Where should I begin with? With 87% recommendation on Mouthshut already
and good word of mouth from my friends as well (One of them went to the
extent of saying this one deserves a five star rating and the best he
has seen in the last one year), I was terribly excited to watch this
one. But I had already got the warning: Dont expect any pathbreaking
cinema, sit back and relax, with a popcorn in your hand and enjoy the
ride!
Directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Namaste London is his third hindi film
after Ankhen and Waqt. This time as well, he has taken Akshay as well,
and giving him company is Indo-British Katrina Kaif, who is perfectly
suited for this role. And the best part is: She doesn’t have her voice
dubbed or faked by someone else. She retains her accent in this one,
and does a good job of it. More on her later.
So did NL live upto the Mouthshut recommendation? Does it deserve the
hit status it has got already? Well, my answer is yes and no. Yes
because it delivers to an extent what it promises : entertainment and
paisa vasool fare. Its the kind of film which you can watch after a
tiring day at work with a cola in hand, relaxed in a sofa. It has its
own share of light and fun filled moments. Why I said no was somewhere
along the film, you feel there was a lot of scope for much more humor,
laughter and a jump in the seat kind of feeling given the treatment
Vipul gives it. His unfolding of events during the first few reels give
hope for a roller coaster ride. But the screenplay, dialogues and to an
extent the storyline somewhat lets him down. The sequences in Punjab
are funny but there was definitely a scope for lot more fun considering
we had a funny plot of a British girl going to India for a first time
meeting a total Funjabi family and the Jatt boy Akshay. All of it ends
up being rather a timepass fare rather than a dhamaal one. I may be
expecting a lot, but these are my honest opinions.
Cut to the second half, it starts on a serious and a typical
Bollywoodish note on Akshay vowing to win the love of Katrina but only
when she wants to. Here the film reminds of Pardes, Purab aur Pashchim,
Hum dil de chuke Sanam and many more Hindi movies you have seen time
and again. There are some interesting scenes to keep you hooked on and
at the end you feel your money hasn’t been wasted at all.
When I came out of the theatre, there were few scenes playing in my head. Some of them are:
Rishi and his search of prospective grooms for daughter in Punjab and the namoonas he encounters. That was a hilarious part.
The Akshay - Katrina confrontations at his home.
The scene when Akshay explains to the arogant British about India and its achievements. Clapworthy sequence.
The rugby match.
Performance wise, its Akshay who is the star of the show. He has
reached a stage where even his presence in the film keeps you in
splits, His introduction scene when he’s riding a bike and doing a
balle balle was enough for the whole theatre to be filled with applause
and laughter. Katrina looks like a classic beauty and totally
bodylecious. Didn’t act badly as well. She is very beautful and her
looks were captured in the best possible way. Of the supporting cast,
Rishi as the adorable father of Katrina is as charming as always.
Namaste London is no pathbreaking cinema. There are no portions in the
film where you feel we haven’t witnessed all that in Bollywood before.
Yet Vipul provides what he knows best - entertainment. NL is good for a
one time watch.