review of pyare mohan

By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM

Friday, April 21, 2006

Besides David Dhawan and Priyadarshan, one maker who has an impressive track record as far as comedies go is Indra Kumar. Right from Dil, which had a generous dose of light moments, to Masti, his last laughathon, Indra Kumar has successfully captured the difficult emotion -- comedy -- on screen. That's precisely why you expect Pyare Mohan to be as mad, zany and wacky like his previous endeavors.

In terms of genre, Pyare Mohan falls in the same league as Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, No Entry and Garam Masala. In fact, there's an unwritten rule and unspoken advice when you saunter into a movieplex to watch this genre: Don't wear your thinking caps. Don't ask questions. Throw logic and reasoning out of the window. Just flow with the tide... The mantra is to entertain and the target audience is any moviegoer who is ready to forget logic, sense and judgment for the next two hours.

For any comedy to work, it ought to be embellished with great scenes, loads of wit and humor and also actors who have a flair for comedy. On the surface, Pyare Mohan has it all: An accomplished director, experienced writers and a cast that has been an integral part of successful comic capers.

But never judge a book by its cover...

Although the characters of the two lead men may sound new for Hindi movie buffs [inspired by the Hollywood film See No Evil, Hear No Evil], writers Milap Zaveri and Tushar Hiranandani's clumsy handling of the material sends the film for a toss. The 14 reeler stands on a feeble plot, but what is unpardonable is that there's no meat in the screenplay to keep your attention arrested for those 2.20 hours.

Also, Pyare Mohan lacks the stamp of a master storyteller. In the past, every Indra Kumar movie had not one or two, but a number of memorable sequences that made you jump with joy. Pyare Mohan is not only saddled with a frail plot and powerless screenplay, even Indra Kumar's execution is below the mark. In fact, Pyare Mohan easily ranks amongst his weakest film so far.

In a nutshell, Pyare Mohan lacks the dil of Dil and the masti of Masti. Neither does the romance in Pyare Mohan make your heart go dhak-dhak, nor does the comedy in the film make you its aashiq.

Pyare [Fardeen Khan] is blind, while Mohan [Vivek Oberoi] is deaf. An inseparable duo, the duo were stuntmen in a film company initially, but after having met with an accident on the sets of a film, Pyare loses his vision, while Mohan goes deaf. They now run a gift shop. The sole factor missing in their life is romance; both yearn for a girl-friend. But things change one morning when they accidentally run into two sisters, Preeti [Esha Deol] and Priya [Amrita Rao].

Pyare and Mohan start dreaming of a future with Preeti and Priya. But the sisters, while leaving for Bangkok for a concert, clear the misconception. They tell Pyare and Mohan in clear words that their being physically impaired goes against them. Also, they add, they've always considered them to be mere friends, nothing more.

En route to Bangkok, the aircraft faces turbulent weather. One of the passengers, Tony [Boman Irani], feels that the aircraft is about to crash and makes a confession to a priest [Feroze Irani], who is seated right next to Preeti and Priya. Tony confesses that he's actually the underworld don who had deliberately spread the news of his death so that he could escape to another country.
A few seconds later, the weather turns normal and the guilt-stricken Tony now wants to eliminate the priest since he knows the truth. Tony murders the priest at Bangkok airport itself, but the blame falls on Preeti and Priya. They are charged with murder and imprisoned in a Bangkok prison.

When Pyare and Mohan learn of Preeti and Priya's imprisonment in India, they board the next available flight to Bangkok to rescue them. In the meanwhile, Tony is keen to eliminate Preeti and Priya since he wants to wipe off all clues and witnesses. He instructs his younger brother Tiny [Snehal Dabhi] to execute the task. The next 40 minutes of the film are devoted to Pyare and Mohan escaping with Preeti and Priya and facing the wrath of Tony. In the end, Preeti and Priya realize their folly and walk into Pyare and Mohan's arms.

It's an oft-repeated fact that the screenplay is the lifeline of every film. No film can survive on a couple of gags, punches or even star power. That's the problem with Pyare Mohan. Soon after the characters are established in the initial reels, the film stagnates. You expect a flurry of activities when Fardeen and Vivek believe that they've found their soulmates. Again, nothing happens. The story inches forward minutes before the intermission, when the girls break the guys' hearts and head for Bangkok.

The post-interval portions are slightly better compared to the first hour, but that's because of a vital chase sequence in the film that can easily be termed as the best part of the enterprise. In fact, that's the only funny moment in the film when you break into laughter. Otherwise, the film tries too hard to make you laugh, but most of the jokes fall flat and fail miserably at evoking mirth.

Another notable scene in the film is in its pre-climax, where Boman Irani and his cronies hurl empty bottles at the lovers. But the climax, when Snehal Dabhi re-emerges on the scene, is a complete compromise from the writing point of view.

Director Indra Kumar is not in his element this time around. While viewing the goings-on, you look at the film in disbelief and wonder, Is this an Indra Kumar directed film? The film lacks the trademark drama his films always boast of. Even the light moments aren't in the league of his earlier films. The writing, as mentioned above, is a sore point. One expected more from the two talented writers primarily because they were in full form in Masti.

Anu Malik's music is getting repetitive. Barring 'I Love You My Angel', there's not one track in the enterprise you hum on your way out of the auditorium. Even the Trickbaby track, which comes at the end titles, is nothing to rave or rant about. Cinematography [Sunil Patel] is ordinary. The beautiful city of Bangkok hasn't been well exploited. Dialogues [Milap Zaveri] are witty at times, but forgettable at places.

The only actor who stands out is Fardeen Khan. Underplaying his part skillfully, his is the only performance that stays with you even after the film has ended. However, he needs to watch his weight. Also, he looks puffed up in several scenes. Vivek Oberoi hams big time. Even scenes that demand intensity lack fire. He runs through his part mechanically.

The two girls, Esha and Amrita, have not much to do except wear three expressions all through: Throw a frown, radiate happiness and show dejection. Their makeup is also inconsistent. Even the terrific Boman Irani is reduced to being a caricature here. Snehal Dabhi contributes to the sole funny moment in the film [the chase sequence]. Adi Irani and Feroze Irani don't get any scope.

On the whole, Pyare Mohan is a poor show. Disappointing!