As per the pre-releases news, Pradeep Sarkar attempting a dramatic thriller was enough to raise the excitement levels of his fans. The man, who started his career as a film director quite late in his life, surprised and impressed many veterans of the industry with his subtle sensibilities in “Parineeta”. And after his debacle of “Laaga Chunri Mein Daag”, he had to do something out of the routine to prove his mastery over the medium once again.
But even then, a project based on an unusual relationship between a tapori boy and a blind girl was indeed a brave choice by Sarkar in the given circumstances. Here I have to admit that his selection of the subject had really put in a confusing state as at one end I was pretty confident of the director’s capabilities, but on the other, I was not quite sure of what he actually wanted to convey looking at the unconvincing promos of the film. Moreover Deepika playing a blind girl was also one of the reasons for my doubts over the movie and its content. So, I went to see this latest Yash Raj presentation with all these questions in mind. And after watching it I was even more shocked and confused than ever before since it turned out to be a completely unexpectedly below average show from the talented director.
In simple words, LAFANGEY PARINDEY proves to be the weakest film of its entire star-cast and the director, except KK and Piyush Mishra (who ironically have only few scenes in the movie). Apart from these two characters every aspect of the film starting from its script, performances and direction doesn’t even give you a single merit to talk about. No doubt the concept had some great potential in it to exploit, but the way it has been executed on the screen is not able to convince the viewer at all. The script goes on in a highly predictable manner in which everything keeps on happening so easily without any hassle or difficulty. And the most surprising factor is that LAFANGEY PARINDEY lacks all that real emotional depth which was in fact the forte of its director Pradeep Sarkar.
Though it starts in style with a flashback sequence used in a fine way but after that it gives you nothing to cheer or enjoy. In support of my big disappointment from the movie, here are some points I would like to mention for my readers:
1. The whole film moves at the same lazy pace with no acceleration of any kind, despite of the fact that its climax is written around a famous Reality Show Finale.
2. Deepika loses her eyesight due to an accident and this serious issue of getting blind doesn’t even get a single emotional scene where the truth is revealed to her. Deepika shows no repulsion from her side to her blindness and just starts practicing her skating again after returning from the hospital. To be precise, it was indeed very shocking to see a serious issue of losing the eyes taken so lightly by the script writer and the director.
3. The moment Deepika accepts her disability and decides to fight back, the viewer can easily predict the complete movie till the end. Right from that scene everyone knows that the couple will now enter a Reality Show to win it in the end and then they will all move towards a happy ending.
4. All the sequences wherein Deepika is being taught to learn the art of looking without her eyes are too easy to believe and digest. Besides this she also learns the tricks so fast, in just few days without any severe training given by some specialized master, which seems to be too filmy.
5. The reference to an ongoing reality show “India’s Got Talent” remains the most ineffective part of the movie, in absence of any excitement or interesting nail biting moments involved in such competitions. There is no explanation given about the various prelim rounds of the show, won by the lead couple in order to reach the finals and they simply squeeze into the last stage just like that. Further, the finale of the show featuring 3 guest judges, Shamaik, Juhi and Javed Jaffery is shot in such a childish way where the judges don’t even get a single line to say and the couple is just assumed to be the winners. Moreover their trophy is also delivered to them by their friends in a different scene later on.
6. The computer graphics used in the accident and sound training sequence around the bells surely could have been much better in this big budget movie.
7. The movie finishes off on a very low note and leaves no impact of any kind on the viewer. Neither the audience feel emotionally connected to the characters nor they feel extremely happy for the couple on their grand win.
8. Lastly the film was highly publicized in the media as a thriller with some dare devil stunts performed by Neil and other bikers. But the stunts are hardly there and it cannot be called a thriller from any angle. Also along with its strange title, there are several other elements in the script which remain tasteless as some half baked pieces of the cake. For instance, the boxing fight sequences, the underworld angle in the storyline and the characterization of Neil-Deepika’s close friends never get the much needed exposure on the screen.
Apart from these, the other two departments in which LAGANGE PARINDEY fails to hit the right note are its performances and the music. Choosing Neil Nitin Mukesh as a Tapori Boy was the biggest mistake of the casting team. Though he tries hard to look and speak like his character, but his overall personality doesn’t permit you to believe that he is a tapori. Many of the readers, familiar with the Golden Years of Hindi Film Industry would readily agree that using Neil as a tapori boy was just like using Pradeep Kumar in a role of a beggar. (The famous actor had the killer looks of a rich, millionaire person and nobody could ever imagine him in the role of a poor man.)
Deepika also tries her best to put up a good show but her over confidence clearly shows on the face which turns her otherwise ok performance into an average one. A blind girl portrayed by Deepika never gives you any signs of grief, discontentment and pain which seem to be quite superficial. Besides this, even after losing the eyesight, her fashion sense, her make-up and her body hugging outfits questionably remain intact, which the director tries to justify by giving her a close female friend. But still Deepika as a blind girl didn’t work for me in any case.
Manish Chowdhary as the investigating officer and all the actors in Neil-Deepika’s friend circle are good but they sadly don’t get any meatier scenes to make their presence felt. So, it all comes to only two persons in the whole movie who are worth watching in their few scenes and they are KK and Piyush Mishra. But unfortunately KK is there for only 3-4 minutes and Piyush Mishra keeps coming after long painful gaps.
Musically the soundtrack is not as per the standards of a Pradeep Sarkar movie. I wonder why he didn’t repeat his earlier music director Shantanu Moitra who did a nice job in both his precious movies. Except the track sung by Mohit Chauhan, all other songs in the narration, simply don’t impress. Cinematography is fine and the background score especially in the actions sequences is fairly good.
Talking about the main story plot of the film, many viewers may find it similar to few other movies written around the same theme of an accident and then the culprit devoting himself to help the victim resulting in love, like Rajesh Khanna’s “Dushmun”, Gulzar’s “Kinara” and more recently Anubahv Sinha’s “Tum Bin”.
In nutshell, I can only say that the movie was indeed an unexpected letdown for me as I couldn’t find Pradeep Sarkar anywhere in the film till the end. So, you can watch it if you are a fan of Neil or Deepika, but don’t go for it expecting a high paced thriller from the director of “Parineeta”.
Ratings : 2 / 5 (.5 given more only for KK & Piyush Mishra)
