(Reviewed on the basis of watching in theatre)
Plot:Megha poses her boyfriend Krish as the boyfriend of her best friend Bhoomi in order to prevent her marriage to a local rowdy.But gradually Krish and Bhoomi start to develop feelings for each other and soon all three of them get entangled into their own web of deception.
Review: It's a hat-trick of sequels for Dev!The superstar returns once again, this time with 'Khoka 420' which is a follow-up to his 2012 super hit 'Khokababu'.But unlike the previous two attempts, this one seems fully equipped to fulfill all the tall expectations that the viewers must have from it.
The script (a remake of 'Brindavanam') is an ideal potboiler with equal doses of action, romance and comedy with generous offerings of emotion and melodrama towards the end which makes it palatable for all kinds of mass audiences.Rajib has always been known to posses the 'talent' of exactly recreating all sequences from the originals in his remakes.Hence, it's always a double-edged sword, for if the original is good then the remake's equally good (e.g. 'Amanush'); but if the original's flawed then he reproduces it with all the idiocies intact (e.g. 'Paglu')!There are a few hard-to-believe twists like how could a girl lend her boyfriend to another girl and how could the girls not know that they are cousins.Surely they should have identified each other from their father's name!But since even the hero expresses his shock and surprise over it, they become that much more acceptable.Rajib has always been a pro at building ambiences.So, he shoots the whole film under bright sunshine which lends itself beautifully to the light- hearted tone of the film.The colourful sets also raise the glamour quotient compared to its prequel.But one problem that Rajib and all other remake directors (except Raj Chakraborty) need to sort is the overbearing south Indian influences on the characters.The goons don't really look like Bengalis; but the main problem lies with the more simple things.For starters the director should note the difference between a Bengali moustache and a south Indian one!Moustaches are not that frequent among Bengalis, unlike as shown in the film.But even then they should have been trimmed by a few inches to give that 'Bengali' feel.Plus, do Bengali girls regularly wear ghagra-cholis, as we are shown in every other remake based in the suburbs?
Dev has certainly evolved into a much assured performer and playing a lover-boy has always been his forte. After looking a bit uncomfortable as the rough-&-tough cop in 'Challenge 2', he is much more confident here. Subhashree has also improved with experience and her beauty is blossoming with every outing. She looks gorgeous in every frame despite being clad in traditional costumes throughout; unlike Nusrat who is a complete contrast in her western attires. After making a rather unimpressive debut in 'Shatru', Nusrat polishes up on her acting skills despite her character being totally sidelined in the first half. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the new pair of Dev & Nusrat; and although they look quite good together, it's still the time-tested pair of Dev- Subhashree that blows us away. The chemistry is not at its best though, as it's only restrained love between them which marginally diminishes the magic. Yet, both of them look just too good opposite each other and they make for an immensely lovable pair! The heart just keeps longing for more! Tapas Pal as the family head puts in a stereotype performance in a very half-baked character. Tough outside and inexplicably weak inside, he wants to keep his daughter near him even if it means marrying her off to a goon! Again in the climax, after thrashing Krish blue & black, he commands him to rescue his daughter instead of making any efforts himself! Pal here is a far shot from his impressive portrayals in 'I Love You' and 'Sedin Dekha Hoyechilo'. Rajatava Dutta, Parthasarathi and Supriyo Dutta are in full- form though. Kunal Padhi is a revelation replacing Biswajit Chakraborty as Dev's dad for a change! We should be seeing him more often now. But the man whom we won't be seeing anymore is the real show-stealer. In his swan- song, the late Haradhan Bannerjee reprises his rocking grandpa avatar from 'Josh' and is a delight to watch (except for the odd moustache); especially during the reunion scene and the Janmashtami sequence! But full credit must also go to Kharaj Mukherjee for displaying his multi- faceted talent by impeccably dubbing the voice for Bannerjee.
The music for 'Khoka 420' is a good example of 'too many cooks spoiling the broth'.While Rishi Chanda alone delivered a brilliant sound-track for 'Khokababu', he along with three others can't recreate even a fraction of it this time.Only the title-track is catchy, with 'O Bandhu Amar', 'Govinda Gopal' and 'Bin Tere Bin' being pleasant to the ear but unlikely to remain in memory.But the hip-hop 'I Am Mad' and 'Solid Case Kheyechi' (sung by a totally misfit Bappi Lahiri) are sheer boring.But all the picturisations are superb with the Janmashtami song being one of the most splendid ever. And the Dev-Subhashree chemistry is just red hot in the scenic Macau. Wow!
Off late there have been allegations of mainstream films becoming too monotonous.But 'Khoka 420' certainly offers a few novelties.The combination of action, editing and camera-work has already reached dizzying heights in Tollywood, and here it's gone even higher.Tata Sumos jumping into the air and crashing down the cliff are simply jaw-dropping stuff!Special mention must also be made of one silent action sequence which was quite funny.But the climactic battle though left a lot to be desired.Still the viewers just don't see the action, they feel it.
Personally, this is Dev's best after 'Challenge', 'Dui Prithibi' and 'I Love You'.Although a 3rd film is also in the pipeline in the 'Khoka'-franchise, we would still love to revisit our beloved Khokababu's latest exploits a few more times again.
