An Introduction: For me, nothing much is known about the director of the flick. Anyways, the concept is somewhat similar to RGV’s Nishabd which happened not too long before. The plot would have been fresh if the film was released before Nishabd, but still the moods of these two films are entirely different. While the RGV film inclined more towardsa depressing, serious, no-nonsense theme, this one is a light hearted romantic comedy.
So is this film as bad as Nishabd or a better one? Keep reading.....
A critical analysis: There are some films which engross you in such a way that you ignore their negative aspects. After all, how can you complain if they keep you entertained? Films that I have liked in this genre are some mindless comedies that are ridiculous as far as logic and storyline goes but still good enough to make you laugh and entertain and are worth your time and money.
There are some others which are almost flawless in every technical aspect but not as engrossing to entertain the viewer. Yet you end up liking them because they are one of those "quality" and high standard films.
And then there are films which don’t belong to either of the categories. Cheeni Kum, sadly, ends up being one of those. Its neither entertaining nor engaging nor has a proper narrative to talk about. It is supposed to be a film driven by some priceless moments, scenes and dialogues - but it stumbles throughout.
Firstly, it is devoid of even a decent storyline which could have taken it to dizzy heights given the concept they had in hand. Perhaps Balki, the director, thought the concept of a love story involving a 64 year old man and a woman 30 years younger having a father who’s still 6 years younger than the aspiring bachelor, was good enough. Sothere would beno need of exploring all of it in detail. The end result - patience of viewer lost somewhere in the kitchen where the chef spends time firing his juniors.
There are times that when I love a particular film, I tend to appreciate every little thing about it. Here, the director absolutely gives no idea about whats Tabu doing in London when her father in India suffers from some ailment or the other regularly. Her entire day seems to pass in either sitting with her friend and solving her love problems or having a rendezvous with the chef. Now if the film was racy, funny, and had a strong screenplay, I would have appreciated the director for not wasting time in developing Tabu’s character, but now that the film is dull - I find her characterization faulty and its a glaring flaw. And thats the problem with the film - It fails on these major aspects.
The first half begins on a light n funny note but in no time the proceedings get extremely repetitive, with Amitabh meeting Tabu (7-8 times), the cooks discussing the status of their boss and his girlfriend’s relationship (3-4 times), the 12 year old neighbor perpetually asking him for adult DVDs (4-5 times) and his mother asking him to go to the gym (3-4 times).
The story remains at a standstill and goes absolutely nowhere in this half. Ultimately you lose patience and start praying for the second half to be better.
Things take a positiveturn after the second half when Amitabh learns his father - in - law is 6 years younger to him and not willing to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to an old man who has no guarantee about how long he may live. And this is when the storyline becomes extremely cliched and predictable and ends on the same note as well.
The satyagraha part is ridiculous and its surprising to see an actor like Paresh Rawal thoroughly wasted after his initial 2-3 scenes, where he evokes laughter and almost steals the show from Bachchan in their scenes together.
The film has its moments in first half where the humor is laced with sarcasm but after a while it gets too stale. There’s no Amitabh line with Tabu which cannot be called sarcastic.
Performances: Im sorry to say this, but Amitabh’s acting is nothing to write home about. He despite in the so called different role, plays himself on screen and is getting repetitive. No matter whatever situation he is in, he performs like the same - aggressive gestures while lecturing to someone, with his dialogue delivery ranging from a whisper to being high pitched and vice versa. And seriously, I don’t think there’s anything innovative in playing a 60+ lover boy film after film and expecting the audience to lap it up. He must realize his best years are behind him and should play characters that are supporting and excel at them rather than making a fool of himself by asking a young woman to have sex with him in a hotel and walking to a nearby Chemist shop to buy condoms. Its disgusting! C’mon Mr. Bachchan, you are a great actor and stop ruining your image film after film. These are the reasons why people who once used to idolise you are turning their backs at you.
Tabu is fine and played her part effectively, but her characterization doesn’t give her enough scope to show histrionics. She ends up being shown as a daughter caught between the differences between her father and her lover, and doesn’t even get proper lines.
Paresh Rawal is not at his best here. As said before, he is quite effective in his initial scenes with Bachchan, where he keeps reminding him of his age but is reduced to a stereotypical father towards the end who does nothing else apart from throwing away the eatables whenever offered to him.
Zora Sehgal as the full of life mother of Amitabh impresses in a cameo. She is a delight to watch in many scenes as is as charming as ever. Amitabh’s little neighbour Sexy is fine.
Conclusion: On the whole, go and watch Cheeni Kum if you have nothing better to do on a weekend or don’t have big expectations from this. It has its moments, but sadly, you remember the film for all the wrong reasons: Its non-existent story and the ridiculously predictable end