A good actor can make his or her presence felt in the worst of films. It happens in Hello as well. The saving grace of this utterly dull, listless flick (based on an equally lacklustre bestseller by Chetan Bhagat) is the perennially pleasant Sharman Joshi, his effortless act and spot-on sense of timing. He does bring an occasional smile to your face even as the rest of the film leaves you frowning.
The lead characters are a bunch of losers who work in a call centre for the lack of anything better in life. There’s the nice guy Sharman who has a rather tame aim—to become a team leader. He is ditched by a confused lover and co-worker, Gul Panag, because he isn’t as successful as an NRI suitor. Then there’s a retired old man who keeps emailing wildlife pictures to his grandson in America, much to the dismay of his son. Amrita Arora goes against her Barbie doll image to play a simple bahurani with mother-in-law issues and a philandering husband. Isha Kopikhar sports a newly-spelt surname and plays a wannabe model while Sohail Khan is the juvenile, refusing-to-grow-up guy who wants to get into a relationship with her. The travails of this gang is being narrated to a filmstar (Salman Khan) at the airport lounge by a stranger (Katrina Kaif). All this on the promise that he would turn the story into a film. Why should any sane person want to do that? Now there’s a proverbial twist to the tale of this sixsome—that God gives them a call one night and changes the their lives. Only this call takes way too long to come—at the fag end—and the transformation is played out in a most silly way on screen, leaving you cold and squirming.
There are some unintentional hilarities, like Gul and Sharman deciding on the second anniversary of their meeting to be the day to make love and take their relationship ‘to the next stage’. The most irritating aspect, of course, is the digs at Americans. They’re portrayed as idiots who would want to wash their undergarments in a dishwasher. To top it, the ‘goras’ are rude to the boot. All you feel like asking is why they’d want to work for an American call centre then? Take a walk and get yourself a new job.
High Five
Bollywood
1. Hello
2. Kidnap
3. Drona
4. A Wednesday
5. Welcome to Sajjanpur
Hollywood
1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua
2. Quarantine
3. Body of Lies
4. Eagle Eys
5. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Rock Album
1. Death Magnetic (Metallica)
2. Rock N Roll Jesus (Kid Rock)
3. Glass Passenger (Jack’s Mannequin)
4. Raising Sand (Plant/Krauss)
5. New Surrender (Anberlin)
Courtesy: Film Information
