Bheja Fry 2

harat Bhushan reloaded isn’t quite Bharat Bhushan reinvented: the chaste Hindi, chaster worldview and spontaneous overflow of songs are back as the bumbling taxman steps onto a posh liner after winning a game show. On board is tax-evading tycoon Ajit Talwar, who promptly tries to get rid of him, stranding them on an island instead. The first half promises a cat-and-mouse game, but, post interval, it fumbles to a denouement, not unlike its odd couple struggling to get off the island. Kay Kay Menon essays the suave scoundrel with ease, while Vinay Pathak is a bit repetitive but still holds his own. Minissha Lamba is both coy and earnest as Bharat’s love interest (a blip on skirthound Ajit’s radar), but the relationship sensibly stops short of romance. To its credit, the movie doesn’t depend on soiled diapers to elicit laughs, relying on situations and timing instead. Amol Gupte as the eccentric islander and Veerendra Saxena as the friendly neighbourhood chacha don’t add much to either the plot or humour. Undercover taxman Suresh Menon’s namecalling bit with Bharat gets old fast. If the “original idiot” intends to fry bhejas a third time, the gags need to change. Starting with that slo-mo laugh.