I maybe working in the fashion industry for now but that has nothing to do with what I believe is fashionable in Indian Cinema these days. And I am not talking about clothes – just to clarify. I make the “fashionable” reference to the profession that is considered to be “in” as far as Bollywood is concerned these days. It’s a 2 letter word and I don’t mean vegetable vendor or movie star or managing director. It is the exceptionally lucrative profession of Investment Banking. Every alternate movie has the lead male and in this case female star who is an Investment Banker. How in the blazes does one of the most coveted professions of all time generally land up being portrayed as if it’s the only one available is just beyond me. There are so many other professions that Lara Dutta could have picked up for her role in Chalo Dilli but the choice of heading a 635 employee 200 crore turn over investment banking firm was too tempting to pass. That her description of her job leads you to believe that it is more to do with FOREX (or maybe it was too fast for the comprehension of lowly mortals such as this writer) is not going to go too well with the Investment Banker’s Association of India (if there is such an organization that exists).
Mihika (Lara Dutta) – and I like that name – has to take the 1630 flight from Mumbai to Delhi to catch up with her husband who for some strange reason doesn’t stay with her. She is used to the frills and fancies of quick check in, business class and the likes. But for availing these services, one has to get to the airport and preferably on time. Mihika manages the first part but fails miserably on the 2nd part. Despite her meek and vain threat about how much business the airline makes through her, she is asked to take the next flight @ 2300 hrs (I assume it is not 11 am) which coincidentally takes off in reasonable sunlight – unless of course she takes an alternate airline. En route to the airport, she gets delayed by traffic and as luck would have it, the same despicable Dilli Wala – Manu Gupta (Vinay Pathak) – gets onto the seat in front of her. With great pain and with the help of her i-pod (which has all of one song loaded onto it) she manages to touch down. However, thanks to the i-pod – and Apple is not going to be too happy with this – she doesn’t hear the announcement regarding the diversion to Jaipur. She does manage to get a car with a driver who is half asleep and again bumps into Manu Bhaisaab who offers to take over in the driver’s seat. And so begins the journey through the desert with various modes of transport – that too in expensive high heels.
I missed out on Shashant Shah’s first, highly lauded Dasvidaniya. But if Chalo Dilli is anything to go by then I am exceptionally surprised at the accolades that his earlier attempt received. After a point of time, it gets insulting to the audience if certain basic consistency errors are overlooked – a clear indication of the “chalta hai. Audience ko kahaan pata chalne wala hai” attitude that’s used across the board. One would have expected more attention to detail than what was paid. That he cannot make the gorgeous Lara Dutta do better than what she managed also doesn’t reflect too well. But the casting coup from Shah comes in the form of probably the only actor who could have pulled off Manu Gupta. There is nothing else to speak about in the movie. Watch this one for yet another scintillating performance from Vinay Pathak. I give this a 6 on 10 – out of which 10 are for Vinay Pathak and -4 for all the gaffes and the atrocious version of Laila O Laila. There should be a ban on remaking all things Zeenat – no one can come close.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khRB85bwj-8
Mihika (Lara Dutta) – and I like that name – has to take the 1630 flight from Mumbai to Delhi to catch up with her husband who for some strange reason doesn’t stay with her. She is used to the frills and fancies of quick check in, business class and the likes. But for availing these services, one has to get to the airport and preferably on time. Mihika manages the first part but fails miserably on the 2nd part. Despite her meek and vain threat about how much business the airline makes through her, she is asked to take the next flight @ 2300 hrs (I assume it is not 11 am) which coincidentally takes off in reasonable sunlight – unless of course she takes an alternate airline. En route to the airport, she gets delayed by traffic and as luck would have it, the same despicable Dilli Wala – Manu Gupta (Vinay Pathak) – gets onto the seat in front of her. With great pain and with the help of her i-pod (which has all of one song loaded onto it) she manages to touch down. However, thanks to the i-pod – and Apple is not going to be too happy with this – she doesn’t hear the announcement regarding the diversion to Jaipur. She does manage to get a car with a driver who is half asleep and again bumps into Manu Bhaisaab who offers to take over in the driver’s seat. And so begins the journey through the desert with various modes of transport – that too in expensive high heels.
I missed out on Shashant Shah’s first, highly lauded Dasvidaniya. But if Chalo Dilli is anything to go by then I am exceptionally surprised at the accolades that his earlier attempt received. After a point of time, it gets insulting to the audience if certain basic consistency errors are overlooked – a clear indication of the “chalta hai. Audience ko kahaan pata chalne wala hai” attitude that’s used across the board. One would have expected more attention to detail than what was paid. That he cannot make the gorgeous Lara Dutta do better than what she managed also doesn’t reflect too well. But the casting coup from Shah comes in the form of probably the only actor who could have pulled off Manu Gupta. There is nothing else to speak about in the movie. Watch this one for yet another scintillating performance from Vinay Pathak. I give this a 6 on 10 – out of which 10 are for Vinay Pathak and -4 for all the gaffes and the atrocious version of Laila O Laila. There should be a ban on remaking all things Zeenat – no one can come close.
Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khRB85bwj-8
BTW, Chalo Dilli is a rip off from an old Hollywood movie called Planes, Trains and Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy
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