Well Done Abba Review  

Very good movie with an excellent story. Boman is superb, Minisha is excellent and Sameer is…  

Very good movie with an excellent story. Boman is superb, Minisha is excellent and Sameer is outstanding. Sameer has had courage to portray such an unglamourous role, remember the character was lame. The way he impresses his would be Father-in-law, while FIL tries to keep away his daughter from him, was excellent (Insaniyat ka rishta). Ravi Kishan and Sonali's track was very real and funny. Sarpanch's husband's character, played by Saleem Ghouse, was straight out of real life. Such movies must be encouraged more and more. 

Shyam Benegal has always churned out unconventional movies that convey a distinctive message in a…  

Shyam Benegal has always churned out unconventional movies that convey a distinctive message in a simple style. Starring Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Samir Dattani and Ila Arun in the lead, ‘Well Done Abba’ the latest from his stable, also speaks about corruption and its way in government departments. Set in background of rural India, like his last flick Welcome to Sajjanpur, Well Done Abba is about a driver of a wealthy businessman who embarks on a journey to his village Chikatpali near Hyderabad to hunt for a suitable groom for his daughter. But once he arrives in his village, his attention is turned to a more important issue that has been haunting the villagers, lack of basic necessity ‘water’. He decides to solve this by digging a well in his ancestral land and learns about a government scheme that entitles him to get the full amount to construct a well. But the foul mechanism in the government offices leaves him with not even a penny for he had to assure every official dealing the process with something to pass on the application. Who comes to his rescue? What about his daughter’s wedding? Benegal’s Well Done Abba has everything that is trademark of every film he makes – a script with substance, irony and satire. The film has a simple plot but suffers due to its pace. Ideally the runtime should have been a good 20 minutes shorter and a few unnecessary scenes were better avoided. The film deals with corruption (government schemes for the underprivileged et al) and starts off pretty well in the first half. The characters are well-sketched, we have Arman Ali, a driver who returns to work after several months on leave. His daughter Muskaan (Minissha) who along with Arif Ali (Sameer Dattani) are part of the love angle, which is handled with restrain. The other characters too are much like those seen in several other Benegal films – interesting and real. The dialogues (Ashok Mishra) are perfect for the unsophisticated country people. The cinematography is good. The costumes (Pia Benegal) go well with the characters and Shantanu Moitra’s music is nice. Benegal like always manages to extract terrific performances from his cast. Boman Irani is fantastic, watch out for his expressions and body language. Minissha Lamba surprises with a beautiful performance, has to be her best performance ever. Others like Rajendra Gupta, Ravi Jhankal, Rajit Kapoor, Ila Arun do well. Overall, Well Done Abba is a well-directed film and has plenty of trademark Benegal moments that make its a good one time watch. With a bit of patience, you’ll walk out with a smile. Give it a try. 

A nice movie friends you must watch this great acting by all the actors and also their Hyderabadi…  

A nice movie friends you must watch this great acting by all the actors and also their Hyderabadi Accent must watch a nice comic movie 

Armaan Ali (Boman Irani), replete with a thick Hyderabadi accent, chauffer’s a rich mans car in…  

Armaan Ali (Boman Irani), replete with a thick Hyderabadi accent, chauffer’s a rich mans car in Mumbai. His family consisting of a brother and a perky young daughter languishes in the village without sufficient drinking water. One trip back to Chiketpalli, his village in Andhra Pradesh proves eventful for Armaan. To quench his family’s thirst, he avails of a government scheme to build a well in his backyard. Thus begins a black and funny tale of red tapism, ‘babu-ism’ and corruption that is so characteristic of India. The story, unfolding like one of playwright Bashir’s legendary village idiot plays, hooks you from the start. Meet characters like the henna haired rogue brother, Rahman, and his shallow partner in crime Salma (Ila Arun). A frustrated misfit cop (Rajat Kapur) and a corrupt official played by Ravi Kishen who feels no remorse as he sanctions 'wells' that will never be built. His incentive is a fat commission and believe it or not, his wife’s boob job. Armaan learns of a state government scheme that is giving away money to build wells. The only condition is that the candidate should be living under the poverty line. Your heart goes out to the innocent Armaan as he explains how on the day of receiving his salary he is above the poverty line, but in a few days after he pays his room rent, he drops way below it. Armaan is soon caught in the infamous ‘babu’ web of India. He must pay big ‘commissions’ to get due sanctions. And by the time he is done paying bribes to all and sundry, well, there just isn’t enough to build the 'well'. Enter Armaan’s bright and enthusiastic daughter (Minishaa Lamba) who turns the plot around on its head. This clever turn of events is sure to surprise the viewer and keep him interested right till the end of the film. The length of this film is a downer. There are portions that are way too long and the pre-interval portion is laborious. Though Shyam Benegal clearly knows his stuff as a storyteller, his technical prowess don’t match up to current film standards. The special effects are poor and the camerawork is average. Nevertheless, the film is an ejoyable experience. Like solid bricks around a deep well, the screenplay is wonderfully layered (except for a lazy slip where a letter conveniently arrives in the pre climax). The story exposes the 'termite like' bureaucratic corruption that eats into government schemes for the poor, leaving the country backward and weak. There are great one-liners by writer Ashok Mishra that make this bitter truth somewhat more palatable. Even though the story of ‘Well Done Abba’ is new to Hindi cinema, it is ironically one of the oldest true stories of rural India. It isn’t easy to take a serious subject like water scarcity and to make a light entertaining film of it. Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who seems to have re invented himself with ‘Welcome To Sajjanpur’ manages to almost hit the bulls eye with the good intentioned ‘Well Done Abba’. Pia Benegal’s costumes are worth special mention as is the production design by Samir Chanda. The performances are excellent and Minisha Lamba excels with a sincere performance. But this film clearly belongs to Boman Irani. His portrayal of Armaan is extremely restrained and heart warming. Watch out for his impeccable body language and natural dialogue delivery. 

boring movie.....but boman was good as usual  

boring movie.....but boman was good as usual 

Shyam Benegal has this uncanny knack of taking the viewer to rural life and bringing the interiors…  

Shyam Benegal has this uncanny knack of taking the viewer to rural life and bringing the interiors of India alive on screen. WELL DONE ABBA is another from his stable after the superhit, WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR. This time, he takes us to Chikkadpally, in the heart o Hyderabad. The subject chosen is one that bothers all and the way Benegal narrates his story through the central character is novel, yet hilarious. The director, though tackling a serious issue, makes light of it thus leaving the minds of the viewers uncluttered making them come to their own conclusion of the various government schemes, which frequently get hijacked along the way by systemic corruption. Armaan Ali (Boman Irani) returns to his job to Mumbai as a driver of an executive after three months. He is on the brink of being fired but manages to coax his boss to hear his story as to why he took two extra months. Thus begins the journey in a Mercedes from Mumbai to Pune as Armaan takes the driver's seat (pun intended). Armaan visits his village because he wants to marry off his daughter Muskaan (Minissha Lamba) who is living with his brother Rehmaan Ali (Boman's double) and his wife Salma (Illa Arun). In the village, he tries to secure a loan to dig a well, as water is something anyone will kill for. There he is told of a government scheme, where if you prove you are living below the poverty line, you get the money. Armaan takes this route and soon encounters one corrupt official after another who demand either 5, 10 or 15 per cent of the actual amount he will be receiving. This is in turn for getting his papers processed and passing of the loan even before the well is built. In the end, he is left with photographs of the well but with no well and no money. Well, well, well!!! It's hilarious yet eye opening how our babus function in the deep interiors. (It would be interesting to see how Benegal would portray our babus in the cities!). The film has you laughing your guts out at some scenes, which are so simply enacted with a powerful message. Armaan's journey becomes your journey. Armaan's fight for justice becomes your fight. Armaan's victory, your victory. Boman Irani paints a different character this time as the God-fearing Muslim who is worried about his daughter. He knows he is being taken for a ride, yet the greed for Government help (which is genuine) is overwhelming. He is first-rate and the backbone of the film. As the concerned father, he brings forth an endearing image of a father-daughter relationship. Minissha Lamba and Samir Dattani both surprise. But then that is expected when you have a director of Benegal's caliber guiding you. The character who stands out for me is Salim Ghouse. Outstanding. WELL DONE ABBA is one film you have to watch. For its simplicity. For its performances. And for its direction. It has content. It entertains. It educates. What more could one want in a film?  

well done Shyam Benegal.great movie.after Welcome To Sajjanpur another comedy made by Shyam…  

well done Shyam Benegal.great movie.after Welcome To Sajjanpur another comedy made by Shyam Benegal.the story,screenplay and performances by Boman Irani,Minisha Lamba and Ila Arun are outstanding.this is the best job done by Minisha Lamba till date.direction is very good.i dont know how well the movie will do at the box office but one thing is sure that whoever watches this movie will definately like it.great movie.highly recommended by me.shyam Benegal fans wont be disappointed at all. 

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy  

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy