Well Done Abba!

Good movie, I always liked Boman Irani and thought he was a very good actor. But unfortunately he has given a pathetic performance here

This movie could have been so much better , a master piece in fact but like uncountable Bollywood movies it ends up short in just being a good movie.

It tells us the story of a below middle class Muslim father who wants to get his daughter married and takes a month off from his work to go to his village and find suitors for his daughter. As he goes to his village, he is compounded by many problems that face any average villager in India.

In a nutshell this is a story of an average villager in India. It is a good movie, but had the potential to be a classic, had the performances been better. It also has very serious editing issues that should have been addressed. There are various superfluous sub-plots that do no contribute in any manner to the movie. Hence it just ends up being a good movie

7/2\10

"Well Done Abba", the latest offering from Shyam Benegal is strictly made on the similar lines of his previous "Welcome to Sajjanpur", but tries to tackle too many important issues in only one project. With a feeble basic story line, the movie tries to convey almost all the major problems faced by the rural areas still fighting for their existence in an otherwise developed country. It majorly talks about a less educated village person who wishes to have his own well in front of his house as per the New Government Policy of that region. The viewer is made familiar with all the protocol problems he has to face while interacting with the government officials for getting the job done. Along with that the director tries to showcase several sensitive issues such as human labour, illiteracy, girl education in villages, selling of young girls to Sheikhs, status of women in Indian rural politics, corruption in Public Distribution System and many more in a single movie which at times seems to be over lengthy and un-required at places.

The long duration of the movie, its slow pace and the consistent Hyderabadi lingo used throughout the movie are the other few things which go against the movie and reduce its chances to win over the common man entering the theater purely for his entertainment.

But for lovers of off-beat subjects and fans of Shyam Benegal kind of cinema, "Well Done Abba" is another soft gem from the master film-maker with an important message for the society. Interestingly, the movie starts very slowly and keeps on growing on the viewers mind at its own pace. You need to have patience to sit through its first half as it's only towards the intermission and post interval that you get more engrossed into the subject and start enjoying it with a more realistic feel. However there are certain sequences which go over the top like writing a report against a lost well, a police officer with no major case to work on, an over sexual government official and a marriage song coming just before the movie ends. Some of these sequences should have been easily edited out in order to give a more crispier product to the viewers, because ideally a project based on rural settings with a social message should only be around 2 hours of duration to leave an impact.

Apart from these few hic-ups, "Well Done Abba" has some great performance worth watching. The best act comes from Boman Irani, as Abba who is simply superb in his very subtle portrayal of the character. Never in the movie, he reacts in anger to the tough situations faced in the government offices. On the contrary his innocent responses towards the corrupt officials happen to be the main highlight of the movie. For instance, just look out Boman's reaction in the climax, when he comes to know that the boy he has chosen for his girl is an orphan without any religion. Moreover, Boman performs a double role in the movie of two real brothers with great conviction. It's really commendable for a person to achieve such heights in a profession which he opted for only after the age of 40. Unarguably it's one of the finest performance of Boman till date.

Minnisha Lamba is another surprise package of the movie. She completely transforms herself into her on screen character and excels. Out of the rest, Samir Dattani, Ravi Kishen and Rajendra Gupta have performed excellently. But I really felt that the Ravi Kishen plot of the movie should have been treated more gracefully on the screen. Shantanu Moitra's musical score is fine but strangely there is very minimum use of Indian instruments in the songs set in the rural areas, particularly the marriage song towards the end.

Adapted from three different sources, "Narsaiyyan Ki Bavdi' by Jeelani Bano, "Phulwa Ka Pul" by Sanjeev and "Still Waters" by Jayant Kriplani, "Well Done Abba" has surely got the much acclaimed Benegal kind of treatment all over. It also reminds you of the famous T.V. serial "Office Office" in which Pankaj Kapoor played a similar kind of character quite close to that of "Abba". Regarding the star-cast of the movie, I was really surprised by the minuscule roles given to the two favourite actors of the director in the industry. Using almost the same team of actors since his "Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda", this time the director gives very less importance to both Ila Arun and Rajit Kapoor who have been part of the director's every major product since the 90s. Along with them, another talented actress, Sonali Kulkarni is also simply wasted in a silly kind of role of a newly married lady.

In the end, I would surely like to add that "Well Done Abba" is apparently not everyone's cup of tea. But you may start liking the taste, if you keep sipping the tea with patience. And for all of the readers who haven't seen the other world famous gems of the master film-maker…… This is not one of Benegal's finest works, as he is on the path of trying new styles of story-telling with the changing times. So don't form any opinion about him by just watching some of his recent works.

Shyam Benegal has got loads of text book material on film-making stuffed in his rich movies repertoire of the past. Hence start exploring NOW!

Wow, I am totally impressed by this film. And the title fits with this film perfectly, genius! I have seen quite a few Indian films, most of them are about girls getting married to good guys which can get quite boring after a while. This is the first serious Indian film that I have ever seen.

And it is not about the rich or powerful, it is not about girls getting married, there was no fancy dresses, big mansions, happy rich people, etc. It is actually talking about the common village people who have to face bureaucracy and fight against bureaucracy. Unlike some other political films, this one actually makes me laugh. It is dark and serious, it is a comedy. And unlike some other typical Indian films which beautiful people dress nicely, dance at nice beautiful places, this film featured common Indian people.

The film is really that good. I doubt that it can be made by any other countries. Hollywood certainly can't make a film like this, because this sort of thing is unlikely in the USA. Chinese people have to face the same bureaucracy, but the Chinese government certainly won't approve a film project like this one. Hopefully after the communist government is overthrown by the Chinese people soon, some Chinese director will be able to make a similar movie just like this one for the Chinese people.

I also liked that song about democracy. Most Indian film songs are about love, how boring. This is the first time I have actually heard an Indian version song about democracy! Excellent.

Everyone should watch this, especially Chinese directors. I really hope that one of them will make one for the Chinese people.

One of India's finest filmmakers is back once again with a comedy. Shyam Benegal's previous film, 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' was a delightful little comedy set in a little rural village inhabited by colourful characters. 'Well Done Abba' follows a similar path. It feels like a splendid little folktale on screen. Benegal's screenplay is a lot tighter than it was in 'Welcome To Sajjanpur' which had it's share of drawbacks, like songs appearing out of nowhere (and were completely irrelevant to the story). Here too the characters are quirky, colourful, likable and recognizable. The narrative flows smoothly and the humour works wonderfully. The songs are nice and most of them play in the background. Benegal also captures the Hyderabadi culture very well. The art direction, sets, costumes and even the mannerisms of the actors appear authentic. Boman Irani is excellent as Rehmaan Ali. He delivers a balanced and suitably performance unlike the loud and irritating acting that is evident in his other movies. However, as Armaan Ali, he is less impressive. Ila Arun, Rajit Kapur and Ravi Kishan are fantastic. Sonali Kulkarni is hilarious in a tiny role. Minisha Lamba displays one of her finest piece of acting in her career. Sammir Dattani is passable.

Overall, 'Well Done Abba' is a treat to watch. The title works on multiple levels. Well Done, Mr. Benegal.

I didn't think much about the movie for the initial part as it was a bit slow for my liking but then the twist in the story made it very interesting to watch. It is worth every penny. A true reflection of Hindi Cinema and the movie takes a dig at day to day life of a man grappling with corruption at every level of the system. Boman Irani played the role to perfection and his other role distinguished properly in its attire,and behaviour by the director. Ila Arun was at her amazing best. Most of the star cast is from his previous movie Welcome to Sajjanpur. The sort of movie you would expect from a master like Shyam Benegal. A MUST WATCH...