First,
a
question
for
the
director:
Why
on
earth
has
he
given
such
a
moronic
robotic
title
to
a
film
that
informs,
entertains
and
engages
our
attention?
In
short
Babloo
Happy
Hai
does
everything
cinema
is
meant
to.
And
it
does
so
with
a
transparency
and
sincerity
that
leave
us...well,
not
quite
enchanted,
but
decidedly
involved
with
the
lives
of
characters
who
seem
to
drift
in
and
out
of
a
haze
of
self-indulgence
until
their
lives
come
to
a
stuttering
halt.
There
is
a
soulful
fluidity
to
the
narration
even
when
the
characters
seem
to
be
moving
aimlessly
through
a
series
of
misadventures
designed
to
make
them
look
prettier
from
outside
than
they
actually
are
inside.
The
"hero" is
one
of
those
spiritually
frozen
guys
who
lets
himself
be
trapped
in
the
wrong
relationship
for
money
and
security.
Jatin
(Sahil
Anand,
the
'duh'
student
in
Karan
Johar's
Student
Of
Year)
is
about
to
marry
money
and
is
not
ready
to
let
go
even
if
it
means
bearing
with
the
heiress
Tammana(Preet
Kamal)'s
public
bullying.
His
two
friends
,the
horny
virgin
Harry(Sumit
Suri)
and
the
gay
Rohan(Amol
Parasher)
snigger
behind
and
in
front
of
his
back.
But
does
Jatin
care!
He
is
one
of
slackers
who
would
probably
like
to
die
in
an
Armani
suit.
Enter
the
free-spirited
Natasha(the
dusky
and
expressive
Erica
Fernandes).
Jatin
and
Natasha
share
a
one-night
stand
at
a
bachelor's
party
on
the
eve
of
his
wedding.
You
know
exactly
where
this
story
is
heading.
Hint:
in
the
direction
opposite
to
the
aimless
alliance
between
Jatin
and
his
overbearing
fiancee
Tamanna.
But
suddenly,
out
of
the
blue,
the
narration
changes
into
a
somber
hue.
We
are
led
gently,
as
it
were,
by
director
Nila
Madhab
Panda
into
the
world
of
HIV
AIDS.
The
second
movement
of
the
plot
brings
out
a
statement
on
the
need
for
self-control
for
the
"now" generation
and
the
even
more
urgent
need
for
compassion
towards
people
suffering
from
the
HIV
virus.
Where
the
film
could
have
become
unbearably
preachy
and
sanctimonious
director
Panda
opts
for
a
light,
though
never
frivolous
tone.
The
characters
are
connectible
in
a
very
Delhi
noveau-riche
way.
The
film
is
good-looking
without
sanitizing
the
underlying
message.
Panda
looks
at
these
soul-less
characters
with
indulgent
humour.
Never
judgemental,
but
not
quite
forgiving
either,
the
mood
of
narration
constantly
swerves
from
tongue-in-cheek
to
borderline
tragic.
This
is
a
film
rich
in
texture
and
tonality.
While
it
misses
out
on
getting
to
a
place
of
real
greatness,
it
does
display
a
substantial
amount
of
harnessed
energy
in
putting
across
the
characters
who
are
fatally
flawed
and
fiercely
pitiable
in
their
pursuit
of
good
times.
"Babloo
Happy
Hai" is
fresh,
breezy,
naughty,
nifty.It
gives
out
a
strong
message
without
being
weighed
down
by
the
social
statement.
The
film
is
neatly
edited
by
Biren
Jyoti
Mohanty
with
the
characters
sometimes
cut
short
in
their
self-indulgent
activities
and
distracted
babble
merely
because
what
they
are
doing
ceases
to
be
interesting
beyond
a
point.
The
film's
Manali
snowscape
and
Delhi
traffic
are
captured
by
cinematographer
Subhransu
Das
with
austere
gloss.
While
the
film
does
want
to
look
pretty
it
never
gets
carried
away
by
a
cosmetic
conceit.
The
performances
have
a
well-worked
out
"workshopped"
quality.
While
some
of
the
supporting
is
interesting,
the
real
find
of
the
film
is
Erica
Fernandes
who
as
the
fey
and
feisty
Natasha
comes
to
grips
with
her
character's
doddering
inner-world.
And
never
mind
the
cop-out
at
the
end
when
her
audacious
one-night-stand
is
turned
on
its
head.
It
isn't
easy
to
put
across
a
message
on
AIDS
without
making
the
film
look
like
government-sponsored
propaganda.
Easy
does
it
in
"Babloo
Happy
Hai".
It
wears
its
social
message
on
the
perils
of
unguarded
intimacy
lightly.
It
is
thought-provoking
but
not
preachy,
emphatic
but
not
screechy.
It
makes
a
whole
lot
of
sense
in
that
disarmingly
artless
style
we
saw
in
the
director's
"I
Am
Kalam".
Don't
know
about
Babloo.
But
main
khush
hua.