Satire goes awry in new director’s hands

Published Aug 17, 2015

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BANGISTAN

DIRECTOR: Karan Anshuman

CAST: Riteish Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat, Jacqueline Fernandez

CLASSIFICATION: TBA

RATING: **

One of the most controversial movies of the year has finally reached cinemas. And, truth be told, it has not been worth the wait.

Director Karan Anshuman’s maiden craft is unimaginative, lacks purpose and banks heavily on self-destructive humour.

Plot

Hafeez Bin Ali (Riteish Deshmukh) often is mistreated for being a Muslim, while Praveen Chaturvedi (Pulkit Samrat) is the leader of the Hindu Maa ki Dal organisation.

Hafeez and Praveen are influenced into religious intolerance and swear to take revenge on the other religion. They carry out separate missions to plant a bomb at the International Peace Conference in Poland and end up befriending each other.

Verdict

Even though the moralistic approach to religious conflict forms a crucial part of the storyline, the idea gets mangled up within the inept storytelling.

There’s a fairly extreme treatment of the Hindu-Muslim conflict in the script. While it’s shocking that a movie can address such issues so lightly, the writer deserves credit for developing a few hilarious scenarios along the way.

Ultimately sloppy and silly, Bangistan doesn’t entirely offer anything more than its punches. In comparison to most modern comedies, the technical flair is top-notch, boasting crisp editing and noteworthy camera work. However, the caricature is short-changed by the overtly brash tone which dominates the narrative.

That’s a shame considering the film hails from one of India’s most prolific production houses, Excel Entertainment. This is no benchmark for the reputable makers of hits such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Rock On and Dil Chahta Hai.

Deshmukh gives this film its only memorable performance. Armed with his strong talent as a comedian, the actor brings his best forward, regardless of the poorly-etched character.

Samrat and Chandan Roy Sanyal try hard to make an impression, despite having comic timing that is horribly off. Fernandez is the wow factor and dazzles in her limited appearance.

Recommendation

A comedy that misses its target and messes up a sincere social message.

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