New Delhi: You would think that after a smashing debut in 'Vickky Donor', actor Ayushmann Khurrana's second outing at the Box Office would create the same buzz. But as genuine as Rohan Sippy's 'Nautanki Saala' is - the film falls short of being a laugh riot.
With two talented actors forming the lead - Kunal Roy Kapoor and Khurrana - who are known to have perfect comic timing, one could have done wonders with this tale of comedy of errors. And yet, Sippy's latest offering somehow, fails to create an impact on cine goers. The plot is straightforward and perhaps that's why the film begins with much potential and somewhere in the middle loses track.
I list out the 5 things of 'Nautanki Saala' that does not work for me.
There are spoilers in the story. In case you haven't watched the film yet, please come back later:
1 One day someone should write a script involving all the unnecessary characters from different films - characters who are promoted before the film's release, are portrayed by known actors and do not make any impact on the story line. In 'Nautanki Saala' model turned actress Evlyn Sharma plays a theatre actress who plays Seeta in Ayushmann's play 'Raavanleela'.
Sharma looks stunning in the film, but one wonders the exact purpose of her character. The director gives very few dialogues to Sharma, and her main job is to look pretty. The story vaguely hints at an illicit romance between her character and Ayushmann's but it is never really explored much.
2 Newcomer Pooja Salvi plays Nandini Patel, whose existence forms the crux of the story in 'Nautanki Saala'. Having broken up with Nandini, a heartbroken Mandar (Roy Kapur) attempts suicide in the middle of a very busy junction in Mumbai and is saved by Ayushmann who takes it upon himself to find his love and get the two estranged lovers back. Now Nandini is your typical damsel in distress who perpetually falls in love with the 'wrong' man until she meets RP (Khurrana). Stereotypes galore, Salvi's character is a bit slow in getting hints and eventually falls in love with the man who is the cupid. Salvi's dialogue delivery, her demeanour is annoying and one wonders why RP would fall for someone like her considering he has a smart, practical and patient fiancé waiting back at home.
3 Kunal Roy Kapur plays a bumbling idiot who doesn't seem to get anything right in his life. A 12th class fail, Mandar Lele is under confident guy who is jobless and suicidal. Birds poop on him, things fall on him, he is accident prone and even his grandmother doesn't think he is of any good. While Roy Kapur delivers a fine performance as Mandar, there are bits where his carelessness, clumsiness tends to look over the top and unnecessary and aren't funny at all.
4 The film begins as a buddy film where the bonding between Ayushmann and Kunal is shown. How Ayushman helps a stranger in getting back on track after he saves him from committing suicide and eventually become BFFs is what makes the first half of the story. Then somehow in the second half, the film becomes a predictable love story and completely shifts focus to Ayushman and Pooja's track. While the first half, being a bromance, has some hilarious moments, the second half drags a bit too much and has romantic scenes which we have seen in innumerable other films.
5 The major issue with the film is its pace. Unnecessary songs and a loose script mars the narrative and even though it has two very talented actors in the lead, the film drags with only few laughs in between. Sippy's 'Bluffmaster' was stylish and engaging. 'Nautanki Saala' somehow, somewhere falls short.
Comments
0 comment