Come on now, should audience indeed be subjected to such crudity on the big screen? Fair enough, so cuss language in Bollywood is in and has pretty much come in vogue now and not many seem to be complaining.
However audience has shown that it knows how to show it's back to the biggest of films with such language, case in point being 'Jannat 2' which despite Emraan Hashmi in the lead was criticised for the excessive use of swear words. Not just that as even 'Gangs of Wasseypur' had its audience curtailed and for that one of the major reasons was the colourful language.
However the makers of 'Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal' perhaps felt that the film would score a great win by speaking a language of its own and that's one of the major reasons why they didn't shy away from retaining the same in the promos as well.
Well, the whole picture is no different as one gets to hear one line after another that keeps hitting below the belt. Add to that the fact that we aren't really looking at a Guy Ritchie or a Quentin Tarantino masterpiece (which by the way are again full of abuses and crude references) means that 'Jeena Hai Toh Thook Daal' goes downhill as it progresses.
The film, as the very limited promotion has already indicated, is about a group of four youngsters (Ravi Kishan, Manish Vatsalya, Yashpal Sharma, Rahul Kumar) who are hired to kill a girl (Hazel Crowney) in Mumbai.
In this assignment there are players like Sharat Saxena and Murali Sharma involved but expectedly, the assignment goes awry as Ravi Kishan falls in love with Hazel. An obvious conflict arises and 'thokna-bajaana' with a lot of fireworks ensues.
'Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal' turns out to be one of those films that surprisingly keep getting made in Bollywood even as the success rate of this genre is nothing short of abysmal. In the times when either 'masala' films are ruling the box office or films belonging to distinct genres (Kahaani, Vicky Donor, Ishaqzaade etc.) are working, a flick like 'Jeena Hai...' is nothing short of an aberration.
While it is a given that in big cities such films don't even get a proper release, one wonders if there is still audience in small towns that actually flock for such cinema.
Of course one can understand that for Ravi Kishen it must have been a lure to get into the lead role part. However when other talented actors like Sharat Saxena, Govind Namdeo, Murali Sharma and Ashwini Kalsekar join in as well, it is nothing short of surprising.
Meanwhile Manish Vatsalya, who also directs the film, seems to be in a different zone altogether when it comes to believing that this is a 'masala' film in the offering that results in 'Jeena Hai...' turning out to be an exercise in boredom despite it's core subject involving action and some inherent drama.
In fact it is this drama that still holds the film from turning into an absolute reject. Ravi Kishen's inner conflict as well as his confrontation with the fellow gang members holds your attention at places. Moreover Ashwini Kalsekar is reliable as ever in her cop act. Murali Sharma and Yashpal Sharma, though in stereotypical roles, try to add on some weight to the proceedings.
However it is the core storyline coupled with an overall execution that makes you look the other way for most part of the film. Add to that some forgettable songs, an uninteresting title and above all the language and you know that this is definitely one of those entirely films.
Rating: *1/2
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