Indian movies

The name Priyadarshan is synonymous with comic fares. It instantaneously conjures up images of several entertaining films he has attempted over the years. Naturally, you expect his new outing MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP to be a joyride as well. Even the promos of the film, beamed round the clock on TV, give an impression that it's a laugh-riot.

Sure, MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP has its share of light moments that make you chuckle, even break into laughter, but it's not a laughathon from start to end. From the interval point onwards, right till the finale, the focus shifts to drama, making the goings-on serious at times.

One factor that goes against the film is its length. The concept is truly novel -- for the Hindi screen at least -- but how one wishes Priyan would've controlled its length. Movies of 2 to 2.15 hours duration are fine, but 2.40 hours [add to it the promos of new films, plus interval makes it a 3-hour outing] is strictly no-no in today's times. Priyan should've brought down the length for sure!

Despite hiccups, MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP has endearing moments that work to its advantage. In a nutshell, it had the potential to rise to the level of GARAM MASALA, BHAGAM BHAG and BHOOL BHULAIYA, but it eventually ends up being an average fare

Janaradhan [Paresh Rawal] has spent his life bringing up his two kids, Chirag [Manoj Joshi] and Gaurav [Akshaye Khanna]. Now when the duo has grown up, Gaurav takes up the responsibility of his father. They both manage the household chores and their business to the best of their abilities. Though he is the younger son, he treats his father like his son. Gaurav shouts, threatens, fights, even locks up his father occasionally so that his prankster-friend Madhav [Om Puri], who is desperate to get married, does not spoil him.

Madhav and Janaradhan, who are always in search of a bride for Madhav, forever land up in trouble and every time Gaurav has to bail them out and face the embarrassment.

Gaurav starts getting prank calls from a girl who turns out to be his old college friend Shikha [Genelia D'Souza]. Shikha is staying with her guardian Anuradha [Shobhana], who happens to be Janardhan's first love.

Gaurav and Shikha notice changes in Janaradhan and Anuradha's behaviors when they come face to face after many years. They come to know about their past. Now Gaurav wants his father to get married to his lost love. Of course, the path is not so smooth, there are obstacles.

MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP begins really well. Om Puri's roving eye, Paresh Rawal's timid nature, Om and Paresh's encounter with lady cop Archana Puransingh -- the sequences are truly very enjoyable. But Genelia's constant calls to Akshaye, though meant to be equally interesting, fall flat; they hardly evoke any mirth.

The twist in the tale -- when Paresh spots Shobhana -- increases your anxiety and you look forward to a gripping tale in the second hour. But it's a mixed bag again. Agreed, people may scoff at the idea of a 60 + man wanting to get married, even though his son [of marriageable age] is a bachelor, but it could've been presented more convincingly. Here, the writer is at fault. The Naseeruddin Shah track in the finale is fine, but his bowing down to Akshaye in a fraction of a minute is difficult to digest.

Directorially, Priyan knows the craft well, no two opinions on that, but he needs to judiciously trim the film by at least 30 minutes for a stronger impact. Vidyasagar's music is a major disappointment. Barring the title track, which runs on the end credits, the other tracks are strictly okay. Piyush Shah's cinematography is excellent and the stunning locales of Kerala act as icing on the cake. Dialogues deserve special mention. Some of the lines are truly well penned. Editing is the weakest link of the enterprise.

Both Akshaye and Paresh live their roles, though there's a possibility that a section of the audience may not really like the son bossing over his father. Acting-wise, Akshaye is, as always, very much with the character, essaying his part with incredible ease. Paresh gets a solid role yet again and he sinks his teeth into it. Again, a job well done!

Genelia looks fresh and pairs off well with Akshaye. She leaves a mark. Om Puri is lovable and a major asset for this movie. Archana Puransingh is excellent. Rajpal Yadav is wasted. Ditto for the powerhouse of talent, Shobhana. She deserved a better deal. Manoj Joshi is fair. Naseeruddin Shah is effective, as always.

On the whole, MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP is enjoyable in parts -- an entertaining first hour, a not-too-entertaining second hour. At the box-office, it's at best an average fare. However, the prospects should improve if the makers trim the film from 2.40 hours to 2.10 hours.

Since almost a decade, Priyadarshan has been specializing in comic capers. Priyan has tickled the funny bone of viewers time and again and in DHOL, the comic scenes override the thrill quotient. The comedy, like always, is targeted at those who appreciate the Priyan brand of humor -- irrational, but funny. The chemistry between the four pivotal characters is tremendous, especially Rajpal Yadav, who's bound to walk away with ceetees and taalis.

Let's look at the other side of the coin! The gangster portions remind one of the 1980s cinema, which has been beaten to death in film after film. These portions are an aberration and the accomplished director should trim them by at least 20 minutes so that the impact created by the comedy track remains intact, not getting diluted in the process.

Yet, in all fairness, DHOL has some hilarious moments to make you beat the dhol once the show has ended!

DHOL revolves around the lives of four friends -- Sam [Tusshar Kapoor], Pakkya [Sharman Joshi], Maru [Rajpal Yadav] and Goti [Kunal Khemu]. The guys are good for nothing with no motivation. But they're bound together by their child-like notoriety and aimlessness.

They all want to make it big in life with the least efforts possible. The four wish to live life on their own terms, leading everyone to nowhere. As a result, each one tries their hand at finding a short cut to success but ends up being in even deeper trouble instead. Things get worse as the four decide to take some desperate measures to end their misery once and for all.

According to them, the only way to get rich without working hard is to get married to a rich girl. Surprisingly, to unlock their fates arrives the rich girl Ritu [Tanushree Dutta] in their neighborhood. All four set out with their individual plans to marry Ritu, but end up discovering a chilling truth.

Inspired by PARDA HAI PARDA, which in turn was a remake of the Malayalam film HARIHAR NAGAR, DHOL has the by-now-famous Priyan stamp on the comic portions. Come to think of it, you expect laughter in generous doses and DHOL doesn't disappoint on that front.

DHOL has several funny moments, but most importantly, they make you laugh as well. The loan sequence at the start [when the four avail of a loan from Tiku Talsania in exchange of gold jewelry], followed by the four pushing Om Puri's car till it falls off a cliff, plus the four spraying water with hose pipes to douse the fire [actually, a havan is taking place inside the mansion] and Murli Sharma enquiring about the dhol from the four are sequences that bring the house down.

On the flip side, the flashback is a big yawn. Plus, Murli Sharma cornering Tanushree and Payal Rohatgi in the mansion is monotonous and only adds to the length. Looks like the editor forgot to use the scissors in those scenes.

Pritam's music is functional. 'Dhol Bajake' is a decent number, while the remaining songs are ordinary. Piyush Shah's cinematography is of standard. Dialogues are funny at times.

The four actors compliment each other very well. But the one who steals the show is Rajpal Yadav, who, with his dumbness, endears himself to the masses completely. He's brilliant! However, that doesn't mean the others are less impressive. Sharman Joshi has always had a great timing for comedy and he proves it yet again in DHOL.

Tusshar looks fresh and gets into the skin of the character skillfully. Kunal Khemu's role is in sharp contrast to his first two films [KALYUG, TRAFFIC SIGNAL] and he proves his versatility by attempting comedy now. Tanushree Dutta's role doesn't have the meat since DHOL is an all-boys show. Nonetheless, she's okay. Payal Rohatgi has a brief role; she's passable.

Om Puri is efficient. Tiku Talsania and Asrani have their moments. Rasika Joshi is in form yet again. She's too good! Farida Dadi [grandmother] does a fine job. Arbaaz Khan is fair. Murli Sharma is good.

On the whole, DHOL is a decent entertainer that has some really funny comic moments. At the box-office, the Priyadarshan brand should ensure impressive footfalls at cineplexes despite the dull period and coupled with its moderate pricing, DHOL should find a place in the director's successful films.

Go, have a laugh!

‘Dhol – Kiska Bajega’ revolves around the lives of four friends – Sam (Tusshar Kapoor), Pakkya (Sharman Joshi), Maru (Rajpal Yadav) and Goti (Kunal Khemu). The guys are good for nothing with no motivation. But they’re bound together by their child-like notoriety and aimlessness. They all want to make it big in life with the least efforts possible. The four wish to live life on their own terms, leading everyone to nowhere. As a result, each one tries their hand at finding a short cut to success but ends up being in even deeper trouble instead. Things get worse as the four decide to take some desperate measures to end their misery once and for all.

According to them, the only way to get rich without working hard is to get married to a rich girl. Surprisingly, to unlock their fates, arrives the rich girl Kanchan (Tanushree Dutta) in their neighborhood. All four set out with their individual plans to marry Kanchan but end up discovering a spine-chilling truth.

This leads to much confusion, creating hilarious twists and turns, along with an element of thrill, crime, murder and suspense.