Saturday, December 11, 2010

Phas Gaya Re Obama review : "Innocently funny!!!"

The last few years especially since the super hit "Bheja Fry",we have been witness to the release of a large number of low budget movies, which relied mainly on their script rather than on star power & it wont be wrong to say that many of them has been impressive. This year has also seen many such movies making their mark such as "Peepli Live", "Love Sex Aur Dhokha" etc, to name a few. "Phas Gaya Re Obama" is another such movie trying to repeat the feats of its predecessors. The unique title does create some hype especially since Obama has been here just a month back. So will its storyline be able to create magic ????


The story is written by the director himself, Subhash Kapoor & he has to be applauded for choosing a pretty unique subject. The plot basically involves, the impact of recession in all walks of life but mainly focusing on the gangsters. Om (Rajat Kapoor), is a US NRI who has been hit hard by recession, causing him to lose everything & now virtually on the brink of being kicked out from his house by the bank for non-payment of the mortgaged amount. Seeing no other option, he decides to come to India & sell his ancestral home so as to garner the amount that he requires. Within a few days of landing, he is kidnapped by a band of gangsters whose leader is Bhai Saab (Sanjay Mishra); who is going through a lean patch owing to recession. This sets off a sequence of events among the various rungs of gangsters who all wants a piece of Om, quite oblivious of the fact that he is a financial wreck. Will Om be able to escape from the clutches of the gangsters & collect the amount that he needs to sustain his family forms the framework of the story.


The star cast consists of Rajat Kapoor (as Om) who again comes up with a winning performance as the clever NRI guy. Sanjay Mishra (as Bhai Saab: the boss of the lowest rank of gangsters) is absolutely brilliant & his side-kick Manu Rishi (as Anni) is equally good. Neha Dhupia as Munni Gangster aka Female Gabbar delivers a power packed performance along with Amol Gupte as Dhananjay Singh (Minister for Animal Welfare). The real winner without doubt is however the script, which keeps our spirits high with its hilarious moments without ever resorting slap stick comedy,which is so prevalent nowadays.The music by Manish Tipu doesnt have much of a say, but the dialogues has been spot on. The movie does have its minor pit falls at places but thats pardonable when you look at the bigger picture.

Verdict: Being made on a shoe-string budget of approx 3 crores (as per Bollywood standards), the film should be able to recover its costs with a couple of good shows. Since its endowed with an interesting script, I wont be surprised if it becomes a hit as it would have the benefit of word by mouth going in its favour. So in short, I would suggest that you guys to definitely watch it for some clean humour!!!

Regards...Ben

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