Bads Of Bollywood: Ajnabee, A Thriller That Thrilled No One

Released in 2001, Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu's Ajnabee was pitched as a slick thriller with twists, turns, glamour, and star power. What audiences got, however, was a full-blown

cringe-fest that hasn’t aged well. The film follows Raj (Bobby) and Priya (Kareena) as they befriend neighbours Vicky (Akshay) and Sonia (Bipasha) in Switzerland. What starts as fun camaraderie soon turns bizarre when Vicky proposes a wife-swapping arrangement (yes, read that again). This sets off a chain of lies, betrayals, and murder plots.To see why this thriller goes off the rails, let’s rewind to the very first scene. A nervous Priya visits a mandir, dargah, and church to pray for her results, only to be shocked when she notices she’s being followed by a guy, our dashing Raj. Obviously, it’s a “coincidence”: he’s at the exact same places praying for a job as a polo coach. The coincidences don’t stop there. Priya’s father, played by Dalip Tahil, is an ex-army man and head of the polo club. When Priya steals Raj’s umbrella, he follows her home, only to be met with her furious father and his rifle. But, after what feels like 187273281 laughs later, the father realises that Raj is actually his long-lost friend’s son. Yep, yet another coincidence.Raj and Priya (no prices for guessing) fall in love at first sight. But they’re in no rush to actually court each other. The couple, who can’t even figure out which juice the other prefers, is suddenly ready to get married. The proposal (if it can be called one) is riddled with absurdities: an intruding waiter poking his nose, an over-dramatic Priya torn between orange and mosambi juice, and our ever-simp Raj. Without discussing likes, dislikes, future goals, or even basic compatibility, they decide to head straight to the mandap and then off to Switzerland because, as the film puts it, “waha sabki pasand mix ho jaati hai.” For those curious, the couple’s first order? Ganga Jamuna, naturally.A few more visually unappealing and awkwardly choreographed songs later, Raj and Priya encounter the Indian residents of a Swiss colony, including Johnny Lever’s Banu Pradhan, Champa, Vina, and Lakhan Pal. These two jodis only add to the chaos and cringe. Johnny, usually known for his comic timing, sticks to tired, stereotypical jokes about wives and India that never land. His bromance with LP makes things even more unbearable. The wives, reduced to mere props, are neither funny nor entertaining.Then enters Akshay's Vicky, a wife-swapping paglu whose master plan involves killing Sonia for life insurance money. In the process, he loses not just friends but also his sanity, as the plot spirals into utter madness. Bobby remains painfully awkward to watch, with his perpetually confused expressions doing little to sell the tension. Kareena delivers lines at maximum decibel levels with exaggerated expressions that feel unintentionally comic and make one forget Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. Bipasha, attempting to bring sultry allure, often comes off as unintentionally eerie instead of seductive. Imagine a pishachini living alone in a beautiful house between the Swiss mountains.Kareena and Bipasha’s alleged catfight has always overshadowed Ajnabee, but onscreen, the two end up looking less like rivals and more like sister-wives mourning their husbands’ broken bromance.What happens next is predictable and unbearable to watch. Vicky frames Raj in Sonia's murder and tries to elope to Singapore. But with the help of a detective and wife Priya, they try to unmask the truth. A high-octane action sequence, where expressions hit harder than punches and dialogues make more noise than gunshots, builds up to a climax that’s more exhausting than exciting or entertaining. Sonia, both the fake and the real, ends up dead, sending Akshay’s character spiralling into madness. One cringe-worthy sequence has Bobby trying to guess the password to Akshay’s bank account. And hold your breath, it’s ‘Nothing is planned.’ Just like the film's climax, it seems. As if that wasn't enough, another scene shows an injured Bobby, shot in the shoulder while saving his wife from Vicky, in all its melodramatic glory.Despite all this and more, Ajnabee was a moderate box office success and is often credited with reviving Akshay's then-faltering career. But it seems this was the reason Akshay sidelined thrillers and took the path to becoming Bollywood’s go-to actor for comedies before his eventual pivot to social dramas. However, looking back, one can’t help but wish he had reconsidered this messy thriller instead of embracing it. Ajnabee may have delivered chartbuster songs and a so-called “twist ending,” but two decades later, it’s mostly remembered for the wrong reasons: overacting, awkward writing, and unintentional comedy. The only saving graces of this Bollywood misfire are its chart-topping music and the unforgettable fashion statements. While Lord Bobby of The Ba***ds of Bollywood feels this Abbas-Mustan film was ahead of its time, we think it's a worthy contender for our Bads of Bollywood list for how bad it is.