Style Movie Review:

N. Chandra Production's STYLE, directed by N. Chandra, tells the story of four teenaged boys and girls who are a hot favourite among their colleagues for their wit, sense of humour and their ability to solve any problem.

 

They extend their help to their colleagues for anything and everything, from coming to the rescue of a rich student chasing a girl or helping someone come out of the mess with the college authorities. For this, they are showered with gifts in 5-star hotels, because of which they begin to cultivate the habits of the rich.

 

But the two boys land in a soup one day when a rich friend plays a practical joke by vanishing from a party in a 5-star hotel, leaving them to pay the hefty bill. They are left with a twisted arm and realize the importance of money.

 

One of them comes out with a brilliant idea to solve the problem. Instead of helping others to hook a girl, the two decide to find a daughter of a millionaire for themselves to marry. They zero down on two rich girls of their college, but the two girls hate them. How they change the opinion of the girls about them, forms the crux of the film.

 

The film is based in a college campus and targeted at the youth. But the impression one draws as the film progresses is that there is nothing novel about the college scenes in the film - be it the ragging incidents, the dialogues or even the interaction between the students.

 

In fact, the story does not progress at all in the first half. Besides, there is nothing novel about the manner in which they solve the problems of their colleagues. However, there are a few scenes in the first half that are enjoyable, but they are far too less to leave an impact.

 

Post-interval, when they start thinking about their lives, the narrative does gain momentum. When the boys disguise themselves as girls and enter the women's hostel, the interest does heighten. The scenes that follow are a bit far-fetched, but they are quite interesting and keep you entertained.

 

The story takes another turn when they are trapped in the murder of two girls. One expects the suspense to build up at this juncture, but the story drifts to mediocrity again, failing to hold one?s attention. Had the director focussed on the boy-girl track instead of the suspense and the murder track, it would have been far more interesting. Besides, it would have also cut down the unnecessary length of the film. In fact, one of the major drawbacks of the film is its unwarranted length.

 

Directorially, one does expect a lot from a director of hits such as TEZAAB, ANKUSH and PRATIGHAAT. But N. Chandra is not in complete form this time. Musically (Sanjeev-Darshan), the songs are well tuned and equally well picturised. The picturisation of 'Excuse Me' and 'Mohabbat Mohabbat' can be singled out. Cinematography is alright.

 

Performance-wise, Sharman Joshi is likeable and delivers a convincing performance. Saahil Khan makes a decent debut. Riya Sen looks like a doll looks, but needs to brush up her acting skills. Shilpi Mudgal is not up to the mark. Varsha Usgaonker is okay in a brief role. Tara Deshpande overacts. Shakti Kapoor is wasted in a brief role.

 

On the whole, STYLE is just about an average fare. However, it has some chances in Mumbai thanks to its city flavour.