‘Blood money’ comes with a similar title to that classic Leonardo Di Caprio movie ‘Blood Diamond’. Both the movies deal with the shady side of the diamond trade and both the movies are set in Africa. The similarities end at that. While the LDC movie was a unanimous classic, the current pretender has nothing special going for it.

This Mahesh Bhatt offering was earlier titled ‘Jannat 2’. The movie has a very similar treatment to the earlier ‘Jannat’. That may be the idea behind the film’s title. FYI, Emraan Hashmi will be coming up with his own ‘Jannat 2’ in a few weeks from now.

‘Blood Money’ is about a young Indian Kunal who comes to Cape Town with his pretty wife Arzoo. He wishes to pursue his dreams and wants to make it big in life. He lands up in a company called Trinity Diamonds, run by a pair of Gujarati brothers. It is obvious that things are not as rosy as they appear to be. The wife has doubts from Day 1. But Kunal is drowned in the embarrassment of riches and even lets himself to be consumed by his superhot colleague Rosa. Slowly, his conscience starts questioning him as Kunal comes to know of the real truth behind his company. His marriage is on the rocks too as Arzoo is increasingly frustrated by the loneliness and neglect.

We have a small episode where they have tried to create a ‘Blood Diamond’ effect to show the exact dealings of Trinity Diamonds. Finally, before it’s too late and after a final kick to his conscience, Kunal jumps to action and decides to put an end to his owners’ reign.

His final moves aren’t very smart. Some people in the audience were laughing. Whether they were entertained by Kunal’s so-called smart moves filled with brawn or whether they were finding his moves stupid, is open to debate.

On the performance side, Kunal Khemu is a real talent. This youngster has the stuff to make it big. He is a total package, save his pretty girlish voice. Amrita Puri is too girl-next-doorish to be promoted to the lead heroine’s slot. She is bubbly, cute and adequate in emoting though. The bosses at the company cave in pretty meekly. The African locales make the movie watching experience pretty scenic and bright. The songs are another plus point.

The single screen audiences might like this one while the multiplexes might keep this one for a couple of weeks, at best. The pretty graphic and explicit love making scene will titillate quite a few in the audience.

On the whole, the Jannat hangover, the predictable nature of the movie and the lack of face value in the star-cast make this one a strictly average affair.

Verdict: Nothing special to rave about.