Welcome - Funny enough for one viewing
Jan 6 2008 | Views 223 |
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Tags: welcome welcome review paresh rawal akshay kumar nana patekar
Tags: welcome welcome review paresh rawal akshay kumar nana patekar
Rating: 6/10
Nana Patekar was the person who held my attention throughout Welcome. Even when someone else was speaking, I was watching him to learn from his reactions. I've started the 3 month course at Anupam Kher's Actor Prepares, so it's time I started paying extra attention to great actors in order to learn from them. Actually, the first time I watch a movie, I watch it without any intentions of analysing it; I just watch it as it is. Only if it"s worth repeated viewings do I subsequently watch with intent to learn. Within about half an hour of Welcome I realised it wasn't a movie I'd enthusiastically watch again, so I decided to make the most of it by observing Nana Patekar, who was outshining just about everyone else.
I'm sure everyone knows the threadbare plot by now, so I won't bother trying to define something that doesn't really exist. Lack of story or plot isn't really an issue with me as long as the proceedings are gripping or really funny. Someone who only occasionally watches movies might find Welcome very funny, but regular viewers will find it just about, I guess. There are several moments which are uproarious and laugh-out-loud funny, but it's the padding in between that I felt to be a little under-written. It was like cooking 6 pieces of chicken for 10 people and then using a whole lot of Nutrela chunks as filler.
So what really makes a great comedy? Funny situations? Funny lines? Funny characters? Good acting? I guess they're all essential. Welcome has a great cast, good lines, and characters with potential, but I really feel the whole turned out less than the sum of the parts. I think it's because some of the situations were just toooooo zabardasti - too far-fetched. I mean, would any guy go to meet his prospective father-in-law without even knowing his name? Okay, we'll let the movie take its creative liberties and assume that Akshay Kumar's character forgot to ask Katrina's character. I'm ready to turn off my logic switch, but what about other members of the paying public?
Some of the songs were horrible. In the first one, some really lousy voice began singing for Akshay Kumar. I thought, who the hell's this? Then I realised it was Himesh Rishammiya. I really don't get this - why the hell don't directors bother to use singers whose voices match the actors'? Himesh Rishammiya's voice for Akshay Kumar? I mean, are you nuts? My personal opinion about Himesh as a musician is that he"s a brilliant composer and arranger - he really knows to create catchy and melodious tunes. But I wouldn't pay to listen to him sing.
Have you seen No Entry, Anees Bazmee"s previous film? Even that was devoid of any logic, but it was funny too, and that's what mattered for me. But the weird thing is Anees Bazmee's used that same hanging over a cliff climax again! Why? Aren't there other ways of ending a film?
Of the actors, Paresh Rawal is good as usual, although he might be getting tired as an actor of the same kind of role. If I were in his shoes, I'd have found his role in No Smoking a wonderful change. He was the best thing about that film. Katrina doesn"t have much to do. Mallika showed good timing in Pyaar Ke Side Effects. With a little more attention to timing, she could have been hilarious. Anil Kapoor was good, but he could have been much better. After Nana Patekar, it's Vijay Raaz who makes the best of his time in the film.
Anyway, back to Nana. He' one of the few perfect actors in our film industry. It was a treat watching him in Welcome. Hell, it's always a treat watching him. He's always totally in the character. 'Brilliant is an inadequate word to describe his work in Ab Tak Chhappan. In Taxi No 9211, he was completely Raghu Shastri. I seriously recommend that film just for Nana's performance. He never does anything that's meant to be funny within the context of the film, yet we laugh a lot. Even in Hattrick, an okay film, he was always living his role. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Welcome could be his first full blown comedy. He's got the most memorable line of all. When Anil Kapoor asks him why he's addressing Paresh Rawal as Ghungroo 'ji', he says "Arre aaj kal biscuit ko bhi Parle Ji keh ke bulate hain."
Man, I've been passing judgement on actors' performances for a long time now. I think I'm going to get into big trouble. What if I actually meet these people someday, they read my blog, and then next time they meet me they punch me in the nose? Or worse, they get me chucked out of the film I"m doing with them and might have a small role in. And what about my own acting later, when everyone in the world will have the liberty to say I sucked big time? Brrrrr....
Bottomline
You might like this film if you liked: No Entry or any other of the usual maintream comedy films
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