Movie Review: Happy New Year

Disclaimer:  Critics are people who are in love with the movies; they can be fans too. This guy who writes a little isn’t just a SRK fan. He simply looks up to the legend as an inspiration. Hence, what you read here may come across as biased to you at times. It isn’t but I wouldn’t mind even if it is!

A little before box-office success meant 100 and 200 crores, choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan delivered a smash hit ‘Main Hoon Naa’ and followed it up with ‘Om Shanti Om’– the highest grosser till   date then in 2007. Both were complete masala films and when asked her about the style, she said being a woman doesn’t have to mean she will make serious films; she has grown up watching and admiring Manmohan Desai’s   entertainers and she would like to make films she herself can enjoy. Then, she came up with a dud ‘Tees Maar Khan’ amidst a time when her personal equation with SRK hit rock bottom. The only thing you probably remember about that disaster is the well-choreographed ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’. Apparently, stakes are high for ‘Happy New Year’ as this is the age when the number game begins from the hits the first trailer gets on You Tube and ends when the last crore is reported at the box-office. Expectations are sky-high from any big film and this is no different.

Charlie (Shah Rukh Khan) is a street fighter who has been living with revenge on his mind for 8 years; his simple and honest father (Anupam Kher) was labeled a thief and imprisoned. The man responsible for it is a certain Mr. Charan Grover (Jackie Shroff) who is now living it grand in Dubai with his son. Charlie plans to avenge by robbing Grover of diamonds worth 300 crores kept in his safe; cracking it is no play and so he makes a team of underdogs (losers as he calls them and himself), some of whom were close to his father: Jag- a little deaf and super emotional ex-army man (Sonu Sood), Tammy- a ‘stud’ in his locality till his mother rips him apart; a master in opening lockers (Boman Irani) and Rohan- an intelligent hacker who has no life (Vivaan Shah) are also joined by Mumbai Ka Chokda, Nandu Bhide (Abhishek Bacchan). But there is a small problem! The plan requires them to participate in a World Dance Championship. An (in)famous bar dancer, Mohini (Deepika Padukone) joins them for the mission. What next? Revenge and some entertainment- Farah Khan style.

Director Farah Khan’s idea of film-making is simple- make a paisa vasool no-brainer for the masses and use SRK’s superstardom to the fullest; something she had been successful at previously as well. But where both ‘Main Hoon Naa’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’ scored a little higher is entertainment itself. Both those films were big movies too and SRK simply enjoyed his presence in them. He does the same here too but the weak plot and just about good climax fails to lift ‘Happy New Year’ the way it should have. Had Farah let SRK do some cool stunts like in ‘Main Hoon Naa’ or added a twist like in ‘Om Shanti Om’, this would have been more fun. Even then, she does justice to the larger-than-life aura of the phenomenon called Shah Rukh Khan. But there isn’t a sizzling chemistry between SRK and Deepika here and you miss it. The duration is a little too long at nearly 3 hours and some scenes appear a little unneeded. Humour is the kind you see in Farah’s films and you will laugh out loud quite a lot. The heist bit of it could have been given more screen time as it was interesting to watch. The end credits in Farah’s films are always fun. Here, you need to sit till it gets over. Someone is introduced! Music by Vishal-Shekhar is okay though songs are hummable. ‘Satakli’ is my pick, followed by ‘Lovely’.

Shah Rukh Khan basks in the glory of his superstardom; he calls himself a loser here and leads a team of other losers to plan a robbery. In the process, he mouths his own movie dialogues and adds some new ones. “Kismat badi kutti cheez hain… kabhi bhi palat sakti hain”– says he in his trademark style. The audiences clap. Some whistle. Some roar. Evidently when you are a superstar, you need not act if the movie doesn’t require it. His eight pack abs is surely a notch better than his six packs in ‘Om Shanti Om’ and his girl fans (there are so many of them) will drool over him on his entry. Deepika Padukone is lovely as she dances to the song and then does well in a role which isn’t too important. Like in ‘Chennai Express’, she carries an accent here… this time… a Marathi one. Abhishek Bachchan is hilarious as the local drunkard boy who pukes when he wants to. He hams a lot and yet he will surely bring the house down. Watch him here and do recall ‘Guru’ and ‘Yuva’ among others before writing him off. The guy just needs a good director and I say this even if I have never liked him. Boman Irani is good but one expects even more from this talented actor. Sonu Sood is wasted. Vivaan Shah is okay. Jackie Shroff is quite menacing as the villain but he doesn’t have much screen time. Anupam Kher, Sajid Khan, Dino Morea and a few others are in cameos.

Watch it or not: Every big film is a must-watch for fans. This is no different. A must-watch for all SRK fans! If you aren’t one, you will probably still watch it like we watch your hero’s movies. For them, it will be a mixed reaction. As it is, SRK has too many haters as well. Success on its own and blowing your own trumpet doesn’t seem to go down too well with many.

At the Box-Office: It will start huge and not just break records… shatter them! 100 crores will be quickly made within the first weekend itself. The last crore will tell you if it joins a club or creates a new one.

My Rating: 3 (on 5) plus an extra half for SRK. I have given extra ratings to others. Don’t complain!

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!