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Saturday, April 27, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD THANK YOU
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: ***
Bow to the wow. Men, we are told, are
dogs. They cheat on their wives. And have themselves the time of their lives.
And the wives, poor creatures, are so devoted to their spouses they observe the
Karva Chauth for their pati-devils even when they have no reason to do so. Such
devotion in show motion.
Thank You is a kind of backhanded ode to the classic Indian wife we
grew up watching in the films where the resplendent Nutan would sing Tumhi
mere mandir tumhi mere pooja to her smug husband.
Times have changed. But mores and marital values have only shifted location.
Inexplicably Thank You is shot in Canada. Caucasian girls steeped in
a slutty splendour, fill up the fringes of the saturated frames. Blonde
salad-dressing apart, the message at the heart of Thank You remains
as desi as the Punjabi accent that Akshay Kumar doesn`t even try to conceal.
Since this is a film about the perils of skirt-chasing there are plenty of women
of all shapes and sizes in skirts (including Sonam Kapoor whose dress code
defies all analysis) and other designer clothes.
For that talented writer Anees Bazmi the theme of infidelity in Thank
You is familiar territory. In the past he has done jokey takes on men who
can`t keep their libido down with varying degrees of humour. A certain higher
level of intelligence is perceptible in the way the characters are put out for
scrutiny in the light of their unfaithful characters.
Irrfan Khan as the sarcastic bully of a husband scores the highest marks in the
acting department. His wry caustic responses to semi-petrified wife Rimi Sen
make a mocking mark mainly for the way the lines are written and delivered.
Irrfan is priceless in projecting parody. Rimi Sen, an underrated actress,
provides Irrfan valuable support.
Akshay Kumar plays the pied piper of the libido. He tries to teach the three
womanizers how to check their carnal instincts. That is the best joke in the
film. Such self-righteous cool roles of the social reformer are not new to
Akshay. He delivers a rousing monologue at the end on the virtues of fidelity.
While his comic timing remains sharp and spot-on it is the way he tries to
create an aura of suspense about his character`s motives as a man on a mission,
that provides a cutting edge to the tale of three skirt-chasers.
Remarkably the dialogues remain free of innuendos. Surprising, considering how
lurid films about infidelity have gotten in the past. The proceedings adhere to
a sense of fun without getting cheesy. Suneil Shetty`s body language and comic
timing in some sequences show his coming of age as an actor of mirthful value.
Thank You has moments that come close to illuminating the underbelly
of infidelity. But fearful of forsaking the mood of a riotous farce
writer-director Anees Bazmi pulls out of any serious statement to lounge
languidly in his comfort zone. As far as masala comedies go Thank
You gets by on the strength of some smart writing, sassy dialogues and of
course a handful of performers who try to balance out the lacklustre
performances of other actors who, lethally for a comedy, just don`t get it
Writer-director Anees Bazmee says he doesn't mix 'n' match scripts with projects like women colour-coordinate their clothes and clarifiesRead More
Bobby, not Akshay, leads 'Thank You' promotionsCredit it to the success of "Yamla Pagla Deewana", actor Bobby Deol is the face of filmmaker Anees Bazmee's upcoming film "Thank You" Read More
Raj, Yogi and Vikram - best friends, business partners, serial womanizers and happily married! Happy, because their lovely wives have no clue that their husbands cheat on them with every pretty young thing they can lay their eyes on. This picture perfect world is rocked when Raj`s wife, Sanjana begins to suspect her husband and hires the suave private detective, Kishan, to tail him. Kishan`s built his reputation as a man who saves marriages by getting erring husbands to mend their ways. In this particular case, however, his overwhelming attraction towards Sanjana means he may not be acting in her best interest! What follows is a crazy cat and mouse game, with Kishan trying to catch the husbands with their pants down literally and them attempting to just stay outside his grasp. This laugh a minute comic caper will have you in splits, continuing with the signature comic timing you have come to expect from the maker of No Entry, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng.
