Sep 22, 2013 04:43 PM
4228 Views
Shahid Kapoor in his decade-old career has played various roles with elan but has never got an opportunity do an over-the-top drama. Sure, we got to see his comic timing in films like 36 China Town, Chup Chup Ke, Chance Pe Dance etc. Yet, one would be genuinely surprised when Shahid unleashes his never-before-seen comic side and raises tons of laughs in Phata Poster Nikhla Hero! And that is enough reason to watch this comic caper despite the fact that it has glitches.
The story of the movie: Savitri (Padmini Kolhapure) lives in a small village and works as a rickshaw driver. Her lifelong dream is to see her son Vishwas Rao (Shahid Kapoor) as a police officer. But Vishwas dreams to be an actor. Circumstances take him to Mumbai and one day while he is in police uniform, he is dragged by Kajal (Ileana DCruz) to stop a criminal activity from taking place. Assuming him to be a real cop, the perpetrator of the crime - Gundappa (Saurabh Shukla) and corrupt inspector Ghorpade (Zakir Hussain) - begin to see Vishwas as a serious threat and thus begins a roller-coaster adventure.
Phata Poster Nikhla Hero has an old world charm in the commencement as the hero’s childhood is unveiled. Shahid’s entry is awesome and the misunderstanding and confusion that happens is well executed. However, director Rajkumar Santoshi rushes up things in between that doesn't impress. Also, almost every song is forced in the narrative and each track springs up all of a sudden. One doesn't mind the same for Tu Mere Agal Bagal, Dhating Naach, Main Rang Sharbaton as these songs are at least well shot. But Mere Bina Tu was just not needed and it gives a strong déjà vu of Tu Jaane Na (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani) and hence was a put off.
Thankfully and unlike some of the recent films, the second half is better than the first! The film gets serious at a point but it was engaging. The twist in the tale is something that most viewers would guess and yet, it makes for a great watch. The climax is dhamakedaar as all major characters embroil in a fight. But thankfully, it’s all done in a controlled manner and the film ends on a great note.
Shahid Kapoor rocks the show and how! In fact, the actor in many ways takes the film to another level. His comic timing is superb, he looks macho in action scenes, he moves audiences in emotional scenes and as we all know, he is a pro when it comes to romancing! This was indeed a great opportunity for Shahid and he makes great use of it! Kudos (P.S.: Watch out for him when he gets ‘showered’ with money and he exclaims, ‘Paise’!)! Ileana DCruz looks lovely and performs very well. The best part is, she has a significant role to play and was not merely an eye candy in the film. Padmini Kolhapure plays a character that was more significant than that of Ileana and highly impresses. Hope we get to see more of her! Darshan Jariwala (Joint Commissioner Khare) too has a significant part and leaves a very huge mark. Saurabh Shukla is hilarious while Zakir Hussain too gets to showcase his funny side. Mukesh Tiwari (Yashwant Rao) does a great job in a small role. Sanjay Mishra (Jogi) as always was in his element and his ‘students’ too prove their worth! Nargis Fakhri was strictly okay while Salman Khan is outstanding in a cameo appearance! Shiva Natarajan (Dr Vinod Khanna), Tinnu Anand, Neeraj Vora and all others too lend able support.
Pritam’s music is brilliant but songs are forced into the narrative. Background score however is lively. Action is over the top but doesn't get into the zone of disbelief. Rajkumar Santoshi’s story is nothing new and is borrowed from dozens of films (the characters even mention some of the films that served as inspirations!). But screenplay is effective and so are dialogues. Direction is fair though one wishes it wasn't unconvincing. Some scenes were spoilt either by veing too fast or due to unnecessary songs or due to cheesy dialogues (the latter is esp during the intermission scene). However, the director gets his act right in the second half. Special mention should be made of the mother-son track which works well in the context of the film.
Some of the best scenes:
Vishwas’ childhood
Adult Vishwas’ entry
Vishwas goes for police selection
Vishwas meets Kajal and Salman Khan
Vishwas bashes goons who were trying to shut down a school
Vishwas at Paradise Club
Vishwas teams up with Khare (hilarious!)
The last 25 minutes
On the whole, Phata Poster Nikhla Hero is a decent entertainer that works fine, despite glitches in the execution at places. What works big time is Shahid Kapoor’s outstanding performance! Shahid has never entertained in this manner ever…watch out! As for the film, it’s surely worth a watch for lovers of over-the-top entertaining cinema!
