Chup Chup Ke

Article Updated 11 June, 2006 12:58:45 AM IST

Chup Chup Ke

One thought that Priyadarshan had learnt his lesson with 'Kyun Ki', that is to not stray away from the genre he's best at; comedy. So 'Chup Chup Ke' is a huge disappointment.

There are laughs in the film (especially in the first hour) but unfortunately the second half is more of an emotional drama. The film is basically a love story cum comedy but very strong on emotions. This is sure to spoil it for the viewers who probably expect a good laugh at the theatre.

The story- Jeetu (Shahid Kapoor) is a small-town guy who is constantly in debt and dodging moneylenders. His father (Anupam Kher), a retired school teacher, and his fiancée Pooja (Sushma Reddy) are made to suffer the consequences of his debts.

Pooja's father (Manoj Joshi) feels that Jeetu is not worthy of Pooja and encourages her to marry someone else. She doesn't agree to this. One day Jeetu commits suicide by jumping into the sea as he's unable to pay off his debt. This would also enable his family to claim his insurance and pay off his debts.

But Jeetu is found in an unconscious state by a pair of fishermen, Gundya (Paresh Rawal) and Bandya (Rajpal Yadav), in Kolkata, far away from his hometown.

Gundya owes money to Pratap Chauhan (Om Puri), a shrewd Gujarati businessman. They discover a note in Jeetu's pocket that leads them to assume that he is a millionaire. Jeetu pretends to be deaf and mute. Gundya keeps Jeetu and Bandya in Pratap Chauhan's huge home as guarantee for the money that he owes him.

Pratap Chauhan's niece, Shruti (Kareena Kapoor) who is mute and her cousin, Meenakshi (Neha Dhupia), who are also staying in the same house, discover the truth about him one day. Shruti has also fallen in love with him. He also admits to having fallen in love with her. This romantic track is half-baked. Besides, the Shahid-Kareena pair lacks chemistry.

Shruti has a protective and doting elder brother, Mangal (Suniel Shetty), who is trying his best to find a good match for her. The girls agree to keep Jeetu's secret if he helps them. Shruti's marriage has been fixed to a greedy man and they want to cancel this marriage. For this, Jeetu has to pretend to be Shruti's lover and call him up.

When Mangal learns that his sister is in love with Jeetu, he decided to get them married. But there are complications. Jeetu's family gets to know that he is alive and they want him back. His childhood sweetheart, Pooja (Sushma Reddy), too wants him back. Jeetu is in a fix. Obviously you know who gets him but it doesn't look convincing. Rather, it seems unfair.

Now for the performances. Paresh Rawal is at his best but somehow Rajpal Yadav has the better lines and sequences. He does full justice to it. Om Puri is superb as usual. Shahid is okay. So are Neha Dhupia and Kareena Kapoor. Suniel Shetty is efficient. Shakti Kapoor is hilarious. Of the songs, 'Dil Vich Lagya' sounds good. Neeraj Vora's dialogues are good with mass appeal. But on the whole, the prospects of the film at the box office seem a little doubtful. It might just about do average business.

** (Two stars)

*poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent

Print this Article

http://www.bollyvista.com

http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/6714