रंगून: ‘इस’ इश्क़ और जंग में सब कुछ जायज़ नहीं! [3/5]

विशाल भारद्वाज की नई-नवेली फिल्म ‘रंगून’ को अमेरिकी क्लासिक ‘कासाब्लांका’ से जोड़ के देखना एक दर्शक के तौर पर शायद आपकी सबसे बड़ी भूल होगी. हालाँकि इसकी पटकथा में कहने को बहुत सारे ऐसे पहलू हैं, जो ‘रंगून’ को ‘कासाब्लांका’ जैसा दिखाने-बताने की होड़ में बेसुध लगे रहते हैं. विश्व-युद्ध की पृष्ठभूमि में प्रेम-त्रिकोण की पेचीदगी उनमें से सबसे ज्यादा करीब भी है, सबसे ज्यादा कामयाब भी. फिर भी कमोबेश, यह विशाल भारद्वाज की औसत फिल्मों (सात खून माफ़, मटरू की बिजली का मंडोला) की लिस्ट में ही एक बड़ा इजाफा करने तक सीमित रह पाती है.

‘रंगून’ आज़ादी से पहले के भारत का इतिहास टटोलने और उसे दुबारा परदे पर परोसने तक तो बहुत जोश-ख़रोश दिखाती है, पर जब बात दर्शकों के सामने अपने किरदारों के दिल चीर कर रख देने की आती है, तो भारद्वाज बड़ी बेचारगी और मासूमियत से कहानी के साथ घालमेल करने में जुट जाते हैं. गनीमत है कि फिल्म में रंगीली, नशीली, कंटीली कंगना, और पंकज कुमार की दिलकश सिनेमेटोग्राफी एक फ्रेम के लिए भी अपनी जगह, अपनी जिम्मेदारी, अपनी जवाबदेही नहीं छोड़ते!

अपने स्टंट खुद करने में माहिर जूलिया (कंगना रानौत) ’40 के दशक की सबसे मशहूर फ़िल्मी सितारा है, साथ ही कभी मूक फिल्मों के ‘एक्शन-स्टार’ रहे रूसी बिलिमोरिया (सैफ अली खान) के दिल का चैन-सुकून भी. रूसी ने ही जूलिया को फुटपाथ से उठा कर आसमान की बुलंदियों तक पहुँचाया है. दोनों के रिश्ते में जमादार नवाब मलिक (शाहिद कपूर) का आना तब होता है, जब जूलिया को बर्मा में अँगरेज़ फौज के सामने प्रोग्राम करने के लिए तलब किया जाता है. मलिक और जूलिया में बढ़ती नजदीकियों के अलावा, देश में आज़ाद हिन्द फौज की सरगर्मियां भी बढ़ने लगी हैं. देशभक्ति जब हवाओं में घुल कर साँसों में आग फूंक रही हो, प्यार कैसे अछूता रह पायेगा? चेहरों पे चढ़े मुखौटे टूटने लगे हैं. इश्क अपनी ज़द, अपनी हद से पार जाने को मचल रहा है.

‘रंगून’ एक बड़े कैनवास की फिल्म होने का सारा दम-ख़म रखती है. प्रोडक्शन-डिजाईन में छोटी से छोटी बारीकियों की बात हो (फिल्म स्टॉक के ज़माने में रील पर पेन से मार्क करना, मुंबई के पुराने इरोस थिएटर का सेट), या बेहतरीन कैमरावर्क के जरिये फिल्म को ‘क्लासिक’ लुक देने का माद्दा; ‘रंगून’ कहीं से भी कमज़ोर या लचर नहीं दिखती. फिल्म में विशाल भारद्वाज का चिर-परिचित राजनीतिक व्यंग/कटाक्ष भी कम ही सही, पर असरदार तरीके से दिख तो जाता ही है. किरदारों को दिलचस्प बनाने की रटी-रटाई कवायद यहाँ भी साफ़ झलकती है. जूलिया अगर ‘फियरलेस नाडिया’ से अपने ताव, तौर-तरीके अपनाती है, तो वहीँ एक अँगरेज़ जनरल उर्दू शेर-ओ-शायरी का मुरीद निकल जाता है.

अभिनय में कंगना सबसे काबिल बनकर उभरती हैं. आपको याद भी नहीं होगा, पिछली बार कब कोई महिला किरदार परदे पर इतनी सशक्त, जांबाज़, दिलेर और उतनी ही मखमली और मजबूर भी लगी हो! शाहिद की अदाकारी आपको ‘हैदर’ की तरह हैरान तो नहीं करती, पर पूरी तरह मंजी हुई लगती है और कहीं भी परेशान नहीं करती. अपने शाहाना अंदाज़ से, सैफ परदे पर मशहूर हॉलीवुड अभिनेता क्लार्क गेबल की याद दिला जाते हैं. शायरी-पसंद ब्रिटिश आर्मी जनरल की भूमिका में रिचर्ड मैकेब गुदगुदाते रहते हैं.   

इतने सब के बावजूद, ‘रंगून’ एक ही फिल्म में कई फिल्में ठूंसी हुई लगती है. जूलिया अपने आप में एक मुकम्मल कहानी का इल्म कराती है. काश, हम उसे और जान पाते! रूसी-जूलिया-मलिक का इश्किया सफ़र भी ज्यादा वक़्त मांगता है. और अंत में; एक बेहद काबिल वॉर-फिल्म, जिसकी सिर्फ झलक ही आपको पूरी फिल्म में देखने मिलती है, और आप मन मसोस के रह जाते हैं कि बॉलीवुड को उसका ‘सेविंग प्राइवेट रायन’ मिलना अभी दूर लगता है. इश्क़ और जंग की ‘इस’ कहानी में सब कुछ जायज़ तो नहीं है, पर 2 घंटे 50 मिनट की इस महत्वाकांक्षी फिल्म में बहुत कुछ देखने और सराहने लायक है. [3/5]   

HAPPY ENDING: The search for a Happy Ending kills a lot, for bad! [2/5]

You don’t have to be a hardcore fan to know the set recipe for any romantic comedy film. Boy meets girl. Both are opposite in every sense. Girl falls for the boy. Boy hates commitment. Heart breaks. Love aches. Girl leaves. Boy misses. Boy seeks. Boy realizes. And then comes the fairly famous ‘Airport’ scene where things apparently fall into their pre-designed place! How hard it could be! But what if you want to break it and mold the same in a complete new pattern? Well, you have to be smart enough to pull it off and not confused even an ounce to ruin the promise and the prospect. Impressive filmmaker duo Raj & DK’s HAPPY ENDING fits in both the scenario equally. And that makes it an irritating mash-up of likeable scenes & enjoyable smart one-liners with futilely overstretched plot & an almost never-ending climax.

Yudi [Saif Ali Khan] is a ‘one book wonder’ writer who hasn’t written any more in last 6 years in short of good ending but knows well when to call for an end in a relationship. Hearing his girl saying those three magical words could cause him signs of losing his confidence to his illustrious stuttering state. His latest break-up status with the all mental & dental overbearing girlfriend [the cutely annoying Kalki] is still ‘complicated’. He couldn’t tell her straight because he didn’t want to hurt her. ‘What a thoughtful jerk!’ one of his ex-girlfriends compliments him.

In a parallel track, the fading writer Yudi has no other option left but to write a superhit romantic comedy film taking so-called ‘scene by scene’ inspirations from Hollywood hits for a Bollywood superstar [Govinda keeps his charms working]. Though his life so far has been one such romantic comedy, Yudi chooses to go around with a budding writer Aanchal [Ileana D’Cruz] to get help and soon lands himself in situations expected from more than a mile! Well, almost!

The film works well at many fronts. Beautiful locations, pictorial cinematography, smart one-liners and Saif Ali Khan back in ‘his’ den. He does hit every chord right portraying a puzzled, commitment-scared flirt dressed in all designer summery cool clothing line with the costliest car on road. He sure looks confident and comfortable as an actor here and that’s much relief after his horrendous HUMSHAKALS act. Kalki marks an electrifying presence the whole time she’s on screen. Ranvir Shorey succeeds in providing some good laughs but it’s Govinda who never misses your attention and love for his expressive mannerism. My favorite subplot includes Preity Zinta playing an understanding, kind and gracious ex-girlfriend of Yudi.   

Film falters big time by reaching nowhere while looking aimlessly for a different recipe of a romantic comedy. You can not compromise with the one you pulled your guns at. That never takes you any close to heroism. And Raj & DK being the whistleblowers in the industry, it feels worse. You can expect any low from Kohlis, Anands and Malhotras of renowned big banners but not from these two. Film starts settling for a convenient, age-old, tried & tested ending after much wandering in the second half. It gets so dreary that the last 20 min seems unbearably long. Yudi mouths a thoughtful line at the end, “One shouldn’t always look for a happy ending. End it wherever you think it should”. I wish the writers & the makers of the film would have taken it seriously. [2/5] 

LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL: Escape this downgraded version of SOCHA NA THA! [1.5/5]

If Bollywood films are to be believed, everyone in love is predestined to elope from their wedding-mandaps at the very last moment when Pheras are to be performed. Events of similar nature do happen in real life, it’s just I haven’t been lucky enough to witness any such in my whole life of more than 30 years. But one thing I am very sure about…I have seen romantic comedies like Arif Ali’s LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL for more than I could remember. One prominent inspiration here is SOCHA NA THA, the launch-pad of writer-director Imtiaz Ali who incidentally also happens to be Arif’s brother. The similarities and likenesses are so evident; LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL could & should be tagged as a SOCHA NA THA rip-off, but an awful one. It’s an extremely long-boring-escapable journey no one will like to hop on.

The ‘BFF (Best Friends Forever)’ duo Karisma & Dino [Newcomers Deeksha Seth & the Kapoor-clan Arman Jain] are often teased as a couple by their common friends. In a hasty & impulsive pronouncement of love and the passion of being together, they decide to elope as Karisma’s hardcore traditional father would marry her off to any boring guy of his choice and for Dino’s father; Dino is nothing but a plain nobody. Together, they take a ride that is hardly any exciting and too superfluous to find a place in your heart. Much later, just on the verge of interval; they realize the honeymoon period is over and the romantic fairytale is nowhere to be found. Follows the process of annulment of their marriage, parental participation to make things even bitter and finally, the weirdly convenient realization of love for each other! Oh, not again!

Romantic comedies are the safest options to mark a début in Bollywood, and probably the hardest ones too. What one expects from any such effort are a thicken chemistry between leads, freshness in the plot and relatable drama to clinch your emotions at its place. Sadly, Arif as a writer-director doesn’t even try to look any different and gets hugely dependent on his brother’s flicks like SOCHA NA THA [parental angle], JAB WE MET [Stopover at small city] & even COCKTAIL [For most of styling and dialogues] for so-called inspirations. Only addition here that had slightest of promises was their accidental encounter with naxalites of Bastar & Dantewada. Disheartening to say that even this sequence ends up mocking their fight to justice & freedom in a completely ham-fisted item number!

Arman and Deeksha both look confident and do succeed in creating some very good moments to rejoice but the staleness in writing kills it all. Of the supporting cast, most are just wasted and that included veterans like Kumud Mishra, Rohini Hattangadi and Varun Vadola. A R Rehman’s music soothes the soul in between all the baffling scenes haphazardly coming one after the other but it never rules the heart. You’ll find it hard to remember all the ‘Khaleefas’ and ‘Tu Shinings’ sooner or later.

To sum up, LEKAR HUM DEEWANA DIL suffers from a time-lapse syndrome. Had it come in late 90’s when uber urban generation was gaining the spot with a certain lingo full of slangs, strong urge to reinvent new dimensions to the term ‘new-age’ and a demand of change in cinema, it would have made a clean mark. As of now, it is just another forgettable love-story! Escape it! [1.5/5]

HUMSHAKALS: Leave Entertainment, this is an insult to Cinema! [0.0/5]

Disclaimer: The fact that I had admired Sajid khan long back for being literally an encyclopedia to 70s-80’s Bollywood, especially with all the lesser known junior artists, character actors and the inside out gossips from every corner of the Bombay Film Industry, now hardly there to exist. Sajid Khan as a filmmaker has completely lost the respect even for being the tiniest part of this creative medium. So if in this review of mine, I sound unapologetically personal and too harsh sometimes, it’s purely intentional. Follows the review…

HUMSHAKALS is as illogical, as weird as its title. Neither there is a word like it in any of the dictionaries in the world, nor does this maddening world exist anywhere in this universe. Since it is supposedly a comedy of errors, I am going to try my best to make you laugh, or smile for that matter with some of its jokes. While working at a food-joint, one ‘Ashok & Kumar’ of the 3 look-alikes [Saif & Riteish; don’t bother who are the others] serves parathas made with cocaine and everyone around starts moving as either zombies or more like bhangra-lovers. Save yourself to witness them making ‘Vodka ke Parathe’. Don’t try this at your home!

The next ‘Ashok & Kumar’, escapees from mental asylum are seen playing with the life-supportive ventilator of an old man in coma [Akash Khurana as if he’s more comfortable there than being in the main league] as if it is some video game. Insensitive? Wait, there is more. The warden at the so called ‘CRAY G. Hospital’ [Played by Satish Shah] keeps torturing the patients with his favorite electric treatment performed with naked wires. Now, where on earth one uses that technique is barely matters if you are in a Sajid Khan World. This is the world where drops of a drug can turn you in dogs. People still apply Chloroform on hankies to make their targets passed out. A lollypop can heal the mental stroke.

Even all these can be overlooked if the very idea of entertainment is right, seriously, but it’s always like asking for too much from a Sajid Khan Film. Actually, it is an insult to your intellect and sensitivity as a human being. Homosexual men are again and again being portrayed as ‘always aroused’, moaning sex-starving guys. Characters cross-dress to seduce their look-alikes and fall into hysterically annoying love-cum-rape scenes. Songs come out of nowhere to just make it a loo-break in every 20-min or something. Considering the degree of stupidity Sajid throws at you, this is one nice & smartest move to keep viewers fresh like new from scratch. You should better take each one of them to survive the whole film.

Bipasha had earlier made it clear that she wasn’t happy with the outcome and that’s why she kept herself away from the film promotions. I wonder what made Saif not go for that option. Watching him suffer as an actor who can’t even crack a joke properly or deliver an ordinary piece of dialogue without hamming is a terrible experience! Riteish and Ram are not so bad comparatively. We better not discuss the girls. They are hardly there to impress with their acting skills.

At the end, I hope it is the end. Let’s just not take cinema for granted in the name of entertainment. Leave Entertainment alone, this is an insult to Cinema! I just can’t throw my precious stars on such waste of time, money and efforts of thousands of people on a film-set. Stay away, or else you might release your anger, aggression and distress caused by the film upon your friends and family! [0.0/5]         

BULLETT RAJA: Commercial, predictable & average action thriller! Witty one-liners make it Watchable! [2.5]

Names suggest. Names carry perceptions. So whenever you hear ‘Tigmanshu Dhulia’, you expect razor-sharp story-telling [PAAN SINGH TOMAR], utter participation of passion mixed with art [SAAHEB, BIWI AUR GANGSTER] or if nothing else, earnestness shining in the framework for sure [HAASIL]. Intentionally or involuntarily; sounding as if another south action entertainer dubbed in Hindi, Dhulia’s ‘BULLETT RAJA’ has flares of all these but overshadowed & eclipsed heavily by added star value, superficial style & an undeclared delusion in one’s head to be in the sheep-race of 100 Cr club.

Uttar Pradesh- the terra firma of filthy politics, gory goonism, and caste-driven social establishment is the place where ‘BULLETT RAJA’ fits the most. With serenely ferocious Rudra [Played by confident Jimmy Shergill] joined at the hip, fearlessly rowdy Raja [Saif in a comfortable zone] is nothing but a political commando rising and shining under the most powerful politician played by Raj Babbar. Situation goes upside down when the grimy game of power & control gifts back Raja an unbearable loss of his lifetime to flame the anger of vengeance that would blaze the whole of enterprise behind.

A story weakened by confusing screenplay, shabby-unimpressive-infuriating work in the music department & a bad hand in editing were enough to mess up all the reputation Dhulia has earned until comes to rescue the writing, giving plenty of smart & quirky one-liners that hold your interest throughout. Hear this, when villainous Chunky Pandey narrates a mythological incident about Lord Brahma using some foul words [in smartly muted sound], Raja blasts him with bullets saying, “Dharmik mamlon mein hum ashleelta bardasht nahin karte!” Writing also celebrates the emotions one carries for his caste. Playing a Brahmin by caste, Saif will be seen mouthing arrogance profoundly in most of his lines e.g. “Brahmin bhookha toh sudama, rootha toh raavan” or “Brahmin hoon, janam se samajh ke aaya hoon”. Enjoyable & entertaining!

Performances are strictly average and there is nothing that could compel you for a jaw-drop response. Though Jimmy Shergill impresses in the first half and his equation with Saif creates a pleasant sight for eyes & most of the enjoyable moments. Vidyut Jammwal enters the scene after interval and his sequences don’t look more than his acting or rather action showreel. I would love to see him in a meatier role. Sonakshi disappoints the most. This one is a complete superfluous role for her in all these years. There is a hotel scene where Jimmy decides to lock himself in an adjacent room to give Saif & Sonakshi their own space and she is so unwanted that you don’t really want it to happen. Gladly, Saif doesn’t make you feel so and takes you through this partly intriguing action thriller relentlessly.

‘BULLETT RAJA’ is enjoyable in parts and watchable only for its harsh but satirical take on various political & social scenarios mainly in Uttar Pradesh. Dhulia shows his skill to extract raw humor soaked in an unsympathetic rustic feel with languages spoken physically and verbally both. Be attentive with what one-liner will come next from any of the characters and you might experience some good laugh. Overall, it is a revenge drama that is commercial, predictable and targeted only to create some buzz at the box-office, something that is never expected from Tigmanshu Dhulia![2.5/5]