Pagalpanti Movie Review: Anees Bazmee's Film Isn't Crazy Enough To Make You Laugh Aloud!

Rating:
2.5/5
Star Cast: Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Ileana D Cruz, Arshad Warsi, Pulkit Samrat
Director: Anees Bazmee

While 'Pagalpanti' has a scene where Junky (Arshad Warsi) tells one of the characters, "Auntyji humlog science main maante hain....nonsense mein nahi," the makers already warn you that it's a mindless comedy. Does it make you laugh out loud? Let's find out here.

What's Yay: Arshad Warsi, Anil Kapoor

What's Nay: Lengthy screenplay

Popcorn Refill: Interval

Iconic Moment: None

Plot

Plot

Set in London, Raj Kishore (John Abraham) is an out-of-luck man who is struggling to set up a business with the help of his friends Chandu (Pulkit Samrat) and Junky (Arshad Warsi). Such is Raj's bad luck that a certain pandit even warns, "Shani maharaj inke Peeche nahi pade hai inki godd mein baithe hain, Muskura rahe hai, hayankar sadesaathi shuru ho gayi hai'.

When one of Raj, Chandu and Junky's business ventures literally goes up in flames, the trio is hired by gangsters Raja (Saurabh Shukla) and WiFi Bhai (Anil Kapoor) in a bid for the sum they owe them.

Enter Niraj Modi (Inaamulhaq) who has duped a certain 'PMB' bank in India before seeking refuge in London. Things take a crazier turn when Raj, Chandu and Junky cross their paths with him.

Direction

Direction

Admit it or not, but slapstick comedies are guilty pleasures! It's fun to watch the buffoonery displayed by the characters on the screen. Unfortunately, Anees Bazmee who tickled our funny bone with films like 'Welcome', fails to conjure up some new stuff to make us go ha-ha. Instead, the filmmaker draws heavily from some of his own previous slapstick fare and ends up packing in too many things, which simply add minutes to the runtime, making it a tedious affair.

You have car-chases, a haunted mansion and even Asiatic lions making an appearance in the film. Sadly, none of them makes it up for the incoherent screenplay.

Performances

Performances

Among the sprawling lot, it's Arshad Warsi and Anil Kapoor's spot-on comic timing that saves the day. The duo has some crackling lines in the film. John Abraham gives an eye-pleasing performance which gets a patriotic spin towards the end. Pulkit Samrat is good in his part and pulls off whatever has been offered to him.

The girls- Ileana D'Cruz, Kriti Kharbanda and Urvashi Rautela are merely reduced to glam quotient and dancing partners.

The rest of the cast including Saurabh Shukla too get their moments to make your lips curl into a smile.

Technical Aspects

Technical Aspects

Sunil Patel's camera work goes fine with the theme and adds to the 'pagalpanti'. Some serious chop-chop by Prashant Singh Rathore on the editing table could have saved the film from sprawling all over places.

Music

Music

'Tum Par Hum Hai Atke' which is a recreated version of Salman Khan-Kajol's song from 'Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya', impresses with its peppy beats and John Abraham's additional lines. 'Walla Walla' which comes with an Arabic twist is a groovy number. The rest of the tracks barely leave a mark.

Verdict

Verdict

"Is matlabi duniya mein agar koi bematlab ki baat bol jaaye, toh us betmatlabi baat ka bhi bahut bada matlab hota hai," goes one of the lines in the film. Unfortunately, 'Pagalpanti' hardly gives you anything memorable to take back home. I am going with 2.5 stars.

Critics & Movie-goers Thrash John Abraham's Pagalpanti; Call It A 'Nonsense' FilmCritics & Movie-goers Thrash John Abraham's Pagalpanti; Call It A 'Nonsense' Film

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