Jun 09, 2006 05:27 PM
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That’s exactly what I thought after watching the madness unfold in front of me, this was literally ek ka double, double the laughs, double the situations, yet sometimes double the boredom……
Hey guys and Faraz here after a very long time, (dunno whether you guys would find that a blessing or a curse, but I digress) with a review on a movie which I have a feeling will be a watch shrouded in scrutiny, because come on, who doesn’t love hera pheri? Having said that lets see whether this sequel matches up the original in laugh power…….
Plot:
Lets just suffice it to say that this follows the escapades of Raju (Akshay), Shyam (Sunil) and Baburao (Paresh) after they have got the loot and become rich, and trust me, the less you know the more you will enjoy it.
Pros:
The first and foremost applause should go to director Neeraj Vohra, simply because of the sheer weight of expectations he had on him prior to the release of this film. While the Priyadarshan stamp is there in a few places, I would not say that he has copied him, rather he has executed his scenes well and shows a very good flair for handling excellent comic talents.
The first half is howlariously funny, especially when the investment scheme goes kaput and they start bickering again like old, along with the events that follow. (you will know why I kept this title at the same time as well).
The pacing for the first 7/8th of the film is amazing and works quite well with the flow of the film.
Lastly more or less all the performances work and that contributes a lot to this movie.
Cons:
The biggest flaw in this movie is that at the end in the circus (which was well done yet will be overhyped) the jokes just started falling flat and made you start squirming in your seats, that would be the ony time, in the last 5-10 minutes that you would start looking at your watch.
While the Priyan stamp is evident, in a few places it goes against the film. Although it’s a sequel and there would be similarities, a couple of places were direct rip-offs of the original which just jars, its always better to steer clear in terms of humor from the original, in my opinion. Case in point would b the dhoti scene.
Lastly, if the film was just a little shorter, say by 5 minutes or so, it would make a significant difference, since a couple of scenes post interval and a bit of the climax could be reduced.
Direction:
As I said before, the direction of Neeraj Vohra is a very big plus here, as he shows he is more than capable of the job by handling such a mammoth project first up. The only thing remaining to see is if he carries the Priyan influence in his other projects or not. Overall a commendable job.
Performances:
At the end of the day, the best scripts and dialogs need the right people to deliver them, and the actors, one to all have given it their best and literally make you hold your sides.
Bipasha and Rimmi have lets say a couple of scenes and a song each..
Manoj Joshi, Razzaq Khan, Milind Gunajiand Ravi Kissen are all right….
Sharat Saxena, Rajpal Yadav and Johnny Lever (after a looooooooong time) are actually hilarious and hold one end of the screen up beautifully acting as foils to the heroes. Special mention to the gorilla.
Sunil Shetty: Kill me, but I always thought of Shetty as a very capable actor, maybe because I have seen his films and he has been convincing in more than one department. If any actor has given a marked up performance from the first film, it is him this time around. Last time he was just there but this time he actually does make you laugh with his gestures and reactions. A thoroughly funny and enjoyable performance from him.
Akshay Kumar: I personally believe that if there is one actor in the past 7 years (excluding the greats and they too sometimes have trouble) who is so versatile to pull of a multitude of genres and in those genres can stand up to the great Paresh Rawal and get applause, its this man. Even here, his walk, talk, expressions everything just evokes laughter. He just has to react and you have people rolling. The way Raju and Baburao play off each other is the highpoint of this enterprise. Excellent work by him, even if people may say he is repetitive, but the same people come to watch him and laugh, so great work..
Paresh Rawal: Brilliant. I am one of this genius’ biggest fans. While he is a brilliant actor in any cinematic medium, its hard to find a substitute for him in comedy. Baburao Apte is one of the most iconic comic characters created in Indian cinema and its to his credit that here he pulls it off again without being a caricature or repetition of his former self. Just watch him at the panipuri stall as soon as he realizes about the money scheme. Just one of his awesome scenes. The Hera Pheri series is his domain and I for one am glad for it. Brilliant work, lets hope to see more from him.
Conclusively, I feel that while the pacing and the second half could’ve been marginally better, there are definitely more pros than cons here, what with the acting and most of the film well worth the watch, in the theatre. All I can say is, im up for the next one, lets hope it comes soon….
Rating: 3.5/5
What do you guys think? rrc and Comment to let me know,
Till next time
Have fun
Faraz
