In the end it’s neither thrilling nor stirring. Just a wasted opportunity.

‘F*UGLY* begins with a hint of promise, and it could have gone down some paths less travelled. But it meanders, and loses its way.

Fugly can’t, in all good conscience, be called an actual movie — but it is the most appropriately titled mess of all time.

Now that’s what I call Fugly. Despite the good intentions, this one is a misguided mess.

Like many a Bollywood flick that has gone before, Fugly is about a quartet of well-meaning pals presumably fresh from college and in quest of a meaningful future.
One of them is the strong and brooding type (Mohit Marwah) who runs adventure camps for foreign tourists in Leh. For all its pious posturing on the safety of women, Fugly has no qualms about treating the lead actress merely as eye candy.

The result is like a soggy Delhi chaat where potentially spicy ingredients make a sorry mess. As F*ugly would phrase it, quite a f*waste.

Fugly must mean trash because I couldn’t find anything better in the film. A film devoid of soul, this movie will leave you mind-fuglied and I assure you that’s a state hard to overcome. I sat through the film in the hope of drooling at Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan’s gorgeous faces in the much hyped song but alas the film doesn’t allow us a single pleasure. I can’t bring myself to give any stars. It was too dumb and doomed to deserve anything.

If anything, it works for him unwittingly in the stray comic scenes.

The film’s songs are a hit but you don’t need to go to theatres to listen to them. If you are a die hard fan of Haryanvi humour, youth appeal and young face then only go for this movie otherwise sit at home and ask “Ye Fugly Fugly Kya Hai”.

Fugly could have been a better film but in spite of its noble Rang De Basanti intentions it is nothing but frubbish.

Jimmy Sheirgill as the bad cop pulls it off impressively while the rest are just about so-so.
So here’s another film that is well intended but squanders an opportunity.

The only interesting part is when Sadanand tries to push in the patriotic angle. But that is like a desperate attempt to stay afloat after entering deep waters without a life jacket!

Take off Jimmy Sheirgill and the movie loses respectability. It’s like taking the ‘F’ out of Fugly!

The basic plot is promising but then it is filled with so many loopholes that one wishes that the writers had concentrated on filling them instead of trying to cram in as many crude “Haryanvi” type of jokes into the script as possible.

Light on top and substantial underneath, this is the Rang De Basanti of the post-Modi era. Thoughtful and at times brilliant, it tells us a great deal about the state of a culture and people searching for reasons to keep the spirit of nationalism alive as self-serving corruption grown all around us.

Fugly disappoints. The first half is still passable but the second half loses way completely. The screenplay could have done better with use of some logic. This a film that the director will have to take the fall for.

The film starts as an arresting concept, but that sadly hasn’t been realized to its potential.

Yet another, “let’s fight the system” film. This one takes on way too much and takes way too much time to express itself too.

Watch Fugly only if you are up for some light reading this weekend.

There will come a day when an ambitious filmmaker decides to raise awareness in a focused, entertaining and constructive manner, but that day isn’t today. F*ugly is more of a fight for all that is ugly, than against it.