Slapstick fun!. Review on Garam Masala

There is no doubt that their exist people who laugh in a totally different way after viewing comedies that are slapstick. Meaning comedies that throw logic to the air and follow their own paths are laughed upon in a mocking way by some cynics to whom logic is all there is. To me, however, cinema is a medium which goes beyond logic at times, which is also totally correct. Reason? Very simple, sometimes more important than listening to the ''logical'' complaints of these cynics against slapstick comedies is that one thirteen letter word---ENTERTAINMENT.

GARAM MASALA is a movie that instantly falls into such a category. Being a slapstick comedy, it was embraced by the majority, the intelligent people who know that such movies are becoming a great way of relieving the stress we get from our daily lives. There just can't be a Swades, a Sarkar, or a Parineeta made all the time. Being the season of comedies that there is, I believe there is already much to look forward to to this genre. Makers have begun to compete for the most hilarious of jokes and thus the future of this genre looks immensely bright.

Anyways, coming back to GARAM MASALA, despite being this Diwali's biggest blockbuster by ruining same maker Priyadarshan's Salman starrer heavyweight Kyunki and David Dhawan's star-studded SHAADI NO.1, GARAM did feel the GARAM GARAM heat from those cynics who hate to identify with this genre. 61 percent recommendation here on MS again indicates that there are people who didn't click well with the movie, and there are quite of lot of them too. Still, GARAM MASALA braved all oppositions to reach where it did. Reasons? Plenty--slick direction, situational comedy, superb lead actors, as well as a super hit musical score and a bumper publicity.

GARAM MASALA is about two good-for-nothing chaps...Mak (Akshay Kumar) and Sam (John Abraham). While Mak is the one who is totally a low-down professionally, he does have the upper hand over Sam when it comes to competing for the prize men value most--women. Mak is romancing three beauties in one house behind the back of his fiancee Anjali (Rimi Sen). Sam is the one who is desperate to feel this pleasure too. With his cunning plans and lucky timing, Sam finds himself well-placed with the girls and hits off instantly with a couple of them. Eventually, Mak and Sam end up settling for their own respective territories in one house...taking their own share and sticking to it without interference in the matter of the other. Yet, there is always some sort of trouble going on that misfires their defenses of each other. Then to their rescue comes the chef--Mambo (Paresh Rawal). Eventually, Mak and Sam fall out of ideas to defend themselves...even Mambo is out of thoughts. What happens when everything breaks lose? How do the guys react? That's what remains to be seen in the remaining few reels.

However GARAM MASALA is more of a joy-ride before its cliched climax according to me. Those 2 hours pre-climax are hilarious, full of jokes, and sparky. However, the last few reels are handled poorly, ending the movie on a confused note. Agreed, the normal mind cannot think of any other reasonable ending too, but being the genius he's always been, Priyan could've come up with an extra-ordinary climax. Yet, all said and done, everything has its flaws and its just about having more quality than those flaws. And GARAM MASALA totally scores here by delivering a number of pros all through its first 2 hours.

Priyan is successful on all fronts as a complete maker. The technicians used are superb. The choreography of each song is fantastic while the screenplay, cinematography, and one-liners are very functional too. Music is without doubt one of the highest points. While Pritam makes great statements about his growing talent with the awesomely tuned and executed DIL SAMUNDAR, he proves he can also create a blockbuster song like ADAA. All other songs like FALAK DEKHOON and CHORI CHORI DIL LE GAYI are also melodious. Yet, performances remain as the main highlight of this movie.

Akshay Kumar was superb as a sensitive son in WAQT, an obsessed lover in BEWAFA, and decent as a grace-saving cop in INSAAN. GARAM MASALA, being his fourth release of the year, gives him an opportunity to revive his days of 2004 where he rose greatly as a comic man in successful movies like KHAKEE and MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI. If the guy was fantastic in those movies, as Mak his performance is beyond words. Really, Akshay becomes Mak and looks every bit his part effortlessly. He seems like a family member to the viewer after a while as he is there entertaining to his best efforts in every single frame of the movie. Besides, he looks smashing all through the movie, paying great tribute to his ex-cassanova image. A performance that defines GARAM MASALA in almost its totality, Akshay's is an irreplacable act here and one truly hopes that he goes on to become an even bigger superstar in days to come.

John Abraham, on the other hand, doesn't have the kind of author-backed, histrionic-requiring role that Akshay does. John has a rather simple role of a situationally comic man (like Fardeen Khan in NO ENTRY). John does justice to his part as there was really not much more scope to prove himself as an actor. I disagree with those who think he has nil comic timing. He is certainly getting there and has taken a great first step to come out of his stupid gangster image. This role at least suited him and he did manage to extract a few laughs from a situational point of view. Besides, he also looked much more fresh and slick than he did in movies like KARAM and KAAL. Overall, a decent performance.

Paresh Rawal gets a relatively shorter, yet a hugely impactful role. His is the one requiring more of a comic timing than John's Sam. And here the veteran makes full opportunity to demonstrate how he has mastered his skill of delivering those one liners and making people laugh out of their seats. Hats off to you sir! The three female leads are very confident and camera-friendly, showing no signs of inexperience and looking every bit the part they played of air hostesses. Rimi Sen is passable while Rajpal Yadav and co. are efficient in their support.

Overall, GARAM MASALA is a movie that rested on great promotion and a hugely popular musical score. But above all, it ended up resting on Akshay Kumar's broad shoulders who yet again proved his dependability as an actor. GARAM MASALA belongs to Akshay Kumar and he is the one who deserves the most out of this movie's success!