Apr 10, 2011 04:09 PM
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Anees Bazmee, as a director, shot to stardom with Deewangee and No Entry, both films which were terrific entertainers. Bazmee’s next, Welcome, also went a long way in making him the new hotshot director. However, his next 2 films, Singh Is Kinng and No Problem hugely disappointed the viewers although the former did commercially very well. Anees Bazmee movies became synonymous with the illogical haphazard cinema. This hugely affected the prospects of his latest film Thank You. The film already was in danger because its lead actor Akshay Kumar’s prestige has taken a beating with his recent films and also the promos sadly haven’t excited the viewers. But surprise! Thank You works and brings a smile! Bazmee seems to have finally abandoned his slapdash direction and comes up with a pretty neat entertainer!
The story of the movie: Raj (Bobby Deol), Yogi (Suniel Shetty) and Vikram (Irrfan) are based in Toronto. They are friends, business partners and also share common obsession-cheating on their wives. Yogi’s wife Maya (Celina Jaitly) had caught him red-handed with a girl and hence Raj and Vikram’s wife, Sanjana (Sonam Kapoor) and Maya (Rimi Sen) are also suspicious of their hubbies, especially Sanjana. Hence, she hires a detective Kishan (Akshay Kumar) to find out the truth. Kishan is known for bringing erring husbands on the line but in this particular case, he finds it difficult to do his job as the trio is very smart in fooling their wives. Moreover, Kishan seems to be falling for Sanjana. How he yet does his job is what the film is all about.
Thank You begins well with titles rolling out stylishly and musically which sets the mood right away. The storyline might remind of Shaadi No.1, No Entry and Masti (even Life Partner) but Bazmee makes sure the film seems different from the rest. Hence, the film is in a way musical entertainer too. Akshay’s character, playing an engaging tune on his flute throughout the film gives his character the edge, the mystery and the style! And factors like these make Thank You successful inspite of some loose ends and bland scenes.
To begin with, Akshay’s entry scene was too stupid. Same goes with the entire ‘Kiss-na’ sequence (where the husbands in front of their wives accuse each other of having girlfriend when caught with a girl). However, the film also balances out with some really funny and smart scenes. Irrfan taking care of the girlfriend’s mother right in film’s beginning was excellent. Equally good was the undercover cop story! The major drama minutes before interval and also the intermission point was splendid and hinted that a lot of fun is left in store!
However, its Irrfan Khan scenes that steal the show! His relation with his wife, their conversations and also the twist in their tale was the funniest part of the film! Meanwhile, Akshay too keeps viewers entertained with his antics and ways of teaching the cheating husbands a lesson. Again, few scenes were baseless at places but you won’t mind because there’s so much fun happening in the film!
Where the film really falls is the pre-climax (divorce sequence). This and the following song (Pyaar Mein) didn’t make much of a scene and seem like a quick attempt to add some new angle in the tale. However, the scenes thereafter right till the climax saved the film. What also impressed me is that although Bazmee introduced a villain in the narrative (Mukesh Tiwari), he didn’t go the usual and typical laugh riot climax (everyone running behind the other with some missing diamonds thrown in). In fact, there’s no bhagam bhag at all in the finale. The villain angle was there for a reason and used well throughout the film. I am just so pleasantly surprised!
For the role of Kishan, there could have been no one better than Akshay Kumar. He infuses life and masti into his character and as expected, he comes up with a wonderful performance. I might not like all his films but have always loved his performance in each of his films. Critics blame him for being repetitive in each film. I find him coming up with a performance which is different from the rest of his roles. Off late, the actor is facing tough times but there’s hope as his forthcoming films (Desi Boyz, Joker, Untitled next with Prabhu Deva and Bhansali, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2) should bring back his prestige which he rightfully deserves!
Irrfan brings the house down! He impressed this year first with Yeh Saali Zindagi followed by 7 Khoon Maaf and keeps the innings going with Thank You! As mentioned before, some of the funniest scenes of the film are the ones involving Irrfan! Take a bow IK! Bobby Deol too does a fine job. It’s nice to see that he got to play an important role in the story. He has already appeared in 2 biggies this year (Thank You, Yamla Pagla Deewana) and will also be seen in Abbas-Mustan’s biggie Players. The actor is on a roll for sure! Suniel Shetty doesn’t have much to do but nevertheless is funny!
From the girls, Rimi Sen is definitely the surprise of the film! She was absolutely rocking and one question you would surely ask is-where was she since so many years? It’s high time she gets lots and lots of (good) roles! She deserves it! Sonam Kapoor looks lovely (barring the song Full Volume) and comes up with an apt performance. Celina Jaitly too performs well! But sadly, she is not to be seen in a major part of the film!
Mukesh Tiwari and Rakhi Vijan were alright. Smita Jaykar (Sonam’s mom) and Chahat Khanna (Sonam’s sis) provide good support. Mallika Sherawat was okay in Razia track and Vidya Balan (guest appearance) looks as usual stunning!
Pritam’s music was quite alright. There are many songs in the narrative and the best of them is surely Full Volume. Akshay’s haunting flute tune was the best part of the enterprise! Ravi K Yadav’s cinematography was stunning and some of the scenes (esp long shots) are beautifully shot.
The film has as many as 5 writers – Ikram Akhtar, Rajiv Kaul, Nisar Akhtar, Rajan Agarwal and Anees himself. Storyline was ordinary with some twists here and there. Dialogues were funny and witty. Screenplay was engaging and so was the direction. In spite of so many songs and some loose ends, the film doesn’t let you disappoint. In a way, Thank You makes you confident about Anees Bazmee’s next, Ready, starring the superstar Salman Khan! Let’s hope for the best!
Some of the best scenes:
The titles and the first scene
Kishan meets Sanjana for the first time
Kishan makes Yogi Raj and Vikram’s enemy
The undercover cop story
The intermission point
The song Full Volume
Shivani gets Vikram’s signatures
Vikram gets the shock of his life (funniest scene!)
King (Mukesh Tiwari) gets bashed up
The climax
On the whole, Thank You might not seem exciting enough but is surely a well-made film and definitely much better than the recent comic capers. The film has some glitches but yet entertains and leaves a smile on your face. Do give it a try this weekend!
