silvan-desouza Circa 2006, Zinda released which was an unofficial remake of A Korean film Oldboy(2003). The film was panned badly and rejected by the audiences. In 2013, Table No.21 releases with Rajeev Khandelwal, Paresh and Tena Desae. The film caught ones attention ever since the promo was out with Paresh in a sinister look and with his dialogue- If You Lie you Die. The film has a good story and though it borrows heavily from Hollywood yet it keeps you engrossed. It may not be a perfect thriller yet it does have it's moments, the twists and turns, especially the finale which gives out a social message is brilliant but the problem is that the film drags in between and the film gets predictable especially if you have seen Zinda let alone Oldboy.Direction by Aditya Datt who gave crass films earlier like Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Dil Diya Hai redeems himself, he handles several scenes well Music is okayRajeev Khandelwal portrays his weakness and all emotions perfectly, yet again proving his talent. Tena Desae is good in her part Paresh Rawal fresh after the critical acclaim of Oh My God does a superb job, bringing out various characteristics of the role perfectly, he is simply outstanding in the finale. rest are adequate

darshancruz Amidst the period of non sensical cinema, any movie with a 'story' is welcome. Here's one such from Aditya and hope the audience appreciate such cinema more. Rajeev Khandelwal as the lead actor and a newbie as the actress; how many of you would really go for such cinema! Take the risk and you will be surprised with what's in store for you.The movie begins with the lead actors entering a game show that makes them answer 8 questions, perform 8 tasks and win a hefty 21 crore as a part of their anniversary package deal. Tempting, ah ! . Money never comes free and along with answering 8 questions they have to perform 8 tasks to win the same. Every task has a meaning and is justified. The USP of the film is its climax, its hard hitting and in the right sense. After having so many positives , what went wrong here was the casting; Rajeev is strictly OK, he lacks the 'Aaamir' touch. The newbie Tena is a dummy and Paresh Rawal doesn't quite hit the chord as we expect him to. Had this department been filled by stalwarts, this movie was none less than a masterpiece.Hopefully , the director was able to deliver his message to the audience and we wish similar justice for all such wrong - doers. This one's worth a watch !

bobbysing Aditya Datt's mysterious thriller opens with the explanation of its title on the screen which refers to the Article No. 21of the Indian Constitution talking about the "Right To Live and Personal Liberty". But since the film deals with a secret to be revealed in the end, therefore I would not like to talk about its story details here which may ruin your experience of watching this above average thriller, with thankfully something different to offer.TABLE No.21 begins with some picturesque romantic moments lived in Fiji by the lead couple who are there on a trip won in some undisclosed contest. Once these initial routine 15 minutes are over, the film actually begins as soon as Paresh Rawal enters the scene with his exciting game of few questions (with a board reminding me of JUMANJI) and a prize money of 21 crores. Finding it interesting enough the couple readily agrees to the deal and start answering the questions truthfully to win the big prize. Performing new challenging tasks associated with every question asked, they start facing some unusual & surprising situations which in turn make the film quite engrossing and entertaining.But post intermission, as the narration begins to go into the repetitive zone and the actual secret behind the game is exposed, it somehow reduces the overall impact of the build-up made by its first half. The social angle prominently there in its final moments doesn't turn out to be that explosive as one expects it to be. Therefore the moment you know it all, the game doesn't seem to be convincing enough and the whole set- up looks like quite weird and over the top. However the plus point of TABLE NO. 21 remains that, it at least tries to give you something fresh and unique moving ahead than the usual Bollywood stuff and its fixed formulas.Having said that, this is not the first time such concept of a game has been used for an intense suspense thriller in Bollywood. In 2011, there was a small budget and not so well publicized film called CHITKABREY, which also had exactly the same plot with the socially relevant angle revealed in the end. Now the only difference here is that where CHITKABREY featured a game similar to the famous BIG BOSS format, the present TABLE No. 21 revolves around a game reminding you of the controversial SACH KA SAAMNA program. Probably Rajeev Khandelwal also got this film due to the reason that he was only the anchor of SACH KA SAAMNA show in reality too.So in one way, it can also be called an unofficial remake of that unknown film of 2011 which was comparatively a pretty weak project with an amateurish cast. Honestly, its quite possible that the similarity being discussed here is purely unintentional or coincidental. And in case it really is then surely the culprit here is the trend wherein film-makers normally don't watch the new films released in the Hindi Film Industry itself due to their own distinctive reasons.Progressing on an engaging track before its final 30 minutes, TABLE No. 21 tries to win over the audience through its well written narrative and surprises thrown in every 10-15 minutes of the film which only work in its first half. Musically you don't mind watching the few forgettable songs while enjoying the scenic beauty of Fiji captured well but Background Score could have been better as per the requirement of its theme. In other words, I strongly feel that if you are ready to gamble with a new subject then why not try giving it another edge with an innovative background music too. The film completely relies on its 3 key characters, who perfectly suit their respective roles like 'T'. But I really didn't find anything new in the character portrayal by Paresh Rawal. He is good no doubt but there is nothing novel in his act which went against my own expectations from the veteran having a wide range. Rajeev Khandelwal on the other hand plays it well and one must praise the kind of projects he is choosing since his AAMIR. He has got the star-presence and looks quite natural playing the game with Paresh across the table. May be because he has already been through many similar sequences in his own TV show mentioned above. Tena Desae, as his wife, gives a fine performance and the girl does have some talent waiting to be exploited. Though she doesn't look stunning in all her outfits, but with some careful choices made she certainly can prove both her talent and confidence for sure.Overall, TABLE NO. 21 makes a good impact till its intermission, drops towards the mid and then turns out to be less explosive than expected with a preachy kind of climax. It may disappoint you in the end too as one doesn't like to suddenly go into a 'Social mode' while watching an exciting mystery thriller. Moreover once you know the real truth, all that website business and cameras seem to be added deliberately into its narrative without any reason. Hence it can be seen once if you wish to try something fresh attempted in Hindi Films. But to say the truth, it's nothing more than a better version of CHITKABREY (released in 2011) with a finer vision, superior production values and a talented cast.

akashimdb The trend in Bollywood for the first six months of any year has been more of small budget, small actors but large concept film. The remaining half half is followed with big films every Friday with big stars and unfortunately small concept. This year might not be any different. Bollywood has never had a superhit film on the first Friday of an year. 2013's first film Table No.21(TN21) comes as a surprise. Its not a superhit but worth a watch.Rajeev Khandelval and Tena Desae play a modern married couple who understand today's world and know all what they want from it and all what they can do for it - money. TN21 starts with a great song which actually works wonders to set the premise in five minutes instead of twenty minutes of boredom employed by other films. In a non-starer film it is very difficult to captivate the audience from the inception. The first song, the background score and Tena Desae do that job here. Once this happens the show is hijacked by the exceptional Paresh Rawal. Paresh takes it till the end with his little game of rounds with a humongous prize money which our couple here craves. The screenplay is excellent but could have been tighter. The unmatched comedy of Paresh Rawal helps a lot for the film. The climax is a surprise but extremely convincing.TN21 is comes from an unheard director Aditya Datt who actually becomes 4-films old after this. Fortunately his earlier films have been only neglected and not bombarded. Nobody cared. But this film shall give him a surviving space.Talking of performances, Paresh Rawal is the king. This man is in his own league. Rajeev Khandelwal has been very choosy in his films. He does the same and gives a brilliant performance. What you miss in him is just a tincy bit of attitude. Tena Desae does fine in her part, in fact excellent if compared to the number of good actresses in India now. This can get her career rolling.The music is rapt. There are only two songs. The second is not even complete. The score does a very fine job. the cinematography is different but not exceptional.On the whole, TN21 is a one time must watch due to its culmination. We all like surprises in this tedious lifestyle. TN21 just does that!