There's something about Bollywood formula these days. They don't have a long shelf life. Unlike the 'angry young man' who straddled across years or the 'NRI romance' which still seems to go on, the newer success mantras don't have it in them to keep viewers engaged for long. Be it the scorching sex romps of '04 or the naughty comedies this year. And so, the big comedy of the week, Deewane Huye Paagal, does have some scattered funny moments, a consciously cheesy touch and an over-the-top imbecile feel, all of which seem to work fine with the crowds. But watching it quick on the heels of the mediocre Garam Masala and Shaadi No. 1, I couldn't suppress the yawns. This when the film's credits display just about every funny man in Bollywood, from Johnny Lever to Vijay Raaz. Of course, by now everyone knows that Deewane... is a copy of Farelly Brothers' scatological comedy, There's Something About Mary, right down to the silly dog. There's Something... with its gross toilet humour had set new standards in bad taste. Deewane... doesn't quite play out all those risque gags but borrows the situations and characters and peppers them with corny dialogues. And so you have Karan (Shahid) falling hugely in love with Tanya (Rimii). One fine day, the object of his affection sees the murder of scientist Khurana (Om Puri) and quickly sneaks away to Dubai to live in hiding. Karan hires detective Rocky (Akshay) to trace her out. But Rocky falls head over heels for Tanya and tries every trick in the book to make Karan get over her. He also faces competition from a physically challenged Sanju (Suniel) and Tommy (Paresh). There's also an indigenous sub-plot, that of a toy parrot with the hidden formula for eternal youth. Needless to say, a clutch of villains want that code, which adds more confusion leading up to an action-in-the-sand-dunes climax.
Whatever zing is there comes from Akshay who dominates the show—his third flirtatious rogue-act in a row after Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and Garam Masala. Paresh Rawal who needs an urgent sabbatical from comedies. Shahid is colourless and looks terribly young beside Rimii. As for Rimii, there's absolutely no magic about our desi Mary to be a Cameron Diaz substitute.
Indian Top 5
1. Deewane Huye Paagal
2. Garam Masala
3. Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina
4. Hanuman
5. Kyun Ki...
US Top 5
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2. Walk the Line
3. Yours, Mine and Ours
4. Chicken Little
5. Rent
Courtesy: Film Information
