Paranthe Wali Gali Review {1.5/5} & Review Rating
The popular idiom 'Well begun is half done' seems non-applicable for Bollywood. While the year 2014 has commenced with a thud [MR JOE B. CARVALHO], the year [and the month] continues to decline constantly. The new release, PARANTHE WALI GALI, only confirms this statement. While the film has all the necessary ingredients that go into the making of a typical Bollywood entertainer, the way it has been presented is absolutely amateurish.
Let's enlighten you about the plot first! PARANTHE WALI GALI is a film that has theatre as the backdrop, with Maulik [Anuj Saxena] leading the pack. He earns his living by doing road shows with his team, despite them facing oppositions and always being ridiculed by their near and dear ones [one good thing about the film is that it manages to explore the hitherto unseen-on-celluloid parts of old Delhi].
While Maulik and his team are trying their level best to carve a niche, enters the parantha seller Naina Kaur [Neha Pawar]. Even though her first meeting starts with a fight with Maulik's team members, love blossoms as and when time progresses. And when she gets to know the hardships that Maulik and his team face, she uses her influence and manages to fix up a meeting with the event organizer Saluja [Vijayant Kohli]. But on D-day, Saluja dumps Maulik and his act, reasoning the non-sales of tickets. Saluja immediately replaces Maulik's act with a sex-comedy act from a Mumbai-based troupe manager.
This leaves Maulik in a lurch. He is heartbroken, depressed and totally shattered. That's when Naina's mother peps up the team and readies Maulik for the show...
While the film's writing has its share of highs and lows, one can count the highs on finger tips actually. The music is nothing to boast about, but the lyrics are the saving grace. Also, the cinematography deserves a mention for capturing the essence of Delhi on celluloid. As for the film in totality, it's really tough to digest the fact that it is helmed by someone as reputed as Sachin Gupta, who has several award winning theatre productions to his credit. Sure, a few moments are wonderful, but things go topsy-turvy after an invigorating start.
As for the performances, it is Anuj Saxena who is the pick of the lot. Neha Pawar tries her level best to look the character, but goes overboard. The rest of the cast try to make their presence felt, but the fact that they are raw/ newcomers shows in their performances.
On the whole, PARANTHE WALI GALI is a dull fare.
