Consider this - You haven’t seen any food in the last week and you are almost dying. What would your reaction be when you see food! Yeah its like that but only better when you see Nautanki Saala. The long lost witty and wonderful humor has made a comeback and with a bang!
The movie actually happens to be a remake or rather the Indian version of the French Satire ’Apres Vous’ which had released a decade earlier. But that does not matter as they have not made a mess of it as we have seen in some Bollywood movies of the past and thankfully it is the innate Indianess added to the movie that makes it such a delightful and on a lighter note I’m not sure whether it runs into trouble with the BJP or the RSS as it is the Raavan Leela which shines !
The Story revolves around two good friends and one’s attempt to bring the other out of depression and re instating confidence in him. Ram Parmar aka RP happens to have a knack in theater and ironically plays Ravan on stage. His portrayal of Ravan is so hilarious that I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was seeing a Bollywood movie. Mandar, his friend on the other hand is awfully depressed due to a variety of reasons and was on the verge of suicide. It is in the quest to find himself in trouble and that is what forms the crux of the story.
The narrative has been brilliant. The director has managed to portray a great story and his love for theater by carving out impressive performances by almost all the members of his cast and more over in a style that you could easily relate to.
The movie does not have over the top sets or locations and it is this simplicity that makes in even more pleasing to watch as it is shot indoor and some parts of Mumbai in such a way that it feels more authentic. The not so starry cast has pulled of a gem with this one. The humor is witty, sarcastic at times and cleaner and way way better than the buffoonery show in Bollywood movies these days. The only drawback that I found in the direction was in the placement of the songs. Though great, they are placed in an erratic manner that makes the movie a little dull at times. But that can be sidelined for the majority of the part in fun.
Ayushmann Khurana is the star of the movie and takes to the role like fish to water. His comic timing and dialogue delivery has been top notch. He has shown great intensity where its required. I personally think Ayushmann Khurrana is one of the best actors of the current generation the other being Ranbir Kapoor. The man plays an evil on stage but good outoorscharacter with aplomb. There is an emotionally connect you feel to this character if you have friends like RP or even otherwise.
Kunal Roy Kapoor’s portrayal of Mandar has been a great partner in crime for to Ayushmann’s role. He nails his character with finesse. The humor between the title characters is awesome of the moments between two leads are sure to crack you up. He is getting better and there is still some room for improvement.
The ladies in the movie have also performed brilliantly barring Pooja Salvi. She hasn’t done justice to her character. Apart from her all other supporting members including Subha Arya and Rufy Khan has done tremendously well in their respective roles.
It is one of those movies that will leave you with a sense of satisfaction that you have not felt for sometime especially when you don’t expect a movie to be this great. It is a fine start for the vacations and should not be missed at any cost!