Friday, February 23, 2007
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Debutante director Reema Kagti deserves some points for trying out something slightly off beat in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., but then she gives it a ho-hum kind of treatment that makes it at best a ‘timepass’ film.
It could, had the writer-director so desired, have had some more depth and maybe a tongue-in-cheek but insightful portrayal of modern marriages. Instead (slightly inspired by California Suite), she collects a few ‘types’ middle-aged couple on their second honeymoon, one set each of newly weds who had an arranged marriage, one love marriage, arranged-cum-love marriage, one net-dating pair, one runaway bride.
They all get on a garish Honeymoon bus to Goa, with a cynical driver, oily conductor and non-descript cleaner (who later gets a story of his own). The introductions are quickly dispensed with and they reach their incredibly tacky hotel. Much too soon, the group has its first shock when a weeping bride (Dia Mirza) runs off with her lover (Arjun Rampal), leaving a befuddled husband (Ranvir Shorey in a regrettably tiny role).
Then each has his or little crisis, none of which matters by the end of the movie—including one bride (Sandhya Mridul) being told by her husband (Vikram Chatwal), that he is gay, which she accepts with equanimity and decides to stay married. The other gay groom (Karan Khanna), married to a garrulous twit (Amisha Patel, irritating) just suppresses his inclination and carries on normally. It seems the gay angle was put in just to give the film a contemporary feel, but it doesn’t work.
There a couple of funny moments and one unexpected sci-fi twist, but on the whole the film is populated with a bunch of inconsequential characters. The director’s inventiveness just shines in one or two back stories, shot in back and white and narrated by a radio jockey. The story of Aspi (Abhay Deol) and Zaara (Minissha Lamba) is cute and funny.
Of the large cast on the plus side are Boman Irani (awful hair, perfect Goan accent), Raima Sen as the sweet and tough Bengali girl (paired with a halfhearted Kay Kay) and the utterly natural Vikram Chatwal-Sandhya Mridul pair. So-so music, thumbs down to the choice of boring Goa locations.
It could, had the writer-director so desired, have had some more depth and maybe a tongue-in-cheek but insightful portrayal of modern marriages. Instead (slightly inspired by California Suite), she collects a few ‘types’ middle-aged couple on their second honeymoon, one set each of newly weds who had an arranged marriage, one love marriage, arranged-cum-love marriage, one net-dating pair, one runaway bride.
They all get on a garish Honeymoon bus to Goa, with a cynical driver, oily conductor and non-descript cleaner (who later gets a story of his own). The introductions are quickly dispensed with and they reach their incredibly tacky hotel. Much too soon, the group has its first shock when a weeping bride (Dia Mirza) runs off with her lover (Arjun Rampal), leaving a befuddled husband (Ranvir Shorey in a regrettably tiny role).
Then each has his or little crisis, none of which matters by the end of the movie—including one bride (Sandhya Mridul) being told by her husband (Vikram Chatwal), that he is gay, which she accepts with equanimity and decides to stay married. The other gay groom (Karan Khanna), married to a garrulous twit (Amisha Patel, irritating) just suppresses his inclination and carries on normally. It seems the gay angle was put in just to give the film a contemporary feel, but it doesn’t work.
There a couple of funny moments and one unexpected sci-fi twist, but on the whole the film is populated with a bunch of inconsequential characters. The director’s inventiveness just shines in one or two back stories, shot in back and white and narrated by a radio jockey. The story of Aspi (Abhay Deol) and Zaara (Minissha Lamba) is cute and funny.
Of the large cast on the plus side are Boman Irani (awful hair, perfect Goan accent), Raima Sen as the sweet and tough Bengali girl (paired with a halfhearted Kay Kay) and the utterly natural Vikram Chatwal-Sandhya Mridul pair. So-so music, thumbs down to the choice of boring Goa locations.
Labels: Cinemaah
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