Sanjay
Chhel
has
penned
a
number
of
comic
fares.
Obviously,
when
Chhel
takes
charge
and
decides
to
helm
a
project
himself,
you
expect
his
film
to
be
one
wacky
ride.
Indeed,
Maan
Gaye
Mughall
E
Azam
is
wild
in
parts,
thoroughly
enjoyable
at
times,
but
you
don't
exclaim
'maan
gaye'
in
the
end.
Maan
Gaye
Mughall
E
Azam
prompts
you
to
break
into
guffaws.
Even
the
one-liners
--
Chhel's
a
pro
at
it
--
are
dipped
in
wit-n-humour.
Plus,
the
camaraderie
between
Paresh
Rawal,
Rahul
Bose
and
Mallika
Sherawat
is
superb.
Lekin
kahani
mein
problem
hain…
Chhel
tries
to
pack
sooooo
much
in
one
film.
Love
triangle,
patriotism,
terrorism,
songs,
the
theatre
group's
woes…
the
outcome
is
clearly
erratic
and
inconsistent.
The
comedy
works,
not
the
terrorism
angle.
Chhel
seems
inspired
by
Jaane
Bhi
Do
Yaaro,
but
this
inspiration
could've
done
with
a
gripping
screenplay.
Another
sore
point
is
the
absence
of
good
music.
To
sum
up,
Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam
is,
at
best,
an
average
fare.
Watch
it
for
the
humour
and
also
bravura
performances
by
its
lead
actors.
Circa
1993:
St.
Louise,
near
Goa,
is
on
a
high
alert
due
to
illegal
activities
like
RDX
and
arms
landing
at
the
coastal
area.
Set
up
in
the
same
town
is
Kalakar
Theatre
Company,
a
theatre
group
of
self
indulgent
dreamy
actors
who
are
always
left
with
no
choice
but
to
perform
the
same
age-old
period
play
'Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam'
every
time.
One
fine
day,
they
get
to
know
that
an
underworld
don
is
planning
a
bomb
blast
in
the
country.
The
drama
company
gets
into
the
act
to
save
the
entire
city
from
this
blast.
Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam
takes
time
to
come
into
form.
But
when
it
does,
the
humour
is
unstoppable.
Sure,
you
may
find
the
theatre
group's
drama
[Akbar,
Salim,
Anarkali]
amateurish,
but
it
works
big
time.
In
fact,
the
audi
will
reverberate
with
wild
laughter
at
several
places.
But
the
writing
lacks
meat
and
that
takes
away
the
sheen.
The
pace
picks
up,
drops,
picks
up
again,
drops
yet
again
unfailingly.
Humour
is
the
highpoint
of
Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam
and
Chhel
hits
a
boundary
there.
Ditto
for
his
dialogues.
Anu
Malik's
music
is
lifeless.
Barring
the
title
track,
the
remaining
numbers
are
simply
add-ons.
Madhu
Ambat's
cinematography
is
fair.
Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam
belongs
to
Paresh,
Rahul
and
Mallika.
Paresh
has
mastered
the
art
of
making
people
laugh,
but
when
you
watch
him
in
this
film,
you
realize
the
tremendous
potential
this
terrific
actor
possesses.
Watch
his
take
on
Akbar
or
step
in
as
Kay
Kay's
double;
he's
in
top
form.
Mallika
stands
on
her
feet
despite
a
giant
called
Paresh
Rawal.
Scrutinize
her
as
Anarkali
at
the
outset
and
later,
as
an
aspiring
actress;
she's
fantastic.
Rahul
Bose
is
known
for
serious
and
intense
roles,
but
he
breaks
the
shackles
with
Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam.
His
timing
is
perfect.
Surprisingly,
Kay
Kay
isn't
in
form
this
time.
Pawan
Malhotra
does
very
well.
Zakir
Hussain
doesn't
get
scope.
Ditto
for
Tanaaz.
Manoj
Joshi
is
wasted.
On
the
whole,
Maan
Gaye
Mughall-E-Azam
is
an
ordinary
fare,
laced
with
great
humour
at
places.
Average.