Masand's verdict: De Taali, an average affair

A NOTCH BETTER: De Taali is a more engaging comedy than the sort you've seen at the cinemas recently.

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Cast: Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Ayesha Takia, Rimi Sen

Director: E Niwas

This week's new release De Taali is that rare Bollywood film that just might be a marginal improvement over the original film that it's been ripped off from. You might remember that Jack Black-Jason Biggs comedy Saving Silverman in which two guys kidnap their best friend's girlfriend because they can't bear to lose their buddy to an overbearing harridan who's causing a rift in their friendship.

De Taali has pretty much the same premise save for a few modifications. Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani and Ayesha Takia are bum-chums who spend most of their time holed up in a tree house carving their names on the bark. When Aftab falls for red-hot Rimi Sen, Ayesha is heartbroken.

Convinced Rimi's only got her eyes on Aftab's money, Ritesh and Ayesha try every trick in the book to break up the couple, eventually abducting Rimi and placing her under house arrest.

Saving Silverman was at best an average film, and De Taali is only slightly more entertaining. It's the actors — particularly Ritesh Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani — who keep the film from falling apart despite its loose screenplay.

Using their excellent comic timing to keep the film light and enjoyable for the most part, the boys give De Taali its best moments.

However the film meanders mindlessly in its second half, digressing from the basic premise and trying to pack in too much for no reason. Look out for a handful of laugh-out-loud moments including one in which Ritesh threatens to torture Rimi by forcing her to watch Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag.

It's light-hearted moments like these that make De Taali a more engaging comedy than the sort you've seen at the cinemas recently. So that's two out of five and an average rating for director E Niwas' De Taali — it may not be a patch on that clever comedy Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega that he directed seven years ago, but it's not unwatchable either.

In fact, go with an open mind and lots of patience, and chances are you won't complain.

Rating: 2 / 5 (Average)