Director Sanjay Gadhvi should have displayed disclaimer much before title credits, "Don't watch this flick carrying same expectations of Dhoom and Dhoom 2". Well, the film deserves it, for you are sure to get down with your hopes after watching it. Both the previous biggies Dhoom and Dhoom 2 were grandiloquently spelled with big star-casts and racy executions. Well, Kidnap is nowhere near these two directorial ventures of Gadhvi. Alas! Never expected such a ridiculous piece of work from the same director and of course, Imran Khan is the one guy in the entire star-casts who deserves pat for his solacing performance…

Well, hide and seek games are quite clichéd when it comes to Hollywood films like Cellular, Phone Booth and more. Bollywood directors endeavored remaking these films titled 'Speed' and 'Aamir'. Though not a remake, Kidnap falls on the same lines of tete-a-tete conflict where revenge has its special attention. In simple, the film is about a boy versus man and this theme sounds quite interesting. But where does this drama get you disappointed? Flimsy screenplay blended with lots of absurdities and we are sure you don't need any rigid reasons than this.

The very title 'Kidnap' and its prognosticating prologue keep your guessing quotients locked. Fine! The motive of Imran Khan abducting the victim is merely not for money. But when the suspense gets unraveled in its decisive moment, you would regret for ludicrous intentions of the young lad.

Flaws are so blatant on almost the entire crew. Much before getting done with the analysis, let's take a quick run through about Kidnap is all about…

When Dr. Mallika (Vidhya Malvade) asks her daughter Sonia (Minisha Lamba), what she would like to be gifted for her 18th birthday, Sonia wants to meet her Dad. On the get-gos, it is revealed Mallika divorced Vikrant Raina (Sanjay Dutt) when Sonia was just 10. The bitter judicial proceeding was settled in Mallika's favor and Sonia has not met her father for eight long years.

Rebellious Sonia is hell-bent on meeting her dad, but Mallika does not want her to have anything to do with him. After a spat between mother and daughter, Sonia walks off in a huff and doesn't return.

Mallika gets panicked when a stranger (Imran Khan) rings her up and conveys his message that he has abducted Sonia. The kidnapper, Kabir, has only one demand – for which he will negotiate with nobody but Sonia's father - Vikrant Raina.

Reluctantly Mallika brings Vikrant back into their lives to save Sonia. But Vikrant Raina, one of the richest Indians in the world, with a net worth of 51.7 billion dollars, chokes at the thought of taking orders from a criminal.

But Kabir holds the trump card - he holds Sonia and Vikrant knows that he has no option but to toe the line.

It's very simple, Kabir tells him. They are going to play a game - just the two of them. Vikrant has to play by the rules set by Kabir and he has to play alone. He has to play to save his daughter. If he even utters the words 'Hello Police', it will be Bye Bye for Sonia!

With his daughter's life is at stake, a reluctant Vikrant agrees to obey Kabir's orders. Kabir sets him a series of intimidating, time bound tasks. As Vikrant completes each task, he receives a clue that will bring him a step closer to finding Sonia.

And here starts not-so thrilling, cat and mouse game where Vikrant Raina chases baffling clues through impossible terrain, even as a hawk eyed Kabir keeps a watch on every step he takes. The slightest error or delay on his part and Vikrant will never see his daughter again. But why do all the tasks involve Vikrant having to commit crimes in rising intensity?

Although circumstances have forced Vikrant to take orders from this hateful stranger, he's also a master strategist of many board room battles and a man to be pushed around. Thus he succeeds in outwitting Kabir on more than one occasion.

But then a counter-offensive Kabir puts Sonia's life in jeopardy and Vikrant vows that he will stop at nothing to save his daughter... his only child.

Fine! The film filled with lots of clue-games is quite convincing, but not all: be it earlier segments of train sequences and few more sounds absurd. Totting up to one more quotient of annoyance, Imran Khan shoring into Sanjay Dutt's house will surely get you more vexed. As mentioned earlier, the biggest blemish that gets you move out of nerves is when the silly intentions behind kidnapping is revealed.

Nothing to blame on the part of Imran Khan and he is worth getting grand round of applause. But not do all the other star-casts deserve the same credits, even the biggie Sanjay Dutt. He lacks solidity and to perform such a challenging character, Sanjay Dutt is supposed to be electrified right on his heels. Well, he hasn't stressed himself to give tensed gestures that would have added up more on emotional bonding between a father and daughter relation. Following him is Minissha Lamba who doesn't suit for the role of 17-yr old girl and the person to be blamed again is Sanjay Gadhvi for roping her in for an incongruous characterization. The most outlandish flaw is posing Vidhya Malvade and Minissha Lamba as mother-daughter. Nevertheless, Vidhya lives up to the expectations while Reema Logoo does justice to her role.

Getting on with technical aspects, Pritam's musical score works no wonder. Except 'Mit Jaaye', none of them sound pleasing for your ears. Bobby Singh's Cinematography blended with Raju Singh's background score adds on more to the tension-filled sequences.

Valuating the film on whole, Kidnap has nothing to offer more than disappointments and it's a great disaster in the directorial career of Sanjay Gadhvi. Perhaps, the film may witness grand opening just for Imran Khan with his recent sensational debut Jaane Ya Tu…Naa making high waves across the box-office. But the scenario may change sooner dropping down in its response

Verdict: Watch it if you can…

Rating : **