Shortkut - The Con Is On (2009)

After his script is plagiarized, and he is forced to marry, an unemployed movie writer self-destructs.

Director:

Neeraj Vora

Writers:

Anees Bazmee (story and screenplay), Neeraj Vora (dialogue)

Stars:

Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Amrita Rao

Cast

Credited cast:
Anil Kapoor	...	Himself
Sanjay Dutt	...	Himself
Amrita Rao	...	Mansi
Arshad Warsi	...	Rajesh 'Raju' 'King Kumar' Kumar
Akshaye Khanna	...	Shekhar Giriraj
Chunky Pandey	...	Guru Kapoor
Amita Nangia	...	Gayetri's mom
Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla	...	Himself
Neeraj Vora	...	Himself
Simi Garewal
Creighton Mark Johnson	...	Arresting Officer
Mushtaq Khan	...	Gayetri's dad
Tiku Talsania	...	Tolani
Ali Asghar	...	Vikram
Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla	...	Himself

Storyline

Bollywood's assistant director and aspiring writer, Shekhar Giriraj, permits a friend, Rajesh Kumar, to move in with him in his Chawl room, after the later is fired by Film Director, Ghosh. Shortly thereafter Shekhar quits his job, writes a movie script, and accepts an advance from V.C. Chhadha. He starts recruiting staff for this project, but finds his life shattered when his work is plagiarized by Rajesh; his sweetheart, Mansi, a reigning Bollywood actress, leaves her abusive and demanding family, and publicly declares that she will be moving in with him. Unemployed, forced to marry Mansi, he becomes neglectful, alcoholic, and goes on a road of self-destruction, compelling Mansi to leave him.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

10 July 2009 (India)

Also Known As:

Short Kut: The Con Is On

Filming Locations:

Phuket, Thailand

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£80,488 (UK) (10 July 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Indian Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Amrita Rao replaced Lara Dutta. Lara did not want to act opposite Arshad so she opted out.

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Soundtracks

Kal Nau Baje Tum Chand Dekhna
Written by Javed Akhtar
Composed by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa
Performed by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik
Courtesy of Tips Cassettes & Records Co.

User Reviews

This is a boring movie

Shortkut starring Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao is not what I'd call a bad film. But it is, most certainly a pointless one. It's got a standard storyline and no surprises in its telling. Akshaye Khanna plays an assistant director in the Mumbai film industry who's just finished writing a script he wants to direct himself. His struggling actor roommate, Arshad Warsi steals the script and hands it over to a producer who promptly agrees to make the film and to cast Arshad in the lead. So while Akshaye's dreams of becoming a successful filmmaker are shattered, Arshad turns into an overnight superstar. Over the course of two hours and fifteen minutes, director Neeraj Vora drives home the point that there are no shortcuts in life, only sincerity and hard work ultimately pays. Problem is, the film's so lifeless and boring, you find yourself searching for a shortcut in the cinema that could instantly take you back to the comfort of your home. Remember, this is Neeraj Vora, the dialogue-writer of so many Priyadarshan remakes including Hera Pheri, and yet the comedy in Shortkut is so juvenile, you struggle for a half-decent belly laugh. Before you know it though, this film turns into emotional rona dhona, when domestic differences plague Akshaye and his movie-star wife, played by Amrita Rao. Unable to find its groove in either comedy or drama, this film lumbers along unsteadily with a screenplay that lacks direction. And saddled with such uninspiring material, neither of the actors can muster up anything that even remotely resembles a performance. Shortkut isn't the kind of film that makes you angry. It just leaves you very bored.Director Neeraj Vora's Shortkut is a long, tiresome journey to nowhere.