NEW DELHIL: The much-awaited short film Carbon, starring Jackky Bhagnani and Prachi Desai, in the lead roles released on Monday. Helmed by Maitreyi Bajpai and Ramiz Ilham Khan, the film also has Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a cameo. Set in a dystopian 2067 world, Carbon tackles the issues of environmental pollution and increasing carbon footprint.
While water is a long bygone dream, oxygen is a trillion-dollar industry in the future. Random Shukla (Jackky), who lives in the pollution capital New Delhi, has an artificial heart and smuggles illegal oxygen. Prachi Desai is a robot named Pari, who is supposedly more humane because she doesn’t know she is a robot. Meanwhile, Nawazuddin, a contract killer, poses as an NRI from Mars. The plot may sound interesting, but sadly the unrelatable characters and dull dialogue delivery play spoilsport. Even if the first 15 minutes are bearable and support the plotline, it still is a failed attempt.
Also, the presence of Nawazuddin Siddiqui offers little respite to the viewers. The face-off between him and Jackky with their guns pointing at each other increases our expectations’ but only for an anti-climax. His exit is as quiet as his entry. Apart from this, there is also a side story of a budding romance between Pari and Random.
We could say that the only saving grace is Yashpal Sharma who convincingly plays an oxygen smuggler in Carbon. Carbon is produced by Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh and Gautam Gupta.