Saturday, June 15, 2013
Fukrey
Losers Inc.
Over a period of time Hollywood has perfected the formula and identified its target audience of young men, who are most likely to flock to a film with slangy risque lines, a hint or promise of sex, a dash of bravado, stupid risks that pay off, and all turning out well in the end. The Hangover got it right--not dark enough to be disturbing, vulgar enough to make men snigger, but not put off accompanying females.
The same producers made Delhi Belly, an upmarket version of Fukrey. Good-for-nothing young buddies, brush with crime, controlled mayhem, and, throwaway funny lines that sound way better with a Delhi accent. However, keeping in mind Indian censors, not too much vulgarity.
Mrighdeep Singh Lamba whose last film was the forgettable Teen Thay Bhai, faithfully follows the loser buddy bonding formula, that works upto a point because his characters--even the always excitable, perpetually horny, gap-toothed goofball Choocha (Varun Sharma) are so inept. (There's a fleeting sequence of this guy being turned on by undressed mannequins, make of it what you will).
Choocha's best buddy is Hunny or Honey (Pulkit Samrat)---both class duffers. They want to pass now and get into college because that's where the girls are--the skimpily dressed ones in particular A Sardar, Lali (Manjot Singh), son of a well-off but ill-tempered 'halwai' needs to get into college because his girlfriend might find someone better there. The fourth 'fukra' is Zafar (Ali Zafar), an aspiring musician with a doleful air and a father in need of medical care.
Their guide and go-to man is the college watchman Pandit (Pankaj Tripathi), the jugaad guy who can get leaked question papers and also connect to dangerous, foul-mouthed gangster Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chadda).
In a plot device borrowed from an old play Three Men On A Horse-- Choocha's weird dreams, interpreted by Hunny lead to winning lottery numbers. When the four idiots need large sums of money, they borrow from Bholi and get into trouble when the money is lost.
It's not as if there is any real danger-- this is clearly a comedy, not a violent gangster film-- so the focus is mostly on the antics of the fukras; in spite of energetic performances by Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma, but the scenes are stolen effortlessly by Pankaj Tripathi and Richa Chadda.
What is a little worrisome is the takeaway from the film-- that it's okay to be dishonest layabouts and then find underhand ways like drug peddling to making money. It may not bother the film's entertainment-seeking audience, but that doesn't mean that's something than can be ignored.
Labels: Cinemaah
