Film Review: The Xpose attempts to say too many things at a time

Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Irrfan Khan, Sonali Raut, Zoya Afroz, Honey Singh

Director: Ananth Mahadevan

Rating:**

What's it about: 
Set in the 60's The Xpose is an over the top glamorous whodunnit about the mysterious death of an actress. Zara (Sonali Raut) and Chandni (Zoya Afroz) are rival actresses, a sudden death under mysterious circumstances  snowballs into an investigation with Himesh playing the lead role of Ravi Kumar who is a self appointed detective cum actor. Mahadevan has succeeded in creating the right atmosphere and look for that era, with set designs lifted from the opulent The Great Gatsby. With more characters than a telly show episode, The Xpose attempts to do many things at the same time. Unfortunately the effort is cluttered and disjointed.

What's hot: 
Production values are good and attention to detail has been paid to make everything look larger than life and ultra glam. There are several references to real life actresses and their rivalry from that era. Most of the spice in the story comes form catty lines, or so called behind the scene gossip from the film world. While the suspense isn't exactly Hitchcock level, there are some moments that capture your attention. Himesh has definitely paid a lot of attention to the way he's transformed and reinvented himself in The Xpose. It's not just his weight loss, but there's a certain amount of confidence he's acquired thats commendable. Zoya and Sonali make a decent debut and manage to play their roles convincingly. Irrfan's narration brings a certain credibility to the project.

What's not:
Editing is a major flaw as some scenes jump out of nowhere. The ensemble looks attractive, but performances are average. After the initial build up the dialogues start losing their sheen and effect. Even the most subdued emotions are conveyed in an over the top manner. Music should have been the forte, but none of the tracks manage to stay with you after the credits start rolling. Even though there are a dozen odd supporting characters, the film looks like a vehicle to showcase Himesh in a new avatar. The camera refuses to leave his side in most of the  frames. Honey Singh should stick to rapping and not try to act. He's a total miscast and ends up looking as a cheap caricature of himself.

What to do:
Unable to stay true to its genre, The Expose ends up being Himesh's attempt at having another shot of being an actor, an effort that falters right from the start.about playing up that card.