The film's title refers to a fictional country besieged by conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims, who each occupy one half of the land. Religious leaders of both parts are friendly, however, and plan to spread their message of peace at the World Religions Conference in Poland.
However, the motivations and the change in the characters are too
simplistic to make you feel for them. There is no dialogue between the
moderates and extremists in Bangistan. Once the film introduces us to
the central conceit, you always know where it is headed. It seems the
writers are running away from conflict and are busy ticking boxes. From Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver,
Karan nods at various classics to generate humour but the results
remain tepid. And when the climax is reduced to a preachy session, one
clutches the arm rest and looks for divine help!
Riteish is once again earnest but underutilised. Pulkit shows flashes of
brilliance when he copies Salman Khan in the opening sequence but after
that he becomes a one note character.
The reliable Kumud Mishra and Chandan Roy are reduced to caricatures and
Jacqueline Fernandez appears in a thankless one-song-four-scene kind of
appearance. But ultimately it is not about performances, it is the
uneven writing and ham-fisted treatment that lets this potent idea down.
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