Apparently, Vishesh Films have got several concept notes made out of the same concept and as per strong directives from the master filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt all the new and upcoming directors in the Bhatt camp must, and are only capable of, tweak the same concept a bit here and there and serve afresh with some or no additional seasoning.

Considering the promotion of the film and the hype some songs had created prior to its release, the plot is perhaps anything but a mystery yet here is a quick rundown as per reviewing protocol. Kunal (Kunal Khemu) and Arzoo (Amrita Puri) get to live their dreams when the husband gets a posh job with a diamond trading company in Cape Town owned and managed by Zaveri (Manish Chaudhuri). Diamond trading is not a neat business but an industry that employs smuggling, terrorism, exploitation, murders and God knows what other crimes are not committed by the players in this game. Kunal gets dragged to making more money and in the process gets distanced from his wife, closer to his colleague (Mia Udeya), fights (literally) and kills (literally) for his survival and eventually after a few hang outs with terrorists, warlords, hit men and the likes, manages to succumb to his realization of guilt and heads for redemption.

As a film, Blood Money is truly Bollywood doing what it does best – churn out disappointing movie watching experiences. I would truly wonder where his Blood Money aimed – at the multiplexes for the urban youth or the single screens in the suburbs and small towns for the semi urban masses. The problem with Blood Money is that it is neither a Rohit Shetty film which goes all out to provide brainless entertainment nor does it manage to become a Jannat. (It would be crime to compare this movie with classics of either category hence these two movies).

The Director Vishal Mahadkar sadly does not manage to impress. We are possibly not looking for anything new but at least the story telling, shots, sequences and the performances of all the actors should be able to speak of a director’s talent and vision. With Blood Money, Vishal Mahadkar would become a name not to be reckoned with.

Nigam Bomzan (DoP) does a good job with capturing Cape Town and present day South Africa but is good with the techniques and does not manage to act as a medium to bring the story to life. Steamy scenes are shot in detail while most other scenes are just plainly shot. Possibly the lack of communication between the director and cinematographer is to blame.

Upendra Sidhye (Writer) has come up with a rather ordinary story with an even more ordinary screenplay. There is no research at all (noticeable from how he goes on with the unraveling of the plot and climaxing) and although the plot takes off well, it runs out of fuel much before the midway mark of the film’s runtime.

Jeet Ganguli (Music Director) impresses with two songs but one of them is so badly placed, it loses all the impact that could be made. Vishesh Films are known to come up with memorable background scores but sadly Blood Money does not boast of such a virtue.

Kunal Khemu had a dream launch with Kalyug and we all have been expecting nice performances from him ever since but he is yet to come up with a movie which would make us sit back and praise or wake up and notice his presence. Amrita Puri charmed us in Aisha (the film did not) but she is possibly in wrong hands with Blood Money or maybe she just isn’t a good enough actor. Manish Chaudhuri and everyone else in the supporting cast are just passable and there is nothing noteworthy.

Blood Money has blood and money in it but do not sweat your blood for the movie nor should you spend your money. Blood Money is inconsistent, clichéd and lackluster. The protagonist is a talented and hard working young man who is determined to make it large in life but quickly succumbs to boss and peer pressure. Seriously, are our values so fickle or the makers of Blood Money are talking about a parallel universe? Apparently, trained terrorists and professional bouncer type men can be easily beaten up by any Indian salesman just because it is a Hindi movie. I wonder if any married man into a job that hardly calls for any physical activity can withstand getting stabbed, hitting the bad men and then running for a few miles to rescue.

After Paan Singh Tomar and Kahaani, the Bollywood ride has again become the getting ready for school race. If you have nothing to do this weekend then play some free games online and save some bucks.