Movie Review: Happy New Year
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah and Jackie Shroff
Director: Farah Khan
Director Farah Khan has hastily put up a plot set in Dubai against an international dance competition scenario. You will get a feeling of déjà vu as most of the dialogues are used from her past ventures: Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om. But more than entertaining, you will want to sulk in your seat with that unbalanced patriotic track and the length of the film- 2 hours and 59 minutes. Thank god not a minute extra or else I would have torn the seat.
The film begins with the focus on SRK’s SRK muscular body. He is seen fighting where he repeats a line from his previous film. Badi badi fights mein chhoti chhoti cheezein hoti rehti hai” and while he’s being beaten up, he assures his friends by saying, “Main Hoon Na”. From this moment on, the film dropped in my eyes.
Shah Rukh Khan (Charlie) is assembling a team of ‘losers’ to help him in his quest to steal diamonds from a business tycoon (Jackie Shroff). This man was responsible for framing his father (Anupam Kher) in a fake robbery and he was imprisoned. Jag (Sonu Sood) is a muscle man who gets annoyed when anyone uses the word “Maa” as an abuse and frantically gets on a hitting spree. Tammy (Boman Irani) is an expert safe breaker and the heartthrob of the Parsi women. Rohan (Vivaan Shah) is a young hacker and Nandu (Abhishek Bahchan) is an alcoholic. Their introduction and background history takes forever and that’s when the character of Mohini (Deepika Padukone) is introduced. She is a bar dancer and is hired by Charlie to teach the gang her moves for them to win the Indian trials so that they can reach their destination – Dubai!
Although the film is based on robbery, there wasn’t a thing to praise in the script. Farah Khan make the film look elaborate with the extravagant loud sets, bling, and expensive looking attire. The film also speaks loud about patriotism but focuses less on dancing. The bits and pieces of Deepika’s character Mohini wanting to speak English when she couldn’t say an ‘A’ properly will leave you in splits.
The direction is painful with songs that don’t make sense. The robbery plot is explained in long details- a fast forward of the real scenario and the actual scenario, making you cringe. The entire film speaks loudly of a DÉJÀ VU.
Shah Rukh Khan as always is portrayed as the king of the film in every scene. His eight-pack abs is given more screen space than his actual face. Are they trying to tell us something here? Although Abhishek Bachchan played a double role in the film, he did what he does best: roles that don’t mean a thing.
The film was actually based on a robbery of diamonds making the World Dance Championship the entry ticket to the elaborate robbery. But the ‘dance’ factor wasn’t the centre focus, further disappointing the audience. The music of the film was sad- no music numbers that would make you want to move and groove to the rhythm of the beats.
The film lacks plot, acting skills and is definitely not happy.
Rating: 2* for SRK and Farah’s Happy New Year.
