After Tasveer and Aashayen , Nagesh Kukunoor once again sets the mood well, but falters when it comes to taking the leap of faith. Set in a quaint hill station, Mod has some interesting characters and endearing moments, but as a whole it is a film that outlives its welcome once its central conflict becomes clear.
Kukunoor's favourite Ayesha Takia is back here as a feisty young girl Aranya who repairs watches for a living. Perhaps a first for a Bollywood heroine! She is against her father's (Raghuveer Yadav) obsession with alcohol. She makes him sleep outside the house but wakes him up every morning with a cup of tea. Cute! The father is a Kishore Kumar devotee who runs a music school and sings at weddings and has not been able to come to terms with the loss of his wife. There are some really engaging dialogues between father and daughter about love and life. Kukunoor has a knack of laughing at himself. Here again, there is a scene where a friendly fat shopkeeper is exercising with ‘Yeh Hausla…' (from Kukunoor's Dor ) playing in the background.
After a leisurely build-up comes Andy (Rannvijay Singh). He knocks at Aranya's door to get his watch repaired but soon we realise that is yet another cute way to start a love story. As Aranya falls for a guy who at 25 doesn't know how to kiss, comes the central conflict.
There is more to Andy than she knows. But once the truth begins to unravel, Kukunoor loses his control over the script. Once again he fails to blend the realistic with the larger-than-life elements as the writing becomes inconsistent and appears lazy at places. The growth of Andy's character defies logic. The back story — the school days of Aranya and Andy — pans out in an implausible manner. So is the doctor's role in the scheme of things. Despite all his efforts, Rannvijay is not the right choice for the role as he fails to do justice to both Abhay and Andy.
Yadav is his usual self, but it is Ayesha who makes the film watchable despite all odds. She is a great example of how looks don't come in the way if you are adept at acting. However, here she is saddled with a co-actor who doesn't have the necessary skills to pull off a complicated role. And we are waiting for Kukunoor to pick up his characteristic Dor again!
Mod
Genre: Drama
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor
Cast: Ayesha Takia, Rannvijay Singh, Raghuveer Yadav
Storyline: A spirited girl gives in to the cute proposal of a strange boy only to discover he is not what she is thinking him to be.
Bottomline: The mood is appealing, Mod is not!
