Two decades ago, when I watched Chota Chetan, I came out of the hall more with a nagging headache than any jaw-dropping amazement at its pathbreaking 3D effects. History, unfortunately, repeats itself with Chota Jadugar. Okay, for once I shouldn't be a carping critic and must let a whole new generation enjoy the novelty of a three-dimensional "magical fantasy". But then, an extra angle can do little to rescue a film if there isn't any magical fantasy to start with.
In a nutshell, Chota Jadugar is a combo of the Harry Potters, Benjis and 101 Dalmatians cast in the mould of the loud, outdated Southie melodramas. Suraj S. Balajee, last seen as Kareena Kapoor's precocious brother in Asoka, plays Indrajith, a young, motherless magician much in love with grandpa magician Acharya (S.P. Balasubramaniam). Why wouldn't he be in love with his grandpa, considering the old man thinks the kid's better off waving wands than attending school. Then, one fine day, Indrajith's father comes all the way from New York (where the Twin Towers are still very much intact) to take the little jadugar back to civilisation. The kid doesn't quite like it in Manhattan 'coz people there don't understand the value of pooja, arti and purkhon ka aashirwad. So, he runs away from home to encounter three orphans, a couple of villains and some stray dogs on the NY streets.
What could have otherwise been a fine modern-day tale of adventure ends up as a big yawn. In fact, the fun never begins. As in Chota Chetan, in the name of special effects, the makers keep hurling objects at us which can do little to heighten our collective imagination. Forget the third dimension, each of the characters is painfully flat and played out by uniformally hammy, shrill and hugely irritating actors, be they brown, black or white. S.P. does sing divinely, but the same can't be said about his acting abilities. So finally it's the dog (we're told he's some Barkley of American Beauty fame) who wins the day in a rather easy histrionics contest. Time we grew up to the fact that a children's film need not necessarily be infantile.
US top 5
1. Phone Booth
2. What a Girl Wants
3. A Man Apart
4. Head of State
5. Bringing Down the House
INDIAN top 5
1. Ek Aur Ek Gyarah
2. Saathiya
3. Khushi
4. Yeh Dil
5. Chura Liya Hai Tumne
