A poster of Force at Mona theatre in Patna on Friday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Sept. 30: John Abraham has joined the likes of Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgn to beat up the baddies in his latest flick, Force. However, like many action films that fail to connect with the audience, Force, too, missed the mark.

Portraying the role of Yashvardhan, a narcotics bureau officer, John is back to the silver screen in a central role after a year. But a weak storyline and Durga Puja have kept away the crowds at Mona and Cinepolis, with eight shows between them. A remake of the Tamil hit, Kaakha Kaakha, John is seen flexing his toned muscles but the audience is hardly interested.

A film buff at Cinepolis, Mrinal Kumar, said: “Beating goons and throwing them up in the air does not make a hit film. It should have a strong script and a message but there is nothing new in Force. This film reminded me of Abhishek Bachchan’s Dum Maaro Dum with John’s role of a cop who wants to bust the drug racket. There is nothing new in the film.”

Genelia D’Souza, known for her girl-next-door factor, also failed to bring in her loyalists to cinemas. “She has focused more on bold scenes, a far cry from her cute role in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. I also didn’t understand how she fits in the film,” said Meenakshi Sharma outside Mona.

Director Nishikant Kamat’s trend of incorporating real elements, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks this time, also found no takers.