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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD BAJATEY RAHO
EDITOR'S PICK
For the second time this week Ravi Kishan gets it bang-on. Playing a vicious
entrepreneur with a marriageable daughter, Kishan is an energetic ball of agile
evil.
The same goes for the rest of the arresting ensemble cast of very capable actors
who get into the mood of the con-job without fuss and with a flair for acting
funny without toppling over into parody.
I call it Fukrey-land. Welcome again to the comic world of lovable losers. The
cast here is older, if not wiser than in "Fukrey". Mummyji
(delightfully droll Dolly Ahluwalia) and her family of sons and son-like
wanderers must redeem the family honour. Hence, we encounter a series of
con-jobs, which involves vicious builders, bankers, caterers and middlemen.
Delhi has been projected as a hotbed of wheelers and dealers, schemers and
screamers in several recent films. This is director Sashant Shah's "Challo
Dilli" all over again, though in a totally different context.
"Bajatey Raho" had the potential to crack the dark-comedy genre. The
plot about elaborate con jobs implemented by middle-class citizens has earlier
been done with tongue-in-cheek derision in Dibakar Bannerjee's "Khosla Ka
Ghosla" and Neeraj Pandey's "Special Chabbis".
Here the laughter is drowned in a whole lot of unnecessary back-projection and
emotional history. Why couldn't Mummyji and her gang be up to their money-minded
mischief and con antics just for the fun of it? Why the sob story to prop the
impropriety?
Not that the storytelling lacks a warm self-mocking humour. When the script sets
its heart in it some of the characters are positively - or do I mean negatively
- brilliant in their believability.
The TV actor, who speaks in the third-person about himself, the principal of a
school caught accepting a bribe in a sting operation, the foreigner mistress of
the slimy tycoon who attends a 'Mata Ki Chowki' where a parody of "Subah
hone na de" from the film "Desi Boys" is played as a "bhajan".
This happens only in India.
The film is crammed with interesting characters played by interesting actors.
But at the end of it all, you aren't sure if all of them belong in this film.
Ravi Kishan as the slimy tycoon, who becomes putty in the pretty Vishakha
Singh's hands is outstanding. Brajesh Kala as his Man-Friday is even more so.
Brajesh's Bagga is a yes-man who is now tired of being kicked around. We catch
this character at a critical transitional phase in his life. We know he will
explode. And he does.
Other actors suffer from roles that are either under-written or over-performed,
depending on which phase of the serio-comic narration he or she is required to
sustain.
There are signs of intelligent writing everywhere. But the material sags for the
lack of a sincere motivation. The climax with Dolly Ahluwalia posing in a white
wig as Mrs Hansal Mehta is laughably short of humour.
Nonetheless, "Bajatey Raho" does give us a few chuckles even while
delivering a rap on the knuckle to the 'naqalchi' wannabe rich middle-class in
Delhi.
This is a dig at the Gurgaon quick-rich culture. But the taunt gets lost in an
aimless jaunt.
When all hell has broken loose and it’s only the crooks left to rule the roost, it is time for the good to start its fight over evil. But is that enough?? In India’s first ever revenge comedy; you shall witness the fight of CON v/s EVIL to retain one’s honour, integrity and prestige.
Sabbarwahl (Ravi Kissan) is on a roll committing a series of frauds, all in the garb of a successful business entrepreneur. But little does he know that one of his misdoings has created a huge impact on the lives of 4 poor sods: Mrs. Baweja (Dolly Ahluwalia), Sukhi (Tusshar), Mintoo Hasan (Vinay Pathak) and Ballu (Ranvir Shorey) which has only resulted into an enormous wave of need for vengeance.
The death of Mr. Baweja due to a cardiac arrest after being framed in a bank fraud and Saira his assistant being put behind bars, Mrs. Baweja takes the situation in her hands. The poor sods decide to no longer remain victims to the situation by living on scrawny jobs and meagre monies but instead BAJAO Sabbarwahl’s band in the best way possible. It’s the good hearted underdog who has to become a ‘little BAD’ to fight the ‘very BAD’.
‘To dethrone the king is no mean task.’But a lot needs to happen before that: Sukhi finds love in Manpreet (Vishakha Singh) who has to get Sabbarwahl to twirl to her tunes; Mintoo’s ‘Modern Catering’ has to offer more than just ‘Quantity and Quality’ and Ballu’s cunning ways need to go through the litmus test.
A series of cons, enthralling, amusing and needless to say entertaining to the core. Coz at the end of it all Happy Ending it is… but all you will want to say is ‘Bajatey Raho’!!!
BAJAO does everything, but beat around the bush, and blow the wrong hornet...
Premiere of film Bajatey Raho - Stills
Bajatey Raho cast on the sets of CID
First look launch of the film Bajatey Raho Stills 