Masand's verdict: Bhagam Bhag

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

Featured Slideshows

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Govinda, Paresh Rawal, Lara Dutta

Direction: Priyadarshan

You know what they used to say about David Dhawan once – if you want to enjoy his films, leave your brains behind at home and prepare to let logic take a backseat. Over the last few years, I've discovered that principle has become true of director Priyadarshan's films too.

This week's big new Bollywood release is Priyadarshan's latest film Bhagam Bhag, a comedy about a musical theatre group whose leading lady dumps them just moments before they head off to London for a series of performances.

Two of the group's main actors Akshay Kumar and Govinda volunteer to find a replacement in London itself, and their director Paresh Rawal decides that whichever of the two finds a suitable heroine, can be the hero of the play.

As luck would have it, an accident leads to Akshay running into Lara Dutta, a lady with suicidal tendencies. He convinces her to join the group as their leading lady, and all seems fine and settled. But there's more to Lara than meets the eye. Suddenly they discover she's married. Next thing they know she's killed in a fire. And then her spirit begins turning up all over the place.

In the midst of trying to uncover the mystery behind Lara's real identity, Akshay, Govinda and Paresh also find themselves accused of murder.

First things first Priyadarshan's plagarised the entire plot of this film from the 1995 Malayalam film Mannar Mathai Speaking without so much as a please. The producers of Bhagam Bhag were dragged to court by the makers of the original film, and the matter was eventually settled out of court after the Bhagam Bhag guys paid up for their act of theft.

Having said that, I have to add that the story's nothing much to begin with, it's a convoluted mess that's full of inconsistencies and irregularities. The script's most basic flaw is its inability to find its feet – a murder mystery in the middle of a slapstick comedy doesn't fit too well, and the premise for that murder is even more ridiculous.

I could write a thesis on the state of comedy in Hindi films these days, and much of my criticism would be directed towards filmmakers like Priyadarshan who've given the term "dumbing down" a whole new meaning. It's a pity that we're so starved for good, genuine comedy that even these stupid, farcical jokes and lines make us laugh every now and then.

There are portions in the first half of Bhagam Bhag that are genuinely funny, but in its entirety the film is mindless and moronic, filled with double meaning dialogues and sexist jokes.

I've been a big fan of Priyadarshan's earlier films – Kaalapaani, Virasat, Hera Pheri but I suspect he's become too prolific of late and he's just churning out movies without enough time spent on his scripts.

In any case most of his recent Hindi films have been remakes of Malayalam films – Hungama, Hulchul, Garam Masala, Malamaal Weekly, Chup Chup Ke – and although some of them have met with reasonable success, I don't think any of them are the kind of films that'll stay in your memory even five years later.

The director has this bad habit of populating his every script with too many supporting characters, he tends to include too many sub-plots into the main story and as a result what you get is a terrible mish-mash of too many things happening at the same time. Bhagam Bhag is no different.