The Hindu : New Delhi News : Girl, guy, love, marriage and a lot in between... .

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 17, 2006
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Girl, guy, love, marriage and a lot in between... .

ZIYA US SALAM

PYAAR KE SIDE EFFECTS

(At Shiela and other Delhi theatres)

Prepare yourself to experience the gentle joys of life. Soak in the happiness of banter based on wit. Embrace a pair that is soothing to the eyes, refreshing for the mind. Pleasant surprises await you in "Pyaar Ke Side Effects" as you begin to wonder if love can actually have any side effects. Yes, we all had heard of the after effects of love, but this Saket Choudhary film here now talks of something we had never thought of: side effects of something so natural as love!

It intelligently pairs Rahul Bose, the educated crowd's intellectual actor, and Mallika Sherawat, the whistling brigade's favourite siren. An unlikely pair that works because the lady is cool and the guy natural. If Rahul is adequate within his limitations, Mallika goes up a notch as, for a change, the audiences get to appreciate that her skills go beyond revealing her body.

Her chemistry with Rahul complements some fine lines and a decent music score to make "Pyaar Ke Side Effects" the best of the four Bollywood films released this weekend.

Want to know the story? It is an age-old one of a man not ready to commit, and a woman not ready to let go. Simply the story of a guy in a relationship with a girl.

The guy is cool about their bond; the girl wants security (read marriage). The guy would have none of it. You see, there is Tendulkar to watch, music to play, and the girls to feast his eyes on.

The lady, who had once eloped from the marriage pandaal, now wants to get married, bring up kids, take delight in domestic chores. All predictable, everyday situations. The way Saket Choudhary presents them lends it a touch of joy. And the lead actors infuse some life into a wafer-thin script that drags late into the second half.

No great entertainment, but still a movie that tickles you, pleases you. Love has its charms. Gentle, Soothing. Go for it.

BAS EK PAL

(At Regal and other Delhi theatres)

A heart bound to faith knows no fear. Director Onir's apparently is still deficient on that most wonderful of emotions. Result? He takes half-hearted stabs at seriousness, comes up with some gems, promises real heart-warming fare for a while. Then everything peters out. And we end up with a film that could have been a pioneer in its own genre, falling well short due to the timidity of the director, the placidity of the events.

Onir dares to talk of male rape, and Sanjay Suri dares to portray a victim. Then the director tells us that sympathy is a poor substitute for love. Indeed. And a child cannot save a failed marriage.

True. But these are used merely as asides, largely with the idea of giving the film greater dignity, wider acceptance with the multiplex audience. But the brownie points don't help, as these interesting incidents provide only a few illuminating moments. The director lacks the guts to go beyond the surface. He takes pot shots, never goes for the jugular. And we get a sad, meandering film where we wait and wait for some life, some drama.

Yes, it is supposed to be a realistic take on a real relationship between consenting, if confused, adults. But reality should not be a synonym for listlessness. Indifference is never too far as Juhi Chawla and Urmila Matondkar take turns in showering attention on Jimmy Shergil and Sanjay Suri in this very urban-centric film.

It all starts off in a pub with a jaded Sanjay Suri trying to win over trying-to-be winsome Urmila. Then we have Jimmy, who obviously has not grown much since the "Dil Vil Pyar Vyar" days. Throw in a more than plump Juhi, and you have a film where obviously over-30 actors try to sound and dress like young kids. Too sad, considering the script had potential: it talks of a man - Sanjay - who lands up in jail for a crime he had not committed. Worse, he loses his love to the man hurt in the accident.

We would have stood up and applauded Onir if he had shown the skill of "My Brother... Nikhil" and added an ounce of courage. Playing for safety, as they say, is the biggest risk. Too bad, this one does not come off for Onir in "Bas Ek Pal".

SHIVA

(At Odeon and other Delhi theatres)

Ram Gopal Varma's accomplishments have been well documented. But so have the failures of his house: "Darna Mana Hai", "Darna Zaroori Hai", "D", "Naach" and "James", etc. have robbed him of some of the sheen. Now, he just needs to tell us again that the failings of the past are just that. His career as a filmmaker of note needs an epiphany. He needs to tell us that the misadventures of his protégés stemmed merely from the generosity of his spirit. Otherwise he would swiftly fade from human memory.

Unfortunately, "Shiva" is not quite the vehicle for salvation. This remake of the 1990 film with a changed backdrop - it was a college campus then, it is honest cop versus corrupt force now - disappoints. Partly because Varma has nothing new to relate: we have had more honest cops' tales than a normal mind can retain. Then, of course, Mohit Ahlawat is a no-no case as the tough guy living on principles, and little else. Nisha Kothari as a journalist pouts and prances, and nothing else. And we get a film that has some typical raw, never jangling shots of blood and brawl. And hard-hitting close-ups of action. Unfortunately, it is too familiar to demand fresh notice. Give us the same old "Shiva" of Nagarjuna and Amala. We will watch that for nostalgia sake. This one, a no-no; not even for the director's sake.

KACHCHI SADAK

(At MMX, Ghaziabad; and Delhi theatres)

Wistfulness comes calling with "Kachchi Sadak", a film that is like the back alley, ugly, intrusive, avoidable.

Director Sanjay Singh's film leaves you sad for more than couple of reasons. He brings back Madhoo, that wonderful actress who wowed us all with "Rojaa" many summers ago. But Singh presents her in a manner befitting neither her nor her patient fans.

Then it is touted as Amrish Puri's last film. That only adds to the sorrow. As a well-meaning cop he is surrounded by mediocrity and watches helplessly as the film slides from one low to another.

We have Rahul Singh trying his luck as a hero, and hopefully realising that heroics are not for him. We have Rahul Dev doing his imitation of Irrfan. We have Parmita Katkar, who had a fleeting dalliance with fame courtesy "Page3". This time she is a heroine, and does enough to suggest that she should stick to the dance-floor.

In short, this good guys versus bad guys, honest social worker versus corrupt politicians' tale deserves a royal ignore. No zing of the highway, no earthy touch of the back lane, "Kachchi Sadak" is a half-baked attempt at different cinema.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

(At Spice PVR, Noida; and Delhi theatres)

From an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. From a small-town girl to a fashionista, Anne Hathaway of "Brokeback Mountain" fame does it all. And with an élan so becoming! Yes, there is Meryl Streep too as the fashion editor and a boss who would not scream her commands twice. She is the ideal foil to Anne's big-toe-on-big-toe nervousness, just as the little girl is a breeze to her rampant storm. Between them, the two raise this movie based on a novel by Laura Weisberger to a gladdening spectacle. .

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