Fool N Final Review

Neeraj Vora has a Guy Ritchie fixation. After copying Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels directly as writer director of Phir Hera Pheri, he goes after Ritchie in chronological fashion, copying Snatch as a writer. The result, though, doesn't have the manic energy of a Guy Ritchie film, instead moving with a jerky pace and a well nigh indecipherable plot, very haphazardly directed by Ahmed Khan.

It's a great idea, but what makes the original English films work well is the able-bodied direction, and an eye for detail. Instead what Vora and Khan bring to this 'adaptation' is a tried and tested comedy style with gags running amok, and the staple of all Hindi filmwriters - the young couple in lurrve.

Here's the rundown - Rocky (Chunkey Pandey) robs a diamond for his Uncle Chowksi (Gulshan Grover), who also tells him to sell it to his partner Lalwani (Asrani). Moscow Chikna (Arbaaz Khan), another don, asks Choubey (Paresh Rawal) to steal the diamond from Rocky. Choubey's A-team, so to say, is niece Tina (Ayesha Takia), her boyfriend Rajaa (Shahid Kapoor) and cab driver Pattu Pilot (Johnny Lever).

Meanwhile, we have Luckee (Vivek Oberoi) and Bob (Suresh Menon), who are bit players in the illegal boxing tournaments. They owe money to another don JD (Zakir Hussain). Rocky has a weakness - gambling - and Chikna exploits it by asking him to bet on the illegal matches, and Choubey and team decide to kidnap Rocky. Munna (Sunny Deol) is a powerhouse fighter, who Luckee asks to fight in his matches.

Of course, as is de rigueur in these films, the whole story culminates in a haphazard chase where different parties interested in the diamond for different reasons are running around. And, as a Nadiadwala production is wont to have, there are plenty of motorcycles and big SUVs on sand dunes. That man just loves his Hummers. The problem, the biggest one leastways, is while Vora gets to do what he likes (copying Ritchie), director Ahmed Khan gets to do what likes (dance choreography), and Nadiadwala gets to do what he likes (Humvees on sand), no one bothers to ask the audience if that's okay.

Because it is SO not okay. The film has a languid, jerky pace. There are characters upon characters, yet none of them have any, y'know ,character. There's a lot of singing and dancing hip-hop ishtyle, but none of the action sequences is engaging or even fun. While it looks like an exercise in making quick money, none of the actors on the screen looks like he or she was having any fun.

Vivek Oberoi has an arrogant swagger that he needs to lose fast, because that makes his acting look really fake. Sunny Deol just smiles goofy-like and punches things, both which he has done with plenty aplomb everywhere. Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takia have the sort of chemistry that borders on indifference.

All of the funny bones weight, then, falls on the not-so-obvious leading man of all such films - Paresh Rawal. Together with Lever, Menon and the other assorted funnymen, he takes all the responsibility and at least makes an attempt to infuse some humor on the tired old jokes.

Speaking of jokes, the writing on the film is so appalling and tired, you find yourself not even mildly amused at most of the jokes on screen. This is all the sloppy handiwork of the director, as far as I can see. He has nothing to contribute to how his actors deliver, he is just happy letting them do whatever it is that they do; he is content with the screenplay writers churning out drivel; he even has no style of his own that he tries to infuse on the proceedings, happy instead to let the film be yet another Nadiadwala SUV fest.

You wish you could say that this film has saving graces, and maybe Rawal and his crew are just that, but frankly, the film is a big hole in Nadiawala's pocket, and a lesson in how not to rip-off foreign films. Go, take a look-see if you think this sort of 'comedy' is your cup of tea. Me, I'm going to clean my ears and take sand out of my boots.