Hi friends,
Picture a situation when you can communicate with people and listen to them, but do not have the eyes to see them. You have everything in the world, but no eyes to see it. On the other hand, you are a permanent handicap of the ear. Though vision and sight are perfectly alright, deafness is something that makes you stand behind. Under normal situation, while some will give up on life in desperation, others will face challenges and continue to live and move on with life. The path is not easy. Many hurdles are to be overlooked and most importantly, you need to have the heart to move on. That’s courage !
Meet Pyare (Fardeen Khan) and Mohan (Viveik Oberoi), two stuntmen in the film industry, who lost their seeing and listening ability due to a tragic incident on the sets of a movie. Not being deterred by their ill-fate, they decide to go further with their physical disabilities. They open a new Archies showroom, and now, their house and the showroom is the only thing they have with them. But no, its also their unconditional love for each other that gets them going. Not only do they care and pray for each other, they have indeed helped each other make their weaknesses their assets.
Their life was full of happiness, and they yearned for only one thing - true love, the potential of which they realize in Amrita Rao (Viveik) and Esha Deol (Fardeen). They bump into each other while jogging, and are soon the best of friends. On a fine day, when they are to propose the girls, they are made to realize that life is yet not so easy for them - Any normal girl would like a perfect man, and while they are rejecting their proposal, they should keep in mind not to destroy any girl’s life with their handicaps.
The dreams of the guys are shattered. Still, they continue with life. As fate would have it, the so-called friends meet each other one more time. The girls are witnesses to the murder of a priest by an underworld don Tony (Boman Irani), operating in Bangkok. Only, the guys here are on a mission to save them, and in the end, lose up everything they had to get money to get them out of the country.
Let’s get a few things right at the very outset. The film is NOT a comedy. In fact, it tackles a serious issue, and is sprinkled with comedy. While this is appealing at places, you do feel cheated at the end of the day. The film was promoted as a comic caper, so you don’t expect to see blood [specially the climax] all over the screen. Clearly, the promotion of the film is truly misleading.
Secondly, a film is based on the way it is. Illogical scenes are a part of humorous cinema but if inserted otherwise, they lose their sheen. Certain intended-comic scenes fail to evoke mirth mainly due to the fact that the movie on a whole is not a fun-filled one. Take for instance the scene where a blind Fardeen drives a car. While this would have been appealing had PM been an out-an-out comedy, it falls flat in a situation like this.
Then, the don in question is supposed to be a buffoon, which is perfectly alright, but the acts he commits doesn’t go with the projected image. Perhaps the writers themselves were confused, whether to make a comedy or a serious, ordinary one. So while watching the flick, you do, at times, feel that two diverse ingredients are combined together to serve a dish called PM.
Coming back to the film now, the beginning appeals very much. Viveik’s habit of listening to songs, and Fardeen’s of reading newspapers are not only weird, but also provide a fair dose of entertainment. Ditto for the party track, where the duo bash up the smart guys. Apart from this, Amrita and Esha’s track, the duo’s aid to them, and their subsequent friendship make you look forward to the enterprise. In fact, though the first-half is a bit slow, and layered by some oft-repeated scenes, they do succeed in arresting your attention.
Fardeen’s birthday sequence in the hotel may appear a bit old-fashioned, but the curiosity and the eagerness on the duo’s face, and their reaction when the girls don’t turn up at the party, sends a pang through your heart. Ditto for the interval point, when the duo get rejected by Amrita and Esha, is emotionally soaked, and you do feel for the lovers. Just then, you expect things to take a funny turn post-interval, but alas, appearances can be deceptive.
Post-interval, all that you will witness is the don kidnapping the gals, the duo managing to save them from the goons n number of times, and finally, dilwale dulhania le jaayenge.. In fact, Fardeen and Viveik have saved the heroines so many times, that by the time they confront Boman, you are least interested to know what would happen further. Again, the climax, when the duo gets bashed up by wine bottles, may put off ladies and children.
Having said that, a few instances do manage to tickle your funny bone. Like the one where the duo shower abuses at the Bangkok inspector, and then, damage his car. Similarly, the one at the shopping mall, where Viveik switches on a music system, is quite funny. Also, a few double-meaning one-liners do bring a smile on your face.
Director Indra Kumar is not in form this time around. He ought to decide what he wanted to make, which he did not. So the film is neither here nor there. A few master touches of the director are visible in a couple of scenes, but overall, he hasn’t been able to extract out the best from himself. However, he is not to be blamed, as the plot itself is hackneyed. The writers should have concentrated on a single plot. Even the screenplay follows a path of convenience.
Anu Malik’s music is of a forgettable variety. The songs gel well with the mood of the film, but only because the film itself is pretty dull at places. Otherwise, there was scope for much better music, but Malik seems to have lost this opportunity. Not that the songs would lift the enterprise anyways.
Dialogues [Milap Zaveri] are witty at places, but pretty ordinary otherwise. Cinematography [Sunil Patel] is just about average. Action scenes [P. Kumar] are well-composed, while Sanjay Sankla’s editing is loose. The film needs to be trimmed in both the halves.
Performance-wise, Fardeen Khan carries the film on his shoulders. Getting into the skin of the character, Fardeen comes up with a splendid performance that doesn’t highlight him as a larger-than-life personality, but as a dependable actor. Viveik Oberoi does a good job. It’s a sort of a comeback for the actor, and he does it in style. In a few of the scenes, his expressions are noteworthy.
Amrita Rao needs to select films that showcase her acting talent. Though she impresses here, the role gives her zero scope to display histrionics. Esha Deol looks very old, and this in the film makes Amrita look much more prettier than what she actually is.
Boman Irani, for a change, doesn’t deliver. Snehal Dabhi evokes mirth at the end of the car chase scene.
To sum up, PYARE MOHAN fails to live up to the expectations. The outcome would have been much better had the writers concentrated on comedy or on a serious issue. While the former could have been embellished with strings of funny situations, the latter gave enough room for a heart-rending emotional fare. But in between, as said, the film stands nowhere.
© Aliasgar Poonawala, 2006
