A crook-Ed tale indeed: Only bollywood and incorrect picturisation of the Indian student issues in Oz.

I am a movie buff but have never been as eager for a movie release as was this day. CROOK was in the newspapers for a year as a story linked to the reported and hyped “attacks” on indian students in Melbourne last year.

Hence I decided to check out the movie in their first day first show this day. 9 am show so that I can finish by around 1130 am or so that I can still get back to office. In a way I am justifying this movie as part of my today’s work and will claim the cost of the tickets from the expense account.

Nikhat Kazmi of TOI gave it a rating of 3/5 which appears to me still as generous. I will not try to do a review or synopsis. here as there will be several more available on the net.

To be honest, the movie is less factual and more of a bollywood fiction. The importance of PR to an Indian student is the theme and the way to get it is said to be only two: either pay an agent and get fake work exp OR get married to an Aussie. Ha ha ha.

The attacks are shown to be more of inter group rivalry with the Aussies gangs being hassled with desis marrying Aussie girls. And attackers are all white Australians. So far removed from the reality where attackers have been largely teenagers muggers and often including kids belonging to various races and also in a focussed incident, an indian.

Snide comments strike out where Australians are referred to as those without cultural values and as descendents of crooks. Are these not racistic generalizations. However in the end the movie blurs the difference between Indians and Australians.

The indian student from Hoshiarpur or Gurdaspur shown to be on full scholarship (McCarthy scholarship to study at Taylors college) is an insult to Indian student’s quality. The guy is a comic and utters pathetic English. All indian students look alike, drive taxis, work in petty jobs and none attend to studies. Even the one with scholarship.

Ha ha ha again.

Gangs can get in easily into hospitals and attempt stabbing Indians. There appears to be an all out indian-aussie gangwar openly on streets. Guns are easily available. Ha ha ha.

Add to this a good dose to revenge, bollywood filmy style. Indians referred as Pakis(!!!) appearing that Pakistanis and Indians join hands against Aussies.

Technically too the story has flaws. None of the drivers wear seat belts and driving licenses are fixed. It’s easy to change identity and reach Australia. There is a scene with snow on the road while it appears to be summer elsewhere.

Are there any positives: the actress keeps insisting on cultural harmony between races and convinces the hero to join her efforts. Melbourne looks beautiful and inviting in parts. There is a scene where Hashmi says that Indians are racist too. Typical bollywood style closure and climax.

That’s all. Just when the media hype on Aussie attacks had been rectified in public memory, we have this twisted story or should I say a crook-Ed tale.

Censors did well by giving it an A rating. Avoidable. Mahesh Bhatt needs to do his homework better. I look forward more to the second test match starting tomorrow in Bangalore and for the Laxman effect.