Welcome
A rib-tickling roaring rollicking randy comedy
Introduction
Anees Bazmi has come out with a sure winner with Welcome. Released on Bakrid, I am certain that this sizzling comedy thriller will see the entire festive season including Christmas, New Year, Sankranthi, Shivarathri and Ugadi. Welcome reminded me of the thrilling musical comedy Mera Naam Johnny, starring Dev Anand and Hema Malini, directed by Vijay Anand and released in the 1970s.
It is one thing to make an idiotic slapstick comedy and an entirely different thing to make a genuine situational comedy and make it thrilling, with the audience rolling out of their seats with laughter and sit back taut with butterflies in their stomach, at the same time. Well, Anees Bazmi achieved this distinction with Welcome. Also, welcome to a new Bollywood trend: the multi-starrer comedy thriller, a new genre indeed.
Synopsis
Rajeev (Akshay Kumar) is an auction house in-charge, unmarried and the nephew of Dr Gungroo ( Paresh Rawal). The doctor is in search of suitable marriage alliances to Rajeev. As per the promise he made to his sister, the life partner of Rajiv ought to be from a family, whose members do not have any criminal record.
Sanjana (Katrina Kaif) is the sister of Uday Bhai ( Nana Patekar) and Majnu (Anil Kapoor), who are well known powerful Dons. They want to get their sister married off to a decent man from a respectable family, which does not have any criminal activity link.
One day, there is a fire accident in a Mall and Sanjana is trapped inside. Rajeev barges into the inferno to save her. Ultimately, it is Sanjana who saves Rajeev. Meanwhile, Majnu comes across Rajeev and decides that he is the right choice for his sister. He, along with brother Uday, intimidates Dr Gungroo into entering into an alliance with them, by marrying his nephew to his sister, The doctor agrees. Rajeev does not know that the prospective bride is Sanjana.
After coming to know the background of Uday and Sanjana, Gungroo wants to avoid that alliance. Fearing reprisals from the dons, Gungroo along with his wife and Rajeev go on a holiday to Dubai. By a cinematic coincidence, Majnu, Sanjana and her friends also arrive there. Rajeev and Sanjana have their second encounter during the April Fool Day competitions. They become close to each other. Gungroo encourages his nephew to marry Sanjana, so as to avoid the alliance with the Dons, without knowing that Sanjana is actually the sister of Uday and Majnu. With the entry of Big Boss RDX (Feroz Khan) things get more complicated. Is Ishika (Mallika Sherawat) a plant or a get away manthra? When the truth is known, everything is shattered. How Rajeev and Sanjana, now deeply in love, realize their goal of marrying each other, overcoming all odds and hurdles forms the rest of the narration.
Performance
Akshay Kumar , the Khiladi turned Joker, gave a sterling performance. The pick of the lot, of course, is Nana Patekar, who enthralls us with a multi-dimensional roe play, closely followed by Anil Kapoor. Veteran Paresh Rawal, as usual, gives a naturally stupendous performance. The surprise package is Feroz Khan. The veteran has not lost any of his thespian skills. Katrina Kaif is deliciously attractive and has ample opportunities to showcase her acting talents. Malika Sherawat is astounding in her role. All the other supporting cast delivered appropriate performances to enliven the entire proceedings.
Technical Details
The story, screenplay, editing and direction by Anees Bazmi are simply superlative. With only a few directorial ventures behind her back, she seems to have matured immaturely. The climax of the film is conceived in an extraordinary dimension and executed in a masterly fashion. It is both heart rendering and laugh rioting. The dialogues by Abbas Tiberwala are rib-tickling and rip-roaring.
The camera work is very classy. Art direction by Sabu Cyril is real and surrealistic at the same time. Music by Anand Raj Anand, Sajid-Wajid and Himesh Reshamiya is engrossing, exhilarating and heart-warming. Lyrics by Sameer are soulful and extremely meaningful. Choreography by Shail Bhaskar is amazingly simple, but vibrating complex emotions.
Judgement
The camera work is very classy. Art direction by Sabu Cyril is real and surrealistic at the same time. Music by Anand Raj Anand, Sajid-Wajid and Himesh Reshamiya is engrossing, exhilarating and heart-warming. Lyrics by Sameer are soulful and extremely meaningful. Choreography by Shail Bhaskar is amazingly simple, but vibrating complex emotions.
Deen Kumar
