Bheja Fry

Hilarious in the beginning, specially if you find silliness sublime. But, the fun degenerates into crassness...

Bheja Fry
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Starring: Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Milind Soman, Ranvir Shorey, Sarika
Directed by Sagar Bellary
Rating: **

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Perhaps the only thing to gush about in Bheja Fry is Vinay Pathak in the main role of Bharat Bhushan, the quirky income tax officer with a penchant for Hindi film songs and a way with turning the entire world upside down. Pathak puts forward a fantastically unusual character-sketch for an Indian film, right down to the flawless get-up—the safari suit, the oiled hair, the briefcase with the number lock and the scrapbook neatly folded in a tacky plastic bag. He plays a weirdo with poker-faced perfection.

The filmmaker has admitted that Bheja Fry is based on a French film, Le Diner de Cons. Though one hasn’t seen the original, it’s obvious that Bellary has added Indianisms and film references to the original farce. Rajiv Thadani (Kapoor) is a rich man with a strange fetish—to invite dimwits for Friday night dinners and then laugh at their strange talent. One day he calls Bharat Bhushan and everything that can go wrong does go wrong. He meets with an accident, breaks his back, his wife walks out on him.

The film unfolds almost entirely on one set and looks more like a filmed play. Years ago Hitchcock too shot in a static space for a film like Rear Window but was able to create a lot of dynamism and movement in the stillness. Bellary is unable to make it cinematic enough.

The film is hilarious in the beginning, specially if you are the kind who finds silliness sublime. Some of the cheesiness is priceless, like Bharat’s caller-tune: Beep ke baad message chhodo re set to the rhythmn of Tumne pukara aur hum chale aaye. Or his deep questions: How many times does the word "aayega" figure in the song Aayega aanewala? 28. In the second half the fun degenerates into crassness. What was the point in having a caricaturised Muslim like Asif Merchant (played grossly by the otherwise efficient Ranvir). The entire Indo-Pak cricket match scene which ends with Pathak telling Shorey "Khata Yahan Ki Hai (ie India), Gaata Wahan Ki Hai (ie Pakistan)" is offensive. What’s worse is the reference to music director Ravindra Jain. He is talked of as a guy incapable of spotting talent because he is blind. What’s so funny here?

High Fives

Bollywood
1. Big Brother
2. Namastey London
3. Bheja Fry
4. Shaka Laka Boom Boom
5. The Namesake (English)

Hollywood
1. Disturbia
2. Blades of Glory
3. Meet The Robinsons
4. Perfect Stranger
5. Are We Done Yet?

Rock
1. Daughtry (Daughtry)
2. Vena Sera (Chevelle)
3. All The Right Reasons (Nickelback)
4. Because of the Times (Kings of Leon)
5. Infinity On High (Fall Out Boy)

Courtesy: Film Information

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