Raja Sen - 1/5
I had once declared great faith in Tabu's ability to be as much of a man as our heroes. But her latest film proves that while she might be a fantastic actress, she really isn't an Akshay Kumar .
Toh Baat Pakki works like a Priyadarshan drama devoid of the outrageous plot and the utterly watchable hero, and we're served up a bland, preposterously dated 'comedy' with lame jokes and little to laugh at.
Director Kedar Shinde tries hard to channel the wholesome humour of comedies like those of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, elaboratey stagey pieces of extremely family-friendly fare. But what he doesn't realise is that those films were masterpieces of plot and dialogue, and that just having people smile a lot doesn't make up for the complete lack of a script.
Sharman Joshi -- described in the film as 'tall, fair, and muscular,' prompting the question of whether he himself had a part to play in the dialogue writing -- is a fine actor but is here given a conventional hero role so basic it feels like a caricature. He wears tight t-shirts and looks soulfully into the distance, and one can't help but wait for some sort of punchline. Like in most of the film, none arrives to save the day.
The boys -- Joshi and a clueless Vatsal Seth -- are clearly in the film only to play off Tabu , who plays elder sister to the bovine and apparently eligible Uvika Choudhary in a town where every boy shares the Saxena surname, just like Tabu and her husband, a likeable but equally daft Ayub Khan.
Tabu herself can't help being a good actress. But she clearly doesn't have the wherewithal to rescue a script this weak, loaded down with bad lines and a very weakly written character. She manages to amuse for maybe a minute or two in a film that seems far longer than its two hour running time. To be fair to the stunning lady, though -- even Akshay'd have trouble with a turkey like this.
3 comments:
Nikhat KAzmi - 3/5
Tabu returns after a long gap. That should be reason enough to watch Toh Baat Pakki. For she's a fine actor who has proved her mettle, time and again. This time, she opts for a light-hearted comic role in a film that's cast in the mould of the middle-of-the-road comedies that made the eighties' cinema so winsome and breezy. Pitched somewhere between realism and drama, the film somewhat recreates that genteel era when cinema talked about flesh and blood people who didn't scream, holler and howl revenge. More importantly, their concerns were commonplace, like finding a suitable boy/girl and stealing a few romantic moments behind the back of meddlesome mums, didis and dadis. Remember Khoobsoorat, Golmal, Baton Baton Mein and the likes.
Well, Toh Baat Pakki may not be as riveting as the 80s entertainers, yet it rides high on sheer nostalgia. Also, it presents a different kind of cinema in an age that lays great emphasis on high decibel, larger-than-life drama. Tabu's talkative, inquisitive, control freak Rajeshwari who is hell bent on finding the right match for her sister, is eminently watchable. Living in a small town, she seems to have almost perfected the art of the small town conversation, being totally involved in the going-ons in the life of her neighbours and fellow townsmen. On hearing about her neighbour's singleton tenant -- engineering college student, Sharman Joshi -- she immediately lures him to her house and tries to entrap him as a groom for her younger sibling, Yuvika Chaudhary. It doesn't take a lot of effort on her part because the youngsters immediately fall in love. But the love story is short-lived since didi finds another dashing groom, Vatsal Seth, who happens to be Goddess Lakshmi's choice too. Time to throw out the old tenant and bring in the new....
For those who like their films to move at frenetic pace, Toh Baat Pakki may seem a bit laidback. But once you sit back and settle down for some gentle laughs, the film offers you an engaging drama with a tall act by tall and lissome Tabu. Sharman, carries on unspooling his careless charm after his charismatic act in 3 Idiots. A pleasant watch.
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Taran Adarsh - 2/5
A lot of present-day directors seem inspired by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee's movies. The veterans told simple stories in the most simplistic manner. Director Kedarh Shinde, one presumes, also seems inspired by their master works and attempts to narrate a story that's identifiable and at the same time, dipped in humour.
But TOH BAAT PAKKI is not as invigorating as one expects it to be. The film has some wonderful moments, some old-world charm, but the humour, at several points, falls flat. Especially towards the penultimate portions.
Write your own movie review of Toh Baat Pakki Final word? It's a half-baked fare!
Rajeshwari [Tabu], married to Vinay [Ayub Khan], dreams of getting her sister Nisha [Yuvika Choudhary] married to the most suitable boy within their Saxena community. Also, Rajeshwari is against the dowry system.
Rajeshwari finds a good Saxena boy studying engineering and has prospects of a promising future. Rahul [Sharman Joshi] is a good proposition for her sister and she even gets him to move into her house as a paying guest.
However, when Rajeshwari learns that Rahul is not interested in marriage, she smartly devices a plan to bring her sister and make them get to know each other. She's confident that once he meets Nisha, there is no turning away. They fall in love. Rajeshwari is happy. Marriage is fixed.
Things take a turn when Yuvraaj [Vatsal Sheth] lands up at Rajeshwari's house. Yuvraaj is also a Saxena. He has a good job and is waiting to move into his house. Rajeshwari can't believe her luck. This is a better prospect. The story takes a turn when Rajeshwari tries to set up Nisha with Yuvraaj.
The problem with most storytellers is, the story they choose may sound convincing at narration level, but what eventually unfolds on screen is half as convincing. On paper, the 4-para synopsis of TOH BAAT PAKKI holds promise, but the screenplay, spread over two hours, has its share of hiccups.
For instance, the portions depicting Sharman helping Tabu during the marriage celebrations are far from convincing. In fact, the screenplay starts losing its grip from hereon. Even Sharman's attempts to poison Himani Shivpuri and Vatsal Sheth's mind appears childish. Ditto for the abduction drama towards the end. The Sharat Saxena track also looks forced.
Kedarh Shinde's direction holds your attention at a few places only. Especially during Tabu and Sharman's portions towards the first half. But the patchy writing lets him down. Pritam's music doesn't work, except 'Jis Din Mera Byaah'. Dialogues are too flowery at times.
Tabu is a pleasure to watch. She's natural and it must be said that it gets difficult to move your eyes when she's on screen. Sharman, again, is likable and gets it right. Vatsal does fairly well. Yuvika doesn't get much scope. Ayub Khan is passable. Himani Shivpuri and Suhasini Mulay are as usual. Upasna Singh is loud.
On the whole, TOH BAAT PAKKI has a few interesting moments, but not enough to keep you hooked. It will have to rely on a strong word of mouth, especially from family audiences, to stay afloat.
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Film may show some legs, it is not getting horrible reviews. And comedy is always a genre that gets more footfalls.
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