Film Review: BAJATEY RAHO

The first prize goes to Dolly Ahluwalia who is just superb as Mrs. Baweja

Cast: Vinay Pathak, Ranveer Shorey, Dolly Ahluwalia, Tusshar Kapoor, Ravi Kishan, Vishakha Singh
Director: Shashant Shah

I was not sure that I wanted to watch the film after I read Mumbai Mirror’s review. But Venkat was keen on seeing a movie and there was not much of a choice during the weekend. I have to say that Bajatey Raho was not a bad film at all.

THE STORY

Sabharwal (Ravi Kishan) is a ruthless businessman who is also a fraud. Using the honest Baweja and Saira as front men, he gets the public to invest cash in his bank to the tune of 15 crore. The money disappears and Baweja and Saira are arrested. Baweja dies of cardiac arrest while Saira languishes in jail. The cheated public file cases against Mrs. Baweja (Dolly Ahluwalia), her son Sukhi (Tusshar Kapoor) and Saira’s husband Mintoo (Vinay Pathak). That’s when the three of them get together with Ballu (Ranvir Shorey) to get the money back from Sabharwal a la ‘Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less’ style.

MY PERCEPTION

The film is not great but makes for a fun watch. As far as acting goes, Dolly Ahluwalia is simply superb as Mrs. Baweja. I thought she was really good in Vicky Donor. She’s as good if not better in this film.

Ravi Kishan as the villain was simply superb. His irritating smirk goes a long way in making the character so real.

The rest of the cast were not too bad. The best part of the film was its length - just an hour and 47 minutes.

VERDICT: It’s worth a see if you don’t mind shelling out the cash.

RATING: ***Smart

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super

Film Review: VICKY DONOR

A couple of hours of unadulterated fun with a strong story outline

Cast: Ayushman Khurana, Yami Gautam, Annu Kapoor, Dolly Ahluwalia, Kamlesh Gill
Director: Shoojit Sircar

I had been wanting to see this film since I watched the promos on TV. While Vini was busy with her MBA finals, Viggy and Venkat did not want to go. Finally, Vinitha and I went to see it yesterday, in the film’s third week of release.

THE STORY

Vicky Arora (Ayushman Khurana) is a jobless graduate who lives with his widowed mother Dolly (Dolly Ahluwalia) and paternal grandmother Biji (Kamlesh Gill). Dolly runs a beauty parlour and the house runs on that income. Both the women have spoilt Vicky rotten and he just loafs around, not taking life seriously.

Dr. Baldev Chaddha (Annu Kapoor) runs an infertility clinic and a sperm bank in Delhi. Recently, he has been facing a number of failures and dissatisfied clients. That’s when he advertises for sperm donors. Unable to find a good one, he zeros in on Vicky after he happens to see him. The doctor has Vicky’s forebears checked out and decides that he would be a great sperm donor. But will Vicky agree? Chaddha chases Vicky diligently until the young man is completely convinced. Of course, the money goes a long way in persuading him. A few years later, Vicky falls in love and gets married to Ashima (Yami Gautam) without letting on that he is a sperm donor by profession.

Watch the drama that unfolds when she finds out the truth, especially after it has been diagnosed that she cannot have kids.

MY PERCEPTION

Considering that the subject is a sensitive one, the story and screenplay have been handled superbly well. The dialogues are Punjabi based Hindi and typically from Delhi, with a lot of humour. I simply loved it. Kudos to writer Juhi Chaturvedi and director Shoojit Sarcar!

Both Ayushman Khurana and Yami Gautam are Bollywood first-timers. While Yami has done a good acting job, there is definitely room for improvement. Ayushman has done a terrific presentation of Vicky. He’s a natural in the role. Congratulations to both!

Annu Kapoor – while we see very less of the versatile actor, he has done an excellent job as Dr. Chaddha.

Dolly Ahluwalia and Kamlesh Gill as Vicky’s mother and grandmother have acted so naturally that their characters come alive. I suppose it’s a combination of acting and directorial skills. Their characters have been superbly visualized and executed. Their drinking bouts at home and at Vicky’s wedding are hilariously wonderful and absolutely real.

VERDICT: Two hours of unadulterated fun with a strong story outline and very good role-play by all characters.

RATING: ****Snazzy

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super