No Problem- A Problematic Slapstick!

If you don’t have a functioning mind Anees Bazmee’s ‘No Problem’ is just fine. If you don’t value the time in your life and want to waste it over watching a great star cast ( legends like Paresh Rawal, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Sushmita Sen, Shakti Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut) waste their talents away, go watch No Problem!

Retro Brigade

I cannot comprehend, that when you make a movie to please masses it doesn’t mean you make a movie without any common sense whatsoever, after all mass doesn’t equal mental people! I had to leave the theatre after 2 hours and 15 minutes when the obvious climax wouldn’t end and I simply couldn’t and wouldn’t endure anymore. (FYI: I’m a film lover with an incredulously high tolerance level!) . Gorillas were literally talking when I walked out! Since this is a style review blog, I’m going to focus on highlighting the trends or lack of thereof in this flick. We’ll start with the prettiest Kangana Ranaut, (Sanjana) who through the film is seen as the delicate heroine besotted by her own beauty and with our second lead actor Akshaye Khanna (Raj) who plays a small-time crook.  With her florescent retro look, her attired pieces in isolation are not as jarring as all of them put together frame after frame in this film about cops and robbers. Some of her styling tips are interesting where she pairs a black tote bag with a loud pink outfit, or an emerald green gown with slacks paired adorningly with bulky gold belts. Once gain she highlights a trend repeatedly seen since ‘Gangster’ and ‘Fashion’ of wearing chunky bangles and bracelets in one hand while the other remains bare. Dressed as a Punjabi bride she is far from a glam dulhan (bride) and quite practically attired even cute, in a red Patiala with golden hair accessories from a paranda in her hair to little jhumkas (bells) in her braid, a nice touch I must say! As for Sushmita (Kajal) who plays her sister with a dual psychotic personality who aims to kill her husband Anil Kapoor (Inspector Arjun) for ten minutes each day when she gets her fits, she portrays a very bland classic sense of dress. With her silhouette grey gowns and off shoulder blouses a keen effort is clearly made to highlight her miss universe hour glass figure with minimalistic use of accessories. Even in the Punjabi wedding number she is seen in a cream and lemon green sari, barefooted with simply an armlet to adorn her. In contrast Kangana is over glossed but pretty as a Parsi bride in her white greyish stunning sari with matched accessories. Also portrayed in this flick is her Cleopatra look, with a black wig and poker straight fringe, giving her a youngish look which is somewhat ‘Barbieish.’ Neetu Chandra looks hideous in her foundation layered makeup, with her garish ill fitted dresses and visible tights as she jumps over ships and docks. While the women meekly attempt to steal the show the men are not far behind, the most stylish was Paresh ji, a depiction of classic elegance with his corduroy hats, well tailored grey and chequered suits, contrasted silk ties and adoring demeanour.  

Anil Kapoor as fit as ever with his riveted framed brown glasses and dark trench coats pulled off a convincing Durban cop. Akshaye Khanna’s styling was un-noticeable as always as opposed to a macho Sanjay Dutt with cool green pullovers, a semblance of tattoos over his broad shoulders and Indian silk sherwani in the Punjabi number. The styling in the film was immensely better than the plot which was an amalgamation of 22 different scenes, from psychosis to, supermen, to suicides to robberies to balloon accidents to paralysis to really ugly goons who I think were trying to make an attempt to look like a hammed version of the X men. Our old favourite Ranjit displayed a senile portrayal of a villain with long curly locks sort of like a yeti. Quite Yuck!

After all of this if you still want to go for laughs don’t’ expect anything, watch out for the dude who aims to commit suicide every now and then in the film and just watch with bored amusement as he throws in one unimpressive dialogue after another.  Go with a blank mind and perhaps a video game on your phone to keep you occupied as even with all the eye candy it’s not paisa vasool and can’t compare to No Entry, Welcome or even Singh is King. But the good news is that with new entertaining options each weekend a hard to bare flick like this is ‘No Problem!’

My Rating:   Minus (-) 1 /5

By: Lily Shroff

Band Baaja Baaraat- Wedding Bells!

My first instinct to audiences is ‘Yes go watch it!’ Director Maneesh Sharma’s Band Baaja Baraat may not be a wildly original concept for the Yash Raj banner or vividly thick with complex cinematic plots, but they’ve cleverly based their marketing campaigns on the standard Indian ideology of ‘who doesn’t enjoy shaadi ka dhamaal?’ Just basic simple entertainment is what the film provides, a refreshing new face of semi stud Ranveer Singh who delivers brilliantly for a new comer and Anushka Sharma who is consciously carving a non-glam niche role for herself in her last two films.

Shaadi Mubarak!

 The flick is about the story of wedding planners who start off with humility in the lower middle class gallis (lanes) of purani (old) Dilli (Delhi) and strive hard to make it big. As fate/Yash Raj, would have it one drunken night leads the hero, heroine into each others arms and beds thereby creating the only twist to this 3 hour film where they post the interval, struggle against their own emotions to finally kiss happily ever after. In the interim are of course 2 to 4 shaadis (weddings) and co-ordination hassles which keep the audience riveted.

What was interesting was the complete authentication of the depiction and language of the middle class Delhi youth, their dialect is a cross between Hindi and Punjabi along with a heavy slang. Ranveer’s character, Bittoo Sharma is from Saharanpur and Anushka’s character is the feisty Shrutti Kakkad who is ambitious and the brain behind their event management company ‘ Shaadi Mubaarak’. Since the placement is old Delhi, the designing of the garish set and the outfits are pretty similar. Anushka sports well fitted salwars and patialas through the film along with trendy causeway woollen stoles and light jhumkas.(earings) As for Ranveer, since he plays a tapoorish (indisciplined) sort of character, bling shirts, a purple velvet jacket and boyish uncombed locks reflects his personality aptly. Use of sequined fabric popularly called ‘ Tikli’ is generously used in the film. Heavy jari, (embroidery) flowers and beaded dupattas are the flavour of the wedding season. Make up is sublte and nudish showcasing the simplistic characters of the plot, there is a stage number just about okay to groove to but the hit single is Ainvayi Ainyayi which has a brilliant melody to it.

Exciting Exchanges

A stage like setting and extra bling is the best way to describe the mood of the film, nothing brilliant but still refreshing enough and worth a watch.

My Rating: 2.5/5

By: Lily Shroff