8 x 10 Tasveer (2009)

A forest ranger with the ability to visit the past by looking at photographs attempts to solve the mystery behind his father's sudden death.

Director:

Nagesh Kukunoor

Writers:

Bohemia (lyrics), Nagesh Kukunoor

Stars:

Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Takia, Javed Jaffrey

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Akshay Kumar	...	Jai J. Puri / Jeet J. Puri
Ayesha Takia	...	Sheila Patel (as Ayesha Takia Azmi)
Javed Jaffrey	...	Habibullah 'Happi' Pasha (as Jaaved Jaaferi)
Girish Karnad	...	Advocate Anil Sharma
Ananth Narayan Mahadevan	...	Sundar Puri (as Anant Mahadevan)
Benjamin Gilani	...	Jatin Puri
John Sampson	...	Banff Ranger John
Rushad Rana	...	Adit
Sharmila Tagore	...	Savitri
Uttara Baokar	...	Bibiji
Pia Shah	...	Sally Kohli
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Smita Hai	...	Sonya
Wendy Lumby	...	Restaurant Patron
Fran McKay	...	Emily
Caryn Pitcher	...	Ranger Cathy

Storyline

8 X 10 revolves around Jai, a man who has the power to see into the past. He uses this power to help people even though using it nearly kills him every time. When his father, Jatin, dies in a mysterious boating accident, Jai's suspicion is aroused by the appearance of an oddball detective, Happi. The only article that can help him in his investigation is an 8 X 10 photograph taken just minutes before the accident by his mother Savitri that shows Jatin surrounded by his best friend and lawyer, Anil, his adopted son, Adit and younger brother, Sundar. Jai decides to use this photograph to go into the past to unravel the mystery surrounding Jatin's death. As he discovers clues he realizes that his father was actually murdered and that everyone on the boat had a motive. Now on a mission to unmask the killer, he undertakes the dangerous journey of visiting the past repeatedly. A cat and mouse game ensues, with the killer outwitting Jai at every turn. As the bodies pile up and time begins to...

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Plot Keywords:

photograph | twin brother | villain played by lead actor | tragic villain | blood transfusion | 

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Taglines:

This summer.... Excitement begins

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Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Akshay Kumar played a double role and a negative role after many years.

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Quotes

Habibullah Pasha 'Happi': I am 'Happi' with an i.

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Crazy Credits

The film begins with a video on the 25 years anniversary of the film's production company, Percept Pictures Company.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD release omits the intermission card.

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Soundtracks

Nazaara Hai
Written by Irfan Siddiqui
Composed by Salim Merchant and Salim Merchant
Performed by Vishal Dadlani
Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

User Reviews

Quite a respectable whodunit/thriller (don't be guided by the cover description)

This is set in Canada where Akshay Kumar plays a Park Ranger. It seems he has a small psychic ability among his skills. On occasion he can gaze into a photo and drop into trance briefly where he is able to see what happened about the time the photo was taken. He doesn't do this often as it taxes him physically. His father drowns apparently from a heart attack but a former policeman who knew the father believes it was murder. A photo has been taken just prior to the drowning. The Akshay character then goes into the photo a number of times seeking the perspective of each person in the photo at the time. I hadn't been sure about getting it. The cover photo is very dark and references to it make it sound quite violent. Actually we found it was no more troubling than an episode of 'Midsommer Murders'. In fact there are a few more murders after Dad goes down but they are circumspect and not graphic. The description on the back of the DVD didn't even seemed to match the plot of the movie: almost like we'd got a heavily edited version or different one. The emphasis was on the supernatural but really a bit of going into a photo is pretty minor 'supernatural". It says he can touch the past of dead people by touching something belonging to them BUT THAT WASN'T IN THE MOVIE- all he could do was the photo-trance thing! (this wasn't the only inconsistency) The Indian reviewers found the movie left a few questions, and described the revelation of who had done it as 'shocking". We agreed with that we queried some of the plot at the end but not enough to ruin it by any means. Nor were we at all shocked by the revelation of the killer. It isn't a song & dance Bollywood nor is it art-house. The music is in the background. Canada looked picturesque and the plot unfolded at a good pace. Akshay Kumar did a fine job with the character (and we wish he'd skip comedy and stick with straighter movies.) They flirted for a moment with adding a silly side to the former policeman that wasn't necessary but otherwise everyone acted well. This is a movie that didn't do well in India and has received mixed responses) perhaps because it is more Western) but was quite a watchable and respectable thriller/whodunit. There is suspense but it isn't scary, dark or violent.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

3 April 2009 (India)

Also Known As:

Eight by Ten

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

INR35,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,036,837

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sahara One Motion Pictures, Mirah Entertainment, Percept Picture Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 117 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1