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Sunday, April 28, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD TOH BAAT PAKKI
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: *
It`s Click that`s meant to be this week`s horror
flick. But Toh Baat Pakki is a bigger horror than anything in any
recent weeks. And to think that the divine Tabu stars in it makes the blood
boil.
On paper, the idea of playing the busybody housewife Rajeshwari, who seems to
have only one mission in life, namely to see her sister (newcomer Yuvika)
married off, must have sounded like an exciting new character to explore for the
brilliant actress. Alas, Tabu had not bargained for the mundane situations and
the pedestrian dialogues that her character has been put into.
Toh Baat Pakki is one of those tragic comedies that don`t elicit a
hint of humour. The plot is intrinsically bereft of ingenuity and the direction
is strained most of the way.
Among the many problems that plague the plot is the lack of inherent drama in
Tabu`s character. Her character has no inner life, no motivating emotions except
hatching silly match-making schemes for her giddy-headed sister. She first
invites Sharman into her home as a tenant...And then Vatsal.
Tabu plays the annoying, part-schemer, part-dreamer housewife. Unlike the shrew
that Sridevi played with full-blooded passion in Judaai, Tabu`s
Rajeshwari is a woman caught in annoying confusions of self-assertion. And she`s
not to blame.
The lingering condition of a hangover mixed with yesterday`s leftovers stays
with the film right till the bustling conclusion when all of Rajeshwari`s
match-making manipulation come to fatuous fruition.
Toh Baat Pakki tries hard to be charming and quaint. But it lacks
that lightness of weight that would have made the characters appear larger than
life in an unstrained atmosphere.
A pity, since the ethereal Tabu is hardly seen in any film. She tries bravely to
get out of her dramatic space to deliver a broad satirical performance that
screams for behind-the-scenes fine-tuning.
She gets no support from her co-stars except maybe Ayub Khan who, as her
supportive husband, plays a thankless part with warmth. Sharman Joshi as Tabu`s
sister`s first suitor has done the goofy act lately in 3 Idiots.
Here he has nothing new or appealing to add to his uninspired character.
Vatsal Seth, as suitor No.2, gives his clean-cut, good-boy role a genial
treatment. The second half, where Sharman pretends to be the bride-to-be`s
well-wisher and tries to influence Vatsal against the marital alliance, is
suspiciously similar to Yash Chopra`s Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai.
While the older film had some derivative energy to sustain its silly romantic
movement, Toh Baat Pakki is as inert at its centre as a clock that
stopped ticking while you were sleeping.
Avoid the film even if you are a diehard Tabu fan. In fact, please avoid it if
you are a Tabu fan.
Rajeshwari (Tabu) is outspoken to the point of rudeness - but somehow Manages ot stay out of trouble. Her mild husband Surinder (Ayub Khan) and two young children have no option but to accept her benign Dictatorship. Because whatever Rajeshwari wants she gets! And what she wants more than anything else in the world is to find the Best Husband possible for her younger sister Nisha (Yuvika). And `best` to her means, a Saxena boy with a good job, no vices and no demands for dowry. When final year engineering student Rahul Saxena (Sharman Joshi) walks into her house as a tenant, Rajeshwari decides he`s the best and does everything in her power to get Nisha and Rahul together. The inevitable happens - Nisha and Rahul fall in love and announce to the delighted Rajeshwari that they want to get married. The wedding preparations are in full swing when Yuvraj Saxena (Vatsal Seth) walks into Rajeshwari`s house. He too is unmarried, good looking, a junior Manager with Godrej with a company car and promise of a company house soon. And best of all - he is a Saxena! Rajeshwari can`t believe her luck! She decides that Yuvraj is the best groom for Nisha. What follows is one hilarious situation after another as the well meaning but thoughtless Rajeshwari tries to manipulate everybody around her to ensure that Nisha marries Yuvraj and not Rahul. But Rahul is a worthy adversary and gives Rajeshwari a dose of her own Medicine. But has he underestimated Rajeshwari who will try every trick in the book to outwit them all?
