Apr 05, 2007 12:45 PM
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Good movies are all alike, bad movies are bad in their own special way. Honeymoon Travels is not a good movie at all; compared to the tripe that Bollywood dishes out daily, it might seem good, but comparative analogies rarely define absolute quality. Re-phrasing what Ian Botham once said about Pakistan: “This is the sort of movie that you send your mother-in-law to in the hope that better sense may prevail and that she may decide to give up the worldly existence that is so full of perils, just like this movie.”
There were two main reasons why I went to see the movie: the first was Sandhya Mridul and the second was K K Menon. Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II and Page 3 made me fans of this actress’s husky persona. K K Menon, is always someone to watch out for, primarily for his role in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and his excellent rendition of the word Hello in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena.
The first story starts off well, with the director having got his facts right, and talks about the sighting of the Halley comets in 1986. But again, when was the last time when a phrase like ‘It’s all happening’ made a Bill Lawry. The story was ruined when on came Minisha Lamba, the same actress who once in an HT interview, said that she wanted larger and wider hips. Abhay Deol makes strange sounds, and there is a scene where a 10-year old Abhay Deol decides to hide himself in a trash can, possibly to ensure the audience realizes that all scenes involving him are full of garbage. Add to that the super-hero angle, and you have Toby Maguire meeting Halle Berry in a strange combination of Spiderman and Catwoman.
Then, of course, you have the story involving Dia Mirza, Arjun Rampal and Ranvir Shorey. I am pretty biased towards Dia, ever since the lovely song with the horrible lyrics, Zara Zara from RHTDM; but despite that, I believe she should stick to item numbers and hosting award shows. Arjun Rampal, it’s better that he sticks to doing nothing at all, and Ranvir, I guess he is just whiling away time.
Amisha Patel is the bubbly Punjabi kudi in the movie, as she is in most movies, in a story which for lack of better words, seems to be right out of one of the Mills and Boon novels. All through the exposition of their story, Amisha gives ample reasons why she should not act and instead get married to some diamond merchant, or as the movie would seem to suggest, a pearls’ merchant. The story of Sandhya Mridul and the other unknown(unknown because I cannot recollect the name); is so superficial that the rather capable actress is totally wasted in the film. One would have expected a more discerning choice of roles from her. Their story, although seemingly sensible, is nothing new, and is as predictable as finding IT engineers or stray dogs on Bangalore roads.
Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi play persons who are well past their prime and youth, both have been married before, and have suffered the loss of their near and dear ones. Yet, and predictably so, the daughter of Boman is no bharatiya nari, and ends up confiding in Shabana, towards the ending rolls of the movie, about some boyfriend dumping her or something to that effect, and everything is hunky dory again.
Probably the only saving grace in the movie is the story involving K K Menon and Raima Sen. KK is the boy-next-door. He also combs his hair so straight, that if it only had been a little straighter, Sunil Gavaskar would have been really proud. Raima Sen wants to escape the boredom that has set into her marriage. Looking to break free of her better-half’s parent’s home, she convinces KK in a manner that’s really endearing and something that pulls the movie together in spite of all the idiosyncrasies. And thus she escapes the strict order with which her husband leads his life. Aside: KK is bong, and like the typical bong husband, wishes her wife to wear a sari at all times, leading to interesting complications.
I have probably not clearly described the plot, because I was a little confused all through the movie as well. But this movie is not all bad, Boman plays his role well, and does elicit peals of laughter. KK plays his role well too, of the archetypal Bengali husband who is hypocritical and possessive at the same time. The dance number featuring all the couples, in spite of my distinct inability to understand dance, is something that I enjoyed all through.
What is problematic about the movie is the way it tries to address serious questions about gays marrying straight people, arranged marriages, and whether gays are always unhappy about their sexuality, and stuff of that nature. Of course the fact that guy manages to realize that he is gay, right after marriage, is a point that I would let the readers consider and ponder upon. Add to that the gratuitous posters of scenery on the honeymoon suite-walls, and you can rest assured you will have second thoughts about going anywhere in the first few weeks of your marriage.
The movie wasn’t a terrible movie, but I wouldn’t advise anyone to go for it.
