poster of Anthony Hopkins brilliant movie "Instinct (1999)"
In the end I would only like to say that after watching "8X10 Tasveer", I came to one conclusion that, both the talented director, Nagesh and hugely successful actor, Akshay now urgently need to re-invent themselves once again.
Too many clichés, awful climax
AishFan5 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The main subject of 8x10 is an interesting idea--that a guy can look at a photograph and travel back in time to when the photo was taken. I thought the explanation provided by Bebiji is very intriguing--comparing the concept to tarot reading. Despite having this interesting idea, this movie ended up being nothing more than a typical whodunnit with nauseating clichés. The climax in particular is absolutely abominable. I thought Bollywood had finally ceased the "bachpan mein bichda hua judwaa bhai" (long-lost twin brother) track ages ago, but once again it has popped up. The scene with the police not able to figure out which twin to believe reminds me of way too many films. Then it just so happens that the protagonist happens to hold a world record in holding his breath underwater so that the audience is "surprised" to see him survive almost drowning. I mean, for real, a guy is all chained up at the bottom of a deep lake and manages to dig into the sock of a nearby corpse, take out his gun, aim the gun through his chains, and shoot it to break the chains, and manage to come back to the surface, climb a yacht, and make a comeback. In addition, the movie is very dark in nature and not a pleasant watch. Akshay acted very well, while Ayesha gave a poor performance. Sharmila Tagore is really nice though.
Definitely superior product than Akki's previous no-brainer outings!!!
AvinashPatalay11 May 2009
Its not bad as it's projected to be. Akshay Kumar's flop-series have resulted in denting the prospects of 8x10 Tasveer. In my opinion, 8x10 is indeed quite an intelligent movie and deserves intelligent audience to appreciate it.
Akshay Kumar:: Delivers a good performance. And yes, special mention to his fresh look. Seems like he is back in shape.
Jaaved Jaffery:: At the risk of being repetitive, he indeed has potential. Pity Bollywood doesn't pay attention.
The rest of the star-cast is adequate.
The look of the movie is very much Hollywoodish and this cannot be refuted. Even the cycling scenes are aesthetically done. Notice the execution when the GMC revves the engines - indeed Hollywood standards. And yes, the execution and portrayal of Akshay Kumar ability is of top standards. The narrative deserves special mention here. At a given point in time, the audience is shown what is warranted thereby keeping the suspense alive. Kudos to Mr. Kukunoor (well, he has followed this format in Teen Deewarien earlier).
I seriously hope 8x10 gets critical acclaim for Mr. Kukunoor for he well-deserves it and indeed catapults him into the big league.
Akshay Kumar:: Delivers a good performance. And yes, special mention to his fresh look. Seems like he is back in shape.
Jaaved Jaffery:: At the risk of being repetitive, he indeed has potential. Pity Bollywood doesn't pay attention.
The rest of the star-cast is adequate.
The look of the movie is very much Hollywoodish and this cannot be refuted. Even the cycling scenes are aesthetically done. Notice the execution when the GMC revves the engines - indeed Hollywood standards. And yes, the execution and portrayal of Akshay Kumar ability is of top standards. The narrative deserves special mention here. At a given point in time, the audience is shown what is warranted thereby keeping the suspense alive. Kudos to Mr. Kukunoor (well, he has followed this format in Teen Deewarien earlier).
I seriously hope 8x10 gets critical acclaim for Mr. Kukunoor for he well-deserves it and indeed catapults him into the big league.
Beware!!!..donate your 150 bucks to a poor guy instead...u'll feel better
Tim_Jade3 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Now that's what we call a film ..errrr sorry a B-grade film.. Sux bigtym. The film looks like it was hurried for release, but that's not the case coz it has been ready for release for d past 5-6 months or so. Then why does the film look so unpolished?? Even there was no ample publicity for the film. Akshay Kumar was OK-OK but the rest of the cast really let it down. I wonder what was Aayesha Takia doing there. She only has a single expression on her face n dat of "uninterested" type. She seemed to be quite uninterested in the film. Action scenes were few, and the ones that were there didn't look convincing. The storyline could have been better. The script should have been developed. there's no element of surprise in the film and for a mystery film this is the end of thrills.
Also the fact that at the end the director and the scriptwriters choose to go the 80's and the 90's type of bollywood thriller movie. A long lost twin brother returning back even though there was a change here, the long lost brother turns evil and wow they thought they had something new in their hands. That really made me and many other people laugh out loud. Also i remember a same plot although not entirely but do you remember "Andaaz Apna Apna"?, yes the comedy caper starring Aamir and Salman Khan, now do you remember paresh rawal's character? aka the twins??, yes you got it, now you see, the director wanted this movie to be a laugh riot like "AAA" but what the hell was that?.
the first half of the movie was really quite decent. I really had some hopes while going back in after the interval, but how cheated i felt. The second half of the movie turned into a silly B-Grade bollywood thriller. I wish i had a photograph taken right before the script writing for this movie started, so that i could know who is behind this piece of crap.
I go for 2 out of 10 for Akshay Kumar's 8x10 Tasveer Watch it at your own risk or better go and watch a b-grade bollywood thriller, at least you won't have high expectations with that type of a movie.
Also the fact that at the end the director and the scriptwriters choose to go the 80's and the 90's type of bollywood thriller movie. A long lost twin brother returning back even though there was a change here, the long lost brother turns evil and wow they thought they had something new in their hands. That really made me and many other people laugh out loud. Also i remember a same plot although not entirely but do you remember "Andaaz Apna Apna"?, yes the comedy caper starring Aamir and Salman Khan, now do you remember paresh rawal's character? aka the twins??, yes you got it, now you see, the director wanted this movie to be a laugh riot like "AAA" but what the hell was that?.
the first half of the movie was really quite decent. I really had some hopes while going back in after the interval, but how cheated i felt. The second half of the movie turned into a silly B-Grade bollywood thriller. I wish i had a photograph taken right before the script writing for this movie started, so that i could know who is behind this piece of crap.
I go for 2 out of 10 for Akshay Kumar's 8x10 Tasveer Watch it at your own risk or better go and watch a b-grade bollywood thriller, at least you won't have high expectations with that type of a movie.
Worth Watching At least once.
Pratik1127 April 2009
A thriller that will keep one glued to the seat all the way through as it revolves around a man who has the ability to see the past and he uses it to help others, even though it can kill him.
Starring Akshaye Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, Anant Mahadevan, Javed Jaffrey, Pia Shah, Benjamin Gilani, Uttara Baokar and Rushad Rana, this thriller genre movie is directed and written by Nagesh Kukunoor.
Akshaye in such genre movies is always good and he has performed well but I must say that some are beginning to find his style a bit of a bore and he should not just stick to similar roles – he is capable of doing other roles and he should do them. Surprisingly, his co – star, Ayesha Takia, who I did not like in her previous movies, "De Taali" and "Sunday," has also performed well as was Javed Jaffrey, who has gone on to perform tremendously well after "Salaam Namaste" and also performed well in "Dhamaal." But what really made it better for me was to see two favourite actors of mine – Sharmila Tagore and Girish Karnad after such a long time. Director Nagesh Kukunoor has also done a good job of this and more so since this is his first thriller genre movie, though he was suppose to direct a movie based on the life of the late playback singer Kishore Kumar. However, I get the feeling that this has been shelved and it would be rather sad, not just because of me, being a fan of Kishore Kumar, but also having watched "K for Kishore" and knowing the amount of time that Nagesh Kukunoor must have spent on the sets listening to the participants and making comments, must have made it difficult for him.
The cinematography and especially the underwater sequence were breath taking and this will make one want to know what is going to happen next. The only negative side to this is that sometimes its quite predictable. On the whole, it is a movie that is worth watching.
Starring Akshaye Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, Anant Mahadevan, Javed Jaffrey, Pia Shah, Benjamin Gilani, Uttara Baokar and Rushad Rana, this thriller genre movie is directed and written by Nagesh Kukunoor.
Akshaye in such genre movies is always good and he has performed well but I must say that some are beginning to find his style a bit of a bore and he should not just stick to similar roles – he is capable of doing other roles and he should do them. Surprisingly, his co – star, Ayesha Takia, who I did not like in her previous movies, "De Taali" and "Sunday," has also performed well as was Javed Jaffrey, who has gone on to perform tremendously well after "Salaam Namaste" and also performed well in "Dhamaal." But what really made it better for me was to see two favourite actors of mine – Sharmila Tagore and Girish Karnad after such a long time. Director Nagesh Kukunoor has also done a good job of this and more so since this is his first thriller genre movie, though he was suppose to direct a movie based on the life of the late playback singer Kishore Kumar. However, I get the feeling that this has been shelved and it would be rather sad, not just because of me, being a fan of Kishore Kumar, but also having watched "K for Kishore" and knowing the amount of time that Nagesh Kukunoor must have spent on the sets listening to the participants and making comments, must have made it difficult for him.
The cinematography and especially the underwater sequence were breath taking and this will make one want to know what is going to happen next. The only negative side to this is that sometimes its quite predictable. On the whole, it is a movie that is worth watching.
Bollywood has turned Nagesh into a whore
yoguswim17 April 2009
Nagesh Kukunoor was one of my idol directors from India. I had never expected anything so cheap from him. Not only the story is a worthless piece of rat-droppings, the direction is crappy too. Akshay Kumar has done what he could, which unfortunately could not save the movie. This is sad time for Indian directors. The director who is capable of making Dor, Iqbal and Hyderabad Blues should never make a cheap thriller like this. This is not only dumbing down his own work, but the whole Hindi art cinema industry. I would also like to plead to Hindi movie fans that, Instead of trying to increase the ratings, please rate Hindi movies seriously. This will help promote them further. Movies like this deserve low score, which makes other better movies recommendable.
8 x 10 Tasveer is a bad movie
sumanbarthakursmailbox16 April 2009
8 x 10 Tasveer, it's a failure on all counts and a film best avoided. Intended as a suspenseful thriller, 8 x 10 Tasveer is a hopelessly dumb film that suffers on account of an ill-conceived script that's ridden with logical loopholes. At every turn you find yourself questioning the film's ridiculous logic, befuddled by all the inconsistencies and creative liberties that you're expected to turn a blind eye to. When the suspense finally unravels, 8 x 10 Tasveer delivers a back-story so convenient, you could throw your hands up in the air and laugh at the sheer stupidity of the enterprise.Over the years, and with a few exceptions like Hyderabad Blues 2 and Bombay To Bangkok, director Nagesh Kukunoor's name on a film's credits has come to represent a fairly high standard in storytelling. Even without big budgets and fancy resources, the director delivered engaging stories and endearing characters like those in Iqbaal and Dor, to name just two. With his latest, 8 x 10 Tasveer though, Kukunoor turns in his most poorly executed effort. Random scenes are slapped together arbitrarily, loose ends never tied, and the narrative suffers from pace problems. x 10 Tasveer is neither thrilling nor imaginative, and apart from the lush photography, it's an exercise in futility. Director Nagesh Kukunoor attempts a film-making format he seems neither familiar nor comfortable with, and as a result the film lacks the integrity of his previous successes. For Akshay Kumar this film marks another misguided step after the ill-fated Chandni Chowk To China; this is after all, neither the mindless entertainment he has come to master, nor the art house credibility he aspires for.On the whole, 8 x 10 TASVEER disappoints. The film goes wrong, in fact horribly wrong, in the penultimate 20-25 minutes, which is the lifeline of any suspense-thriller. Nagesh Kukunoor has lost the plot this time!
I still cant figure out the genre of this movie
kinggulls13 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I am a big Akshay Kumar fan, and even though many people told me that this movie is disappointing, I still couldn't stop myself. The movie starts off really well and you really feel the intensity. But I am still unable to figure out the genre of the movie..You cant call this a suspense because most of the realities in the movie comes in the end..The movie had a potential...but the ending was so terrible that you would start hating the movie...I almost thought Akki has pulled off another movie like Bhool Bhulaiya...(which I thought was the best suspense/thriller I have ever watched)..After watching this movie, I feel like giving it a negative rating....Singh is King and then Tasveer, Akki..come on man you are better than the Khans....
A must watch Thriller
najamfzl11 April 2009
From this year, I have observed that the Hindi cinema is taking a new leaf, more realistic, strong scripted and less dreamy story line, all in all its good to watch some really good movies in 2009. Way to go Bollywood.....Coming to the movie, from the start it will take you inside more deeply with every scene and your mind starts to think what could be the end? I definitely say the direction is way too good and every time he goes into the picture, you urge for one more second to find out the suspense. However, the sound effects could be better.
Akshay has done a fantastic job i think he should have to look forward for some serious roles and just have to take a step back from his comedy stature. Javaid has fulfilled the character requirement and the rest are good. Ayesha Takia was'nt of much impact in her role. The movie is a good way to spend a Saturday night and believe me you will enjoy.
Akshay has done a fantastic job i think he should have to look forward for some serious roles and just have to take a step back from his comedy stature. Javaid has fulfilled the character requirement and the rest are good. Ayesha Takia was'nt of much impact in her role. The movie is a good way to spend a Saturday night and believe me you will enjoy.
Taxing
CriticGirl9130 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is full of random occurrences and loose ends which leave the viewer frustrated to the core. Not what I expected from ace filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor.
Story-wise, the film does not make much sense since everything is conveniently depicted without any nuances behind the process. Okay, so Akshay's unfortunate twin is behind the whole mess, but how does he manage to land up everywhere going unnoticed? How does Akshay survive the burning of the Tasveer? How does Sharmila Tagore escape the brutal attack by her son? Why do two stupid lines motivate the evil twin to commit suicide? How did Ayesha Takia keep fooling Akshay all the time? When did she meet his evil twin? And the biggest question of all, what bearing does Akshay's photo entering specialty have at all in this film? By the way, the explanation of how he developed this ability was no less frustrating itself.
Performance-wise, Akshay is good. Ayesha is great here but has been cheated by the script like almost all others; especially Rushad Rana who seems to be what Jugal Hansraj is to Yashraj films, a compulsion. A waste of a good actor.
Why do I give the film 2 stars then? One, it is well-polished in its graphics, pretty comparable to western films. Also, Salim-Suleiman's outstanding music is a complement to even lousy films, more so in the case of this one.
Unlike many other reviewers, I wouldn't recommend this for even a one time watch. This is best given a miss.
Story-wise, the film does not make much sense since everything is conveniently depicted without any nuances behind the process. Okay, so Akshay's unfortunate twin is behind the whole mess, but how does he manage to land up everywhere going unnoticed? How does Akshay survive the burning of the Tasveer? How does Sharmila Tagore escape the brutal attack by her son? Why do two stupid lines motivate the evil twin to commit suicide? How did Ayesha Takia keep fooling Akshay all the time? When did she meet his evil twin? And the biggest question of all, what bearing does Akshay's photo entering specialty have at all in this film? By the way, the explanation of how he developed this ability was no less frustrating itself.
Performance-wise, Akshay is good. Ayesha is great here but has been cheated by the script like almost all others; especially Rushad Rana who seems to be what Jugal Hansraj is to Yashraj films, a compulsion. A waste of a good actor.
Why do I give the film 2 stars then? One, it is well-polished in its graphics, pretty comparable to western films. Also, Salim-Suleiman's outstanding music is a complement to even lousy films, more so in the case of this one.
Unlike many other reviewers, I wouldn't recommend this for even a one time watch. This is best given a miss.
A Nutshell Review: 8 X 10 Tasveer
DICK STEEL3 April 2009
It's probably a coincidence that the latest Bollywood offerings the last week had to do with photographs. In Aa Dekhen Zara, Neil Nitin Mukesh plays a photographer who discovers the secrets of a camera that has (well, I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag) powers to do with time. And in 8x10 Tasveer (photograph), Akshay Kumar plays forest ranger Jai, working for Environmental Protection in Alberta, Canada, who possesses the supernatural ability of transporting his soul back to the past, assuming the point of view of the person in the photograph whom he's staring at.
Unlike The Butterfly Effect, his abilities are more passive. He cannot manipulate events as experienced by the body he's staring out from, and neither can he linger around for more than a minute, as each transportation brings about some severe weakening of his macho physique, akin to being knocked out by a heavyweight champion. So it's a risk he has to undertake in order to assist strangers who sought him out to help in locating their loved ones, and nothing will prepare him to use this power to solve his dad's murder aboard a luxury yacht.
Akshay Kumar didn't get plenty of love from the box office for his previous kung-fu movie Chandni Chowk to China, which I had enjoyed actually. While I find this suspense thriller an above average flick thanks to Kumar's charismatic presence, one just cannot shrug away the sense of familiarity and deja vu in having watched a version of this film somewhere (someone jog my memory please!). 8x10 Tasveer still contains a decent "whodunnit" storyline that will keep you guessing, but only because it has that rug on standby just beneath your feet, which I think some would cry foul in being thrown an unexpected spanner from the blind side into the works.
Supporting Jai in his quest to seek the truth, even as he subscribes to unorthodox methods, is ex-cop Happi ("Happy with an I") played by Javed Jaffrey (who voiced the villain Charlie Anna in Roadside Romeo), taking an interest in the publicized death just because he was on the receiving end of tremendous assistance given by Jai's father in helping him to settle down in a strange new city (of Toronto!). Happi's an interesting character injected just for some light hearted laughs though, being a character afflicted with OCD and kudos to Jaffrey in having to play this socially awkward character misfit who should have deserved more screen time.
The narrative did feel draggy for a bit, despite clocking just under 2 hours with only one short musical ballad serving as a romantic interlude between Jai and his lady love Sheila (Ayesha Takia). And while you know that at some point Jai will have to perform a brute-force investigation by peeking through the eyes of everyone in a photograph, it just takes a while to get to that stage, before shifting into high gear during the last 30 minutes where you're likely to be surprised with a sudden turn of events. On one hand there was a sudden lift in the lull of the mystery, but on the other you'd feel it's one of those plot developments that felt a little of a cop out. It did answer some questions should you rewatch the film though, but seasoned mystery fans would likely clamour for more than the usual.
And does anyone think Akshay Kumar does look like Nicholas Cage with that hang-dog look and closely crop hairdo? That 8x10 Tasveer poster did make Akshay resemble Cage in that Ghost Rider poster, and this film did feel like one which Cage would have no problems stepping into as well. 8x10 Tasveer is decent, though there's nothing that will particularly make you sit up and exclaim Wow.
Unlike The Butterfly Effect, his abilities are more passive. He cannot manipulate events as experienced by the body he's staring out from, and neither can he linger around for more than a minute, as each transportation brings about some severe weakening of his macho physique, akin to being knocked out by a heavyweight champion. So it's a risk he has to undertake in order to assist strangers who sought him out to help in locating their loved ones, and nothing will prepare him to use this power to solve his dad's murder aboard a luxury yacht.
Akshay Kumar didn't get plenty of love from the box office for his previous kung-fu movie Chandni Chowk to China, which I had enjoyed actually. While I find this suspense thriller an above average flick thanks to Kumar's charismatic presence, one just cannot shrug away the sense of familiarity and deja vu in having watched a version of this film somewhere (someone jog my memory please!). 8x10 Tasveer still contains a decent "whodunnit" storyline that will keep you guessing, but only because it has that rug on standby just beneath your feet, which I think some would cry foul in being thrown an unexpected spanner from the blind side into the works.
Supporting Jai in his quest to seek the truth, even as he subscribes to unorthodox methods, is ex-cop Happi ("Happy with an I") played by Javed Jaffrey (who voiced the villain Charlie Anna in Roadside Romeo), taking an interest in the publicized death just because he was on the receiving end of tremendous assistance given by Jai's father in helping him to settle down in a strange new city (of Toronto!). Happi's an interesting character injected just for some light hearted laughs though, being a character afflicted with OCD and kudos to Jaffrey in having to play this socially awkward character misfit who should have deserved more screen time.
The narrative did feel draggy for a bit, despite clocking just under 2 hours with only one short musical ballad serving as a romantic interlude between Jai and his lady love Sheila (Ayesha Takia). And while you know that at some point Jai will have to perform a brute-force investigation by peeking through the eyes of everyone in a photograph, it just takes a while to get to that stage, before shifting into high gear during the last 30 minutes where you're likely to be surprised with a sudden turn of events. On one hand there was a sudden lift in the lull of the mystery, but on the other you'd feel it's one of those plot developments that felt a little of a cop out. It did answer some questions should you rewatch the film though, but seasoned mystery fans would likely clamour for more than the usual.
And does anyone think Akshay Kumar does look like Nicholas Cage with that hang-dog look and closely crop hairdo? That 8x10 Tasveer poster did make Akshay resemble Cage in that Ghost Rider poster, and this film did feel like one which Cage would have no problems stepping into as well. 8x10 Tasveer is decent, though there's nothing that will particularly make you sit up and exclaim Wow.
Seriously, what were they thinking?
Sherazade7 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Beautiful scenery, beautiful soundtrack but very ugly script and horrible direction. Seriously, what were they thinking? It's like somebody saw 'The Butterfly Effect' and decided to get creative with it only to come up with botched up horrible results.
Akshay Kumar, looking as suave as ever finds out that his father has accidentally drowned and uses his gift of being able to mentally escape into photographs to try and learn what happened on that fateful afternoon (when he finds a photograph of his father, mother and their friends that was taken aboard their yacht).
Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore (as the mum) and Girish Karnad co-star.
Akshay Kumar, looking as suave as ever finds out that his father has accidentally drowned and uses his gift of being able to mentally escape into photographs to try and learn what happened on that fateful afternoon (when he finds a photograph of his father, mother and their friends that was taken aboard their yacht).
Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore (as the mum) and Girish Karnad co-star.
Not expected from Nagesh Kukunoor
mohsinleghari300014 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is an awful movie. The scenes and dialogues both are quite below average. I respect Nagesh Kukunoor for 3 Deewarein and Iqbal, but this movie cannot be compared to them. The script seems to be written in quite haste. Although the first 30 minutes or so kept my interest in the movie but it was difficult to keep eyes on the screen after assault on Jai's mother. I also do not agree with Jeet's philosophy that he kills his father, mother and almost his brother just for the sake of money and moreover he did not give any time to them to justify themselves. And what a horrible character Ayesha Takia had. After knowing what happened to Jeet and also in picture of what Jeet's family think about him, she did not make any attempt to unify them. Javed Jaffery's character was also quite unimpressive. I do not understand why a beautiful girl like that medical assistant would fall for him. All in all I did not like the movie. May be because almost all thrillers of Hollywood are more or less the same type and I was expecting something special from a talented man like Nagesh Kukunoor.
Terribly frustrating
duelce21 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm an Akshay Kumar fan, and I wanted to like this movie, but I just can't get over the plot holes that are a mile wide. First of all, if you have a kid in a catatonic state because he's so shocked that he thinks he killed his twin, obviously show him that his twin is alive and well. If this doesn't work, and you go with the premise of removing all reminders of the twin, then don't send him away to live with a sadistic brute. If anything, put the catatonic kid away in one corner of that giant mansion you live in. Then, the angry twin returns bent on revenge but also just wants his spot in the family back? Okay...I think. In that case the quickest easiest route is to take out Jai and impersonate him and go ahead and inherit the money his father just left him. Why go on an unnecessary and messy murder spree? By the way, what was the girlfriend for anyway? Moving on, lastly, and the worst part of this film, you killed off the coolest and most interesting character in the whole story! Happi with an I needs a sequel or franchise and please clean up the story next time.
Crap but something intelligent from Akshay after some time
silvan-desouza1 July 2009
Nagesh Kukunoor gave us great stuff like IQBAL and DOR and then craps like BOMBAY TO BANGKOK and this film
He tried to be commercial in this film and signed Akshay too and plus made it such a big venture
Looking at the first look itself i felt this will be a comeback for Akshay
The film has a good plot but it's badly handled and also the concept comes too close to AA DEKHE ZARA
The suspense element keeps you involved first but then the constant flashback and back to present day jars and gets boring
There are several loopholes too
The worst part is the finale which looks too sudden and unconvincing The concept is done to death before in films and comes across too filmy
Direction by Nagesh is crap Music is okay
Camera-work is decent
Akshay Kumar does his role as Jai well though at times his delivery isn't good, it sounds fake but he is great As Jeet he repeats his KHILADI 420, AFLATOON act and he is better but it gives a been there seen that feeling Ayesha Takia is okay Javed Jaffrey is good Sharmila Tagore and the rest are okay
He tried to be commercial in this film and signed Akshay too and plus made it such a big venture
Looking at the first look itself i felt this will be a comeback for Akshay
The film has a good plot but it's badly handled and also the concept comes too close to AA DEKHE ZARA
The suspense element keeps you involved first but then the constant flashback and back to present day jars and gets boring
There are several loopholes too
The worst part is the finale which looks too sudden and unconvincing The concept is done to death before in films and comes across too filmy
Direction by Nagesh is crap Music is okay
Camera-work is decent
Akshay Kumar does his role as Jai well though at times his delivery isn't good, it sounds fake but he is great As Jeet he repeats his KHILADI 420, AFLATOON act and he is better but it gives a been there seen that feeling Ayesha Takia is okay Javed Jaffrey is good Sharmila Tagore and the rest are okay
Quite a different experience
asolesumeet17 June 2020
Short film 'idea' stretched to 2 hours
OnjiMooteDaMarle15 October 2018
There's this review that starts with "Nagesh Kukunoor was one of my idol directors from India. I had never expected anything so cheap from him... " and ends with "..Instead of trying to increase the ratings, please rate Hindi movies seriously. This will help promote them further. Movies like this deserve low score, which makes other better movies recommendable"
But these are the same people who probably give 10/10 for those Salman Khan and Sajid Khan films.
This film had good potential for a wonderful who done it and could have been if written for a short film in mind. Unfortunately, no. The characters aren't worked out well especially the negative character in the final scenes.
This film had good potential for a wonderful who done it and could have been if written for a short film in mind. Unfortunately, no. The characters aren't worked out well especially the negative character in the final scenes.
Pathetic
aperfectbrownie4 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Absolutely Horrible. I cant seem to understand how people enjoyed this movie, i read some of the previous reviews and im just in a state of shock about how people can be so blind. Have you heard the dialogue of this movie? Did you see Akshay Kumar act? Did you take a look at the screen play? The concept? It really is not up to the mark, its missed it by a mile. The dialogue of this movie is horrible, if you paid attention you would know that it had no depth to it, it seemed like a school boy has written the dialogue. Akshay Kumar's acting was horrible, I am a huge fan of his but in this movie he really put me down. He is expressionless in most of the scenes, I feel like someone else could have acted much better. Horrible Horrible acting. If you guys say this can be compared to a Hollywood movie, then please to and see the difference. There is a huge gap in the acting department. I am sad to say this was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, not a suspense thriller. I was laughing throughout. I am sorry to say this, but this deserves nothing more than 4 out of 10. Akshay, you can do better.
Stay away, atleast 8x10 feet away from this movie
emeraldofindia7 May 2020
I saw this movie recently despite being rated low on imdb due to many good individual reviews here and on google. 5.5 is apt for this dubious, boring and insensible movie. If you have a lot of free time, just spend sitting idle, but dont watch it.
Quite a respectable whodunit/thriller (don't be guided by the cover description)
knokin15 May 2009
This is set in Canada where Akshay Kumar plays a Park Ranger. It seems he has a small psychic ability among his skills. On occasion he can gaze into a photo and drop into trance briefly where he is able to see what happened about the time the photo was taken. He doesn't do this often as it taxes him physically. His father drowns apparently from a heart attack but a former policeman who knew the father believes it was murder. A photo has been taken just prior to the drowning. The Akshay character then goes into the photo a number of times seeking the perspective of each person in the photo at the time. I hadn't been sure about getting it. The cover photo is very dark and references to it make it sound quite violent. Actually we found it was no more troubling than an episode of 'Midsommer Murders'. In fact there are a few more murders after Dad goes down but they are circumspect and not graphic. The description on the back of the DVD didn't even seemed to match the plot of the movie: almost like we'd got a heavily edited version or different one. The emphasis was on the supernatural but really a bit of going into a photo is pretty minor 'supernatural". It says he can touch the past of dead people by touching something belonging to them BUT THAT WASN'T IN THE MOVIE- all he could do was the photo-trance thing! (this wasn't the only inconsistency) The Indian reviewers found the movie left a few questions, and described the revelation of who had done it as 'shocking". We agreed with that we queried some of the plot at the end but not enough to ruin it by any means. Nor were we at all shocked by the revelation of the killer. It isn't a song & dance Bollywood nor is it art-house. The music is in the background. Canada looked picturesque and the plot unfolded at a good pace. Akshay Kumar did a fine job with the character (and we wish he'd skip comedy and stick with straighter movies.) They flirted for a moment with adding a silly side to the former policeman that wasn't necessary but otherwise everyone acted well. This is a movie that didn't do well in India and has received mixed responses) perhaps because it is more Western) but was quite a watchable and respectable thriller/whodunit. There is suspense but it isn't scary, dark or violent.
u need to see it , go watch the "8 * 10".......akki rocks..
hardikal3 April 2009
my rating - 8/10. another super performance from the best in the business "AKSHAY KUMAR". akki has a super natural power to go in the past time through pictures , the time whenever those pics were taken... n he uses this power to solve his own dad's murder mystery.. the story is simple but the visual effects r very well done... n the music is outstanding,both songs n background score , n i m glad that there is only one song in this movie.. the length of the movie is also ideal , almost 2 hours...
"u need to see it , go watch the "8 * 10"" (i need the picture , go get the "8 * 10") just hail the king of kings "AKSHAY KUMAR"....
"u need to see it , go watch the "8 * 10"" (i need the picture , go get the "8 * 10") just hail the king of kings "AKSHAY KUMAR"....
Head of the time
shivngb28 October 2020
Dont know why the movie was criticized so much but the movie was a good attempt by Bollywood in this genre. The motive behind the killer can be a little illogical or off bit but overall the movie was a great attempt and should have been released by 2018-2019. Do watch
Awesome thriller & awesome Akshay.......
Poison5556 April 2009
Tasveer is a superb thriller in all aspects. The cinematography, the BG, the locales everything was just so perfect. Tasveer in its own has set new standards of film-making, esp Hollywood style film-making.
Coming to the movie, it is initially slow paced, but is needed to build up the story. As the film progresses, the pace is very well maintained. The BG music was just perfect to set your mood for a thriller. Its a movie shot very stylishly with amazing locales, added with some breathtaking stunts shot excellently. Nagesh certainly deserves an applause for such high quality direction usually seen in Hollywood movies. Regarding the climax, I didn't feel anything unusual in it. The climax really shock's everyone which is most important in a thriller. The thrill & suspense has been very well maintained till the end, and your curiosity to know the culprit just increases every passing minute.
Coming to the acting part, Akshay Kumar's just amazing for this role. I cannot think of anyone else for this role other than Akshay Kumar. AKshay play's this role with extreme ease & grace and delivers a top-notch performance. Akshay was at his best performing those daredevil stunts, esp. the one where he jumps from the cliff. This film just proves that Akshay can play any role with effortless ease.
Ayesha Takia was fine. Javed Jaafrey as expected was good with his humor. Rest of the cast was up to the mark.
Music was excellent, with just 3 songs. BG was just perfect.
Direction from Nagesh was just top-notch. Would like to see him making more thrillers.
Lastly, Tasveer is a visual treat to your eyes, containing all ingredients of a perfect thriller movie. Highly Recommended!
Coming to the movie, it is initially slow paced, but is needed to build up the story. As the film progresses, the pace is very well maintained. The BG music was just perfect to set your mood for a thriller. Its a movie shot very stylishly with amazing locales, added with some breathtaking stunts shot excellently. Nagesh certainly deserves an applause for such high quality direction usually seen in Hollywood movies. Regarding the climax, I didn't feel anything unusual in it. The climax really shock's everyone which is most important in a thriller. The thrill & suspense has been very well maintained till the end, and your curiosity to know the culprit just increases every passing minute.
Coming to the acting part, Akshay Kumar's just amazing for this role. I cannot think of anyone else for this role other than Akshay Kumar. AKshay play's this role with extreme ease & grace and delivers a top-notch performance. Akshay was at his best performing those daredevil stunts, esp. the one where he jumps from the cliff. This film just proves that Akshay can play any role with effortless ease.
Ayesha Takia was fine. Javed Jaafrey as expected was good with his humor. Rest of the cast was up to the mark.
Music was excellent, with just 3 songs. BG was just perfect.
Direction from Nagesh was just top-notch. Would like to see him making more thrillers.
Lastly, Tasveer is a visual treat to your eyes, containing all ingredients of a perfect thriller movie. Highly Recommended!
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