Shivaay

Devgn has clearly put time and effort into his direction, but appears to have put less into his performance. Neither makes the grade. And let's face it, there can only be one Liam Neeson.

Welcome to the Ajay Devgn brand of stylish cinema. The kind that looks modish but sports a terribly archaic, outdated heart.

Shivaay personifies all that's wrong with commercial cinema across the globe. And then some more.

With crisper editing and less melodrama, Shivaay could've been the best of the year. But the 'more is less' approach just doesn't work out.

The ingredients are there, but loose ends restrict Shivaay from becoming a smooth ride.

Laced with visual excellence, you applaud his film's larger than life canvas but despite the efforts, [Ajay Devgn's] second directorial venture fails to engage you emotionally.

Like the snow-covered mountains that form a backdrop to much of Shivaay, the film may have been meant to inspire awe, but the end result leaves you stone cold.

Ajay Devgn -- the Bollywood actor with the permanently hangdog expression -- directs and stars in Shivaay, a torturously long action drama, in which he plays a violent, sexist mountaineer who makes bad decisions.

The action is nasty and efficiently choreographed, but Shivaay does not have the power of Taken.