ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE- THE REVIEW

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Konkana Sen, Paresh Rawal Direction: Aswini Dhir
Synopsis
Puneet a script writer and Munmun an interior designer are a young married couple with a 6 year old son Ayush leading a normal middle class life in the city of Mumbai. Untill one day Lambodhar chacha claiming to be Puneet's distant relative comes over as a guest disrupting their otherwise peaceful routine. In the beginning he seems to be pleasant change. But not long before they start perceiving him as an unwanted bacteria spreading around their home. Changes which were earlier named small adjustments start seeming like gigantic problems. And with no sign of uncle leaving stirs the happiness of Munmun and Puneet. They start finding ways of getting rid of chacha. They try everything from faking uncle's wife's death to approaching a don but fate has something else planned and they fail each time. But then the chacha who was the source of all trouble now somehow miraculously becomes a channel of problem solving in Puneet and Munmun's life. And as life seems to be getting back on track for Munmun and Puneet one day chacha suddenly disappear. Munmun and Puneet is a reflection of all of us who cannot bear the presence of guest in our house for more than a few days and are not willing to change the way we live for them. Even though we might believe in the ancient Indian proverb - 'Athithi Devo Bhava' - A guest is an incarnation of God but eventually we start seeing them as a virus afflicting our bedroom, living room, sofas, refrigerator, TV set, the remote, towel, soap, deodorants, toothpaste and inadvertently the toothbrush too and no matter what we are forced to say 'Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge'

ROAD MOVIE-REVIEW

Director: Dev Benegal
Cast: Abhay Deol, Satish Kaushik, Tannishtha Chatterjee
Rating:


Is it a roller-coaster road movie? Is it a novel tale about touring cinema? Sadly, despite immense potential, it’s neither of the two. This one is mediocre middle-of-the-road movie. Dev Benegal’s Road, Movie is designed as one of those typical festival films that pretend to be a transformative journey of a character who en route discovers the true meaning of life, love and blah blah blah.

To escape his father’s hair oil business, Vishnu (Abhay Deol) grabs the opportunity of driving an antique truck across the desert to be stationed in a local museum. Do not expect any rollicking road adventure since the narrative never picks up pace like the tiresome truck. Through his deserted journey, Vishnu gives lift to a young boy (Mohammed Faizal Usmani), a migrating mechanic (Satish Kaushik) and a gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee). Soon he realizes that his tattered truck also houses a touring cinema. Do not expect any innovative story emerging from the functioning of the transportable theatre. The portable projector hardly plays for a couple of times in the film, of which one is a part of an extended dream sequence.

So then where does this road lead to? Like Dev Benegal’s decade-old release Split Wide Open , even Road Movie attempts to expose a water mafia – this time in the deserts of Rajasthan. An infamous water lord (Yashpal Sharma) illegally operates in the drought-struck desert leaving the poor with no water. Is this another calculated attempt to showcase India as a land of poverty-stricken, hungry and (in this case even) ‘thirsty’ mortals to the world audience? Further, believe-it-or-faint but the director attempts to pull off a parody in the climax where the hero trades off water for homemade hair oil with the dreaded desert-don. The sudden spoof doesn’t go in sync with the mood of the film and, rather, looks ludicrous in the scheme of things.

The pacing is sluggish for a road flick and Dev Benegal’s screenplay is bland, lacking basic level drama. The characters lack depth and the gypsy woman and the young boy are undefined to the extent that they remain nameless till the end credits. The direction is not abstract but a lot is left to your imagination. Especially the romance track between Abhay and Tannishtha is almost intangible and a shoved smooch scene doesn’t incite any chemistry between the two.

A fun-fair amidst deep desert brings hope of lightening the dull and dry proceedings, as the touring cinema truck is put to use. But soon the Cinema Paradiso promise is cut short with the entire setup turning out to be a dream sequence... or rather a nightmare. Expectedly the end is abrupt and open though you lose direction on this road much before reaching the destination. The only redeeming factor is some funny lines and scenes that click to an extent, thanks to the good comic timing of the actors.

The cinematography by Michel Amathieu is striking as he captures the virgin barren lands of Kutch and Jaisalmer with élan in his camera. But repetitive external shots of the desert façade add monotony to the film. Michael Brook has a Western Curry influence in his background score. The art and costume design is decent. The remixed version of the classic song ‘ Tel Malish ’ is passable.

Abhay Deol has had an impressive lineage of films to his credit so far. Road, Movie happens to be his first incoherent choice. Satish Kaushik is commendable in his character. Tannishtha Chatterjee is notable in the scene where she sings an impromptu number in the desert. Mohammed Faizal Usmani doesn’t get much scope. Yashpal Sharma does his regular act.

As the film comes to an end, Abhay Deol indulges in a tel malish (head massage) act onscreen. One would need an equally stimulating tel malish on watching this garbled movie. This road leads to nowhere. It simply takes you for a ride.