Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Amisha Patel, Jaya Prada, Gulshan Grover
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Rating: **1/2

Sanjay Dutt is the only redeeming feature in "Tathastu", a rip-off of Nick Cassavetes' "John Q". Apart from him, the film has nothing to lure the audience's interest.

As far as Anubhav Sinha's directorial skills are concerned, he had impressed viewers with his last film "Dus" - a stylishly made movie with an ensemble cast, but he disappoints in the desi version of "John Q".

Sinha fails to explore the pain and agony of a helpless father tactfully and as a result "Tathastu" lapses into a clichéd melodrama. Chances of its survival at the ticket windows seem minimal.

Sanjay excels in the role of a father fighting alone against the corrupt system to save his son's life. His reactions to gruelling circumstances he is put through are the high points of the movie.

"Tathastu" is centred on Ravi (Sanjay Dutt) who works in an automobile company. His wife Sarita (Amisha Patel) and eight-year-old son Gaurav (Yash Pathak) are his world.

His life goes upside down when his son collapses while playing cricket. He is diagnosed with a hole in his heart and needs a heart transplant immediately. The doctors ask Ravi to deposit Rs.1.5 million for the surgery.

Ravi first tries to arrange the money in the right way by asking his office, an insurance company, loan sharks... all of them refuse to help him.

While he is running helter-skelter for the money, his son's condition deteriorates. And Ravi realises the time is running out of his hands, so he takes the emergency room of the hospital hostage.

Sanjay's performance is laudable and he proves once again that he is a bankable star.

As for Amisha, it is high time she bid adieu to acting - she doesn't look convincing at all in the role of a mother of a dying son. Jaya Prada, who plays a doctor in the film, is nothing more than filler.

The film succeeds in conveying the social message that doctors are not lifesavers anymore and healthcare is getting beyond a common man's financial reach.