Now
here's
yet
another
film
that
places
its
story
on
Rajpal
Yadav's
shoulders.
This
time,
Rajpal
has
Johny
Lever
for
company.
Masti
Express,
helmed
by
first-time
director
Vikram
Pradhan,
has
two
stories
running
concurrently:
Rajpal
and
his
wife
Divya
Dutta's
fervent
desire
to
have
their
kid
educated
at
a
respectable
institution
and
the
auto
rickshaw
race
that
forms
the
crux
of
the
story.
Quite
an
interesting
idea,
I
must
add,
but
interesting
ideas
don't
necessarily
translate
into
fascinating
cinematic
experiences.
The
problem
is,
Masti
Express
appeals
in
parts,
not
in
its
entirety.
At
places,
the
film
is
engaging,
but
there
are
times
when
it
comes
across
as
a
yawn-inducing
attempt.
The
screenplay
writing
is
clearly
the
culprit
here!
Masti
Express
tells
the
story
of
a
father
[Rajpal
Yadav],
who
desperately
tries
to
get
his
only
child
admitted
to
a
renowned
school
and
provide
him
education.
His
son
is
just
another
brat
in
a
slum
with
an
uninspiring
future.
The
son
is
refused
admission
initially,
but
later,
when
the
father
faces
a
lot
of
obstacles
and
wins
an
auto
rickshaw
race
with
the
help
of
the
school
kids,
the
Principal
[Manoj
Joshi]
opens
the
doors
of
his
school
to
the
kid.
The
director
tries
to
pack
just
about
everything
to
make
the
film
palatable
to
the
junta
janardhan.
He
decides
to
pander
to
the
commercial
diktats
by
injecting
songs
on
guest
stars
[filmed
on
Shankar
Mahadevan
and
Kashmira
Shah,
respectively]
and
also
instill
comedy
in
the
narrative.
Sadly,
one
doesn't
laugh
at
the
jokes
[which
are
crass
anyways],
the
songs
too
act
as
speed
breakers,
while
the
kiddie
portions
are
half-baked.
Ideally,
the
director
could've
avoided
the
unwanted
add-ons
[including
the
characters
that
suddenly
arrive
from
other
states
to
participate
in
the
race]
and
the
editor
should've
trimmed
the
film
judiciously
for
a
better
impact.
On
the
brighter
side,
Pradhan
has
handled
a
few
sequences
expertly.
Note
the
sequence
when
Rajpal
cooks
an
alibi
as
soon
as
Divya
Dutta
enquires
whether
their
kid
has
been
granted
admission
in
the
school
or
not.
Prior
to
that
Rajpal's
sequence
with
the
School
Principal
[Manoj
Joshi]
also
stands
out.
Also,
note
the
sequence
when
Divya
tries
to
pacify
a
heart-broken
Rajpal
after
the
auto
rickshaw
accident.
Besides,
the
finale,
when
Rajpal
actually
pulls
the
auto
rickshaw
to
the
winning
post,
moves
you.
The
auto
rickshaw
race
is
interesting
in
parts,
while
the
attempt
to
inject
humor
during
the
race
falls
flat.
Like
I
pointed
out
earlier,
the
songs
don't
help
in
carrying
the
film
forward,
except
for
one
song
when
the
auto
rickshaw
is
being
repaired.
However,
the
background
score
is
effective,
especially
towards
the
finale.
The
cinematography
is
inconsistent.
Given
the
fact
that
the
story
of
Masti
Express
rests
on
his
shoulders,
one
expects
Rajpal
to
deliver
a
stunning
performance,
but
he
doesn't.
He
is
decent
at
best
and
there
are
times
when
one
feels
that
he's
hamming
big
time.
Johny
Lever
is
loud,
but
that's
how
his
character
is
perceived.
Divya
Dutta
stands
out
with
a
striking
performance.
Vijay
Patkar
is
just
right,
Razzaq
Khan
gets
to
deliver
some
funny
lines,
while
Rajkumar
Kanojia
is
passable.
Manoj
Joshi
is
strictly
okay.
Ryan
Pinto
has
screen
presence
and
also
has
the
trappings
of
a
fine
actor,
provided
he
gets
the
right
parts
to
portray.
On
the
whole,
Masti
Express
falls
short
of
expectations.
Besides,
the
film
has
arrived
with
zilch
hype
and
that
will
make
the
effort
go
disregarded.
Story first published: Friday, February 18, 2011, 15:27 [IST]