Every so often, we are subjected to crappy flicks of foreign films. Sometimes our filmmakers raid the South East Asian film industry for ideas. At other times it’s Hollywood they turn to.
But what do you say about a film whose story isn’t original AND neither is its title? Vikram Bhatt did it with his Speed and now Lucky Kohli joins Bhatt with Hari Puttar – A Comedy of Terrors.
Never mind if the title sounds like that film where a boy waves his magic wand and makes funny things happen. And don’t even get to that insignificant film called Home Alone where a young boy (quite like our own Hari Puttar) is forgotten at home even as his family is out vacationing.
Indeed, it’s far too unfair to compare the two films. C’mon now, there wasn’t a female cousin to the boy in the movie. And there weren’t any songs either. The chip that the burglars are after in Hari Puttar wasn’t there in Home Alone. Why, there probably weren’t any computers then either! And hey, did the two burglars in the English flick get a makeover half way into the movie? Hell no!
So Hari Puttar is an outstandingly original film about a ten-year-old who finds himself home alone after his family leaves him back accidentally as they travel to some claptrap military camp in the middle of a picturesque English countryside.
Back home two burglars, having specially flown in from Mumbai, are trying their best to get into the house with Hari thwarting all their efforts.
Hari, (perhaps like director Lucky Kohli), has grown up on a dose of Hindi films from the 70s. So knows the dialogues from Mr Natwarlal like the back of his hand and can cue the Sholay DVD to the exact point where Gabbar yells out ‘Suar ke bachchon!’
And of course (perhaps like Kohli), since he hasn’t seen or heard of Home Alone, Hari is quite thrilled at the originality of his plans to drive away the thieves.
Er… acting someone?
Jokes apart. But It’s surprising how some really brilliant actors have given what are probably their career-worst performances in Hari Puttar. Swini Khara showed just how good she could be in Cheeni Kum.
But in this film, Lucky Kohli somehow manages to get such pathetic performance out of her you wonder if it’s the same girl you’ve seen in the Bachchan-starrer, Cheeni Kum.
You can understand why Jackie Shroff has done this movie. But you wonder if Sarika’s fallen on such bad times that she’s had to take up this offer. Playing Hari’s mother she belts out such a half-hearted performance, it’s disappointing.
Zain Khan is no Macaulay Culkin and cannot carry the entire film on his shoulders. He falters, stands up and falters again trying to hold up the failing screenplay and the non-existent plot.
There is actually so little to say about this film. It’s unoriginal, stupid and seems like an NRI’s way of blowing the money he’s earned in some part of the world.
Movies these days come with a disclaimer suggesting resemblance to any person living or dead as merely coincidental. But perhaps films like Hari Puttar should also add the words ‘film’ and ‘fictional character’ to the list.
Verdict
Hari Puttar – A Comedy of Terrors lives up to part of its title. It certainly isn’t funny enough to be called a comedy. But to expect you to spend 200 bucks on this film is an act of terror that should earn the maker at least 10 years in prison with three screenings of this movie every single day of the punishment.- (buzz18)
