MUMBAI: Films on media are a genre that provides some scope since electronic media has mushroomed and the competition is killing. Rush is one such film. However, the story the makers of Rush have chosen is not new.
Emraan Hashmi is a TV news reporter who is ambitious and wants to make it big but with honesty. That is his self created hurdle and one that costs him his job. He plans to down a couple of drinks before he even starts contemplating his next move. His love life is always in trouble and now this. But, the word spreads fast and even before he can gulp his drink, his phone rings with an offer he can‘t decline.
Hashmi is not given much time to reflect and has to meet up Neha Dhupia immediately. Dhupia represents a TV channel owned by Aditya Pancholi; she is the facilitator and fixer for Pancholi and her offer includes all that Hashmi has dreamt of: a BMW, a multimillion pay packet and a luxurious apartment besides the attraction of heading the crime news channel Pancholi owns. Hashmi‘s job is to be the first to flash all crime news before other channels even reach the scene and for that he is assured the channel has a computer programme that can intercept phone calls of the police control rooms in 44 cities across India! Hashmi thinks this to be unethical but in addition to the lucrative offer, a little sweet talk from Pancholi convinces him to go ahead.
Hashmi has a lover but to create scope for a couple of songs, a little flirting, some real some imaginary, has been planted in the script without dwelling on who is seducing who! Guess what, a picture of Hashmi and Dhupia coo-chi cooing makes it to a newspaper front page too! Since when did newspapers start printing about romance of news reporters? Well, that was just to add some drama between Hashmi and his woman, Sagarika Ghatge.
It is now time to unfold the secret behind the channel‘s lead in reporting crimes before others and the reason behind Hashmi‘s big package. The reason is not simple as Pancholi had explained: a programme that intercepts police calls. It is something very sinister or so it was supposed to be, had the plot been developed properly and dramatically. Hashmi discovers that the channel and its mafia affiliates are the ones who ‘create‘ these news; they commit the crimes and the channels is already present to cover them.
The idea is rather farfetched in an era when all the channels don‘t really succeed or survive because of TRPs; sucking up to politicians or other such lot is enough. And, who cares for petty crime news anymore? To add to the woes, the narration is straight sans excitement and the climax is lame. The film has some good songs. Performances are generally lacklustre. Hashmi is okay. Pancholi does not bother with expressions. Dhupia has little of substance to do. Ghatge has nothing to do.
Rush is utterly forgettable.
