Plight of a common man shown on the big screen isn't something which is new. In fact one of the more famous episodes is the one from 'Lagey Raho Munnabhai' where an old man strips down to his waist in a government office to take forward his fight against corruption.
Frankly, those 10 minutes in the Rajkumar Hirani film were far more effective than the 100 minutes that director Rajiv Mehra spends in taking 'Chala Mussaddi...' to the finishing line.
What also ends up surprising in a big way is the film's stark similarity with last year's release 'Well Done Abba'. Not just is the core theme (corruption) and endless bribing sequences just the same, even the USP of the satire - the case of a 'dead man walking' - is straight out of the Boman Irani affair where he was determined to get his 'well' back.
So when Mussaddi (Pankaj Kapur) starts giving 'daan-dakshina' to pandits at Haridwar, you know that the round of extortion has just begun. The scenes here are indeed hilarious and so are the ones at the pension office where five corrupt officials (Deven Bhojani, Manoj Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey, Asawari Joshi) are hell bent on proving Mussaddi is dead since they have goofed up on his pension papers. While Mussaddi is joined by his unemployed son (Gaurav Kapoor) in his mission, you do get good hopes that fun quotient will only enhance as the reels would progress.
However what happens from this point on is totally unexpected. Even though a couple of scenes (the one involving a Collector) are still reasonably funny, most of the second half isn't since Mussaddi continues to rant about his problems in practically every scene. Still, you don't really lose patience as you expect something dramatic/intelligent/inspiring/euphoric to take place any moment that would tilt the balance in Mussaddi's favour. However the ending seems like way too convenient with the corrupt officials seemingly a bunch of jokers.
What keeps the film from going totally downhill though are some genuinely comic moments that may not really bring the house down but do succeed in making you break into a chuckle. The entire 'John Abraham' episode in the train, the scene involving the two 'pandits', the one where Gaurav takes the female official heads on, introduction of the Collector - all of this ensures that you stay on with the film.
However once repetition sets in, the film loses it's way. As Mussaddi, Pankaj Kapur is first rate and unlike 'Gandhi To Hitler' where another veteran actor - Raghveer Yadav - made a complete mockery of himself in a tailor-made part, 'Chala Mussaddi...' at least has it's central protagonist in full form. Gaurav is a complete natural and lightens up the screen every time he appears. Amongst the 'villains', Deven Bhojani is the most effective. Surprisingly Hemant Pandey gets maximum screen time when compared to other established actors like Sanjay Mishra and Manoj Pahwa even though they are constantly in the same frame.
The manner in which 'Chala Mussaddi - Office Office' begins, you feel that the film is on the right path. The way it catches on momentum, you actually start enjoying the royal ride that Mussaddi has been taken for. And by the time the film reaches it's interval point, you are pretty much geared up with the proceedings and want Mussaddi to hit back. Sadly, this is when the unthinkable happens. It starts seeming as if the film has re-started all over again with the second half turning out to be pretty much a repetition of all that has been seen in the first half. Now that's disappointing because one did expect something much better.
Rating: ** |
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