The
name
Priyadarshan
is
synonymous
with
comic
fares.
It
instantaneously
conjures
up
images
of
several
entertaining
films
he
has
attempted
over
the
years.
Naturally,
you
expect
his
new
outing
Mere
Baap
Pehle
Aap
to
be
a
joyride
as
well.
Even
the
promos
of
the
film,
beamed
round
the
clock
on
TV,
give
an
impression
that
it's
a
laugh-riot.
Sure,
Mere
Baap
Pehle
Aap
has
its
share
of
light
moments
that
make
you
chuckle,
even
break
into
laughter,
but
it's
not
a
laughathon
from
start
to
end.
From
the
interval
point
onwards,
right
till
the
finale,
the
focus
shifts
to
drama,
making
the
goings-on
serious
at
times.
One
factor
that
goes
against
the
film
is
its
length.
The
concept
is
truly
novel
--
for
the
Hindi
screen
at
least
--
but
how
one
wishes
Priyan
would've
controlled
its
length.
Movies
of
2
to
2.15
hours
duration
are
fine,
but
2.40
hours
[add
to
it
the
promos
of
new
films,
plus
interval
makes
it
a
3-hour
outing]
is
strictly
no-no
in
today's
times.
Priyan
should've
brought
down
the
length
for
sure!
Despite
hiccups,
Mere
Baap
Pehle
Aap
has
endearing
moments
that
work
to
its
advantage.
In
a
nutshell,
it
had
the
potential
to
rise
to
the
level
of
Garam
Masala,
Bhagam
Bhag
and
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa,
but
it
eventually
ends
up
being
an
average
fare!
Janaradhan
[Paresh
Rawal]
has
spent
his
life
bringing
up
his
two
kids,
Chirag
[Manoj
Joshi]
and
Gaurav
[Akshaye
Khanna].
Now
when
the
duo
has
grown
up,
Gaurav
takes
up
the
responsibility
of
his
father.
They
both
manage
the
household
chores
and
their
business
to
the
best
of
their
abilities.
Though
he
is
the
younger
son,
he
treats
his
father
like
his
son.
Gaurav
shouts,
threatens,
fights,
even
locks
up
his
father
occasionally
so
that
his
prankster-friend
Madhav
[Om
Puri],
who
is
desperate
to
get
married,
does
not
spoil
him.
Madhav
and
Janaradhan,
who
are
always
in
search
of
a
bride
for
Madhav,
forever
land
up
in
trouble
and
every
time
Gaurav
has
to
bail
them
out
and
face
the
embarrassment.
Gaurav
starts
getting
prank
calls
from
a
girl
who
turns
out
to
be
his
old
college
friend
Shikha
[Genelia
D'Souza].
Shikha
is
staying
with
her
guardian
Anuradha
[Shobhana],
who
happens
to
be
Janardhan's
first
love.
Gaurav
and
Shikha
notice
changes
in
Janaradhan
and
Anuradha's
behaviors
when
they
come
face
to
face
after
many
years.
They
come
to
know
about
their
past.
Now
Gaurav
wants
his
father
to
get
married
to
his
lost
love.
Of
course,
the
path
is
not
so
smooth,
there
are
obstacles.
Mere
Baap
Pehle
Aap
begins
really
well.
Om
Puri's
roving
eye,
Paresh
Rawal's
timid
nature,
Om
and
Paresh's
encounter
with
lady
cop
Archana
Puransingh
--
the
sequences
are
truly
very
enjoyable.
But
Genelia's
constant
calls
to
Akshaye,
though
meant
to
be
equally
interesting,
fall
flat;
they
hardly
evoke
any
mirth.
The
twist
in
the
tale
--
when
Paresh
spots
Shobhana
--
increases
your
anxiety
and
you
look
forward
to
a
gripping
tale
in
the
second
hour.
But
it's
a
mixed
bag
again.
Agreed,
people
may
scoff
at
the
idea
of
a
60
+
man
wanting
to
get
married,
even
though
his
son
[of
marriageable
age]
is
a
bachelor,
but
it
could've
been
presented
more
convincingly.
Here,
the
writer
is
at
fault.
The
Naseeruddin
Shah
track
in
the
finale
is
fine,
but
his
bowing
down
to
Akshaye
in
a
fraction
of
a
minute
is
difficult
to
digest.
Directorially,
Priyan
knows
the
craft
well,
no
two
opinions
on
that,
but
he
needs
to
judiciously
trim
the
film
by
at
least
30
minutes
for
a
stronger
impact.
Vidyasagar's
music
is
a
major
disappointment.
Barring
the
title
track,
which
runs
on
the
end
credits,
the
other
tracks
are
strictly
okay.
Piyush
Shah's
cinematography
is
excellent
and
the
stunning
locales
of
Kerala
act
as
icing
on
the
cake.
Dialogues
deserve
special
mention.
Some
of
the
lines
are
truly
well
penned.
Editing
is
the
weakest
link
of
the
enterprise.
Both
Akshaye
and
Paresh
live
their
roles,
though
there's
a
possibility
that
a
section
of
the
audience
may
not
really
like
the
son
bossing
over
his
father.
Acting-wise,
Akshaye
is,
as
always,
very
much
with
the
character,
essaying
his
part
with
incredible
ease.
Paresh
gets
a
solid
role
yet
again
and
he
sinks
his
teeth
into
it.
Again,
a
job
well
done!
Genelia
looks
fresh
and
pairs
off
well
with
Akshaye.
She
leaves
a
mark.
Om
Puri
is
lovable
and
a
major
asset
for
this
movie.
Archana
Puransingh
is
excellent.
Rajpal
Yadav
is
wasted.
Ditto
for
the
powerhouse
of
talent,
Shobhana.
She
deserved
a
better
deal.
Manoj
Joshi
is
fair.
Naseeruddin
Shah
is
effective,
as
always.
On
the
whole,
Mere
Baap
Pehle
Aap
is
enjoyable
in
parts
--
an
entertaining
first
hour,
a
not-too-entertaining
second
hour.
At
the
box-office,
it's
at
best
an
average
fare.
However,
the
prospects
should
improve
if
the
makers
trim
the
film
from
2.40
hours
to
2.10
hours.