That whole “genie in modern world” idea sounds fun on paper… and for a while, it kind of is. The film goes for style, colorful sets, quirky characters, a bit of fantasy mixed with comedy, but it never really settles into a tone. One moment it’s playful, next it tries emotion, and it just keeps switching. Some visuals stand out, you can see the effort, but the story feels weak, like it’s just there to connect scenes. You keep waiting for it to fully click, and it never does in that way.

From the very first scene I knew this was going one of two ways: Diabolical or passably entertaining - nowhere in between or above the latter. For me, I somehow felt suitably entertained by 'Aladin'. It's not a great film, at all. However, it's in a similar vein to productions like 'The Cat in the Hat' so always divides opinion. If you can find enjoyment, you'll obviously like it but otherwise you'll hate it. I'm under the former. The cast help a lot. Riteish Deshmukh suits the role of Aladin, while Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt are enjoyable as Genius and Jaffar. Despite the title/titular character, it's more so a film that refers to 'Aladdin' rather than a remake/reimagining of the famous folk tale. I liked how they set this up, sure it is dumb but it works in my opinion. I did start getting bored towards the end, so the run time is most definitely too long - 90 minutes, as opposed to 132, would've been ideal. I'd be rating this much lower if not for the likeable cast and the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously; until the end, I guess. I entirely get if you dislike this, but I didn't... quite the opposite to be honest.