Paisa Vasool has everything going against it:
1. Two heroines in the lead, with no hero as their savior.
Both the female characters are losers in life; one of them is fat and wears dorky glasses.
No melodious songs. If anything, the audio is horrible, saving two songs.
No Switzerland duets, and no gaudy side dancers.
Manish Malhotra does not design the outfits.
Unknown names behind the scenes.
Is it any surprise that the film was rejected before its release? No. Is it any surprise that only a few hundred people would have watched it? No. Often, I find poor to mediocre movies receiving more hype and appreciation than they deserve. Often, I also find not-so-bad movies receiving no attention because: 1) They are not promoted well. 2) They do not boast of royale Khans. 3) They are not fluffy romantic nonsense. Unfortunately, Paisa Vasool falls under this second category.
Paisa Vasool tells the story of BABY, played by the gorgeous Sushmita Sen, and MARIA played by the talented Manisha Koirala. Maria is a bakery owner who is insecure about her entire life, and gets easily scared. However, gathering courage one day, she visits a discotheque where she runs into Baby, a confident and fearless woman, who is capable of living on her own in a man?s world.
Opposites attract and they instantly become good friends, so much so that Baby, who is looking for a house to live in Mumbai, shacks up with Maria immediately. Maria is threatened by her house builder to either vacate the house or pay him lots of money to keep the house. Sushmita Sen is a dancer who struggles to make it as a big actress because of her height. Hence, both lack money in their lives.
Maria?s phone is famous for cross-connections. One night, Baby and Maria learn of a clever robbery through a cross-connection. The remaining story revolves around their tactics to extract money from the robber, thereby leading to a roller-coaster ride of murders and mayhem. Sounds suspiciously similar to Hera Pheri, right? Replace the shrewd Akshay Kumar with the witty Sushmita Sen, the sincere Sunil Shetty with the lonely Maria, and you have Paisa Vasool. Is Paisa Vasool as cogent or entertaining as Hera Pheri? No. But is it as unwatchable as the audience and critics claimed? No. The movie is uplifted because of the performances of the two heroines!
Bindaas Baby - Sushmita Sen
The one heroine whose performances I evaluate without a bias is Sushmita Sen. I am one of her hugest fans, but I also know that her acting skills are limited, and need to be improvised. I had written off her comic talent after her abysmal performance in Kyunki Main Jhoot Nahin Bolta, and average performance in Biwi No 1. But, with Paisa Vasool, I can emphatically say that the comedian in Sush has bloomed.
The role of Baby is tailor-made for this Sen and she slips into her ?avatar? with ease! Her screen-presence is enigmatic and she breezes through the role of the loud-mouthed Baby. Sen displays terrific comic timing in most of the scenes. Some memorable scenes are:
· Whenever she threatens the robber with a male voice
· Her indignation when someone makes fun of her name
· When she adorns the disguise of a police-woman, especially towards the climax
· When she is drunk in the beginning and inspects Manisha?s home!
· When she and Maria beat up the bad guy!
· When she speaks like a prostitute to get out of a sticky situation.
In fact, she excels in every scene, except the emotional ones. Sen has always been bad at crying, and she is not much better in Paisa Vasool either. Regardless, I am eagerly awaiting David Ji?s next with Salman now!
Meek Maria - Manisha Koirala
On the other hand, Manisha excels in the emotional scenes, and lacks proper comic timing. However, hats off to her for gracefully stepping back to place Sush in the limelight. In doing so, Maria and Baby share terrific chemistry, with neither one trying to steal the show! They complement rather than compete. Some memorable scenes featuring Manisha are:
· Her anguish over her physically challenged friend?s death (played by Sushant Kumar!), and her subsequent outburst at Baby.
· Whenever she reminisces of her old, bad times with her ex-husband.
· When she disguises as a Muslim to take 1.5 million rupees from the bad guys towards the end.
· Her discomfort without her spectacles.
Apart from Sen and Koirala the supporting actors do an adequate job. Sushant Singh, as the physically challenged guy, leads this roost with a heartwarming performance.
Plus Points
Some critics questioned the instant friendship between the two heroines and wondered how Baby could start living with Maria the same day they meet. However, if you can accept the rubbish ?Love at first sight? in Hindi films, I wonder why ?Friendship at first sight? is ridiculed! Maria and Baby have extremely different personalities, which bond to form an ever-lasting friendship. I see nothing wrong with this concept!
Paisa Vasool wastes no time in romantic ditties featuring Sushant with either of the two heroines, although it is subtly hinted that both of them love him. There is one beautiful romantic duet, after his death, which does a great job of portraying the amicable relationship between Sushant and the two ladies. But this song is very realistically shot.
All the energy is focused on the similar problems in Maria’s and Baby’s different lifestyles, and their close relationship. Moreover, this film has been shot realistically. Everything, from the clothes the cast wears to the locations (or ambience) of the film is believable.
Minus Points
Yes, Paisa Vasool has its share of flaws. Firstly, the screenplay is sluggish, and some of the dialogues are cheap/vulgur. Secondly, too many songs mar the flow of the film. Thirdly, the climax is a huge letdown. It is obvious that the director had no clue as to how to finish the film. And I wish Manisha had spent more time in her behind-the-scenes efforts.
I conclude...
Still, I enjoyed the film, because of Sen and Koirala. It should be realized that a women-centric comedy (which is extremely rare!) is very different from a male-centric comedy. There are not as many ?jhakas? dialogues in a film like Paisa Vasool, as there are in a Hera Pheri. According to me, it is harder for Sushmita Sen to make an impact as the boisterous baby than it is for Akshay Kumar to impress as the carefree guy. However, I think the ladies have delivered the goods! Watch this film with an open mind at least once; I am sure you will enjoy it!
Call me eccentric, call me stupid, but I have watched it three times and I can?t wait for the fourth time! And I definitely preferred Paisa Vasool to HUM TUM! (no jeers please)
Ratings:
Sushmita Sen: 8.5/10
Manisha Koirala: 7/10
Sushant Singh: 7.5/10
Rest of the cast: 5-6/10
Songs: 4/10
Film, as a whole: 6-6.5/10