Of
late,
the
trend
is
to
make
entertainers
that
don't
tax
the
viewers'
brains.
The
mantra
is
simple:
Plonk
yourself
on
the
cushy
seat,
munch
popcorn,
sip
cola
and
enjoy
the
on-screen
antics.
Just
don't
ask
questions.
Just
don't
look
for
logic.
No-brainer
comedies
are
what
the
doctor
ordered
to
keep
the
industry's
heart
live
and
ticking.
One
Two
Three,
helmed
by
debutante
Ashwani
Dhir,
follows
the
rules
faithfully.
But...
Like
most
films
of
its
ilk,
One
Two
Three
rests
on
a
waferthin
plot.
No
issues
with
that,
but
after
a
point
you
don't
react
to
the
on-screen
jhamela.
Substituting
a
cohesive
script
with
witty
one-liners
and
funny
situations
has
never
been
the
shortcut
to
success
and
never
will
be.
Besides,
the
masti-mazaak
works
at
times,
but
falls
flat
on
several
occasions.
The
on-screen
characters
try
their
level
best
to
tickle
your
funny
bone,
to
evoke
mirth,
but
the
viewer
sits
motionless
and
expressionless
like
a
mannequin.
Comedy
is
serious
business
and
Ashwani
Dhir
has
proved
his
skills
in
the
past
[he
had
penned
the
immensely
likeable
Office
Office],
but
cinema
is
a
different
medium
altogether.
Sure,
Dhir
has
worked
hard
on
wit-laden
dialogues
and
individualistic
sequences,
but
how
one
wishes
he
would've
worked
on
presenting
a
tighter
script.
It's
like
promising
a
sumptuous
meal,
but
being
offered
just
starters.
The
main
course
is
conveniently
forgotten!
Diamonds
belonging
to
a
Don
[Manoj
Pahwa]
get
stolen.
The
diamonds
accidentally
fall
in
the
hands
of
Chandu
[Upen
Patel]
and
Chandni
[Tanishaa],
who
hide
them
in
a
car.
Papa
[Mukesh
Tiwari]
and
his
henchmen
[Vrajesh
Hirjee
and
Sanjay
Mishra]
are
desperately
hunting
for
the
diamonds,
while
hot
headed
police
office
Mayavati
Chautala
[Neetu
Chandra]
is
on
the
prowl
looking
for
offenders
of
any
kind.
Enter
the
first
Laxmi
Narayan
[Tusshar
Kapoor].
He's
from
a
khandani
mafia
family
and
his
mother
prays
that
with
a
few
murders
under
his
belt,
he
will
be
settled
for
life.
He's
got
a
final
chance
to
redeem
himself
as
a
Bhai.
He
comes
to
Hotel
Blue
Diamond
because
he's
taken
a
supari
to
bump
off
Papa.
Enter
the
second
Laxmi
Narayan
[Suniel
Shetty].
He
is
sent
to
Hotel
Blue
Diamond
to
collect
a
new
car
for
his
boss
from
Laila
[Sameera
Reddy].
The
third
Laxmi
Narayan
[Paresh
Rawal]
is
a
hawker
who
has
made
so
much
money
selling
under-garments
on
the
footpath
that
he
has
set
up
a
lingerie
factory
now.
His
son
sends
him
to
Hotel
Blue
Diamond
to
collect
lingerie
samples
from
upcoming
designer
Jiya
[Esha
Deol].
The
three
Laxmi
Narayans
are
at
the
same
place,
at
the
same
time.
They
get
letters
and
photographs
meant
for
the
other.
The
first
Laxmi
Narayan
gets
lingerie
designer
Jiya's
photo
and
goes
to
kill
her,
only
to
end
up
falling
in
love
with
her.
The
second
Laxmi
Narayan
gets
Papa's
photo
and
goes
to
collect
the
car
from
him,
only
to
be
mistaken
for
a
killer
and
gets
beaten
black
and
blue.
The
third
Laxmi
Narayan
gets
Laila's
photo
and
asks
her
to
show
him
the
under-garments,
only
to
be
branded
an
old
pervert.
Meanwhile,
Chandu
and
Chandni
are
determined
to
stop
anybody
from
buying
the
car
where
they
have
hidden
the
diamonds.
Lock
your
brains
at
home
when
you
watch
this
movie,
for
One
Two
Three,
like
its
predecessors,
is
more
of
a
stress
buster
than
anything
else.
Unfortunately,
the
absence
of
a
strong
screenplay
evokes
mixed
reactions.
You
do
laugh
when
you're
supposed
to
laugh,
but
even
those
jokes
are
forgotten
as
you
breeze
out
of
the
cineplex.
You
don't
carry
the
story,
the
film,
the
gags
and
punches,
the
witty
one-liners
with
you
at
the
end
of
the
show.
Ashwani
Dhir
is
a
far
more
accomplished
dialogue
writer
than
a
screenplay
writer.
Directorially,
the
choice
of
actors
is
right
and
a
few
scenes
are
well
canned.
Raghav
Sachar's
music
disappoints.
Barring
the
title
track,
the
remaining
numbers
are
forgettable.
Cinematography
is
inconsistent.
It
looks
like
a
hurried
job
at
times.
The
film
has
a
number
of
characters,
but
the
one
who
actually
makes
you
laugh
the
maximum
is
Sanjay
Mishra,
who
impersonates
the
yesteryear
villain
Jeevan
to
perfection.
Suniel
Shetty
too
has
his
moments,
but
his
'Left-Right'
dialogues,
in
scene
after
scene,
tend
to
get
monotonous.
Tusshar
does
a
decent
job.
Paresh
Rawal
is
okay,
but
not
the
scene
stealer
--
something
you've
started
expecting
from
him.
The
girls
enact
their
parts
mechanically.
The
performances
are
in
this
order
--
Sameera
Reddy
[okay],
Esha
[dull],
Tanishaa
[no
scope]
and
Neetu
Chandra
[loud].
Manoj
Pahwa
excels.
Mukesh
Tiwari
is
alright.
Ditto
for
Vrajesh
Hirjee.
And
what
is
Upen
Patel
doing
in
this
film?
Murli
Sharma
doesn't
deliver
this
time.
On
the
whole,
One
Two
Three
falls
below
the
ordinary
mark.
At
the
box-office,
don't
expect
much!