Rascals Hindi Movie
A very safe bet in Hindi film industry is to release a comedy on a festive occasion. No matter how it is, it always breaks records. Taking the safer route comes Sanjay Dutt who releases his debut home production venture Rascals on Dusshera. Whether the festivity translates in to huge queues at the ticket windows or not remains to be seen.
Two conmen Bhagat Bhosle (Ajay Devgn) and Chetan Chauhan (Sanjay Dutt) spend most of their time trying to outdo each other whenever their paths cross. After having duped a small time don Anthony (Arjun Rampal) the two take off to Bangkok and meet a hot and rich model Khushi (Kangna Ranaut). That's when their new conning plan takes off and both try to outwit each other by winning Khushi's heart and money. Who takes the cake eventually follows through a series of madcap incidents.
Directed by David Dhawan, a man once known solely for tickling your funny bones seems to be in his struggling phase. That's the only way one can define the poor direction effort made in this slapstick comedy. Though the film takes off very well it ends up being the same old comedy one is seeing over the last few months.
Bollywood filmmakers definitely have found some combination of comedy and noise and maybe that's just why almost all recent comedies have ended up being blaring. For example, Bin Bulaye Baraati, Double Dhamaal, Chatursingh Two Star, Ready, Tere Mere Phere and the recent Hum Tum Shabana. Even Rascals falls in the same category. The entire second half where the main confusion lies is all about loud and jarring background score and actors yelling without any mercy on the audience.
Though thoughtful, the dialogues throughout the film are mostly rhythmic bordering on almost sounding corny. For example, Ghadi ho toh Rado, Gaadi ho toh Prado aur serial ho toh Na Aana Is Des Lado.
Some of the jokes do make you guffaw and chuckle while some over used and abused SMS jokes turn out to be big irritants. The cinematography of the film is very glossy and stylish and definitely there seems no cut back on the quality of the shoot. Rascals could've been better, more like All The Best that had both Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt had it been for better situational comedy instead of the conmen drama.
On the acting front both Ajay and Sanjay do a decent job. Just because the film may have taken a substantial amount of time in the shooting, Sanjay Dutt's hairdo painfully keeps changing throughout the film making you easily point out the continuity errors. While in one look he has black wig with a look reminding you of the terrorising Chatursingh Two Star, in the other the colour of the wig changes to light brown.
Despite her consecutive failed attempts at comedy like No Problem, Ready, Double Dhamaal Kangna stills finds her way in Rascals without showing no improvement whatsoever. The actress is as bad in her comic timing as she was in her first attempt at comedy. Lisa Hayden is clearly dubbed and has nothing but a few scenes here and there apart from her item number Shake It Saiyyan. Arjun Rampal in his cameo acts well while Chunky Pandey is passable.
Over all, Rascals will work only with those who love to wishfully forget their brains at home while going for a film. For those seeking substance in cinema, Rascals will make you look like a rascal for having made the choice. I give it 2 stars.
