Sunday, March 23, 2014
Gang Of Ghosts
Spooked Out!
The Bengali film Bhooter Bhabhishyat by Anik Dutta (it was released in
Mumbai) was a huge hit in Bengal and won awards too. It was
undoubtedly one of the best films made in recent times. How could
Satish Kaushik make such a mess of the Hindi version?
The plot is the same, the characters are the same, but this is a
completely different film--crude lines, indifferent performances, too
many badly picturised songs and an overall tacky look. The director of
the original has understandably protested against this ghastly remake,
but it has been inflicted on the public anyway.
A ghost tale that is not scary, but funny and topical, Gang Of Ghosts
talks about how rapid urbanization and the destruction of old
bungalows to make way for towers and malls, has left the city's ghosts
with no shelter.
Gendamal (Anupam Kher-- annoying) a rich man has opened up his mansion
for ghosts of his selection - an Englishman, a former actress, a cook,
an army man and so on. They live in peace and enjoy their 'afterlife'
with feasts, parties and picnics, when a builder called Bhutoria
(Rajesh Khattar) plans to tear it down.
A filmmaker (Parambrata Chatterjee, reprising his role from the
Bengali film) is on a recce in that mansion when he is accosted by
Raju Writer (Sharman Joshi--irritatingly over-the-top) who tells him
the story of the ghosts, in a series of flashbacks as the director
gets excited by the idea of filming it.
The Bengali movie had a magnificent production design, discreet use of
special effects and several culture specific scenes and lines, little
cinema tributes scattered throughout (only in a Bengali would an
Eskimo called Nanook stroll in), which nobody has bothered to work on
in the Hindi remake. What there is in plenty are fart jokes, vulgarity
and more song-and-dance than necessary. The part of the actress
(Mahie Gill) has been extended so that the male ghosts can fight for
her affections.
Perhaps film students should see the original and then the remake,
just to see how bad writing and unimaginative direction can ruin a
film.
Labels: Cinemaah
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