The Shaukeens Review: Aashiq mizaz tharkis!
Three young-at-heart tharki oldies, a hot babe, Superstar Akshay Kumar, exotic shooting locale, desi-yet-quirky dialogues; all this sum up Abhishek Sharma’s The Shaukeens. The remake of Basu Chatterjee’s cult film by the same name with an additional ‘the’, this flick is an Entertainer for sure. It is a slice of life on screen, as it isn’t hard to spot such ‘Aashiq Mizaz tharkis’ around you.
Acquainted with the phrase- ‘Umar Pachpan, dil bachpan’? Well! That is actually what The Shaukeens is all about. It is the story of three friends- K.D, Pinky and Laali, who are trying to keep their youth alive and their lusty flame still flickering; hence they end up in an exotic and plush Mauritius. There they meet young Ahana, a young Akshay Kumar fanatic who just wants to meet Akshay. And these oldies put their resources to work and make her meet Akshay, not once or twice, but almost for the rest of the movie.
Star Performances:
What can be said about the man’s acting, when acting naturally flows to him? In this case for all three! Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Piyush Mishra are fantastic actors, who have proven their acting caliber over their glorious careers. And in the shoes of their characters, they have eased themselves and you just have to laud for all three, as they have pulled out their roles very aptly. They are old, but still have that innocent charm. As a matter of fact, they have portrayed men’s pervert shades with precision. Who is tharkiest of them all? It is hard to pinpoint!
Akshay Kumar as himself is something all would love to see. What goes behind the glittering camouflage of an actor’s life is given a light-humored seasoning. An actor’s life is such entrapped in the world of endorsements, roles, shoots, events, promotional gimmicks and what not. But all this is given a really kooky angle. In a comic role, Akki never fails to impress.
Lisa Haydon as a young out-of-the-box Fashion Designer and an Akshay Kumar fangirl, who lives in a materialistic world of own, is done decently. She is depicted as that social butterfly whose life on Social Networks is much more happening and important than the real one. The role was well-catered for Lisa’s personality and somehow she has done justice to what was given to her.
Technicalities:
Abhishek Sharma has done a decent job in terms of direction. But there are some major flaws in the script. Tigmanshu Dhulia has a body of work, which ups our expectations out of him. But with The Shaukeens he has disappointed, by the abruptness plot. Comparing ishq and men to dogs, meeting a celebrity like Akshay Kumar seemed like a piece of cake on screen, whereas the end ending of the film appeared as unfinished. Things didn’t fall into place as they were supposed to. On the comic timing and the dialogues front, the film has a strong hold. You will surely have a good laugh at a few sequences.
Watch or Not?
Barring the technicalities, The Shaukeens is a light movie, to be enjoyed with friends and families. In the first half, the three horny men and their HKP (Hawas Ke Pujari) modes will keep you entertained. In the second half, Akshay will leave you in splits with his comic timing. Cinematically speaking, don’t expect much, but if you are looking for a movie to lighten you head and let go off the steam, then you might wanna watch it. Also, Akshay Kumar is a strong reason enough to watch The Shaukeens!
Thumbs Up: Real life tharkis on screen, quirky dialogues, comic timing
Thumbs Down: Dragged second-half, abrupt end, loose plot.
Yawns: A few
