The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : More like `Hello Punjab'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 24, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

More like `Hello Punjab'

EASY WATCH: Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar in `Namastey London'.

Namastey London (Hindi)

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif

Director: Vipul Shah

Here comes a Hindi film in Punjabi, a film that is supposed to be laced with all elements of the culture of the land. We have the mandatory bhangra sequence, women in heaps of jewellery, men with muscles and the mandatory talk of push-ups. Then there is doodh, dahi and makhan. Along the way it does a lot of damage to Punjabiyat. Thriving on stereotypes, the film caters to Punjabis in India and those in the U.K., who earn in pounds and think of doodh-lassi.

Of course, it reduces Punjabis to a homogenous community with little space for any extra strand, leave alone contra-culture. However, that is a thought which won't even strike director Vipul Shah who would probably laugh all the way to the bank with this concoction of undying love and the unparalleled supremacy of Indian culture.

He has a heroine, Katrina Kaif, a sweet non-actress, replete with all the perceived ills of the girls born and brought up in the U.K. So, she drinks vodka, wears minis, dances in discotheques, quarrels with parents. And wants to run away from any mention of an arranged marriage with an Indian guy! However, this is where Shah is saved by Katrina. Nobody will ever turn up to see her emoting skills. But Katrina will forever be a cool breeze. She will find her way. She is the heart, body and poetry of this film that is deliberately loud.

The NRI match

At the core is the love story of Akshay Kumar, a Punjabi boy from India. He finds his match in the visiting NRI girl, Katrina, who has other priorities. How she realises his goodness, her mistakes and the uplifting Indian culture makes the storyline that gets momentum due to some witty, and some corny one-liners. Some are natural, others forced into the story to bring in the moolah.

The destination is known from the time you purchase the ticket. It is the journey many will find exhilarating. The connoisseurs though might just squirm their way through.

ZIYA US SALAM

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