Nautanki Saala! Review  

Nautanki Saala! Review  

Keo Raph: Good movie  

Keo Raph: Good movie 

QC Team Hungana:nice movie  

QC Team Hungana:nice movie 

Barry Steakfire:awesome movie  

Barry Steakfire:awesome movie 

It seems that this movie was intended to depict much more depth than it has managed to convey.…  

It seems that this movie was intended to depict much more depth than it has managed to convey. Rohan, the director is experimental and kudos to him for that. He has tried to present a ‘neither very generic nor very different’ storyline with a different concept i.e. by using the element of theatre aka ‘nautanki’. Genre of the movie is comedy and this comedy is different from others as it is not primarily dialogue based but situation and expression based. Also somewhere, the director has tried to use the theatre ‘nautanki’ as the metaphor for the mother of all ‘nautankis’ i.e. life itself! The movie constantly shifts between these two parallels. Backdrop of the former is modern day ‘Ramayana’ (most esteemed Hindu epic) and that of the latter is the protagonist trying to heal a suicidal ‘stranger turned dependent turned friend’ by finding his former love and giving him work so that he attaches some worth to himself. The essence of the story is basically situational misunderstanding. In spite of all his noble intentions and sacrifices, the protagonist is misunderstood by his partner, love and also friend! Reason for the same are age old human errors of - mixing task and emotion, undertaking an activity without giving a thought to its obvious result, trespassing territories etc. Ayushmann, and Kunaal have acted well. Evelyn has some screen presence. The power of modern day theatre could have been presented in a more powerful and enhanced format. Also, the heroines could have been better. Some comedy scenes are really funny and some are original as well. Last but not the least, herein again you miss the element of complete showmanship. Are there no successors of Mr. Subhash Ghai and Late Mr. Yash Chopra? 

Utter disappointment. No story, no excitement. None of the songs were well shot.  

Utter disappointment. No story, no excitement. None of the songs were well shot.  

waste of money  

waste of money 

Many prominent filmmakers and experts stress on the need for a good story for a film to work. I am…  

Many prominent filmmakers and experts stress on the need for a good story for a film to work. I am no expert but from my experience, I have gathered that it’s the execution that matters the most. There are films boasting of waferthin plots but still manage to win hearts because of effective direction. On the other hand, there are films like, case in point Nautanki Saala, that have the advantage of a brilliant concept. But, Rohan Sippy’s direction somehow fails to engage, especially in the second half. A film that could have been a mad quirky and feel good ride turns out to be just an average fare! The story of the movie: Ram Parmar aka RP (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a theatre actor-director and plays the role of Raavan in the very popular play, Raavanleela. One night, while on his way to meet his girlfriend Chitra (Gaelyn Mendonca), he comes across Mandar (Kunaal Roy Kapur) who is all set to commit suicide. RP saves his life and learns that Mandar is depressed thanks to his breakup with his very beautiful but easily manipulative girlfriend, Nandini (Pooja Salvi). RP also learns that Mandar is a good actor and persuades the play producer, Chandra (Sanjeev Bhatt), to let him play the role of Lord Rama. On the other hand, RP gets curious about Nandini and meets her in her floral shop and falls for her. Things take a bad turn as RP builds mountains of lies to avoid a confrontation with Chitra, Mandar and Nandini. The Raavanleela play forms a great backdrop to the story and also the manner in which parallels are drawn between RP and his character Raavan is praiseworthy. Besides, the first half is quite a fun ride. Things do get slightly unconvincing, especially how RP goes all out to help Mandar and buys bouquets worth a bomb. However, the fun moments in this hour overpowers the minuses in a significant manner. Unfortunately, things fall like a pack of cards in the second half. The confused RP and his confused actions leave audiences in a daze. One fails to understand what’s exactly happening and who loves whom. Nandini initially seemed quite a cute character but as the film progresses, one gets startled with her fickle-mindedness. Not convincing! The director and his writers tried to attempt something novel in the climax but again, it was hardly impressive. Performances thankfully are sans complaints. Ayushmann Khurrana once again proves his worth and delivers a performance as brilliant as in his debut film, Vicky Donor. The actor has terrific screen presence and it’s applauding how he steals thunder in every scene. Hats off! Kunaal Roy Kapur too shows brilliance and has an unparalleled comic timing. His chemistry with Ayushmann is worth a watch. Gaelyn Mendonca was confident but wished she had much more to do in the second half. Pooja Salvi looks like an angel and gives a decent performance. Sanjeev Bhatt raises lot of laughs in several scenes. Evelyn Sharma (who supposedly has a role in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani too) does well in small role. Rufy Khan (Loli) is strictly okay. Sulbha Arya (Mandar’s grandmother) was funny in her cameo. Abhishek Bachchan was wasted. Music of the film (and its presentation) is a major strength and one of the significant reasons why the interest in the film doesn’t wear off during the weak portions. Saadi Galli Aaja is the best of the lot followed by So Gaya Yeh Jahan, Dramebaaz and Dil Ki Toh Lag Gayi. Background score too makes a nice impact. Nipun Dharmadhikari, Charu Dutt Acharya and Rohan Sippy’s screenplay is great initially but falls at later stages. Dialogues however are competent and witty. Rohan Sippy’s direction deserves praise for once again (after Bluffmaster) portraying Mumbai in a stylized fashion. The drama portions are filmed in the majestic Liberty Cinema of Mumbai which in fact is a character in itself! Songs are beautifully depicted too. But unfortunately, he fails to hold interest in the second half. The film was anyways unconvincing from the very start but in the second half, it crosses limits. Rohan Sippy is no doubt a great filmmaker and here’s hoping his next project doesn’t let down! On the whole, Nautanki Saala is equipped with an impressive storyline, quirky characters, and lively music score and not to forget, the theatre backdrop but unconvincing situations and confused actions of characters in the later part of the film spoil it all. At best, an average fare! https://fenilandbollywood.com/2013/04/13/movie-review-nautanki-saala-by-fenil-seta/