The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : This EMI is bearable

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Saturday, Nov 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

This EMI is bearable

Film: E.M.I (Hindi)

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Urmila Matondkar

Direction: Saurabh Kabra

New story, good script, skilled actors, fine acting, some melodious music, few captivating lyrics, some glamour, some skin, comedy and love – and yet something seems missing throughout. Like a sumptuous dish minus proper salt! The story introduces four characters taking loan in different circumstances.

There is a DJ (Arjun Rampal) who wants money to pay his girlfriends’ expenses, a working class couple (Ashish Choudhry and Neha Oberoi) who want it to pay for car, house and honeymoon trip, a retired father (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) for his son’s higher education and the widower (Urmila Matondkar) of a rich man to pay a ‘bhai’ to prove her husband’s suicide as murder!

The film begins lazily with Arjun Rampal in the first frame to rub salts on your wounds. One really thinks when would he be out of the skin of a model on the ramp? As Rayan, a broke DJ who lives on loans from the credit card, Arjun is also seen dancing perfect steps for a welcome change – but minus expressions. Thanks to Balaji films and producer Suniel Shetty for choosing Sanjay Dutt as Sattar Bhai a money recovering agent who manages the whole film on his shoulders.

What would have director Saurabh Kabra done without him? Beginning as a hardcore muscle user for recovering bank’s money, he takes up Gandhigiri of sorts to recover the money. We feel as if we are watching Mussaddilal of SAB TV as the characters are lured to take loans from the bank!

The film takes an expected turn, related to anything but EMI. Director seems to have lost his way in the middle and messes it up. But thanks to the good script, it at least attempts to subtly send a message to those doing unnecessary expenses and finally falling on loans to live life. A satire on the economy, banks, politics and people, the film attempts to drive home a point with dialogues often laced with half humour and half below the belt dialogues. But that doesn’t take away the credits of the art director Prithvi Patil and dress designer for that perfect look.

Take this EMI only if you have nothing to fall back on.

RSZ

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