The Hindu : New Delhi News : A mix of Indian values and street humour

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Sunday, Nov 12, 2006
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New Delhi

New Delhi

A mix of Indian values and street humour

ZIYA US SALAM

VIVAH

(At PVR Plaza and other Delhi theatres)

Sooraj Barjatya adds value to nostalgia with this film based on the time-tested principle of arranged marriages. He picks up a scene from good "Maine Pyar Kiya", dusts off a couple from "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", then shows us a mirror to our very personal moments: time when life was young; and that faithful companion of many years then was a part of your life, yet not quite. Time when you secretly combed your hair one more time, straightening any imagined stray locks as you took the staircase to her house, and she secretly peeped from behind the curtain of the window.

This film packs all those moments one more time, making sure that the passion does not fade, the feelings never lose that throb, and the heart longs one more time for that retrospective joy.

With a single-sentence story line of a boy and girl getting married through an arranged family match, this film is a walk down the straight path. Hardly any steep curves or nerve-jangling turns until a melodramatic climax. There are moments when it is as beautiful as an innocent dream, and as touching. In others, it is a reality check: every time you smile does not mean you are happy, just as every time you shed a tear does not mean you are sad. Around these moments, delectable and delightful, is woven a simple tale of a guy and girl who have never seen each other, never spoken to each other, getting ready to exchange vows of living together till the last breath! It is all so loveable, so gently enthusing. All until the film turns a tearjerker at the end.

There is still-so-innocent Shahid Kapoor as the guy with angels for family members. There is Amrita Rao, now having lost her untouched ways, who has an angel for an uncle, and a half-shrew for an aunt: again a time-worn method of presenting a tale, right from the time Cinderella walked into our collective imagination.

Talking of time-tested ways, Sooraj takes recourse to plenty here: the film opens with the posters of his old favourite Salman Khan, plastered all over Madhopur. His hero is called Prem too. If it is not enough to make it seem like yesterday, he brings in the reliable Alok Nath as the long suffering yet benign uncle of the heroine. And just when you thought he was through with his old weaknesses, up spring Manoj Joshi and Mohnish Behl! Also there is Ravindra Jain with his familiar tunes. All that is missing is the dog, and the pigeon of Sooraj Barjatya films!

However, all these choices do not erode the core values of the film: like ever, this Rajshri film is steeped in the fast vanishing Indian values of faith, dignity, joint family bonds and all that passes for reverence.

The hero sings praises of his elder brother and bhabhi, the heroine loves her cousin like her real sister, and is fondly tolerant of the errant ways of her evil aunt. She sings bhajans, too. Back that up with Anupam Kher's young-at-heart millionaire father of the hero, and Nath's servile act as the girl's father, and you have the picture of all stereotypes ready. Not to forget Seema Biswas walking down Lalita Pawar lane.

But hold on, this film works despite the clichés. The momentum comes from the narration.

Almost each moment is predictable yet joyous. And as love develops between the young, consenting adults, it is a better replacement for inter-changing praises one sees on college romances. Nothing rowdy, nothing raucous; all so sweet. Go for "Vivah". It is a choice you are unlikely to regret.

APNA SAPNA

MONEY MONEY

(At Delite and other Delhi theatres)

Sangeeth Sivan gave us "Kya Kool Hai Hum" some time back. The critics sneered, the masses cheered, and he smiled all the way to the bank. He seems destined to repeat history. This is a film straight from the same mould, just a toning down of the double entendres and an addition of the oomph element: you don't take Celina Jaitley, Koena Mitra and Riya Sen with a collective zero acting ability for any other reason. And the girls oblige, each one of them more than accommodating of the demands of situations.

If Celina bares and dances with abandon, Koena is cool with double-meaning things, and Riya plays the dumb belle. What that translates into in mediocre Hindi cinema is common knowledge.

Yet the masses get their money's worth with many a rib-tickler and a few baser jokes in this con game. We have Mukta Art's old favourite Jackie Shroff after diamonds worth Rs.50 crores. How that money lands in Celina's bag, then in Koena and Ritiesh Deshmukh's hands and shoes is better left unexplained. Among them all is a completely confused Shreyas Talpade in his first attempt at going mainstream, and Sunil Shetty in his familiar cop act.

Don't go looking for subtleties. Care not for the story too much. Turn a deaf ear to some not-so-clean dialogues. And leave your grandma's morals in the closet. Then "Apna Sapna Money Money" can be enjoyed. It has a relentless momentum, some good jokes and zero intellectual pretensions. Lowbrow fare served in street fashion.

DEADLINE

(At Spice PVR, Noida; and Delhi theatres)

This is an actors' film. Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sensharma, Sandhya Mridul, every one of them delivers a performance that is more than just efficient. However, cinema is a director's medium. No matter how big a star, how good the actor, it is the director's methodology that counts.

Here Tanveer Khan is clearly a yard behind his cast. The actors, all professional, and reasonably experienced, deliver their lines with aplomb, portray the right emotions in this kidnap drama where a doctor's child is kidnapped and the family given 24 hours to arrange for the ransom money.

If Konkona is suitably scared and helpless at trying to save her girl, Irrfan as the kidnapper marries subtlety to his craft. His trademark deadpan humour comes in handy. And Sandhya, who gets the least lines, does her bit with her eyes, her facial expressions as she enjoys being a sadist accomplice of the kidnappers. But there is only as much the actors can do.

The script lacks any element of suspense, the director is not able to instil a punch to the proceedings. The narrative is predictable. And the film's background score is not sufficiently eerie. And the look is too slick to give the right fright.

In short, "Deadline" ends up as a film that is watchable because of its actors, nothing more, nothing less. More is the pity!

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