Harmless family entertainer
CAST: Anil Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Athiya Shetty, Neha Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Pawan Raj Malhotra, Sanjay Kapoor DIRECTOR: Anees Bazmee
Anees Bazmee appears to be getting his mojo back –his latest family dramedy has what it takes to tickle the funny bone as well keep you entertained throughout it’s rather overlong two hours and thirtysix-minute runtime. And that’s saying a lot for a film that is basically recycling old ideas with the narrow focus of being a clean, all-out entertainer.
There’s nothing refreshing or exciting about this film but the manner in which it’s presented and the contained expressiveness of its cast of actors make it seem much more than another fruitless masala flick. Of course, Bazmee’s directorial vigour must be commended too. He is after all a past master at this game (No Entry, Singh
is King) and has had more than his fair share of Box Office successes.
So, when Kartar Singh’s (Anil Kapoor) younger brother (Sanjay Kapoor) and wife are lost in an accident leaving behind twin baby sons Charan and Karan (Arjun Kapoor in a dual role as grownups) who were intentionally separated at birth by legal guardian Kartar—one given to his older sister Jeeto (Ratna Pathak Shah) and the other to his other brother Baldev (Pawan Raj Malhotra) we can’t help but be intrigued about what Bazmee is going to throw up next.
Both young men do nothing in life but have girlfriends Nafisa (Neha Sharma) a lawyer and Sweety (Ileana D’cruz) an opinionated livewire, respectively. There’s also Binkle (Athiya Shetty) and her brother to even out the numbers. And it’s their conspicuously complicated love life that plays havoc with the relationships central to this drama.
As stories go there’s little to recommend it but Bazmee weaves his own magic to lend a feathery lightness and affectation to the contrivances. The drama remains silly and unsupportable but Bazmee is unapologetic about it. He pulls out every twist in the book to make it all seem too complicated and knotty eventually easing it all out towards the climax where the two warring siblings are forced to come together, shed their egos to make their foster sons lives a happily ever after.
The background score attempts to drum up some excitement all its own but fails, the song and dance (Hawa
Hawa, Goggle) are peppy and enjoyable and the performers in this relationship circusincluding the irrepressible Anil Kapoor, the ever remarkable Ratna Pathak Shah, the superbly poised Pawan Raj Malhotra and the earthily fluid expressionist Arjun Kapoor make this fluffy concoction worth a dekho!