Nov 08, 2014 10:08 AM
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A section of audience always raises objections when remakes of well-made films are announced. The essence or the USP of the original fails to get captured in the remake is what they argue. Chashme Baddoor, Don and not to forget, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag were ridiculed by many moviegoers(the latter was mocked by almost all) for not doing justice to the original. However, The Shaukeens will be an exception. With Tigmanshu Dhulia as the writer and Tere Bin Laden director Abhishek Sharma at the helm, The Shaukeens turns out to be an interesting and fun entertainer and it’s as good as original!
The story of the movie: Laali(Anupam Kher), KD(Annu Kapoor) and Pinky(Piyush Mishra) are friends and sexually frustrated men, due to various reasons. After failing to get laid in their hometown Delhi, they venture out to Mauritius to fulfill their wishes. At Mauritius, they come across the sexy and free-spirited Ahana(Lisa Haydon). The three Shaukeens then instantly start wooing Ahana in the hope that one of them would be the lucky one. And an opportunity shows up at their doorstep when superstar Akshay Kumar(Akshay Kumar) lands up at Mauritius. And Ahana who is a crazy and die-hard Akshay Kumar fan reveals that she’ll do anything if somebody arranges her meeting with the superstar. How the three Shaukeens try to compete with each other in completing the ‘mission’ forms the rest of the story.
The Shaukeens is not unconventional or out of the box. It’s also isn’t a laugh-a-minute riot. However, don’t worry as it’s a sweet and simple fun film that’s guaranteed to put a smile on one’s face. It’s just 125 minutes long and although a few portions of the film are okayish and dry, the film on the whole is quite engaging. The introduction of the Shaukeens is quite interesting and the problem they face in their lives is nicely depicted. The Bangkok episode is hilarious(hope Thai tourism doesn’t raise objection!). As expected, the film gets better as soon as the Shaukeens land at Mauritius. Lisa Haydon’s entry is too good! The intermission point indicates that the second half would be better. And sure enough, Akshay’s antics raise laughs for sure. However, the film ends on a great note thanks to a well-written and directed climax. And kudos to the writer-director of The Shaukeens since most of the second half is original and different from the original film.
Any blemishes? As mentioned above, one can’t expect something funny to happen every minute. Also, the manner in which Ahana gets to meet Akshay Kumar and she doesn’t find anything fishy is slightly unconvincing. Same goes for Ahana’s obsession for facebook likes and comments. Sure, there are such people but it could have been better executed.
The Shaukeens rests on some great performances. Akshay Kumar has a supporting role and not exactly a special appearance. And he rocks! It’s great to see the actor playing himself and also poking fun at his own stardom and the kind of films he has done over the years. He’s totally into his character and his scenes with Bengali director(Subrat Dutta) and in the climax is just amazing! Believe it or not, this is one of the best performances of Akshay in recent times!
As for the three Shaukeens, each one brings something interesting to the table. Annu Kapoor gets totally into the skin of the character and looks every inch a bacherlor and a wannabe Casanova. Anupam Kher allows his subtle performance to make the desired impact. Piyush Mishra too in a way raises tons of laughs. Watch out for him when he starts sweeping the floor or when he does a tit-for-tat with his sons over Corbett-Ranchi tour! Hilarious! Lisa Haydon looks beautiful and sizzling and plays her character with aplomb. In fact, Ahana in many ways is an extension of Vijaylakshmi of Queen(where she made an old man – Rani’s father – crazy as well!) but one won’t feel the need to compare the two characters. That’s a feat for a new actress like Lisa and this indicates that she has a promising future! Subrat Dutta gives a very funny performance. Cyrus Broacha(secretary), Kavin Dave(assistant director) and Manoj Joshi(filmmaker) have some great moments and do a nice job. Yuvika Chaudhary, Rati Agnihotri(Laali’s wife) and the actors who play Laali’s son, Laali’s sister Chanchal and Pinky’s family members are nice. Gaurav Gera(Bhanu) has a great screen presence – he deserves better and lengthier roles! Finally, the cameos done by Kareena Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and Suniel Shetty are interesting but it’s Dimple Kapadia who takes the cake!
Music is nothing special but it isn’t disappointing either. Aashiq Mizaaj is the best of the lot. Manali Trance is very well shot but one wonders why it’s a part of the film after all. Alcoholic, Meherbani and Ishq K*ta are fair. Lonely is an interesting song(although it’s surely inspired from Akon’s Lonely) and sung very well by Anu Malik. Sandeep Chowta’s background score isn’t over the top and makes the correct impact. Amalendu Chaudhary’s cinematography is decent. Feroz Khan’s action is great, especially in the helicopter scene. Tigmanshu Dhulia’s story is impressive and the manner in which he added his original bits to the plot of Shaukeen and did away with Mithun Chakraborty’s character and a lot of other stuff is praiseworthy. Screenplay is nice as well while Dhulia’s dialogues are excellent. The punchlines are neatly woven in the everyday conversations and doesn’t sound filmy or out of place at all! And Abhishek Sharma’s direction has its charm. Sure, there are scenes which could have been better but then, it’s better to be subtle and true to the script rather than going over the top and adding masala unnecessarily. Also, he handled the climax quite deftly and he made it looks very unconvincing and simple. He achieved a similar feat in Tere Bin Laden as well. Also, the manner in which he neatly incorporated the Saigal Blues song(Delhi Belly) in the intro deserves applause!
Some of the best scenes:
The introduction of The Shaukeens
Pinky’s conversations with his family members
The Shaukeens try their luck with a young girl on Sunday night
The song Aashiq Mizaaj
The Shaukeens spot Ahana
The Shaukeens try to cheer up Ahana
All scenes of Akshay Kumar
The climax
On the whole, The Shaukeens is a fun-filled entertainer that is guaranteed to put a smile on one’s face. The humour isn’t in-your-face and there are no jokes and gags every minute. Yet, the film is quite funny and doesn’t let the attention wander even for a minute. Akshay Kumar pokes fun at himself and surprisingly, gives one of the best performances in recent times! The three Shaukeens and Lisa Haydon too are quite brilliant. Dialogues are witty and climax is quite smartly done. Watching this film in theatre won’t be a bad idea. Go for it and enjoy the antics of The Shaukeens!
My rating - 3.5/5!
