Aladin (2009) User Reviews

Go for simplicity..

[saibal_ban · 5/10 · 31 October 2009]

Magical world,Special effects is nothing new for todays movie lovers but for Bollywood,with low budget,Aladin is good enough.It brings a fresh air of a simple fantasy world.

Aladin a film about magical world began in the Khwaish Nagar of north India.A little boy named Aladin sometimes harassed by his friends because of similar name with a hero..One day a genie appears when Aladin rubes a magical lamp...Then began the story of magic and fantasy.Genie helps Aladin to find his love,fights with evil character named Ringmaster who want that magical lamp to control the world.

There is nothing special(other than simple special effects) in the film but watch it for its simplicity..It helps you to fly through your childhood Fantacies..Scripts is ordinary,clumsy in some places..Music average..In acting Ritesh and Sanjay Datta well into their character.Newcomer Jaqueline Fernandes done Justis to his character.

Though there is nothing cinematic beauty in this Movie but at the end of the day it makes you fill good..

This is an average movie

[sumanbarthakursmailbox · 5/10 · 19 December 2009]

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, Aladin is set in the make-believe city of Khwaish in Northern India, where a puny boy named Aladin Chatterjee (played by Ritesh Deshmukh) has been bullied all his life and forced to rub lamps by his classmates because he shares his name with the character from that popular fairytale.On rubbing one such lamp, a genie does appear. This one's named Genius; he's played by Amitabh Bachchan in a gawdy wardrobe, and he wants to quickly grant Aladin his three wishes so he can retire in peace. Aladin's nursing a crush on the pretty new student in class, Jasmine (played by newcomer Jacqueline Fernandes), but knows it's unlikely she'll return his affections. Determined not to use the help of magic to win her over, Aladin urges Genie to help him woo her the old-fashioned way. In a parallel track, the film's villain, an ex-genie named Ringmaster(played by Sanjay Dutt) wants to get his hands on that lamp so he can take over the world. Ghosh uses superlative special effects to bring this fable to life, even if the narrative itself is occasionally choppy, leaving you befuddled over important plot-points like a comet whose reflection must be caught to gain genie powers. The film's often too-simplistic, going for light-hearted jokes and gags but it's still a welcome relief from the crude humor we've been subjected to in the name of entertainment lately. Aimed squarely at the kids, Aladin is a spectacle of sweeping sets, lavish dance numbers and never-before-seen visual effects including a stunning sequence in which Genius is raised to the skies, his chest ripped open and his powers snatched away. Not all is perfect, though. The editing is abrupt in places, with Ringmaster's scenes appearing almost forced into the narrative on more than occasion. The screenplay lacks smoothness, and leaves the audience to fill up the blanks themselves. Of the cast, Sanjay Dutt leaves a strong impression as Ringmaster, his look and his wardrobe contributing as much to his performance as his menacing delivery. Amitabh Bachchan is consistent, if a little OTT as Genius, but it's his scenes with Ritesh's Aladin that are the heart of this film. First-timer Jacqueline Fernandes is easy on the eye and appears confident, but has precious little to do. In the end, Aladin, belongs to Ritesh Deshmukh whose endearing performance pins you to your seat even when you're craving a loo-break after three back-to-back songs test your patience. It's a worthy watch, especially for the kids. It's also a rare reminder that you can have good, clean fun at the movies. Beneath all the special effects however, it's a noble story about standing up for what's right.

Chance gone down the drain

[rajandey · 5/10 · 26 December 2009]

Riteish Deshmukh is one actor I really like. I watch all his movies because he is the package with talent. He can give excellent performances if the directors can pull it out of him.

Aladin had a nice concept; the concept of using the real Aladdin story and giving it an Indian touch. Aladin Chatterjee, Genius, Jasmin. This could have been a great movie, the special effects in the movie are good.

Where does the movie lack? The direction, the way the story is told is kind of boring and doesn't keep you interested at all. Jacqueline Fernandes should get some acting classes, looking beautiful is not enough, because it can make you look stupid on screen when you are supposed to ACT instead of just be there and giving a smile.

Riteish Deshmukh is very good though, as Aladin, he is very lovable in the film and delivers a nice performance. Amitabh Bachchan is of course excellent, he is very energetic as Genius and lightens up the screen whenever he is there. Saahil Khan is back after a long time, and delivers very funny sequences, he has improved a lot and I wouldn't mind seeing him in future movies.

The music is good, though not the very best from Vishal-Shekhar, You May Be is the best of the lot, which will still be playing in years to come.

On the whole, Aladin is a chance wasted. If a visionary director like Rajkumar Hirani or Farhan Akthar would have directed this movie, the outcome would have been much better!

Nobody learned from the mistake called "Drona".

[bobbysing · 2/10 · 1 November 2009]

Last year we had a heavy weight fantasy debacle from the banner of Eros Entertainment called "Drona". And this year we have a similar kind of forgettable fantasy movie titled "Aladin", once again from the same prestigious banner of Eros. Wasn't there even one thinking mind in the team who could see that they were repeating the same horrendous blunder again leading to a big loss, both on financial and goodwill grounds? Wasn't there any creative person at all, who could point out that "Aladin" was also having the same distasteful ingredients, which were earlier universally rejected in "Drona" in the very first few days of its release?

Anyway, the mistake has been committed and the loss has to be faced by everyone.Playing with the loving memories of a childhood story which is still fresh in our mature minds, the movie shamelessly lies in the lowest zone of creativity. Hanging in the mid, it is neither an enjoyable fare for the kids, nor a refreshing graphical ride for the youngsters. In other words it seems to be the result of the wandering mind of a director who is simply lost in his own artistic world and damn cares of the entertainment quotient of his final product.

To start with, in my opinion there are two most important and exciting sequences in an "Aladin" movie, which have to be dealt with extra care and creativity. First being the entry and introduction sequence of the Jinn. And second, the content of the three wishes granted to Aladin by the Jinn. Originally the whole movie should revolve around these three granted wishes and their surprising aftereffects. But shockingly neither of the above two sequences have been given the much required importance by the director Sujoy Ghosh. The Jinn simply appears from the cloudy smoke in few seconds and then just starts singing a song along with Aladin and a group of dancers, which is arguably the weirdest conceived sequence of the movie. Besides this, the three wishes are just wasted by Aladin, without any excitement build up or entertainment factor for the viewers.

Moreover the kids keep on waiting for something great to unfold on the screen, each time Aladin is going to say a wish, but nothing happens and post interval the movie moves on to a totally different tale of a Ring Master who is also in search of the magic lamp. Can't say from where he came into the story all of a sudden as we have not read about any such character in the Aladin story. May be the director wanted to add some spice and thrill into the story with some additional villain characters. But sadly, his move of adding a baddie Ring Master, doesn't work at all. On the contrary, the bonus track deviates the story from its original theme and takes away the world famous charm of this fantasy story.

In the performance department, except Ritesh Deshmukh, almost everyone goes over the top, acting with hyper reactions and high energy. It seems they acted that way according to the brief given by the director. Yet in bold terms, both Amitabh Bachchan & Sanjay Dutt should include this movie as one of the most regretful projects of their career. Debutant Jacqueline Fernandez is just there for adding some glamour value and she delivers what was being expected from her. But I was unable to figure out why three talented veterans Ratna Pathak Shah, Victor Bannerjee and Mita Vashisht were there in the movie playing completely unimportant roles which didn't suit them at all. Only Ritesh Deshmukh looked like his character of Aladin on the screen and he is the only one who gives an impressive, controlled and enjoyable performance in the movie.

Musically, it's another mediocre score from Vishal-Shekhar with no Hit Track as such. Moreover, most of the songs in the movie are deliberately added into the proceedings and could have been easily left out at the editing table itself. In fact it's only the Cinematography and few graphic sequences in the movie which are able to impress the viewer to some extent. Otherwise it's a complete disaster from the production team, who didn't learn any lesson from their own dud "Drona".

It was indeed sad to see all the valuable resources and hard work going down the drain once again in a useless effort of making an epic fantasy Indian movie. Actually we should stop thinking about competing with Hollywood in the Fantasy genre as it's not possible to reach the level of "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings" with this kind of mind setup, where a Ginni still has to sing songs along with Aladin.

If a big ship sinks then only the captain gets the blame, who is Sujoy Ghosh in this particular case, solely responsible for this silly & mad fiasco. Along with him both Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt are equally responsible for saying yes to this project and raising the expectation levels of all their children fans in the entire world. The veterans of the industry should understand the responsibility associated with their big names and ideally should take utmost care in selecting a project featuring them in the lead roles. But it doesn't seem to be the way our Industry works as Bollywood keeps on delivering bad and disgraceful projects at regular intervals year after year and that too with some great confidence on their faces before the release.

In a nutshell, it's high time that the production houses should rethink upon their working strategies. In clear words, they got to keep full control over their ongoing projects and their over-creative directors in order to save the hard earned money of both the makers and the spectators. Cause we really don't want to witness any other "Drona" or "Aladin" in the future.

Sujoy's magnum opus turns into kaput!

[AvinashPatalay · 11 December 2009]

Post "Jhankaar Beats" Sujoy Ghosh was the new whiz-kid on the block. One should give due credit to Mr. Ghosh for his product which was innovative ( a la "Dil Chahta Hain" in its own right). When he announced Aladin the expectations were riding sky-high on deliverables. Hailing from the land of "Harry Potter" one was expecting Alladin nothing short of Bollywood's answer to Harry Potter/ LOTR. And with due respect, Alladin does deserve brownie points for the look and feel of the fairy-tale neatly complimented with the CGI. And then... there ends the bag of goodies.

The plot/ storyline is lame and wafer-thin. Taking a classic and attempting to set it in the contemporary times, it takes a maverick to pull off the feat. Should have waited for Anurag's "Dev D" before kick-starting this project. Having said that, have you heard of Baz Lurhmann? Fiction/ non-fiction or fantasy/ reality, by either benchmarks the use-up of first two wishes was a plain day-light robbery. The ragging of Alladin is sooooo "Oh nooooo". The song in the climax was so very 1970/80's. Even the name of the town "Khwahish" gives away how ill-conceived the whole project was.

Mr. Ghosh, now I am pretty sure "Jhankaar Beats" was a fluke and goes to show the results of big decisions over a cuppa in a coffee shop!

Big B:: Brandish is perhaps the only word that comes to my mind. Well the stature Big B has reached, only he can afford to experiment with the roles. And in all honesty, at the cost of fulfilling the dream to work with their childhood matinée idol these newbies cannot justify/ utilise the opportunity of the goldmine.

Ritiesh:: Would not say perfect for role but unwise to say miscast too. So safe to comment that he was just OK. His blind-love for Jasmine was not fleshed out well.

Jacqualine Fernandes:: She was gorgeous and must improve on her acting skills to stay afloat in the industry.

Sanjay Dutt:: Well I was expecting a "Joker" performance and sad to say, he was a letdown. Kay Kay in Drona was much better. The background to his character was insufficient and there was no justification about the "Ring Master" miffing with the "Genie". And btw- his sidies were robbed from X-Men.

Ratna Pathak Shah:: Completely wasted.

Victor Banerjee: Again completely wasted.

Nonethleless, it is a golden opportunity gone amiss and why? Because my 5-year old dozed off to sleep mid-way and that speaks volumes, so least to speak.

Such a pathetic, crappy movie ever I've seen

[prithvimalekar · 1/10 · 14 April 2022]

Pathetic direction by Sujoy Ghosh he tried to modernize aladdin but wasted. Story is confusing, script is good for nothing, music is awful and songs like bachke o bachke trash I want to say because of some repeatative lines like "rang jama" and "rok ke dikha". Talking about acting Big B's talent just wasted in the movie only Ritesh Deshmukh is the only saving grace of the movie and Sanjay Dutt's character just overacts and doesn't make any sense. I watched that movie and feeling ashamed. I want to say pathetic, junk and kachra movie ever.

Mr Bachchan and supernatural films a big No No

[silvan-desouza · 1/10 · 1 November 2009]

Mr Bachchan in late 80's started doing supernatural films, god knows suddenly from 1989 first came TOOFAN, JAADUGAR and then in 1991 AJOOBA all sank without a trace

Bachchan didn't learn a lesson from the non performance of this films and kept doing films like BHOOTNATH, GOD TUSSI GREAT HO and now ALADIN

ALADIN was in making from 2007 and looks like Bachchan's another role like BHOOTNATH

For some reason now the makers try to cash on Bachchan and his charisma but make him do some funny faces and loud shouting

The film is a modernization on the story on ALADIN and GENE Here he is Genius and the story is so contrived and the handling so amateurish you cringe

The Sanju's character too doesn't make sense

In Short nothing works

Direction by Sujoy Ghosh(after HOME DELIVERY) is terrible Special effects are ordinary Music is okay

Amongst actors Bachchan goes over the top as expected and makes Bhootnath look a classic front of this Ritiesh is likable as always Sanju too makes funny faces like Bachchan and looks reprising his own KHALNAYAK and he isn't up to the mark here Newcomer Jacqueline is okay

Fairy Tale and Adventure Mixed With Some Science Fiction

[Pratik112 · 7/10 · 7 November 2009]

Really, the title said it all – fantasy mixed with adventure, fairy tale and a bit of science fiction. A small boy looses his parents as they are in search of a lamp but years pass by and he meets a man who is claimed to be his cousin. The only thing is that the man is on the point of retiring from his job.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandes, Sanjay Dutt, this is directed by Sujoy Ghosh while Vishal Shekhar provide the music score.

Amitabh Bachchan in a role that has been mentioned quite a few times for a while now, is as usual, excellent and he has managed to carry it off rather well. While Ritesh Deshmukh, in the title role, has done a job that, perhaps, he could have taken it a bit further but never the less, he has performed well. The same, however, can't be said for Jacqueline Fernandes and she could have been more convincing in her role. Sanjay Dutt, is just excellent in his role as the villain and is worth watching. I felt that his role, could have been extended and it would have been better. But both Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt, really carry this film on their shoulders to a level that one can say that is worth watching if you like such films.

What also makes this film a bit interesting are the visual effects and these are worth watching and especially the woman who breathes nothing but fire and the fight sequences. The song to listen for "Ore Saawariya," is the one to listen for and is worth listening to.

A good film to watch if you like a bit of everything, fantasy, romance, adventure, fairy tale and science fiction is mixed in. A good film for the kids as well.

Trailer was better than the movie itself.

[virindra · 5/10 · 15 November 2009]

I had high expectations when I saw the movie trailer. The movie could not keep up with the trailer.

The movie starts wrong. The cast is very wrong, except one actor. In the beginning this father of Aladin acts very childish. To me he seems to be a Zee-TV actor. Now I don't like these Zee-TV actors. I don't know if this man really is a zee TV actor, but to me he seems to be. A zee TV actor is an actor who cannot really act and cannot make it to the real bollywood movies. A zee TV actor is like a stone. Then you have actors who are silver, like Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Abishek Bachchan. These actors can act a little bit and are too good for zee TV, but are not that good to be outstanding. Then you have gold actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Sharukh Khan, Amir Khan, zayed Khan. These men can act very good. It took them a while to be where they are now. And last but not least there are diamond actors like Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor. These men show acting as if it's nothing. They act very naturally. Acting is in their blood.

So, this movie starts at zee TV level with this father of Aladin. Then there is an other mistake made; Amitabh Bachchan and Ritesh Desmukh (Gild actors) have to act funny. These actors are serious actors, don't make them act funny. It's horrible! If you want a funny actor, hire Johnny Lever or Anupam Kher.

Sanjay Dutt was great. This is a natural born actor. Great in any roles. The special effects of the movie were awful. The girl in the movie who played Jasmine was, in my opinion, not a pretty lade. A pity that Juhi Chawla is old for this part, although she is far more pretty.

The movie is filled with songs. Not very great songs like "Kuch Kasmein" from the movie aankhen. The song where Amitabh and Ritesh sang together for Jasmine was not very great.

Not very great movie, for kids it could be the movie of the year. This is not difficult, because Hritik Roshan's Krrish 2 will not come out this year. Besides that, I don't think Aladin has much of a competition as it gets to special effects in a movie, crap or no crap.

Extra

[sameerkhan666 · 7/10 · 19 February 2023]

The acting of Amitabh Bacchan was so so high it actually created a fake and inorganic image of the whole story. His character Genius seemed ultra fake. And also the comedy factor was so raw that I could taste it out of the screen. They tried to make it funny but it was not funny but a clear cut portrait of bold text: Wannabe. This movie was on my list ever since it was released but because of its lack of fame and clouding it got out of my hand and I realized in 2023 that I wanted to watch this movie and I did but it did not click me. Maybe if I would have watched it at that time it would have been better because I would have connected with it and would have liked it but now as an adult I don't much admire fantasy especially not ultra level ones.

Not too bad but not to good either...

[Sherazade · 5/10 · 21 April 2010]

I had the pleasure of watching Aladin as one of many in flight movies recently. It was a decent watch, the new girl held her own (Jackie Fernandez or something like that is her name) she looked very pretty in Indian clothes (not sure if her voice was dubbed or not) and she handled her scenes and dances well. Riteish Deshmukh was his usual charming and funny self, he stars as the title character. Amitabh Bachchan plays Genius (Genie) and Sanjay Dutt thrills as the ringmaster in search of the enchanted lamp and it's Genie's powers. If parents want to know why they should NOT name their children after characters in movies, books or whatever other weirdness they can conjure up besides the norm, they should watch this film and see what Aladin(played by Riteish) had to endure. Nicholas Cage named one of his children Kal-el after his cartoon hero, superman. I wonder how the poor boy fairs at the playground with a name like that.

Aladin was impressive.

[vbn_in · 8/10 · 15 November 2009]

Aladin : Sujoy Ghosh Budget: INR 50 Cr This movie produced, directed and written by Sujoy Ghosh comes as a welcome change from the regular run around the trees. Yes its a love story as well but isn't almost every movie made in bollywood a love story? Now Sujoy Ghosh has had a impressive stint with Jhankaar beats and Home Delivery. The former being something very down to earth for a movie freak to relate to and the latter, although an outright copy from a french movie still made a good impression. In Aladin the story was completely revamped to suit the Indian movie enthusiasts. Somehow I have a feeling that Sujoy very well knew that this movie will not be exactly appreciated by majority of the crowd. But as you know he went ahead and took the risk anyway. The result? - Surprisingly impressive.

Let me justify why I was impressed. We had 2 huge names playing strong characters. Amitabh Bachchan playing The Genie - Genius and our very own Sanjay Dutt plays The Ringmaster - An Ex-Genie. Now some of us may question why would a guy like Big B of such high caliber be in a kiddie movie prancing around playing magical pranks. The answer is playing a genie required screen presence. The audience need to feel the Aura he normally emits in any movie. The same logic was applied to Sanjay Dutt playing The Ring Master. He had this evil aura around him every time he came on the screen that was very impressive.

Now I believe that is not the only reason these two extraordinary people where requested to grace the characters with their names. I think it was the chemistry they shared in Kaante long back ago.

As I mentioned the story is completely revamped to suit the Indian audience as in the original cartoon movie Jaffer dupes Aladin into looking for the lamp whereas here Aladin was destined to have it.

The movie starts off normally in a city called Khwaish (fictional city of course) showing Aladin (Ritiesh Deshmukh) a loser orphan being bullied by kids in school just because his name is Aladin. He is asked to rub fake lamps by the bullies every time he is spotted. His miserable life continues to be the same when he enters college as well. Enter lady love Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez - OMG she is soo cute) a friendly US return. Of course our protagonist falls in love with her on first sight. Aladin keeps making a fool of himself whenever she is around but somehow she finds it cute I guess.

At Alladin bday bash, held by Qasim (Sahil Khan - Lead bully) to impress Jasmine, Aladin is gifted yet another lamp this time by Jasmine from an antiques shop. Only this time its the real thing.

Enter Genius (Amitabh Bachchan) a cheerful lively genie who is eager to grant Aladin's 3 wishes and go on a vacation.

The rock-star Genius finds out its too late as our baddie The Ring Master (Sanjay Dutt an ex genie) is in town looking for the lamp as well.

We find out that The Ringmaster wants the lamp for himself to get back his powers from which he was exiled due to selfish reasons. The Ringmaster uses a mirror, he claims to be the Google in the magical world, and finds out that Aladin is destined to protect the lamp. And then we have the 2 genies display excellent martial art and war of words to defeat one another. Both the characters were played wonderfully by Big B and Sanju baba taking coolness and awesomeness to a new level.

The comedy/cheesy dialogues were well timed in the movie so yes there are a few good laughs for the audience as well.

Specially in the scene where The Ringmaster displays his joy rubbing the lamp and singing "Main dardi rub rub (rab rab) kardi" had us rolling on the floor laughing even though the whole darn movie theater didn't find it funny.

Sometimes I wonder if the Indian audience will ever grow out of KJo movies.

The special effects for good specially where Genius breaks the edge of a cliff diving down to save baby Aladin. When it comes to acting except the 2 genies none of them where impressive at all. Ritiesh needs to look for a new career soon if he doesn't do something about his pathetic acting skills. Jacqueline Fernandez, the Srilankan beauty, is just one film old and did a decent job. I fail to understand what actors like Ratna Patak, Victor Banerjee and Mita vahisht were doing or thinking.

All in all I can easily rate it 8/10

I entirely get if you dislike this, but I didn't... quite the opposite

[r96sk · 7/10 · 28 November 2020]

From the very first scene I knew this was going one of two ways: Diabolical or passably entertaining - nowhere in between or above the latter. For me, I somehow felt suitably entertained by 'Aladin'.

It's not a great film, at all. However, it's in a similar vein to productions like 'The Cat in the Hat' so always divides opinion. If you can find enjoyment, you'll obviously like it but otherwise you'll hate it. I'm under the former.

The cast help a lot. Riteish Deshmukh suits the role of Aladin, while Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt are enjoyable as Genius and Jaffar. Despite the title/titular character, it's more so a film that refers to 'Aladdin' rather than a remake/reimagining of the famous folk tale. I liked how they set this up, sure it is dumb but it works in my opinion.

I did start getting bored towards the end, so the run time is most definitely too long - 90 minutes, as opposed to 132, would've been ideal. I'd be rating this much lower if not for the likeable cast and the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously; until the end, I guess.

I entirely get if you dislike this, but I didn't... quite the opposite to be honest.

garbage

[sansupercool · 1/10 · 7 December 2009]

don't watch this movie , total time waste.. what a flop ...after home delivery this is another flop film from Sujoy Ghosh, very poor and cheesy visual effects.

In the performance department, except Ritesh Deshmukh, almost everyone goes over the top, acting with hyper reactions and high energy. It seems they acted that way according to the brief given by the director. Yet in bold terms, both Amitabh Bachchan & Sanjay Dutt should include this movie as one of the most regretful projects of their career. Debutant Jacqueline Fernandez is just there for adding some glamour value and she delivers what was being expected from her. But I was unable to figure out why three talented veterans Ratna Pathak Shah, Victor Bannerjee and Mita Vashisht were there in the movie playing completely unimportant roles which didn't suit them at all. Only Ritesh Deshmukh looked like his character of Aladin on the screen and he is the only one who gives an impressive, controlled and enjoyable performance in the movie.

The Sanju's character too doesn't make sense

In Short nothing works

so don't waste your time and money ..

DIsaster

[GaneshKSalian · 11 March 2012]

Aladin directed by Sujoy Ghosh is disastrous.

The movie has superb VFX effects but the movie lacks in a good story which makes the film a huge disappointment.

Story:- Aladin Chatterjee (Ritesh Deshmukh) lives in the fictional city of Khwaish, an orphan who has been bullied by Kasim (Sahil Khan) and his gang members since his childhood. But his life changes when Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez) gives him a magic lamp - because it lets loose the genie Genius (Amitabh Bachchan). Desperate to grant him three wishes and to seek the end of his contract with the magic lamp, the rock-star Genius makes Aladin's life difficult until the real threat looms on the horizon - the ex-genie, Ringmaster (Sanjay Dutt).

With the help of Jasmine, Aladin and Tarnveer work together to defeat Ringmaster. In the end Aladin earns powers from the lamp.

The direction is poor.

The special effects are a feast to the eye.

The music is fine.

The dialogs are average.

Performances:- Amitabh Bachchan disappoints.He just screams and hams throughout the movie.Sanjay Dutt,too,overacts.Ritesh Deshmukh is the only saving grace.He is likable as Aladin.Jacqueline Fernandes is okay.Ratna Pathak Shah irritates.Ditto for Sahil Khan.

I am giving Aladin three out of ten only for its superb VFX effects and a convincing performance by Ritesh Deshmukh.Colossal disappointment!

It tries way too hard...

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 16 July 2014]

"Aladin" could have been a fun live action film. Unfortunately, it isn't. Instead of a cute fantasy, the film is bogged down by characters that are almost cartoonish--which is fine if you're Disney but not if you aren't.

The film stars Shubhankar Atre as Aladin Chattergee--a nerdy and awkward college student who is constantly picked on by his peers(?). Soon after seeing a gorgeous new exchange student, he decides that he's in love-- though he knows NOTHING about her. She could be Hitler's granddaughter or eats babies for all he knows--but he's smitten (yuck). So, when he gets a magical lamp, he decides to use it to make this girl fall for him.

Now this could have worked. Had the genie not been so obnoxious and didn't try so hard to be hip, it would have worked much better. But instead, a fine actor (Amitabh Bachchan) is wasted and comes off as a boorish jerk instead of Aladin's new friend or benefactor. Calling the genie 'Genius' didn't help any. The bottom line is that Bachchan's character came on like a stripper at a Baptist wedding--totally out of place and lacking in Subtlety. It's a shame--he really deserved better material than this.

The bottom line is that the film is too much--too loud, too hip and too pushy. I got tired of it rather quickly and assume that you will as well--especially since the its rather low rating on IMDb would seem to support me. The bottom line is that you can do better. Either watch the Disney film or try finding a copy of "Bernard and the Genie"--a British film set in modern times that comes off as sweet and clever, not loud and annoying.

Script does not hold up.

[Hysteria28 · 5/10 · 15 December 2009]

This movie was in the making for 4 years however the end result turned out a little below my expectations. I was impressed by Sujoy Ghosh's earlier two movies; 'Jhankar Beats' and 'Home Delivery'. His understanding of comedy was different and unique. But it is not the case with 'aladin'. In my opinion I do not think he gave much input towards the project. There is neither much comedy are even a plot.

It is obvious from the outset that this movie was aimed at the young generation of movie goers, particularly under 15 year olds. I was impressed to see that at last a modern take was approached on the classic tale. The computer graphic and special effects were of a high standard. But as I mentioned earlier there was a total disregard for a plot. The movie progressed at a good pace, unfortunately too much time was was wasted on Ritesh and Amitabh. Newcomer Jaquline Fernandes left no positive impression. Mr Bachan played his part sincerely and Sanjay Dutt's character of the ring master was a highlight in the movie. If his plot was given more depth maybe the end outcome would have enhanced the movies overall appeal.

Well made but needs improvement!

[WorldMovie99 · 6/10 · 17 October 2019]

Flaws and entertainment are both equal. It is a fantasy movie made in India and the aesthetic sense is pretty well established within the imaginative world. From the idea of" Kwaish " to saving the world, the film is fun and an entertainer. The story is well built and castings are so so. There are many songs in the movie. One particular song that's in line with the plot is "You Baby" is just heart-warming. Others are not so important, I feel. Amitabh Sir is just superb as always and I loved his seriousness towards the end. His fun loving attitudes are also lovable. Others performances are also not bad.

There are few irrational situations like (1) Sanjay Dutt getting everything he wants and Amitabh Sir doesn't know anything about it. (2)Unexplained fighting sequences with the villain group. (3) Few lenghty comic moments within the movie like Aladin trying to play the lead guitar and like sort of that.

I really think Genius getting emotional for aladin and helping him should have been a little weaker. The most funny moments in the movie is that Qasim trying to dominate Aladin and fighting with him. I really wanted some more like that.

The visuals are fine if you see the Bollywood development regarding effects in contemporary time. The story progresses in serene way and no restless environment is included in it. Had the duration of the movie been shortened by removing a few unnecessary scenes and songs it would have hit the mark. Still the director should be inspired for his effort in making a fantasy movie in Indian ground. Best of luck for his next project.

If you have a child's mindset watch it and you feel the fun otherwise avoid it. A 56/100.

Very Good!!

[luckylaraib · 8/10 · 1 November 2009]

Hmmm Very good.. nice effects good movie good story very good acting.. i will call this movie a very enjoyable movie that you can watch with whole family.. really this was awesome.. i was not expecting much but it was really goOd!! aladin is a boy who fall in love with jasmine but he cant tell her then jasmine gives her a gift from local store that was a lamp when he rubs it here comes the genius MR AB who act really cool i think he watch all the cartoons for this act luv the story plot for kids,adults and family then Sanjay Dutt acted well his character is of ring master and it suits him the best.. really i will wait for the sequel to come..

Now watch it now!!:P

Excellent by Bollywood standard.

[tashkhelbo · 10/10 · 1 November 2009]

The best supernatural movie of Bollywood so far. Amitabh Bachchan showed how he can handle any type of role at ease, even at the age of 67. Lot of directors tried this type of special effects before but Sujoy Ghosh is really successful in his effort. I did not have much hope for this movie but when I saw this with my kids I saw how much they enjoyed. Ritesh Deshmukh was perfect as Aladin and beauty of Jacquline was really mind blowing. The songs in this movie was just appropriate for the sequences.

Never saw a more colorful kids movie than Aladin before. The only thing that was missing from this movie was a villain like Amrish Puri.

this movie is great

[abhishek-31 · 8/10 · 3 November 2009]

this movie is great. frankly speaking i was not expecting anything from this movie, but i was blown away by the cgi quality which can be compared to the best of the best in Hollywood.the story was very good and the music was excellent,all the actors acted very well and specially amitabh bachan and ritesh deshmukh. sujoy gosh has done an excellent job and proving his metal after the debacle of his previous movie. the pair of vishal and shekhar have once again proved their capability. this movie is full on entertainment and best deal for kids. this movie is the perfect showcase to the world about what bollywood can do.i rate this movie 8/10

The Answers to Your Questions are within you.

[torrentstorm · 8/10 · 4 December 2009]

Hindi / Bollywood movies have come a long way, and I am impressed with this one! The above theme stands out, and I could find no fault with the way the story was written and portrayed. Everyone did well; perhaps though, I did find "Aladin's" acting somewhat 'wooden', and I felt he could've been more expressive. But I guess they wanted him to portray the image of negativity and a loser, and if so, then little more can be said. Definitely Jasmine and the Genie's parts, as well as the evil Ringmaster's, made up for any flaws. The special effects were fantastic! I liked it, and will watch again given the chance.

A must see for everyone!

Overall great movie, just a tad bit illogical

[thewizkid47 · 10/10 · 7 November 2009]

This movie was awesome. I can tell some viewers didn't like it, but most of them prefer the old traditional marriage type movies. If you're like me and love fantasy or magic, then you will like this movie. You have to have an open-mind to watch it. Remember that Slumdog Millionaire was also a flop in India due to the same reasons of non-open mindedness. I am sure that if an NRI watches it, they will like it.

The only thing that was a bit illogical was that in the story they said that the Ringmaster had lost his genie powers because when he had them, he used them for himself. Yet, in the movie, he did all kinds of weird things like jump and flip a truck over, roll an electric piece of wire, super-strength, etc. This did not make any sense to me whatsoever. The whole purpose of the movie was for him to restore his genie powers so that he could rule the world (yea typical).

Don't get me wrong though. This is probably the best Aladdin movie made so far (non-Disney).

Failure of this movie concluded Indians like cheap stuff!!!

[dannydhoot · 10/10 · 18 August 2013]

In a country where movies like,Ready,Bodyguard are blockbusters,you can't expect a movie like this to be in the same category because it's not for those who like cheap stuff which the above mentioned movies offer.Its really shocking that this movie was a disaster because it almost had everything going for it. Breathtaking visuals,awesome power-packed performances from the entire cast and a good direction. Even the songs gel with the movie well.Background score and CGI are of international standards and the best bollywood can ever have.If you have not seen this movie, then watch it for sure.After all, it's great fun.Watch out for some remarkable sequences just before the climax.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

Pure Moment of Happiness Mixed with Enough Amount of Sadness !

[elshikh4 · 8/10 · 29 December 2010]

Since years, the Indian cinema fails to attract my attention and respect. The Americanized atmosphere, the must-be-plagiarized story, or just being weak were the problems. This time, forget it.

Now here's a movie that takes not the easy, but the hard way to do everything. There are some diligence and patience behind the CGI, the sets, the music, and the story; which is a creative take on the famous Arabian folk story: Aladdin and the magical lamp.

The story managed to be a romantic comedy mixed with fantasy, action and music. The matter of the Genie knowing Aladdin's parents, failing to rescue them, feeling responsible for their death provided the story with new spirit and catchy surprises. However, the character of The Ringmaster as the archenemy with his really creepy henchmen and woman, wanting the lamp along with the one million years meteor's flame--did impress me, being more new and catchy. Did I say earlier that this is a movie from Bollywood as well?!

The image is beyond dazzling. The comedy got me. The music is as high as any Hollywood music or maybe better. Most of the songs are instant classics; (You May Be) is great example. The action (The battles of the flashback, with the evil minions, and sure the last one) is perfect. The young director (Sujoy Ghosh) is marvelous; just recall where Genius and The Ringmaster meet head-on, or the inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac scene of (You May Be); How Enchanting!

(Ritesh Deshmukh) did a fine job whether as actor or dancer. He makes the role his own. And anyway THANK GOD THAT THEY DIDN'T USE (ABHISHEK BACHCHAN) AS IT WAS INTENDED. To tell you the truth, (Deshmukh) looks like the fair son that (Bachchan) didn't have. (Jaqueline Fernandes) is - in brief - a walking dream.

I envied the movie's makers to have (Bachchan) as the Genie. Who else him can be more magical? I laugh when I read something like "Genius's characterization is inspired by Robin Williams's take on the Genie in (Aladdin - 1992)"!! Genius's characterization is inspired by none other than the Big B. Follow the nice references to his old roles / the classic Indian cinema all along; talking about turning the impossible into possible (Amar Akbar Anthony - 1977), facing the bad guys in climactic fight but not before a song in a masquerade (Naseeb - 1981), The while suit in the party (Namak Halaal - 1982), etc. The movie understands which icon it deals with, being so proud of having him around. And he shows much brisk that can't tell how he was 67 year old. I only hated that his eyes were being covered for 75% of the time, by the cool hat or the white wig's long tufts.

Speaking about hating, many scenes and moments, in the first 2 acts, should have been deleted; Aladin at night demands from the Genie to have love without magic, then a next scene, in the morning, for saying nothing but the same thing!, Genie goes to assure that nobody remembers the first wish's dance by asking the teacher (Why?!), someone asks who's next in audition to know that Aladin is the next while we can understand it easily without that, The Ringmaster makes way over a mountain by outstanding stunt; I believe that fits being a smart introduction for him, or something that he does with one of the first 2 victims, not a totally extra scene that didn't affect anything. Some shots begin with somewhat long and unnecessary walking for the characters or moving camera over the city. Let alone that the movie waits, for more than its half, till the romantic comedy ends to let the hot action unfold. For instance, why The Ringmaster didn't try earlier to kill Aladin more than once?! That could have added some excitement, not delaying the conflict to very late phase.

All of the above did slacken partly the final product. Is it why it ended up as a flop?!! Is it how an original, fancy, lovable movie, with 4 years of working, huge budget, and A-list stars, went wrong?!!! Whatever the reason was; 5 out of 10 in the IMDb is not unfair, it's rather the unfairness!

This is surprisingly top notch and no less. Surprisingly as I used to get "The less" mostly from Bollywood lately. It's more like a festival of bright colors, imagination, and cinema. Despite its pace problems, I can't get enough of it. Therefore it's sad that it had to fail in the box office. But don't bother yourself (Ghosh), we need more wonders from your pocket, because dear.. you're the true "Genius". And this pure moment of happiness that you made will live forever.