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**Dhoondte
Reh Jaoge**
*ing: Soha Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal,
Kunal
Kheemu, Sonu Sood,Johnny Lever
Directed by Umesh Shukla
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Just
when we begin to praise Bollywood for making alternative films, it
throws a film like Dhoondte Reh Jaoge in our path making one feel
either nervous for having cast an ill omen on the industry, or worse,
feeling like a dimwit to have spoken too soon. For all the Farhan
Akhtars and Anurag Basus, Bollywood will still sadly, stubbornly retain
the David Dhawans who continue to inspire films like DRJ (not that
it requires any inspiration to make a film like this). The plot -
a paltry effort by Umesh Shukla, who has the misfortune of writing
as well as directing this film - revolves around a once successful
director, Raj-jee Chopra, played by the recently crowned king of comedy
Paresh Rawal, and an honest but struggling chartered accountant, Kunal
Kheemu, who together hatch a diabolical plan to produce a super flop
film in the process of which they seek to amass a stupendous 100 crore
for themselves. In the process of story telling, the director clearly
got deeply imbibed by the fallacies of the character's plan and ended
up creating exactly what his actors aimed to do- a massive flop film
that is a dismal and wretched amalgamation of blockbusters like Sholay,
DDLJ and Lagaan. The film includes Soha Ali Khan, Sonu Sood and Johnny
Lever who try their level best to support this ludicrous enterprise
of a film through their various roles, each of which lack substance
and end up as raw characters stuck on celluloid. Paresh Rawal's stint
in Hera Pheri brought him onto the screen as an actor with a comical
prowess to reckon with, and since then one sees him type-cast as a
comedian and now the act is getting a bit too much and films like
Dhoondte... are a disgrace to a veteran like Rawal. On a similar note,
Soha seems to be to sinking deep with each film since her entrance
to Bollywood, save the patriotic Rang De Basanti and A Wednesday.
Even strong creative genes and a mind to match cannot help this Oxford
babe get good scripts. It seems like she too will have to follow a
protracted torturous path to stardom like brother Saif while viewers
are left wondering why the scions of the ethereal Sharmila Tagore
could not have learnt a thing or two from her. Kunal Kheemu, a child
star, also suffers from the child star syndrome (there's a good reason
why they're called child stars you know! They definitely looked better
at ten). Like his previous films, Kheemu does a perfect job of looking
like his sleazy self, replete with the not so lustrous curls hanging
forlornly in gallons of grease. Clearly the boy can act, and he does
his role of the na•ve and honest chartered accountant quite
well, but he seriously needs the help of an image consultancy. His
saving grace in the film could possible be his entry song 'Don't let
me miss you, just let me kiss you'- that may leave audiences visibly
cringing initially but soon enough get influenced by its catchy tune.
Our bet is that soon enough you will be hearing this song blaring
at mehndis. The rest of the soundtrack will quickly, quietly, abashedly
sink into musical oblivion. Johnny Lever's character though is highly
amusing. His caricature of a man lost in the vestiges of power is
extensively lampooned as he is shown as a 'joru ka ghulam' subjugated
by his perennially drunk overweight and overbearing sumo wrestler
of a wife. At times funny, this character too is too raw and crass
to add any value to the film. The title Dhoondte Reh Jaoge is quite
apt: one spends 122 minutes trying to figure out why this film was
made. The movie certainly is an unending quest for a script, logic
and coherence. The dedication of the team to the story is also quite
apparent since they managed to create what they were seeking through
out the film - a flop. One would be surprised if it manages to magically
do well as the Ôflop in the makingÕ does in the culmination
of the film. Hah! Wishful thinking!
Ñ Hani Taha Salim
*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME |
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