Jodi No 1
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Good news. Govinda's got back his groove. And so has David
Dhawan. Which means happy days could be here again with the laugh factory crackling back
into form and the Number 1 laugh series (Hero No 1, Coolie No 1) facing an encore.
Things might just lighten up at the box office, for a lacklustre Chi Chi in films like Shikari
and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai seemed to have taken away all the chutzpah
from pa-pu-la cinema.
The Haseena Maan Jaayegi duo which had created a bit of masti with
what-is-mobile-number nonsense returns in Jodi No 1. Only this time, the tango is wilder
and the jugalbandi more jolly. Both Sanjay Dutt and Govinda are in fine fettle as
they play umpteenth ode to that unforgettable blockbuster, Sholay. In their second coming,
Jai and Veeru resurface as Punjab da puttars, somewhat reminiscent of that Jodi
No 1 on the small screen: Nony and Neetu Singh of the Colgate Top Ten times. Jai paaji
(Sanjay Dutt) is Amitabh without the brooding melancholy and Veeru paaji (Govinda)
is Dharmendra, amply seasoned with the comic flair of apna Entertainer No 1.
A pair of petty crooks, who flee from the city to escape an angry underworld don (Ashish
Vidyarthi) and a dogged cop (Shakti Kapoor), land up in another thakur ki haveli.
Only this time, the widow has been replaced by a Hum Saath-Saath Hain yet nahin
hain parivar and the thakur has been metamorphosed into a beleaguered
industrialist whose fortunes are on the downswing. Jai and Veeru are called upon to paly
the phoren returned MBA gold medallists who have a talisman for success. They must
not only win the impossible tender from the rich and the famous exporters, but also curb a
band of aggressive workers and rebellious parivar wallahs.
All this, apart from tackling their own burgeoning problems, which entail outsmarting a
bloodlusting don who has managed to trace them to their new hideout.
And of course they must set aside some time for a bit of romance and naach-gaana
too. For if Veeru's here, can Basanti be far behind. Yet once again this nem millennium
Basanti (Twinkle) has shed her ghagras for capris and prefers cavorting in cool
Switzerland instead of ramshakled Ramgarh. Koi gal nahin. We'll like our kitsch-
kitsch like that only, as long as Govinda's in top gear and Sunju keeps perfect pace.
It may be Dalerification of Sholay, nevertheless Jodi No 1 doesn't cause
discomfiture. Simply because the humour is rib tickling, the repartees bubble over with
spontaneity and Govinda's improvisations literally bring the house down in places.
Watch him reinvent Bachchan's legendary monologue with 'Godji' in Deewar or Shashi
kapoor' 'Hamare paas ma hai' mirch masala and you've already got your money's
worth. Baaki, it's an unbridled joyride through no-plot, no-purpose land. Enjoy! |
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