(Reviewed after watching in a theatre in the 3rd week of release)
Irrespective of the dwindling interest in mainstream Bengali remakes, this was a film which had managed to generate a fair bit of pre- release interest, mainly due to two factors: Jeet's new hairstyle; and the return of the lovable 'Je-Ko' pair after a gap of three- and-a- half years. And in the end, it was all left to the magical chemistry of the lead pair to salvage the film; which they do pull off somewhat...
The story is the same old run-of-the-mill light-hearted action romance, which had once been a solid draw at the box-office in films like 'Paglu' (2011) and 'Awara' (2012), but has been done to death since then. The 1st half is set in Varanasi, but director Raja Chanda fails completely in capturing the essence of the city. In fact barring the Dashaswamed Ghat sequences, one couldn't make out any difference with any other urban Indian metro. He could very well take a lesson or two from the later-released 'Har Har Byomkesh' regarding how to create a proper regional ambiance.
Still considering the director's past reputation, one couldn't really have expected anything great. But what made matters worse was the tearing hurry in which this film was made. Announced in end-May, the film was released by mid-July in order to cash-in on the Eid celebrations. And this has taken a huge toll on the film's 1st half where some sequences are amateurishly shot and 75 minutes pass off without creating much of an impact.
It's in the 2nd half where the fun begins. The focus shifts from unnecessary blood-&-gore to some hilarious mix-ups. More importantly the stage is set loose for the Jeet-Koel romance to blossom and the duo simply set the screen on fire! Kharaj Mukherjee delivers a powerhouse performance while Subhasish and Supriyo Dutta lend able support. Biswajit Chakraborty is a let-down though as he seems bored playing the same routine characters all the time. Ashish Vidyarthi is a complete misfit as Koel's brother while Puneet Issar, with his voice-dubbed, fails to recreate his 'Josh'-act. Barring the title-track Jeet Gannguli also scores with his music with 'Tor Oi Mayabi Chokh' reigning supreme.
All said and done, the film belongs to Jeet & Koel alone. Their scorching chemistry ensures 'paisa-wasool' entertainment irrespective of the countless flaws in the film. Although the producers would do well to pay heed to the reducing appeal of such genres, all 'Je-Ko' lovers like me should bow in gratitude to SVF for bringing back this magical pair, which had inexplicably stayed away since the delightful '100% Love' (2012).
We can only wish that the wait doesn't get that longer next time...!
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