‘Gunday’ is as generic as its name suggests: even that old phrase ‘luchchhe- lafangey’ had more character. In the name of plot, we get a mash-up of many popular blockbusters, several of them belonging to Yashraj, the producers of this one. In the name of acting, we get pumped up beefcake and one number plumped-lip eye candy. There are a few solid supporting acts, and they are the ones that keep you watching, but they get buried in the sludge. What you get is what you’ve been getting. Over and over again.

For all its swagger and insolence, the script is full of silly loopholes, annoying clichés and glaring superficiality.No matter how hard director Zafar tries to create an action hero that speaks Amitabh Bachchan/Anil Kapoor/Raaj Kumar, he fails to substantiate it with charisma that goes beyond surface value.

Gunday is a few notches short of a one-time watch. You have to be a die-hard fan of either Priyanka Chopra or Ranveer Singh to enjoy this film.

Gunday's heart is in the right place but the plot gets overwhelmed by its own voluptuousness, its slick torsos and slow-motion slaps, its extended Durga Puja which leaves it lost between Calcutta's cabarets and Dhanbad's dark mines.

There are some poignant moments in the friendship between the two heroes - and that's the crux of the film. This is what you call in movie terminology a guy's film - loads of action, attitude and masala. Abbas is superb when it comes to projecting heroism of his lead protagonists.

Gunday gets hammy on multiple occasions and in over 2 and half hours of its run time, it fails to swell to the height that was expected of it. It is only Ranveer-Arjun’s easy chemistry, a spirited effort of not resorting to remakes and Irrfan Khan’s subtle rendering of the astute cop that works for me here. Gunday rocks for not resorting commercial crassy mores. It is no Sholay but it is just as over-the-top as any 70s’ caper. Now it is up to you to classify it as good or bad. For me the film is a 3.5/5 for its fervor for all it accomplishes and a hope that it will open up avenues for more of such sprightly writings.

It helps that in the midst of all the intense action and drama, Gunday doesn't take itself too seriously. It's unpretentious in its aim to appease at all costs and be an entertainer with doses of action, drama, romance, humour and yes, bromance.

It attempts to pay a tribute to vintage films right from Sholay, Kaala Pathaar, Deewar and there’s also Mr. India playing in a theatre where a fight sequence is choreographed (the only admirable scene). The rest is so very mind numbing and the finale which has a Salman type lets-take off-our-shirts-and fight is in super slow motion. Actually a lot of the film is in slo-mo, had it been shot it normal speed, the duration would reduce considerably.