Fukrey Reviews - Page 2

What's hot:

The first half largely works towards the establishment of the characters and the second half spirals into madness, as their dreams go haywire and turn into nightmare.

What's not:

Ali Fazal suffers from a cliched characterization in the otherwise original film.

iDiva verdict:

Fukrey is among that rare league of comedy films that has no trace of slapstick and yet excels in its humour quotient.

Film: Fukrey
Director: Mrighdeep Singh Lamba
Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, Ali Fazal, Varun Sharma, Richa Chadda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priya Anand, Vishaka Singh

Jagran Rating:

Story Line: The 'Delhi film' has become somewhat of a trend in Bollywood. You have smart dialogue, actors speaking in a Punjabi accent and chase sequences in the by-lanes of old Delhi.

Mrighdeep Singh Lamba's "Fukrey" falls in the same mould – the story of four young men who come up with a convoluted idea to get rich, so that three of them can get into the coolest college in town, knowing all too well they can't get through on merit.

Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma play Hunny and Choocha, two friends who would rather spend hours plotting how to get their hands on leaked high-school exam papers than study for it. They find a willing accomplice in Panditji (Pankaj Tripathi) who promises to get them the papers, provided they cough up the money.

Hunny and Choocha also meet Zafar, a melancholy musician who broods over his stagnant music career and love life, and Lali, a spunky Sikh boy who also wants to join the college.

The foursome decide to cash in on Choocha's absurd dreams, which Hunny interprets to come up with a lucky number that signifies that dream. They bet on that number to win money. The formula hits bulls-eye each time but the hitch is they don't have the capital to invest in the scheme.

Zafar suggests they go to the 'Bholi Punjaban' (Richa Chaddha), a foul-mouthed, hard-as-nails female don, who rules her fiefdom with an iron hand and is always looking for an investment to ensure good returns. She agrees to invest in the absurd scheme, but when things don't work out as planned, the four youngsters have to find a way out of the mess.

Music Review: The music album of director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba's "Fukrey" has six tracks. Simple and sweet, the tracks are high on fun and entertainment quotient. Ithas its setbacks, but does not disappoint.

In the film's title track, "Fuk fuk fukrey", debutant singer Amjad Bagadwa's voice sounds a little offbeat initially, but it gradually blends in well.

Itreminds a bit of "Bhaag DK Bose" because of the fast beat, but it's the "fuk fuk fuk" part that grows on you almost instantly, even if the song does not. It is a young and vibrant number.

"Beda par", the next track, is interesting due to its effects. A catchy andgroovy number, it has the superhit singer Mika Singh behind the mike. Theecho given to his powerful voice is worth noticing. Tarannum's voice is also pleasing, but strangely, it doesn't blend too well in the song. It isn't aparty or dance number but perhaps listeners can enjoy it with equal enthusiasm. The peppy rhythm in this number makes a lasting impact.

The third song on the list is "Lag gayi lottery". Sung by Ram Sampath and Tarannum Malik, it's safe to call it a happy song, given the clapping soundsin the background. However, the lyrics seem to go out of rhythm in between and the listener starts losing interest. The song sadly ends before you realize it.

The versatile Kailash Kher has crooned the album's next song "Jugaad kar le". His voice is captivating as always. The lyrics give the song a funkytwist, and a surprise element in it is the use of the electronic guitar.

It is neither a fast number nor a slow one. It seems to be in a style of storytelling, but it doesn't tell any story. The lyrics are in Hinglish, a mix ofHindi and English. But this song too doesn't manage to hold you for long.

This one, in fact, is a fine example of a good song gone bad.

The penultimate track "Rabba" is beautifully sung by Clinton Cerejo. A fun track, it is a surprise number, which starts with simple, soothing music and just when you start to settle down with the peaceful melody, a lot of beats, music and peppiness are added. They lyrics are in sync with the music and definitely above average. The pauses and change in tune is very sensible.

The best has been reserved for the last. "Ambarsariya", sung by Sona Mohapatra, is a number suited for a 'gaon ki gori'. Not for once does the music overpower the singer's voice and it plays in complete harmony.

However, the guitar definitely pulls attention away from the singer, who has otherwise crooned the number impeccably.

Overall, the music album is plain and simple - sans mashups, encores and versions. Ram Sampath has done justice to the movie's theme by having youngand peppy numbers. While the songs individually might not be able to leave a lasting impression, the album is good.

Thumbs up: Lamba peppers his film with smart lines and extracts good performances out of almost all his cast members. Varun Sharma as Choocha, the bumbling, garrulous friend who panics at the slightest crisis is particularly noteworthy, as is Manjot Singh as Lali. Richa Chadda also revels in playing the female gangster and shines in a small role. Ram Sampath's music also sets the right tone.

Thumbs down: Lamba loosens his grip on the proceedings at several places and the script does waver sometimes, wasting time in love stories and other sub plots the film could have done without.

Nevertheless, it all ties up in the end and works as a film that's fun to watch. "Fukrey" doesn't have any big stars or glamour, but it's worth the effort.

Fukrey' is one such crazy story of four restless and hapless souls running after their individual desires, brought together by one dream which turns their not so simple life upside down. From breaking school walls, to cross dressing dancers at the 'Ram Lila' , a 'Jugaad Baaz' college watchman to leaking examination papers. Can the four 'Fukrey', the four nobodies, twist their fate and turn their dreams into reality or will they forever be lost in the obscurity that they come from?

Newcomer Varun Sharma plays Chucha, a portly 12th standard student in a Delhi school. Along with his "bhai", Hunny (Pulkit Samrat), Chucha has been in school far longer than he should have. Both are in their mid-20s, with no money, no other apparent friends, and no real ambition in life. All these fukras (Delhi slang for wastrel, or sadak chhaap) really want is to get into the "best college" the city has to offer. The chemistry between the two actors is endearing, Sharma's fumbling, motor-mouth Chucha the perfect foil to Samrat's cocky Delhi boy. The former gets the best lines, and the latter's pleasantly comfortable in his skin.

The prospect of entering college is attractive for a school kid. You get to wear what you want, bunk classes, date, and generally do things the "adult" way. Early on in the film, Hunny and Chucha are given a tour of the college they aspire to join. They look on admiringly at boys blasting music in their cars, are amazed at dancers participating in cultural events, and readily become participants in the cake-cutting ceremony of an absolute stranger. All this unfolds over "Rabba", one of at least three great Ram Sampath tracks in the film, all which beautifully complement the film's vibe. That, and KU Mohanan's expert handling of the camera. It's the anti-Karan Johar world, this, where the depiction of college life is stripped of its glamour and glitz, and yet seems like fun.

Fukrey is about the struggle of three boys – Hunny, Chucha and Lali (Manjot Singh) – to enter college with whatever means is available to them. They don't have the aptitude to get in on merit, so they want to buy off leaked question papers. Each costs R50,000. The third fukra, Lali, is a correspondence student who's always had a problem with accounts. He needs around R2.5 lakh as a "donation", which will secure him a seat. In a hilarious scene, his father, a popular dhaba owner, berates his son for wanting to spend R2.5 lakh, while amused dhaba workers and patrons look on. "Dhaai lakh? Hamare time par dhai rupye hua karti thi. Aur hum woh bhi nahi dete the. (R2.5 lakhs? In our time, the education fee was R2.50. And we didn't even pay that.)" Singh, whose cameo in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! hasn't really translated into major roles so far, shows he's capable of digging into meatier roles. He's easily the pick of the film's four young leads.

The fourth fukra is Zafar (Ali Fazal), whose character remains half-baked and tangential to the plot for you to really care about him. The four get together and take a loan from gangster Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chadda) to invest in a scheme, which is as flimsy as the film's premise itself. They sink deeper into their problems, and are soon being hunted by cops and gangsters at the same time. What they need, then, is "jugaad" to get them out of their mess.

Director Mrigdeep Singh Lamba made the intensely awful Teen Thay Bhai before this film. Here, he wins brownie points for writing a script that crackles with genuine humour along with Vipul Vig, whose dialogues make all the difference; they are conversational and funny, without making an effort to play to the gallery. While there are only a few real laugh-out- loud moments in Fukrey, there's a constant element of funny running through it. It's akin to being surrounded by a group of friends at a small get together, where banter flows freely. The party could have been shorter, surely, and have a few less people attending it. Yet, it's time well spent.

Apart from Singh and Samrat, it's the inimitable Chadda and the fantastic Pankaj Tripathi who really elevate the film a few notches higher. Chadda's in her element, revelling in the role of the foul-mouthed gangster who gives the boys hell. Tripathi, probably the most underrated actor in the Hindi film industry at the moment, is as endearing as the helpful Pandit as he was hateful in Gangs of Wasseypur, where he played Sultan. In an ideal world, he'd be perfect to reprise Saeed Jaffrey's character in Chashme Buddoor, another comedy about fukras in Delhi.

This one's as honest as Sai Paranjpye's classic comedy, even if it's far less accomplished. At a time when humour is equated with chimpanzees, sumo wrestlers and stereotypical Tamilians, Fukrey does pretty well for itself.

What works in a Bollywood film when Salman Khan, a item number starring Katrina's midriff or one song on each conceivable human mood doesn't? No, it's not Shah Rukh Khan reciting greeting card-poetry. What works is a bunch of boys doing boyish things – swearing, bunking college, chasing girls, gambling and grumbling about monster parents.

We've seen this model work, with minor alterations, right from the Jai-Veeru era. And then there was Dil Chahta Hai and its more expensive, chest-waxed and buffed version in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. There was Delhi Belly which made human excreta a star with valuable box-office weight. And most recently, we had Kai Po Che which laboriously explained Chetan Bhagat's relevance in our 'Facebook-frandship' generation. Fukrey, directed by debutante Mrighdeep Singh Lamba falls in the same category of boy-meets-boy-and-hell-breaks-loose films. And it is delightful.

Lets accept it, the Bollywood version of Delhi boys are probably the most fun to watch on screen. So, in Fukrey, we get a smart alecky Honey (played by Pulkit Samrat) and his deputy-in-crime Chucha (Varun Sharma). Honey and Chucha have flunked their school-leaving exams thrice already, but they dream about going to college because they imagine it will let them hit on girls dime a dozen.

But there is something a little odd about the duo. Chucha has weird, almost comical dreams, which Honey can decode to get a winning lottery ticket. When they're told that the final exam papers can be leaked to them for the cost of Rs 50,000, it's time to unleash Honey's inner Carl Jung. At the same time they meet Lali (Manjot Singh) who needs money to secure backdoor college admission and Zafar (Ali Zamat) who needs money for his father's treatment. A foursome is thus born.

Because none of them has the money needed for a bet that will make the returns they need, they turn to local toughie Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chaddha) for help. There's just one problem: Chucha doesn't get sleep the day before betting, so there's no dream. But he lies, leading to Honey coming up with the wrong bet and Bholi loses her money. What follows is a mad roller coaster of schemes to pay back Bholi.

In two hours, the director packs into Fukrey every ingredient that Bollywood masala boasts of – slapstick humour, wit, romance, drama and even a song or two – but it still doesn't feel like you're watching a regular Bollywood run-of-the-mill comedy. Mrighdeep spends one entire half of the film just setting up the main plot, but he never bores the audience in the process. Honey and Chucha's banter, Lali's struggle with a hollering halwai father, Zafar's quiet brooding makes the first half as engaging as the second. Yes, there are a few loose ends and a couple of unnecessary characters, but the film's greatest strength is that it's truly funny. The women in the plot might be entirely incidental, but they make the romance in the film endearing. It's almost adorable how a cocky Honey boasts about a 'french kiss' and how his lady love Priya, a high school student, worries about the grave implications of the same.

Fukrey is held together by its great acting. Pulkit, who plays, Honey, gets every bit of his character right. From the cocky swagger to one cuss a second in heavy north Indian accent, he gets the Jat act spot on. Varun Sharma as Chucha, the bumbling friend of the school stud, is adorable. And the boy from Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Manjot as Lali, is, as usual, great. Richa Chaddha too does enough justice to the female done role without quite overdoing it.

Fukrey might not be immortalised in the Bollywood hall of bromances – given it doesn't soul search in Spain and doesn't have an Imran Khan to salivate over – it'll definitely figure in the deeply satisfying list called movies that kick ass.