Out Of Control Review {2/5} & Review Rating
East meets west in Vashu Bhagnani's OUT OF CONTROL, directed by Ramanjit Juneja and Apurva Asrani. The story combines the lifestyle of the U.S. with the culture of India and the outcome is just theek hai. Indeed, there was scope for so much more!
OUT OF CONTROL tells the story of Jaswinder from Patiala [Ritesh Deshmukh] who reaches the shores of America with dreams in his eyes and a career as his intent.
He happens to meet the saucy, sensuous and scintillating Sally [Brande Rodericks] and seeks her help for visa extension. Sally is happy to oblige, but utters four magical words, �Will you marry me?� Jimmy agrees and the two get married in a church.
Life with Sally begins� But something else is being planned back home in Punjab. Jimmy's father Jatta Singh Bedi [Amrish Puri] has made plans for his marriage to desi kudi Richa [Hrishita Bhatt]. Jatta Singh summons Jimmy to Punjab and makes sure that things go his way.
Having two wives now becomes Jimmy's biggest nightmare. Jimmy has to go back to America� Little does he know that Richa and Jatta Singh will be quick to follow him there.
How will Jimmy handle two wives? Where do his loyalties lie?
Though the east-meets-west theme has been depicted time and again on the Indian screen before [PURAB AUR PCHHIM, DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE], OUT OF CONTROL falls into a different league altogether.
Despite the fact that the film tackles a serious issue � bigamy � the writers have made sure to pack the story with plenty of light moments. In fact, the narrative abounds in light moments and must say they do keep the viewer hooked on to the screen.
But the USP of the enterprise is without doubt the Baywatch babe, Brande Rodericks. Again, though a few Indian makers [Dev Anand, Aamir Khan] have cast English actresses in the past, the girl in OUT OF CONTROL is not a bimbette. Besides plenty of skin show, the film focusses on showcasing her talent as well. But more on that later!
The first half of the film is quite enjoyable. The friendship between Ritesh and Brande that culminates into love and subsequent marriage looks convincing. The skyline of New York is like a topping, giving the film a visually enticing look.
The twist in the tale, when Ritesh is forced to marry Hrishita, adds zeal to the plot and the viewer waits with bated breath to know the outcome of this love triangle.
But the film slips in the latter part of the second half. The fault, like in most Hindi films, lies in its writing. Though the pace loosens in the post-interval portions, a few sequences do manage to keep the viewer's interest alive.
The twist in the tale when Amrish Puri and Hrishita land in New York, the introduction of Flower [Satish Shah] and the dilemma of a man torn between two women keeps the goings-on alive and kicking.
But the pre-climax and the culmination to the story should've been better thought of. All hell breaks loose when Brande learns of Ritesh's infidelity. She even serves him a notice. Even Hrishita seeks divorce. Perfect. But why do both the girls have a sudden change of heart and want to forgive the man? Was it to rush the film to a happy ending? Or were the writers in a hurry to conclude the love triangle, aware that the length had already touched 2.30 hours?
Directors Ramanjit Juneja and Apurva Asrani make a decent debut. The execution of most sequences is stylised, the performances are pretty competent, the narrative does hold your interest, but a better climax would've undeniably taken the film to heights.
Anand Raaj Anand's music is pleasing to the ears. The pick of the lot is 'U.S.A. Vich L.A. Te Main L.A. Di Maina' in terms of orchestration, rendition [excellently rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan] and picturisation. 'Tera Chand Sa Ye Chehra' is seeped in melody, but is wrongly placed in the narrative and can easily be chopped off to make the pace faster.
Cinematography is striking. The locales of U.S. and Switzerland are well captured on celluloid. Dialogues are witty and the ones delivered by Satish Kaushik and Satish Shah deserve special mention.
This is Ritesh Deshmukh's second film and in terms of performance, the youngster leaps ahead. There's consistency in his performance, besides he manages to stand on his own stead despite the fact that he is pitted against seasoned performers.
Hrishita Bhatt is quite alright, playing the plain Jane part with ease. But it is Brande who hits a boundary in her very first Hindi film. Her performance may be alright, but the girl endears herself to the cinegoers for her cute dialogues in Hindi and also for the generous dosage of skin show.
Amrish Puri is first-rate, enacting his part with conviction. Satish Kaushik excels as Ritesh's buddy. Satish Shah is wonderful, carrying out a difficult role with flourish.
On the whole, OUT OF CONTROL is a decent entertainer that will attract cinegoers in good numbers initially. But after the initial euphoria subsides, it will settle down to the average category. However, the business prospects would've been much better had it been released in a more appropriate period.