Mubarakan BO and Review Thread - Page 2

Let's just say it out aloud. And with no offense to Arjun Kapoor, who is present twice more than the other actors in this ensemble, that this film is an Anil Kapoor show. For the first time in a while, we got a glimpse of what Ranveer Singh would be in his 60s. Guys, he will be Anil Kapoor, only shriek-ier. Just Senior Kapoor's energy manages to bail out an entire film which could've been at best mediocre. There's an infectious charm and inimitable energy to him, that looks affable and goofy at the same time. Anees Bazmee knew the merit of his material all along and thus, his casting for the film's pivotal character is top notch. Just by himself, Anil is a hoot to watch. He is clearly having a blast whilst doing the mindless stuff he is getting to do. With a dozen of films with Bazmee, Anil knows the space through and through, thus, never hitting a single false note.

But that's just one man in a film with too many non-actors. There's Athiya Shetty, who clearly needs a trip to acting school. She is so damn sincere but the efforts never show which breaks our hearts. There's Neha Sharma, who is still around despite gasping for breath in the sob fest Tum Bin 2. There's Ileana D'Cruz who manages to salvage a lot with her confidence. As in a typical Bazmee model of movies, there are umpteen gags, silly one-liners and this time, a few really chauvinistic statements, with a heavy dose of racist Sardar jokes. In a touchy country like India, where everything offends people, somehow these jokes have lived on since times immemorial.

A lot of the film stands on Arjun's shoulders who is effervescent as Karan, as Charan, he fumbles, simply because he is hardly that guy. He is endearing in his portrayals but falls a notch short of expectations. Double roles are difficult to pull off and despite a spirited attempt, he is just about adequate missing the streak of brilliance one would expect from him. Supporting him enough are Anil and Pavan Malhotra, who are both impressively loud and reign the frame with their command over their character and the film's tone.

To give everyone an idea of the simplistically complicated' plot the mild Charan and the boisterous Karan gets their lives intertwined when fate decides on swapping their partners. Charan is in love with Binkle (Athiya) but she is engaged to Karan. Karan has a girlfriend, waiting to be proposed to and a new love interest Sweety (Ileana) who is engaged to Charan. Enter Kartar Singh (Anil Kapoor) who only adds more confusion to this mad mess.

In parts, it is outright laugh-out-loud. There are some genuinely stupid, yet fun moments, like good old school family comedies used to be. But Bazmee dishes out with a judicious dollop of rona-dhona, which diluted the effect considerably. And still, Mubarakan is worth a watch. It's one of those songs and dance, sometimes annoying, but largely a fun film which has become such a rarity in Bollywood. At the risk of sounding highly prudish, it's nice to watch humorous films once in a while, which doesn't have one of those outrageous big-boob jokes ala Masti series.

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Arjun Kapoor in Mubarakan (Movie Still)

Mindless and slapstick comedies were in vogue in Bollywood at one point but now it's rare to come across a film in this genre. HOUSEFULL 3, A FLYING JATT, GUEST IIN LONDON are some of the recent commercial comedies and now, MUBARAKAN gets added to the list. From the promos, it looks like a grand, clean, family entertainer. So does it manage to entertain or turns into a disappointing fare, lets analyse.

MUBARAKAN revolves around the family of twin brothers and the madness that occurs as a result. Karan (Arjun Kapoor) is based in London while Charan (Arjun Kapoor), his twin brother, lives in Punjab. Karan is in love with Sweety (Ileana DCruz) while Charan loves Nafisa (Neha Sharma). Unfortunately, both are unable to tell their respective immediate family members about their relationship. Meanwhile, Jitto (Ratna Pathak Shah) who has taken care of Karan decides to fix the marriage of Charan with Binkle (Athiya Shetty), daughter of the very rich Mr Sandhu (Rahul Dev). Charan obviously is against this development and he seeks the help of his uncle Kartar (Anil Kapoor). He successfully manages to make sure that Charan and Binkle's marriage does not get fixed but it also results in a major tiff between Jitto and Balwinder (Pavan Malhotra), Jitto's brother and Charan's guardian. And that's not all. Balwinder fixes Charan's marriage with Sweety while Jitto decides that Karan should tie the knot with Binkle. How the twin brothers and Kartar try to solve their problems and thereby add to the confusion forms the rest of the film.

MUBARAKAN doesn't have a proper commencement. Too much information is fed to the viewers in the first ten minutes. The introduction of characters is done haphazardly and even the jokes at this point aren't that funny. However, the fun begins in the sequence where Charan goes to Binkle's mansion for arranged marriage talks and hell breaks loose. From here, the film goes on a high and boasts of several funny and dramatic sequences. The intermission point arrives at a great point. Shockingly, the film goes downhill in second half. The film ceases to be funny and gets stretched. The film picks up in the climax and the film thankfully ends on a good note.

Balwinder Singh Janjua and Rupinder Chahal's story is complicated but has promise. Balwinder Singh Janjua and Gurmmeet Singh's screenplay however makes the proceedings simplified. Despite the madness and double role, audiences never get confused. Rajesh Chawla's dialogues are one of the highpoints of the film. The one-liners are hilarious and take many scenes several notches higher.

Anees Bazmee's direction is simple which is much needed, given the complicated plot. Also, he is a pro, having handled many well-made, complicated capers in the past like NO ENTRY, WELCOME, READY and WELCOME BACK. Also, he has used the whole Punjabi element very well that would be loved by the same community.

In a family entertainer like MUBARAKAN, songs ideally should have been a crucial part of the enterprise. Surprisingly, not a single song is memorable enough. Hawa Hawa' is probably the best track of the lot. The Goggle Song' is the next best. Jatt Jaguar' and the sad Haathon Mein Thhe Haath' were unwanted. Amar Mohile's background score is filmy and exhilarates impact.

Durgaprasad Mahapatra's production design and Himman Dhamija's cinematography are very appealing and gives the film a rich look. The work by the VFX team also deserves praise for making the double role bit look so seamless and real. Rameshwar S Bhagat's editing could have been tighter as the film drags at places in the second half.

On the whole, MUBARAKAN is a fine entertainer that should appeal to the family audiences big time. It has a strong Punjabi element that should enhance the film's prospects in North India, Canada and Australia. At the box office, it will have a good ride for a week as it comes sans any competition. Worth a watch.

Mubarakan has taken a low opening of around 15-20% and its basically the same as Munna Micheal on an all India level but the demographics are slightly different and that gives it a better chance than Munna Micheal. The metro opening is practically ditto of Munna Micheal while single screens across the country are lower. But multiplexes outside the metros are better than Munna Micheal. So for example a single screen in a city like Agra is lower but a multiplex is higher and its this audience that forms a good chunk of the box office today. These multiplexes in places like Agra, Jaipur, Surat etc have potential to pick up but it is very important that it happens today. The families tend to come out on the weekend so collections will be better but you need a platform so that growth means something and thats why growth has to come today. More so as there are big films releasing from next Friday which will curtail business further.

The film could have probably have done without the sardaar element as it becomes a film catering to the North and this market needs big stars and you may be alienating other markets like Nizam and Maharashtra due to the very Punjabi content. So what happens is that in terms of opening the target audience does not come and others less interested. Still despite not opening, North should be best as the families come out but the question will be can it be big enough to take the film through.

The other film Indu Sarkar has opened very poorly but like last weeks Lipstick Under The Burkha it could grow depending on the word of mouth though costs are not as low as that film but opening is very similar.