 Bheja Fry
Cast :Rajat Kapoor, Sarika , Vinay Pathak,
Review : Gen X film-makers are brimming with ideas. Stories that were
considered abstract, experimental and out of the box are
finding an audience and most importantly, an outlet
[multiplexes]. BHEJA FRY is one such film.
Ideally, the plotline of BHEJA FRY is best suited for a stage play
[theatre], but director Sagar Ballary makes an attempt to garnish
it with interesting twists to suit the 35 mm format. Only thing,
a concept like BHEJA FRY, even though it packs in ample laughs
in 12 reels, is strictly for the multiplex junta. Again, not all
multiplexes, but select ones. With a title like BHEJA FRY, you
expect a wacky fare and it does meet your expectations at
times. The incidents take place in one night and unlike IS RAAT
KI SUBAH NAHIN [different genre, but incidents unfold in one
night], BHEJA FRY stresses on humor.
Whether it's the rift between a married couple [Rajat Kapoor,
Sarika] or the other people involved in their lives [Milind Soman,
Bhairavi Goswami] or a man finding out that his wife is cheating
on him [Ranveer Shorey], Ballary injects humor in every
situation. Serious moments? Don't look for it in BHEJA FRY.
In a nutshell, BHEJA FRY is a time pass fare that doesn't tax your
bheja. It has its limitations since it caters to a select audience,
but the film dares to push the envelope further.
Ranjeet Thadani [Rajat Kapoor], a music company executive,
hurts his back the night he has found a prize catch for a weekly
bring-your-idiot talent dinner hosted by his friends and him.
He ends up spending the evening with this idiot, Bharat
Bhushan [Vinay Pathak], who tries to help him get his wife
[Sarika] back, who left him earlier that day. The result is utter
chaos let loose by the idiot, who cannot do a single thing
without messing it up further.
The plot turns around to be a series of mini disasters that leave
Ranjeet's comfortable life in ruins.
It's difficult to make people laugh and director Sagar Ballary
walks a difficult path in his directorial debut. But what bails him
out are a fairly interesting screenplay [Sagar Ballary, Arpita
Chatterjee] and most importantly, an actor who gets it right in
every scene -- Vinay Pathak.
There are times when you truly enjoy the jokes, but there're also
times when you refuse to flex your facial muscles since the
humor appears forced. The best moments are those when Vinay
calls up various people [Milind, Bhairavi, Ranveer, Sarika], but
ends up messing things. From the writing point of view, the
track between the couple [Rajat, Sarika] is the weakest since on
one hand they seem like a perfectly normal couple [the husband
gifts his wife a swanky car] and minutes later, the wife walks
out of the house. Kya hua? Pata nahin!
The film relies on humorous lines and one-liners and the
dialogues are enjoyable at most times. There's no scope for
music in the film, but the lone track is strictly okay.
Vinay Pathak is the star of the show. He looks every inch a
simpleton who's ready to become the bakra. He says everything
with a straight face, that's one of the reasons why this
performance works. His timing is simply fantastic.
Rajat Kapoor is alright. Sarika doesn't get much scope. Milind
Soman enacts his part well. Ranveer Shorey goes over the top
this time. Bhairavi Goswami exudes oomph, but needs to work
on her facial expressions. Tom Alter, Harsh Chhaya and
Ikhlaque Khan get limited scope.
On the whole, BHEJA FRY has its enjoyable moments, but it's the
type of cinema that would appeal to the multiplex junta of a few
cities only. An effort like this will find more patronage on
DVDs/Satellite TV than the ticket window. |
