Desire for success, how we get it? Passport to glory where we can buy? Against burning fire of desire which goal can be held back?
Pinky the young smart girl (Deepika Padukone) lives in the wings of hope. She feels her fate is written in English and she has to get a passport to reach there. The passport is available by winning a reality show. She is determined, ambitious, talented and she knows it. Who can hold her back? One Shot Nandu (Neil Nitin Mukesh) and friends are around, always teasing her and it is her routine duty to throw them out of her training ground. Nandu got the nick name for winning wrestling matches blind folded in one shot against any contestants, i.e. wrestlers from different parts of Mumbai. He was working for Usmain Bhai a small time underworld don. Life of Nandu and Pinky took a brief stop after which they started dreaming together....winning the reality show where Pinky’s partner chose somebody else to contest. There is a police investigation on Nandu, with his connection to Usman Bhai. Will they ship reach the shore or will it break in the waves and tsunami? Let the Wild Eagles fly high barge and see how!!!
It is a better product from Yash Raj Productions. There had no aggressive promotion for the film, probably because they thought it didn’t have super stars. Then, story which can connect to the audience is the real super star and in that sense this film got a good star value. Yes, that is right. The story, the suspense, the journey, they are the selling point of the film. First time writer Gopi Puthran has done. If one gets a feel of Chak De and Rab Ne Ban Di Jodi, it may be just accidental. But true, there is something similar in those two films to this, the spirit of success. The writing has its share of flaws and worries, but it succeeds in holding a soul with many emotions which the film manage to pass to the audience. The climax however could have been better handled.
Director Pradeep Sarkar well executed scenes most of the scenes holding the spirit of the film. He gave the shocks when required, placed inspirational quotient in different places and raised the performance bar often. He got some best dancing moments from the cast and moreover, made the film an interesting and entertaining one till the end. The romance and action were moving in parallel lanes so much so that we were waiting for an action climax but they announced, it is a Love Story! For I like love stories.
Neil Nitin Mukhesh impresses with each of his outing. Let it be Johny Ghaddar, or Jail, or now in Lafange Parende, Neil impress. Good Job! Deepika Padukone rocks another time! I simply love this actress. The dancing dedication and effort is visible. Each moment is a stamp of continuous struggle with determination and she has reached a stage where the directors will find running short of better scenes to utilise the actress’s talents. Even in the film, the director should have given more chance for Deepika to perform, but he rushed to narrate the story. Never mind, Deepika proved more than a point in the film. Excellent! All other cast did their roles quite well. They simply lived the characters. Let it be the friends, the Don, the Police Inspector or the Hijada, all did their small small part quite convincingly.
For a film which has scenes related to reality show the music could have been better. The director chose to pace the narration using songs instead of stopping the audience to enjoy the show. This had its pluses but how I wish there had some good music and the director posed few moments extra for the stage shows, despite a challenge of length. As it is, the music is just good and choreography is very good.
Action scenes are quite good, though they are limited to the stage fights.
Cinematography gives a mixed feel. They are quite good in many places. However, the zooming worries shows. A good cinematographer don’t have to show the audience that I am focusing now on this star and now shifting to the other....then, except those occassional worries cinematography was good.
Editing is generally good. Then, there is some serious error in the climax. (May be it is an interchanged scene or may be it is a fault from the writer, but it shows). Otherwise editing is ok.
The film is a celebration of desire which take a blood bath but never rest before it achieves what is in her mind. The stars are there to cheer for the wil(le)d. The cloths may not be attractive or the vehicle may not be good. Then on what engine bird fly? This is a wild bird which has strong wings, though its feathers are not that attractive.
The film could have been technically better made, but it has a soul to carry to people. The film had potential to fly high with aggressive promotion. At the end somebody says, ’when my eyes were in its place I failed to see through my heart and I don’t want to be blind now’. Do watch Lafangey Parindey for it is a Love Story, though advertised otherwise!
My rating: 3.5 stars