Enough has been said and done on celluloid about the never-ending Indo-Pak differences. It has long been a favourite subject of filmmakers. But, of late, filmmakers have decided to move away from the serious subject of wars and take a more human look at the 'frenemies'.
Following the subtle, but hard-hitting depiction of Indo-Pak soldiers on the border in War Chhod Na Yaar, Bollywood is back with Total Siyappa, the story of Aman, a Pakistani boy, and Aisha, an Indian girl, who wish to get married. And this is exactly where the interesting bit begins and ends.
What could have been a humourous look at the whole subject of similarities between the two countries, irrespective of the political and geographical lines, becomes a slapstick at best.
Total Siyappa begins on a promising note when a mere joke about 'bomb' by Aman triggers a scare and subsequent arrest. After a brief stay at the police station, the couple are all set to meet Aisha's family. And you are all set to go on a ride of culture differences when Aisha's brother walks into the house cursing Pakistanis, with no knowledge of Aman's nationality.
But hereon the film fails to impress. It becomes another attempt of promoting Ali Zafar's almost non-existent acting skills and his status as a musician. Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher are completely wasted in this scene by scene remake of the Spanish-Argentinian film, Only Human. With the power couple pairing on screen for the first time, the director, at best, gives them five minutes together on screen with nothing much to do.
Two dull instances of dialogues about Indians and Pakistanis being similar and a Rowan Atkinson lookalike trying to pull-off a Mr. Bean, don't to much to save this sinking ship. Come to think of it, the trailer and the poster are funnier than the film itself.
Released between the Madhuri Dixit-Juhi Chawla starrer Gulab Gang and Kangana Ranaut's Queen, Total Siyappa surprisingly managed to get enough people to the theatre to almost reach house full. If only the makers had put in a little more effort in the making, they could have ensured that people stayed till the end of the film.
Total Siyappa is what I'd call there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.
No comments:
Post a Comment