GUDDU RANGEELA: Average Writing makes it Average! [2/5]

Subhash Kapoor carries certain gravity with his name. You should remember him as the wisely witty and responsibly engaging filmmaker behind PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA- a hilarious take on Global Recession and JOLLY LLB- another satirical drama on Indian Judiciary System. The fact that he’s been chosen to replace Raju Hirani and direct the next in the MUNNABHAI series itself says a lot about the man. Sadly, his latest GUDDU RANGEELA despite having all his trademarks fails miserably to impress, or even entertain at large to match that extended expectations.

Full-time Orchestra singers and small-time criminals Guddu [Amit Sadh] and Rangeela [Arshad Warsi] find themselves trapped in a ‘kidnapping gone wrong’ case but what’s hidden in the box, has also an opportunity they have been looking for almost a decade. Their counterpart Billu Pehalwan [Ronit Roy] is a local MLA and a hardcore supporter-admirer and motivator of Khap Panchayats. Honor-killing is just one of his favorite leisure activities.

GUDDU RANGEELA decides to talk about social filths of many sorts but doesn’t showcase guts to provide sensible solutions or a definite way out in any manner. In fact, it doesn’t think twice before turning a potential social-drama into a personal revenge-saga. Khap Panchayats can be as heartless, harsh and cold-blooded as anyone could think of. We all are sentient to the Manoj-Babli honor killing case; but this is no real world. Looks like Subhash Kapoor believes in having the cake and eating it too. The reel world’s Manoj and Babli conveniently escape the bloody fate to be able to walk the road to the bazaar-demanding happy end. The writing and the jokes are strictly average, though the twist in the first half is well-executed. Film loses its steam completely when starts settling all this with a dramatic climax on the lines of any action movie from 80’s.  

Raju Hirani is known to bring interesting still images on screen that has already been successful in filling your heart with joy. Remember, the passing shot of a man clicking a bunch of women all clad in Burkha from head to toe, in 3 IDIOTS? Mr. Kapoor too tries it with the most colorful visual in the film, of Saadhus playing football in the yard of a temple. In others, Achint Kaur plays a new-age Chief Minister enjoying her chewing gum while showing off her strength and force in the character. The coolest, I say! And then there is this intrepid scene where Guddu unapologetically asks Baby [Aditi Rao Hydari], “Degi?” without giving any shady explanation. I like it! I wish GUDDU RANGEELA would have had more and more of such differently able scenes, and not just some lame, age-old and tasteless jokes to cover-up.

Arshad Warsi is repeating himself big time, I’m telling you. His ISHQIYA days are still here. And he is hardly able to level it with whatever he’s getting to play. Amit Sadh tries his hard to give us a believable Haryanvi character but the efforts overshadow the talent. Ronit Roy despite having a one-dimensionally written part manages to pull out very well. He never goes off-track, neither in his attitude nor in the lingual detailing. Of the rests, Rajeev Gupta as the Sub-inspector tickles you the most.

At last, with the kind of metaphors and affection Subhash Kapoor uses in GUDDU RANGEELA, it sure can be seen as his SHOLAY mashed with the sensitivity towards some real bad social impurities. But not in a perfect measure! [2/5]      

BHOOTHNATH RETURNS: A serious family entertainer that could have been sweeter if shorter! [3.5/5]

If you could just overlook the overtly stretched length of the film [2 hour 35 minutes to be précised], there is an enormous chance you would discover quite a complete family entertainer in Nitesh Tiwari’s directorial sequel BHOOTHNATH RETURNS that also manages to talk about many social issues in a loud, clear and smart way. A satirical take on criminalization, corruption and commercialization of Indian politics, BHOOTHNATH RETURNS is suitably backed by juicy writing with proper dose of wit and Indian melodrama, applause-worthy performances, fearless direction and a story that touches your heart at large.

Taking story forward from the previous part, Kailash Nath played by the towering inferno called Amitabh Bachchan is sent to an afterlife ghost world which is being run in a modus operandi similar to our slow-moving, uninterested, unresponsive government offices of all kinds. Just because he could not scare a little kid Banku on earth, he’s now sent back to earth to rectify his failure. But to his bad bad luck, the kid here a rough-tongued, carefree slumdog tapori named Akhrot from Dharavi [Parth Bhalerao, equally confident and high on talent] also bounces back to Bhoothnath’s scare tactics with, “tu bhoot hai toh main daayan, shaadi banayega??” The chemistry between two sparks from the very start and they become friends forever. Things look smooth until the events and actions lead them to Bhau- the local goon-turned-corrupt politician [Boman Irani in a bit repetitive but interesting role]. And then starts the most dis-interesting game of politics for common man with a new fascinating twist! Bhoothnath is ready to contest the election against Bhau!!

Writer-director Nitesh Tiwari smartly makes the story move from being a satirical take on life afterlife to the dead serious issues in current political scenario in our country. After a hilariously amusing first 45 minutes that includes mainly the bonding between Bhoothnath and Akhrot, when Nitesh takes a u-turn on politics with a grim-grave real visual montage of child-labor, poverty, unemployment and hunger on a goose-bumping song ‘Saahib nazar rakhna’ you sure dip in doubts if this is the right route for a bollywood entertainer?? But the way Nitesh takes it forward, it’s amazing!                   

From long queue of dead souls in waiting to get their desired reincarnation in the bhoot-world to Bhoothnath filing nomination in the Loksabha elections, film keeps you engaged and entertained for the most part and often in a regular interval. Only letdown here is the duration that makes you wonder if the film would ever end. On the performances, I would repeat Akhrot as he says to Bhoothnath, “thoda overacting kiya tu, but India mein yehi chalta hai”. Amitabh Bachchan is exceptionally likeable and emotive, Boman as a mean-menace Bhau suits the part but it’s Parth Bhalerao who stands taller than anyone else and steals the show with his power-packed coolness and ‘bindaas’ performance! Cameo by Anurag Kashyap and a short but soul-stirring part of a dead social activist by Vijay Maurya are worth mentioning.

In these times of elections, BHOOTHNATH RETURNS is the best bet for anyone to get motivated to cast his vote as it speaks in volumes about anything and everything in Indian politics and that too without losing its spirit, sensitivity and the entertainment quotient. It dares to inherit the sparks, simplicity and sincerity in the story-telling techniques any of ‘Raju Hirani’ movies successfully emboss…and succeeds too, if not for the whole in glimpse for sure! Watch it! [3.5/5]