DVD Review: Sunday 
By Joginder Tuteja, March 17, 2008 - 11:50 IST
MOVIE DETAILS
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Ayesha Takia, Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan.
Director: Rohit Shetty
Producer: Kumar Mangat
Music: Sandeep Chowta, Raghav Sachar, Band Surroor, Daler Mehndi, Shivani Kashyap, Amar Mohile
Lyrics: Farhad-Sajid, Kamran Bari, Daler Mehndi, Virag Mishra, Aditya Dhar
THE FILM
Though Sunday was widely touted to be the first major success of the year, it didn't quite go the distance which could have justified it's potential. It did average business theatrically though it deserved better. The promos were excellent, songs were quite popular and the mix of star cast was interesting too. Perhaps the factors which went against the film turning out to be a big hit were a) audience had their ample share of comedies over last few months b) poor suspense element (more about this later)!
Sunday is one of the glossiest films made in recent times. With vibrant colors filling the frames, cinematographer Aseem Bajaj came up trumps in Sunday, which boasts of rich visuals. Also notable is Steven Bernard's editing which facilitated a unique story-seeing experience. Especially exciting are the parts when the film oscillates between present times and flashbacks! While the setting remains the same, the actors replace each other seamlessly. An experience, which has to be witnessed to be believed!
Suspense element in the film originates from the character played by Ayesha Takia who suffers from intermittent memory loss. So much so that she doesn't remember an entire day in her life - a Sunday! It is upon her cop fiancé (Ajay Devgan) who takes it upon him to unearth the mystery, which saw Ayesha encountering different characters played by Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Murli Sharma, Shereveer Vakil and Asghar Ali amongst others.
Though the basic plot of the film looks at unveiling a murderer and the murder he/she committed, Sunday moves thoroughly on a comic path. This is where Arshad Warsi comes trump as he yet again demonstrated his stranglehold behind the art of making people laugh. No, he doesn't get into a 'Circuit' act again but even as a taxi driver, he brings on a new range to comedy. Irrfan Khan as his 'struggling actor' friend is fun too while ever dependable Ajay Devgan comes up with a good 'masala' act again which requires him to switch between doing daredevil stunts and making people laugh. Sunday is centered on Ayesha's character and she does well too. In fact, she is fun to watch in the parts where she is in a drunken stage or performing mimicry.
First half of the film is extremely breezy with laughs all around and one doesn't realize when the interval card is flashed. Second half is good too though focus shifts mainly towards the thrills and action. All could have been perfectly well for the film if the suspense element in the climax was impressive too. Towards the end, the song 'Kashmakash' (picturised on Esha Deol) gets the intrigue element on and the sequence leading to the grand finale is exciting as well. It is the unveiling of the mask off the face of the murderer which turns out to be a sort of anti climax. The reasons are all right, the case behind the execution well justified too - it is the character (and the actor) which kills the impact. This is the exact reason why one feels slightly discontent with the culmination to the film.
However, if one leaves aside this aberration apart, Sunday is a fun watch with some foot tapping songs, good stunts and a fast-paced narrative that makes for an enjoyable two hour ride!
PACKAGING
The film comes in a sleek-n-glossy packing made of plastic and paper combination.
DURATION
The film comes in a single DVD pack with the film's duration being 130 minutes and added special features spanning 27 minutes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The only special features in the DVD are making of the three songs - 'Missing Sunday', 'Pyaar To Hona Hai Hai' and 'Loot Liya'. In this segment, everyone from the principal actors of the film to choreographer (Ganesh Acharya), producer, director and some of the composers/lyricists/singers (Sandeep Chowta, Farhad-Sajid, Mahua) talk about their experience of creating these songs. Showcasing behind the scenes happening as the choreographer and his assistants give instructions to the cast to dance to their movies, 'Making of the songs' turns out to be an ordinary watch which hardly reveals anything new or worth discussing about.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen format
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo
- Mastered from High Definition (HD)
PRICE
Rs. 199/-
CONCLUSION
Director Rohit Shetty loves to make 'masala' movies. And this is something which has been witnessed in each of his three films so far - Zameen, Golmaal and Sunday. Keeping all the commercial ingredients in mind and telling tales which do not tax a viewer and only aim at coming up with an unabashed entertainment in those two hours, Shetty brings in his films all Bollywood mainstream elements like action, romance, drama and suspense on one common platform. Sunday is hardly an exception as it makes a fun viewing.
Rating: ***
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