Welcome 2 Karachi Review {1.5/5} & Review Rating
While on one hand, Bollywood has been a witness to serious terrorism based films like BABY, on the other hand, there have also been films dealing with the subject but in a comical space. Films like FILMISTAAN, TERE BIN LADEN etc. are stark examples of the latter. This week's release WELCOME 2 KARACHI also has terrorism as its mainstay, but the film has been layered with comedy. Will WELCOME 2 KARACHI be a blast at the box-office or will it turn out to be a damp squib... let's analyze.
The film starts off with 'business dealing' of party organizer Mitesh Patel (Dalip Tahil), who convinces a client to have their wedding party atop his chartered boat that's being 'captained' by Shammi Thakur (Arshad Warsi) and Kedar Patel (Jackky Bhagnani). This also becomes a blessing in disguise for Shammi and Kedar to go to USA by boat, because they always have faced rejection whenever they had applied for a USA visa (by flight). Amidst the mid-sea party atop the boat, they encounter a sudden storm that washes them away all the way to Karachi (Pakistan). What happens out there is a series of misunderstanding, miscommunication and everything else that leads to the two boys landing up in messy situations. While Shammi disguises as a doctor and is forced to delivery a baby a la Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots style, the dumb Kedar roams around in a sherwani that has a bullet hole right near that chest. After a failed attempt to steal pizza, Shammi and Kedar land up in front of a deadly don. What follows after this are chance encounters of the duo with the likes of Taliban, ISI, jihadis, Pakistani ministers, and Intelligence Bureau, which try to keep the viewers 'entertained' throughout the film. If that wasn't enough, the viewers are also treated to a cross country firing that involves the likes of China, Pakistan, Israel, USA and many others. It is only towards the end (read 'climax') that the film manges to pick up and has Shammi and Kedar trying to save a bunch of 'special children' from the evil hands of a Taliban, that is about to blow the plane carrying those children. Do Shammi and Kedar find their way out of Karachi and come back safely to Mumbai, do they manage to save the innocent children from the evil hands of Taliban... is what forms the rest of the film.
The film happens to be the second venture of director Ashish R Mohan (his first film being KHILADI 786), sadly Ashish 'sinks' mercilessly as a director with this film. The film's plot and direction go haywire right from the word go. With Arshad Warsi being the sole anchor of the film, it was a tough situation for him to carry the film alone. Right from the first frame, the viewers are treated to nonsensical script, forced humor and amateurish VFX. While the film's first half is a complete washout, the only saving grace is the climax. Rest of the movie is just episode after episode of idiotic adventures of Shammi and Kedar.
As far as the performances are concerned, Arshad Warsi steals the show. Not a newcomer to situational and comical one liners, Arshad spearheads the film right from the word go. That doesn't mean that, Arshad overshadows Jackky intentionally. It only means that, Jackky has yet to master his Ps and Qs of acting. He needs to work really hard on his comical timing. While he can be appreciated for his on screen sincerity of the role, what really acts as a drawback is his poor screen presence. Lauren Gottlieb, besides acting as an eye candy, does nothing exceptional to the film. The rest of the actors help the film move forward.
While the music of the film (Jeet Ganguly, Rochak Kohli, Amjad Nadeem) is nothing to write about, the film's choreography (Bosco Martis, Caesar Gonsalves, F A Khan, Brinda) is pretty average. If you add average editing (Steven Bernard) and not-so-exceptional cinematography (Mark Nutkins) to the film, it only leaves the film as a helpless proposition. The film's only saving grace are its dialogues (Vrajesh Hirjee).
On the whole, WELCOME 2 KARACHI can be avoided without a regret.
