16 December

cast :milind soman, dipannita sharmadirector : mani shankarrating : ** synopsis matrix -type of chana masala anyone? well why not? or...errr...on second thoughts, why why why? director-hmmm-cum-sfx specialist mani shankar's 16 december turns out to be another brain scrambler of the week. eeek, can't figure out the story which is essentially about gulshan grover donning more disguises than the toes on your feet.bleat.it's also about milind soman portraying a james bhindi of sorts, who can handle guns, girls and good-golly treacherous nerds who're a blot on their country. it's a bit, too, about newcomer dipannita sharma who's seized by jealousy when james clasps the fingers of a new zealand lady. and it also concerns danny denzongpa who's a paragon of patriotism under the imminent danger of being dispatched to the tihar jail. ail.en passant, mani shankar's people also include a computer whizkid (he should have teamed up with amisha patel in the pyaar movie actually) and plenty of gents who smoke cigarillos, quaff beer and hoard more money than uncle scrooge would in swiss bank accounts. oiks, what's hip-hap-happening?although the concept of a high-tech thriller is more than welcome, its execution is thoroughly convoluted__a kind of a puzzle with a disappointingly pointless solution.to be fair, in parts this 16 december flick does look slick-chic. but that's it. karthik raja's music is hopelessly bland and tame while the acting level is underwhelmingly robotic.of the performers, only denzongpa is impressive. but then he always is, come january or december.