For a change, let's begin on a good note. After going ten steps backward, David Dhawan takes a stride ahead with Chor Machaye Shor. Coming in the wake of absolute sniggers like Yeh Hai Jalwa and Hum Kisi se Kam Nahin, Chor... does surprise by raising a few and far between laughs. And now for the flip side: Dhawan still has a lot of catching up to do to recover his spontaneously goofy brand of humour, best displayed in a Deewana Mastana or a Hero No.1.In fact, for all that's fun in Chor..., Dhawan actually needs to thank Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It's Golmaal's hilarious premise, of mistaken identities engendered by an icky moustache, that forms the spine of Dhawan's tale. Ram (Bobby) is a small-time crook who steals a Rs 30 crore-diamond and then hides it an under-construction building before getting nabbed by the cops. He returns after a two-year sentence only to find that the building now houses a cop station. He dons a moustache and becomes police officer Shyam to lay his hands on the heera. In between, he also romances the acp's (Rawal) daughter (Shilpa) in the shadows of Petronas Towers and prances around with Inspector Ranjita (Bipasha), while inspector Pandey (Puri) keeps a suspicious watch on him. Complications lead to more complications, absurdities and inanities abound and look-alikes keep surfacing out of nowhere. Suman dons as many as six, or is it seven, guises, and by the time the caper finishes, Rawal and Puri too end up with a clone each.
In such a situational comedy, the performances are crucial. Bobby works very hard at being funny; trouble is, the effort shows. Shilpa thinks shrieking is the best way to interpret a bimbette's character; she's obviously hugely mistaken. And Bipasha has absolutely nothing to do as a lady cop other than look sexy in the uniform and micro-mini. In fact, the director conveniently forgets her existence while tying up the many loose ends in the climax. Why would Bipasha have signed the film, one wonders, other than for a free holiday to Malaysia? The crowning bore, however, is Shekhar Suman. In his many avatars, including one of Bobby's mom Vyjayanti and her sis Mala, Suman delivers one of the most crass performances of recent times. Perhaps he should stick to touching Bal Thackeray's feet on his TV show. In this sea of mediocrity, it's an absolute cakewalk then for Paresh Rawal and Om Puri to walk away with the honours. Their droll and deadpan mannerisms make for some balmy moments of mirth, and a relief from Suman's crude ways.
Watching Chor... is all to do with one's expectations. When you go anticipating the worst, even an occasional gag makes up for a pleasant timepass. However, I would much rather sit at home and catch the nth run of Golmaal on TV.
