From what I could tell from watching the promos, it didn’t really seem like the new A Gentleman, directed by Raj and DK, had very much going for it. For one, the film stars Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez, who—though both easy on the eyes—are not exactly known for their acting prowess. And the whole premise of a desi James Bond-type held limited appeal for me, overdone and outdated as the concept has begun to feel of late. Naturally then, my expectations were pretty low going into the film.

Which turned out to be a good call. Because, in many ways, A Gentleman is, for the most part, exactly the sort of vacuous, style-over-substance, derivative spy-adventure that I’d braced myself for, bogged down by leads that are just as leaden as I’d feared. So, no surprises there. But preempting its flaws also allowed me to enjoy the moments where it does veer out of the box to pull a couple of fun, original punches, a glimpse of what the film could’ve been if the director duo behind such off-beat projects as 2011’s Shor in the City and 2013’s Go Goa Gone had not capitulated quite so obviously to the commercial pressures of big-budget filmmaking.

If there’s a right track, Gaurav (Malhotra) seems to be speeding along on it. We’re told that the young professional has just bought a house in Miami, something he’s long wanted and worked for, and he also has a new ride—a more accommodating, family-friendly minivan that has replaced his old sports car. You might start to see a pattern emerging here: this is a guy who wants to settle down. And there’s no one he’d like to do that with more than co-worker and close friend Kavya (Fernandez). But even if she cares for him a great deal, Kavya, on her part, happens to find Gaurav rather dull—too safe, too predictable—to consider getting romantically involved with. 

Little does she know, however, that Gaurav had once led a completely different life, on the other end of the spectrum, as Rishi. An undercover agent in an elite force within the National Security Council, Rishi and his fellow Unit X assassins had taken on countless high-risk missions around the world under the command of their leader, the Colonel (Sunil Shetty), their lives perpetually on the line. When he’d finally had enough of this sort of running around—particularly when the reliability of the orders given by the Colonel had begun to seem to him a touch questionable—Rishi had decided to quit. The Colonel, however, was not about to let him off the hook quite so quickly, and his retaliatory moves had forced Rishi to change identities and escape to the States. But even here, even now, the newly-christened Gaurav is not entirely out of danger: his past is about to come knocking on his door, and he better hope there’s enough of Rishi left in him to make it through whatever awaits him.

A Gentleman is good-looking, and I’m not just talking about the stars. The film has a crisp, savvy visual style, making the most of the many locations the story flits around. And there is the occasional spark of wit: Raj and DK have always been keenly cognizant of the realities of Indians abroad—albeit a small section of the same—and they’re at their best when examining these specific diasporic dilemmas and concerns.  An example would be the scenes with Kavya’s visiting parents (played to great effect by Supriya Pilgaonkar and Rajit Kapur) who are immediately sold on Gaurav’s prospects as son-in-law, much to Kavya’s disdain. And there are other fun moments, like pretty much anytime Amit Mistry’s delightfully delusional gangster shows up on screen with his scrawny squad.

But such highs are few, and far too sparse to make up for the rest of the film, which is the same kind of bland, over-familiar affair—much like Gaurav’s character, actually—where it’s difficult to really care about all that’s going on or anyone in it. Even the action scenes, which should, by all means, have been the highlight of a film like this, are repetitive, and the stakes don’t really come through despite all the stylish flourishes. And although it does feel at times that Raj and DK, who also wrote the screenplay, are attempting a parody of spy movies in general, the effort is paltry at best—they don’t appear to have the kind of deep, discerning affection for the genre that is essential for a good send-up. With the result that A Gentleman is largely the sum of a number of spy tropes, without the necessary self-awareness to bring it all together in a palatable whole. 

This is unfortunate because Raj and DK have a very unique voice, as we’ve seen in their previous exertions—not counting, of course, the Saif Ali Khan-starrer Happy Ending, that overly-smug shambles of a story—which might not always have earned them box-office or critical accolades, but at least separated them from the pack. But this new film places them firmly among all the other Indian directors who are churning out generic action flicks by the dozen.

Then there’s the casting issue. Malhotra is just not good enough a performer to carry an entire film on his own (admittedly broad and well-sculpted) shoulders, and the struggle is visible. His biggest failing is in the inability to clearly switch between the personas of Gaurav and Rishi—between sexy-dangerous and puppy-dog sweet—he’s pretty much the same in either avatar, so that the whole ‘double-life’ conceit is rendered rather insipid. And Fernandez does him no favours, reverting to the usual comically exaggerated histrionics and constant eye-rolling that comprise her repertoire, no more subtle than a blinged-out hammer. The two are easily outshone by bit actors, which includes Darshan Kumar (in a rather one-tone role) and Hussain Dalal, among others. 

So, if you’re planning to see A Gentleman—or are being dragged to it against your will—remember to follow my lead and keep expectations to a minimum. It’s the only way to get through it.