Oct 24, 2014 02:32 PM
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Diwali and Shah Rukh Khan go back a long way. Except Ra.One, every time Shah Rukh Khan came up with a film on Diwali, it has added to the fireworks during the festival of lights. And this year, SRK has come up with Happy New Year, which marks his return with one of the most commercial blockbusters of our times, Farah Khan. And it’s a relief and pleasure to announce that Happy New Year ranks as one of the best films of the year and also one of the most outstanding films of Shah Rukh Khan in a long time!
The story of the movie: Charlie(Shah Rukh Khan) wants to avenge the wrongdoings done to his family and hence comes up with a plan – he’ll rob diamonds worth 300 crores from a five-star hotel in Dubai. To achieve his motive, he assembles his team – bomb expert Jag(Sonu Sood), Tammy(Boman Irani), who’s an expert with locks and lockers, computer hacker Rohan(Vivaan Shah) and for special reasons, alcoholic Nandu Bhide(Abhishek Bachchan) and bar girl with a heart of gold Mohini(Deepika Padukone) too get involved in the team. However, in order to make it to the diamonds, Team Charlie has to participate in World Dance Championship that will be held in the same hotel where the diamonds are placed. And except Mohini, none of the team member is a pro in shaking leg.
Happy New Year is 179 minutes long but every moment is engaging and entertaining. Like a typical Farah Khan film, the film is a mix of romance, action, tragedy, emotion, music, dance and this time, there’s also patriotism. SRK’s entry is outstanding and it was a treat to see the superstar in such a massy avatar! The entry and back stories of Abhishek, Sonu, Boman and Vivaan too are damn interesting and keep the interest going. Deepika surprisingly makes a late entry but she adds to the fun. The second half is fortunately better than the first. Few moments are moving and it’s amazing how Farah and her team incorporated all these elements so well. In fact, there are moments where one might feel the film is going the predictable zone. But immediately, one would be proved wrong! The 40-minute long climax is superb and again, the twists at this juncture are quite intriguing. And the finale is exhilarating and goosebumps-inducing and the film ends with a high!
Sadly, the film has its share of blemishes. The vomiting side of Abhishek Bachchan is quite gross. The scenes where Team Charlie is practicing at the first half under the guidance of various dance gurus didn’t quite raise laughs. In the second half, Charlie’s fight with the Korean at the helipad seemed unnecessary. Thankfully, it ends brilliantly. But one wonders why the dance groups were practicing on a helipad of all places! Lastly, the film has few adult references and dialogues and although it’s not as shocking as Ra.One, a section of audiences might have reservations.
Every actor gives in his best but Shah Rukh Khan wins hands down! He seemed a bit odd in the intro scene but later on, he gets his act completely right. He seems quite comfortable and that’s not easy for any actor since the film is quite over-the-top, in-your-face commercial film. And in that context, he is brilliant. And personally speaking, it’s a pleasure to see SRK in such a well-made entertaining film. SRK would be loved in this film and box office wise, it’s a sure shot hit. Surely, it’s a win-win situation for the superstar!
Deepika Padukone enters the narrative after 55 minutes! But she has a significant part to essay and does very well. And she’s not just arm candy – she has an important part in the plot. And she looks like a million bucks, especially in the ‘Lovely’ track! Boman Irani leaves a very huge impact with his performance and one-liners, more than Abhishek and Sonu. Great going! Abhishek Bachchan too contributes to the fun in the film and gives an impressive performance. Sonu Sood is quite sincere and dominates few scenes in the beginning. Sadly, later on he gets overpowered by other actors. Vivaan Shah is too good and plays his part with conviction and sincerity. Jackie Shroff(Charan Grover) does quite well as the antagonist. Anupam Kher’s ‘emotional apprarance’ is great. The film has lot of entertaining special appearances by Sajid Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, Prabhu Dheva, Kiku Sharda, Dino Morea, Vishal Malhotra, Geeta Kapoor and Sarah Jane Dias. But the best cameos are by Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Dadlani! See it to believe it! And lastly, watch out for Narendra Modi-lookalike. It’s insanely hilarious!
Vishal-Shekhar’s music is peppy and suits the film’s mood. India Waale is the best of the lot while picturisation wise, World Dance Medly rocks and gives goosebumps! Lovely, Satakli, Manwa Laage, Nonsense Ki Night and Dance Like A Chammiya too are quite entertaining. Sharabi is the grand Farah Khan end-credits song featuring the entire cast and crew and needless to say, it’s a song to watch out for! John Stewart Eduri’s background score too makes an impact. Shashank Tere’s production design is grand but convincing. Action is appealing, especially in SRK’s entry scene. VFX(Red Chillies VFX) is much better than their work in previous films and it adds to the grandeur of the film. Mayur Puri’s dialogues are not of Sajid-Farhad variety but have its own charm. In fact, the film features modified dialogues from SRK’s previous films and it’s wittily incorporated in the script! Farah Khan’s story is quite interesting and thankfully, it’s not inspired from any heist film of Hollywood, as feared by a section of audience. In fact, the entire heist plan might not be totally logical and rational but it’s convincing enough and that’s what matters. And that is managed by Farah Khan and Althea Kaushal’s screenplay. Also, the combo of heist and dance championship is unheard of and it’s very well utilized and credit also goes to Farah Khan’s direction. Great to see her back in Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om avatar!
Some of the best scenes:
Charlie’s entry
Jag, Tammy, Rohan’s entry
All songs of the film
Charlie talks about his past
The intermission point(predictable but SRK’s ‘Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost’ makes up for it!)
The semifinals and its results
Mohini is told the truth
The climax
On the whole, Happy New Year is a brilliant entertainer and is sure to win hearts! It is 3 hours long but doesn’t bore even for a moment. The second half is better than the first and the climax is exhilarating and gives goosebumps! SRK is terrific and looks quite at ease and Deepika seems like a million bucks and has an important part to play. Abhishek, Sonu, Vivaan and Boman too are quite brilliant and don’t miss the insanely hilarious Narendra Modi-lookalike’s cameo! Music takes the film to another level. The end credits song featuring the entire cast and crew is rocking as expected and it was a treat to see AbRam Khan on screen! In short, this is a total entertainer and those who love such films should not miss it! And needless to say, at the box office, there’s nothing stopping the film. It’s a BLOCKBUSTER!
My rating - 4.5/5!
