- Film : Bajatey Raho
- Producer : Krishika Lulla
- Director : Shashant Shah
- Star Cast : Tusshar Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Ravi Kishan, Dolly Ahluwalia, Vishakha Singh
- Music Director : Jaidev Kumar, RDB
2.5
Touted as Bollywood's first ever revenge comedy, Shashant Shah's Bajatey Raho makes a calculated attempt to deviate from all the run-of-the-mill ludicrous comic capers. But how far does the director succeed to make his laugh riot a real rib-tickler remains the big question here.
To begin with, this ostensibly OTT crime caper falls flat on humor and ends up being a slack. It's hard not to notice traces of Dibakar Banejee's Khosla Ka Ghosla here. Although director Shashant Shah and writer Zafar A. Khan misses no ingredient to trump it up as a masala entertainer, but the banal plot premise and wafer-thin story-line fails to drum up any real joy.
Other Ratings
2.5
-
Deccan
Not Yet Rated -
The Times of India
2.5A film without star -
BharatStudent
Not Yet Rated -
Rediff
2.5The film narrates
Story :
Sabharwal [Ravi Kishen] is an entrepreneur-cum-thug who mints moolah by duping people. But little is he aware of the huge havoc he wreaks on the lives of Mrs. Baweja [Dolly Ahluwalia], Sukhi [Tusshar Kapoor], Mintoo [Vinay Pathak] and Ballu [Ranvir Shorey] who just can't wait enough to settle the scores.
It all begins with the suicide of Mr. Baweja [Yogendra Tikku], after being wrongly framed in a bank fraud case. With her husband dead and her daughter in law, Saira put behind the bars, Mrs. Baweja vows to avenge Sabharwal. She unites with Sukhi, Mintoo and Ballu and schemes to 'bajao' Sabharwal's band in the best possible way. And what follows next is a series of cons.
Analysis :
Although the story kicks off on a willy-nilly note (read a random sting operation and blackmail), director Shashant manages to save the interest by weaving the plot confidently. As the story unspools, the movie goes into flashback. The first half of the movie is wasted in simply establishing the characters. The movie, however, gathers momentum in the second half as the motley of conmen gear up for their biggest con. To tell the truth, the 1.47 hours film manages to keep the audience glued to their seat for most parts.
That said, the films fails to rise to the level of comic crescendo that one would usually expect from a caper like this. The little humor that the film has got feels pedestrian. One just keeps waiting for the gags to unfold, but the guffaws never come. The director wastes his focus on taking the story forward rather than stopping to amuse his audience. That possibly explains the sparse humor.
The film takes off post-interval, and that includes the big con episodes and the high-on-fun tracks like Naagin, Tennu Main Love Karda and RDB tracks that are peppy and easy to sing along.
Although the film is dull and dreary at parts and doesn't have much to offer in terms of amusement to its audience, this decent entertainer can be passed on over other better choices over the weekend.
Performance :
Kudos to Dolly Ahluwalia, Ravi Kishen, Brijendra Kala and Rajender Sethi for putting up a luadworthy performance on screen. The natural ease with which Dolly slides into her role makes the goings-on justifiable. Ravi Kishen plays the “bad guy” with aplomb. Brijendra Kala, the sidekick of Ravi Kishan, sashays his acting prowess, while Rajender Sethi is a delight to watch as the greedy father of the groom.
Tusshar Kapoor plays his part with sincerity, while Vinay Pathak feels a little restrained in his non-comic role. Ranveer Shorey is wasted in the movie. Vishakha Singh is okay, if not great. Husaan Saad is lovable. Yogendra Tikku, Rajinder Nanu, Vikas Mohla, Anya Singh and Nikhil Pandey do justice.
Final Word:
Bajatey Raho releases today, that's 26th July 2013.
(AW:Suchorita Dutta)
