Besharam
Director: Abhinav Kashap
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Pallavi Sharda, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor
Rating:
With Barfi! And Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ranbir Kapoor has had two back-to-back Rs.100 crore hits. But Besharam is the only one of his films which screams, or should we say begs, for that tag. Kapoor so far has stayed clear of loud action comedies which has kept Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in the top league. This year, Shah Rukh Khan took to the genre with Chennai Express. Shahid Kapoor gave it a shot with Phata Poster Nikhla Hero. One succeeded, the other tried but couldn't. Like these two films, Anubhav Singh Kashyap's Besharam is a formulaic entertainer with humour, romance, little drama and plenty of action. Unfortunately for Ranbir fans, it only succeeds in being formulaic and not entertaining.
It is a crass and vulgar film, says Faheem
It's a pity because does Ranbir give it his all, stooping to levels we have never seen before. This is Ranbir as Babli playing to the gallery, trying to strike a chord with audiences in small towns and those who frequent single screen cinemas. It's Ranbir's way of saying that he is not a hero solely for the urban populace in metros but has mass appeal. He can punch guys and perform high-flying stunts. His energy, verve and commitment to his character are noteworthy. Ranbir's face is always animated as he essays the role of Babli, an uncouth car thief, who frequently adjusts his underwear in public and even stuffs a sock in it to give his crotch an enhanced effect. Yes, there is a healthy dose of crude humour but credit goes to Ranbir who manages to make the cringe-worthy often amusing.
Besharam fails to impress, at all, says Rohit Khilnani
It's the reason why you are able to laugh off the cheap antics of Babli especially when he tries woo an educated, working girl, Tara Sharma (Pallavi Sharda). The first half of the film, like Kashyap's Dabangg, is spent with Babli persistently following Tara around in the hopes that she will return his affection. His approach involves making embarrassing, often vulgar, statements and being unapologetic about it. But his cheap demeanour and tacky ways and his job don't impress Tara one bit. You wouldn't blame her for spurning a guy like Babli. However, this is a formulaic Bollywood film and we know that the irritated and angry Tara will subsequently fall for him, even though they don't seem a match at all.
While Dabangg's emotional quotient came from a father-son conflict, here it comes from the absence of parental figures in Babli's life. Babli is an oprhan. The supporting cast includes a pair of police officers, Chulbul Pandey (Rishi Kapoor) and his wife Bulbul Pandey (Neetu Kapoor), who are married and constantly bickering. The few scenes in which the real-life couple are at each other's throat, making disparaging remarks and wounding each other's pride adds a fun touch to the proceedings. But Kashyap fails to make most of his trump card - having Kapoor sharing screen with his parents for the first time. There are only a handful of scenes, which are the highlights of the film.
It is a novel idea wasted, says Vinayak
Ranbir's earnest performance alone can't rescue a film which has a wafer-thin story and where the structure is predictable. It goes like this: a song, a scene with Chulbul and Bulbul Pandey, some banter between Babli and Tara, a scene with Babli and his sidekick (underused Amitosh Nagpal), back to a song, some more banter, some action, another song and on and on. The soundtrack is a huge disappointment with none of the songs barring the title track holding your attention. It doesn't help that Kashyap shoots all of them in a typical manner: a huge ostentatious set packed with an army of background dancers hopping about. We could hear the audiences sighing in the theatre whenever a song emerged especially in the second half.
Javed Jaaferi makes fleeting appearance as the antagonist and his menacing act fails to really inspire any sense of threat. With no real competition until October 16 when Akshay Kumar's Boss makes its way to cinemas, Besharam will hit the Rs.100 crore mark easily. But it lacks the ingredients to keep the audiences engaged. Only Ranbir's uninhibited performance makes Besharam worth a watch.
Director: Abhinav Kashap
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Pallavi Sharda, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor
Rating:
With Barfi! And Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ranbir Kapoor has had two back-to-back Rs.100 crore hits. But Besharam is the only one of his films which screams, or should we say begs, for that tag. Kapoor so far has stayed clear of loud action comedies which has kept Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in the top league. This year, Shah Rukh Khan took to the genre with Chennai Express. Shahid Kapoor gave it a shot with Phata Poster Nikhla Hero. One succeeded, the other tried but couldn't. Like these two films, Anubhav Singh Kashyap's Besharam is a formulaic entertainer with humour, romance, little drama and plenty of action. Unfortunately for Ranbir fans, it only succeeds in being formulaic and not entertaining.
It is a crass and vulgar film, says Faheem
It's a pity because does Ranbir give it his all, stooping to levels we have never seen before. This is Ranbir as Babli playing to the gallery, trying to strike a chord with audiences in small towns and those who frequent single screen cinemas. It's Ranbir's way of saying that he is not a hero solely for the urban populace in metros but has mass appeal. He can punch guys and perform high-flying stunts. His energy, verve and commitment to his character are noteworthy. Ranbir's face is always animated as he essays the role of Babli, an uncouth car thief, who frequently adjusts his underwear in public and even stuffs a sock in it to give his crotch an enhanced effect. Yes, there is a healthy dose of crude humour but credit goes to Ranbir who manages to make the cringe-worthy often amusing.
Besharam fails to impress, at all, says Rohit Khilnani
It's the reason why you are able to laugh off the cheap antics of Babli especially when he tries woo an educated, working girl, Tara Sharma (Pallavi Sharda). The first half of the film, like Kashyap's Dabangg, is spent with Babli persistently following Tara around in the hopes that she will return his affection. His approach involves making embarrassing, often vulgar, statements and being unapologetic about it. But his cheap demeanour and tacky ways and his job don't impress Tara one bit. You wouldn't blame her for spurning a guy like Babli. However, this is a formulaic Bollywood film and we know that the irritated and angry Tara will subsequently fall for him, even though they don't seem a match at all.
While Dabangg's emotional quotient came from a father-son conflict, here it comes from the absence of parental figures in Babli's life. Babli is an oprhan. The supporting cast includes a pair of police officers, Chulbul Pandey (Rishi Kapoor) and his wife Bulbul Pandey (Neetu Kapoor), who are married and constantly bickering. The few scenes in which the real-life couple are at each other's throat, making disparaging remarks and wounding each other's pride adds a fun touch to the proceedings. But Kashyap fails to make most of his trump card - having Kapoor sharing screen with his parents for the first time. There are only a handful of scenes, which are the highlights of the film.
It is a novel idea wasted, says Vinayak
Ranbir's earnest performance alone can't rescue a film which has a wafer-thin story and where the structure is predictable. It goes like this: a song, a scene with Chulbul and Bulbul Pandey, some banter between Babli and Tara, a scene with Babli and his sidekick (underused Amitosh Nagpal), back to a song, some more banter, some action, another song and on and on. The soundtrack is a huge disappointment with none of the songs barring the title track holding your attention. It doesn't help that Kashyap shoots all of them in a typical manner: a huge ostentatious set packed with an army of background dancers hopping about. We could hear the audiences sighing in the theatre whenever a song emerged especially in the second half.
Javed Jaaferi makes fleeting appearance as the antagonist and his menacing act fails to really inspire any sense of threat. With no real competition until October 16 when Akshay Kumar's Boss makes its way to cinemas, Besharam will hit the Rs.100 crore mark easily. But it lacks the ingredients to keep the audiences engaged. Only Ranbir's uninhibited performance makes Besharam worth a watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment