Akshay Kumar livens up the proceedings now and then, but a lot of it is just thookpatti in this Thuppaki remake.

That this film is still not as awful as most typical Akshay Kumar starrers, despite several such harebrained sequences, is to the credit of director AR Murgadoss, who doesn’t let something as insignificant as common sense come in the way of telling a convenient story. In Holiday, Murgadoss remakes his own Tamil hit Thuppaki and he doesn’t tinker with the blueprint at all.

‘Holiday’, the official remake of the monster Tamil hit ‘Thuppaki’, gives Akshay Kumar a chance to return to full combat mode. He plays a patriotic soldier willing to stretch a few rules in the line of duty, whether it is wielding sharp shears on a suspect’s finger, or shooting bad guys point blank. Till he’s going bang bang, he’s all right; the moment he gets romancing and joshing, he slides. So does the film.

Holiday is about the brave men and women fearlessly serving the nation and making sure you rest easy. The men and women who take on unthinkable odds, waking up and rushing to theatres first thing in the morning to catch a movie starring the hero and heroine from Joker and made by the guy who made Ghajini.

We watch, and we warn, so you may not have to. Because a critic is never off duty.

Holiday – A Solider is Never Off Duty is a superstar vehicle without a brain or a heart.

Holiday makes for a satisfying watch and will keep the audience coming. A summer hit is on its way!

The unpredictable treatment of the storyline keeps you hooked. While going for the Holiday, you might want to take it again.

Holiday lacks the sustained intensity and urgency of an edge-of-the-seat spy thriller.

The script does not allow Akshay Kumar to be the no-nonsense action hero that would have held the film in better stead.

His lover boy act only dilutes the larger-than-life persona of the fearless and single-minded mean machine that he is supposed to be.

Akshay’s stunts are jaw-dropping; he’s in top form and impressively leads the show without much support from his squadron of actors. Farhad (the lead villain) doesn’t leave much impact; and Sonakshi slides in for the song and dance.

This one applauds the jawans who live in the jaws of death, and is a ‘wake up’ call for all the ‘sleepers’ that abound. Bravo!

There’s two ways to do an ‘army’ film. one is about war, tragedy and human loss. Another one is to make it like a secret agent/spy thriller. This one goes the other way but lacks the pace that is needed to keep the viewer interested.

Watch Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty only if you are a hardcore masala film fan and can sit through three hours.

…a slick action-thriller that keeps you engrossed, enthralled and captivated all through, thanks to its fascinating premise and a watertight, razor-sharp screenplay. Go for it!

Like most Indian masala movies, Holiday tastes best with a generous few pinches of salt. Akshay Kumar’s face looks too old to be a young army captain. But the way he jumps over cars and navigates down building faces is a feat even the fittest 20-year-olds can only dream of. He is the soul of this film. He makes it fun. He gives you your money’s worth. End of the day, that’s all that matters.

For Akshay Kumar fans, this is a must-see movie. It will not only entertain, but will also help you spare a moment in prayer for the ones fighting on the borders of our country; our real heroes.

Watch this one. It’s total paisa vasool.

This , then, is that entertainer which tells you that cinema about terrorism need not be dark and grim. Murugadoss keeps the going light-hearted, and yet the undercurrents of tension jump out of the screen to relentlessly claim our attention . Akshay’s character’s basic argument that terrorism can only be countered when the counter-terrorists are as fearless about losing their lives as the terrorists, is put forward with such gusto and conviction,we really can’t argue with the plot premise.

All in all the movie Holiday is an action packed entertaining ‘Akshay Kumar special’ which is surely a one-time watch if not two.

The conflict, which should’ve effectively made a great thriller, is reduced to a poorly executed school play, where robbers and cops run around aimlessly without a clue on what they are fighting for.

Ultimately, Murugadoss makes you wonder if you should be making a movie simply because you’re allowed to make a movie.

Holiday is an excellent entertainer and will bring in huge crowds to the cinemas. It will keep the audience and the exhibitors very happy. As for the distributors, they will remain happy but less than the others because of the very high prices they have paid for the distribution rights. Incidentally, the film deserves tax-exemption.

… fair watch for people who have not seen Thuppakki. For ones who have watched the Tamil film, this Hindi remake would not excite one bit.

If you are a 3A fan – Akshay, Action and Adventure, then this is a recommended watch for you. Rest all, please take a pass on this Bollywood movie. Yet another reason why you must watch Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty, is the beautiful message with which the movie ends. Dedicated to all the Army personnel and their families, the movie salutes every person serving in the Defence forces keeping the nation safe and secure.

Watch it for Akshay and his amazing ability to make even the unreal stuff look real!

A.R. Murugadoss’ entertainer displays greater fidelity to its source than did his Ghajini reboot, down to the bloated running length of 170 minutes. The situations are the same, the dialogue is translated verbatim and the heroine hasn’t yet grown a brain, but the Hindi version misses out on the charisma of its leading man. Holiday’s Akshay Kumar is a poor match for Tamil superstar Vijay, who has built a career out of supplanting average acting skills with practised insouciance.

Holiday is a remake of Murugadoss’s 2012 Tamil hit Thuppakki, which I hear was fairly watchable. What happened then? Did Murugadoss try to Bollywoodise the perfectly fine story? Reminds one of that phrase—“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

I’d call my 3 hours in the movie hall a success, considering it is nowhere bad to what I expected it to be. Do I give a film extra points for that? Naah. It is just what it is. A casual TV watch if you chance upon it.

It’s pitiful, because even absurd storylines make for entertaining films if made with an ounce of cleverness and a little integrity. This is purely a rush job, one that – as it happens to the sleeper cells eventually – will turn you into a “coma cell”. And lead to such bizarre lines being written.

A trashy remake of a preposterous Tamil film…

Bollywood’s original action hero lives up to his title and Kumar excels in those hand-to-hand combats. While the climax of Holiday is like Christmas for an Akshay Kumar fan with its over-stretched fight sequences, a non-fan might not relish the sound of bones cracking as much. Watch this if you are in the mood for a Bollywood film that has a bit of everything — terrorism, action and romance.