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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD TERE BIN LADEN
EDITOR'S PICK
Hear this. A small-time Pakistani reporter dreams of a bite from Big Apple. So
what does he do? He sends a tape with an Osama look alike threatening mayhem in
the US.
"Tere Bin Laden" is one of those whacked-out satires that sounds far
funnier in theory than it finally is on screen... For no fault of the lead
actor, one might add.
Ali Zafar`s comic timing could put some of our desi Khans to shame. Ali is a
young actor with considerable screen presence. What`s more, he seems to secrete
a sharp sense of enjoyment when confronted by the outrageous.
This is high-wit low-budget comedy, and it shows. The gags and one-liners
involving the preparation to put the fake Osama in the line of fire are pungent
parody in principle. But the film`s meagre budget muffles the mirth.
Finally it`s all about placing cameras in front of world maps rather than going
out there to capture those parts of the world that the satire takes into its
tongue-in-cheek sweep.
There are some stinging swipes taken at the Americanization of the Asian dream,
and the craze for young urbanites in this part of the world to make good their
escape at any cost.
Debutant director Abhishek Sharma never loses hold of the satirical mould. The
sense of fun is uppermost in the script, though quite frequently the humour gets
derailed by studio-induced props worthy more of a television sitcom on
burger-mania rather than a film whose satirical take on terrorism touches the
nerve-centres of our very existence.
That Sharma is actually able to pull off a parody that combines poultry jokes
with globally-significant comments is no small achievement.
The actors are in the mood for some serious fun here. While Ali Zafar sparkles
in the embrace of the script`s feisty wit, Pradhuman Singh as an Osama lookalike
too seems to have fun biting the bait. His scenes with a beautician (Sugandha
Garg), who touches up his face are deliciously suggestive.
While "Tere Bin Laden" is many notches above the run-of-the-mill
satire, as a spectral swipe at Osama-phobia, Bush-bashing and global terrorism,
this one doesn`t quite make the cut.
"Tere Bin Laden" actor Ali Zafar, currently busy putting together charity rock concerts for flood victims in Pakistan, denies report that he has signed a movie for Yash Raj Films banner to be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Read More
'Laden' dropped from 'Tere Bin Laden' in PakistanDebutant director Abhishek Sharma has dropped the word "Laden" from his forthcoming film "Tere Bin Laden" for its Pakistan release as a "precautionary measure". Read More
`Tere Bin Laden` is a tongue -in-cheek comedy about an ambitious young news reporter from Pakistan who is desperate to migrate to the US in pursuit of the American dream. His repeated attempts to migrate are shot down as his visa is always ejected. But when things couldn`t look worse he comes across an Osama Bin Laden look alike. Ali then hatches a a scheme to produce a fake Osama video and sell it to news channels as a breakthrough scoop! Unfortunately there are serious ramifications as the White House gets involved and dispatches a overzealous secret agent on Ali`s trail
