{[['
']]}
']]}
Cast: Om Puri, Annu Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas, Adil Hussain
Direction: Ranjit Kapoor
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 1 hour 26 minutes
Review: It all starts with an irrelevant incident. After spotting a hen in no man's land, across the LOC between India and Pakistan, a junior cook of the Indian army is forced to enter the forbidden land to claim the Murgi. As soon as the youngster is pushed into the area, Pakistani soldiers open fire objecting this move. The Indians demand that they should be allowed to retaliate.
News channels lap this up leading to a war like situation. Owing to media pressure, the government assigns a committee to look into the matter. The committee comprises chairman (Annu Kapoor) and other members of the parliament, ex-servicemen and NGO workers (Om Puri, Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas, Adil Hussain). However, these egotistical patriots are too busy fighting for their own needs and demands. What happens to the man stranded in no man's land?
Going by the content of most 24/7 news channels today, it's not hard to believe that anything and everything is made to look like 'news'. To mock that and its effect on politicians — who are otherwise cut out from the real world and real issues — is a topic worth addressing. On these grounds, Jai Ho Democracy could be lauded for its promising premise.
Sadly, a good idea is not enough. Barring the political mudslinging, which is quite believable and a few wisecracks, the film lacks good writing. Jokes are stretched and repeated to the point that they cease to be funny. Characters digressing from the core issue are doing so on purpose and that can be enjoyed only for a certain time. Overdose of this kills the humour.
With a talented cast at its disposal (Annu Kapoor in particular is outstanding) and even a decent plot, it's a shame that the film fails to capitalise on either. The script loses steam eventually, making the director resort to bizarre slapstick comedy and a farfetched climax.
Post a Comment