Go Goa Gone

If Illuminati had any reservations while producing this risky film they should be laid to rest.The movie has the right pace and gels well with the youth.The movie is teeming with witty one-liners and comedy sequences.The songs are quite peppy and keep going on in your mind for a long time after watching the movie.The best role is of Kunal Khemu who just steals the show a bit from Vir Das(loved him in Delhi Belly).Pooja Gupta looks hot all the time.Saif's cameo is awesome as pseudo Russian 'BAREES'(Boris).Their antics keep the audience rolling with laughter in major part of the movie.Some of the dialogues are just awesome"Haan Dilli Se Hun Bhainchod","Jungle Ke Beech Main Dumbcharades Thode Na Khelunga"and "I Keeel Ded People".A bit loose ending but isn't ending movies like this the hardest part?.Hint of a sequel? We'll have to wait and see the fate of this one.

I've been a zombie movie follower for some time (sometimes unwillingly). This movie obviously breaks ground as far as Bollywood goes - it is a respectable (?) zombie movie.

Any respectable camp zombie movie should have the following, IMHO - an unconvincing social message (e.g. Romero's "Dawn of the dead" was a backhanded critique of consumer capitalism and mall crawls, Danny Boyle's "28 days later" against irresponsible experimentation), references to other movies of the same genre (e.g. Shaun of the dead), and some innovative twist or variation.

Go Goa Gone scores on all three - it has a (tacked-on) message against drug culture, references to other zombie movies including Shaun of the dead (whose solutions are quickly discarded, since it should be obvious to the gentle viewer that desi/pardesi zombies in Goa are different from desi/British zombies in England), and an enjoyably terrible "solution". Also, good music, which Danny Boyle would concur with.

All in all, a respectable attempt!! As a camp horror addict, I am satisfied!! Also, a memorable quote that does not quite reach the heights of "When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth" - it goes: "What do we know? What have we learned?"

Centenary year of Indian cinema started on a positive note with different genres being explored & various subjects being applauded by audience. The scenario is perfect to introduce new genres & the film fraternity did not let the opportunity go waste. With "Rise of the zombie" & "Go Goa Gone" Indian audience was introduced to the concept of Zombie. While the dark zombie-origin film "Rise of the zombie" came without any hype, the Go Goa Gone became an instant rage with its wacky promos.

"Go Goa Gone" is basically a slacker comedy revolving round two friends Luv & Hardik & their frustration with mundane life. Be it girls or respective bosses the need of the hour is a break from the tin & bustle of material existence. When their third room-mate, geeky Bunny, had to go to Goa for an official presentation Luv & Hardik joined in & thus the mad adventure began as the trio attends an under-ground rave party in an isolated island miles away from Goa. Out of the blue, the island became infested with zombies & thus the cat-n-mouse game of survival began.

"Go Goa Gone" follows the typical linear path of any mainstream zom-com film & the writers (Raj, Dk & Sita Menon) did a commendable job in introducing all the basic rules from the zombie-survival rule book. It is a perfect launch pad for the genre to a large Diaspora who're totally alien to the concept. The quirky slacker comedy gelled well with the narrative & sets the mood. The film is a 2 hour laughter marathon. The director duo (Raj & DK) showed their adroitness in making brilliant wacky dark comic films with "99" & "shor in the city". With "Go Goa Gone" they will surely become a known name amongst those who enjoys the tongue-in-cheek kind of humorous films. The film had been given a graphic novel narrative with intelligently divided into three chapters - "go", "Goa" & "Gone". Within the limited budget director duo successfully established the gore & violence involved with a zombie film & took only 2-3 scenes to establish the ugliness of the Living Dead(s) as they pounce on human body eating every ounce of it till the last flesh. A decade ago majority of the audience would have got repulsed by those visuals but with world cinema penetrating every households I don't think anybody would complain (apart from few weak hearted).

The uniformity of film is commendable with sleek editing by Arindam Ghatak. Dan's cinematography is worth mentioning as he translates the whole island into a zombie inflicted territory. Within the comic milieu the fear of unknown lurking somewhere could be felt & the sudden shakiness of camera effortlessly captures the Attack of the Zombies. Along with the pace of the film, the humour has been equally spread throughout the narrative & those are situational thus never looks loud or slapstick. The scenes come alive actuated by hilarious dialogues which bring in a zany flavour to the proceedings (trademark of the director duo). There are many scenes which deserves mention for its execution like the initial scenes revolving around luv & hardik; Luv dumping his two-timing girl friend; their confrontation with Zombies & the confusion as to what those creatures are; Boris explaining the concept of zombies; Hardik being interrogated after having sex with a living dead..etc etc..

The make-up & graphics never looked fake which adds on to the credibility. With heads getting popped-up, bloods flowing like red wine, flesh getting ripped-off the effects are realistic enough to get audience approval.

Sachin-Jigar's music gels with the mood. "Khoon Chus le" has already become anthem for majority of us who hates to wake up on Monday morning & slog our body to the workplace."Babaji ki Booty" is another gem of a song that reflects the mind of a person when one is "high".

The second half might give you a feeling of Dejavu but then majority of zombie survival films moves in this set pattern. Being the first zom-com in Indian cinema the director duo aptly chose the basic concept without making a convoluted plot which might have backfired. There is homage given to iconic zombie film "Night of the Living Dead" to "zombieland" in the second half. The heart of the film reminds you of Edgar Wright's masterpiece "Shaun of the dead".

Coming to the end there is also a social message against usage of drugs.

The actors were in full form & seem to enjoy the madness of the script. Kunal Khemu as the lecherous "Hardik" is spontaneous & spot on. His energy & comic timing is infectious. Vir Das as confused lover boy "Luv" is flawless. Anand Tiwari as geeky mumma's boy "Bunny" is lovable & he has the cute smile which reflects the innocence in his character. The camaraderie within the boys is superb & that helped bringing in the required madness. Saif as the Russian Mafioso "Boris" is in full form & his accented English is a treat to watch. His dialogues "Let's Keel Ded People" & "Main Delhi se hoon bainchod" have already become a rage amongst the youth. Pooja Gupta looked gorgeous & instilled hotness quotient (and never just an eye-candy) in all boys' team.

On the whole GGG is the perfect torchbearer for the zom-com genre in Hindi cinema. Moreover since "Delhi Belly" the audience haven't seen a hilarious smart slacker comedy. GGG seamlessly merged the two concepts (Zombie & Slacker comedy) & made one hell of a mad ride. Go for it - it's a laugh riot.

P.S : There is a hint of a sequel & I am looking forward to some more madness in it.

Reviewed by Dare Devil Kid (DDK) Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I must admit that I'm a hardcore fan of the zombie sub-genre in the pantheon horror movies. So it was exhilarating to watch "Go Goa Gone" in which directors Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru have taken major strides in introducing zombies to the mainstream Indian audience. While baptizing this all important and long overdue initiation, they have also succeeded in hemming an impeccable, gut-busting horror comedy a well.

The film crackles with hilarious dialogs, nail-biting sequences, a fluid plot, a coherent yet energizing narrative arc, zany and madcap encounters ranging from the unpredictable to the completely outrageous, brilliant cinematography, and finally spot-on direction from the first frame to the last. The praiseworthy performances, especially from Saif Ali Khan (surprise, surprise) and Kunal Khemmu, only add to the overall viewing pleasure. Puja Gupta's role definition and her enactment are the perhaps the only minor letdowns in this otherwise brilliantly energizing film, but then again, she does provide great eye-candy. So, perhaps that was how her role was meant to be, so who's complaining.

Thank God, that the producers set out to make an adult oriented film and were contended with the 'A' certificate, cause the expletive words, gore, wicked jokes, sexual references, and mild exposure (still nothing compared to those tasteless item numbers), are vital for a film of this ilk to work.

"Go Goa Gone" will go down in the annals of Indian Cinema as a pioneering film that shall hopefully, allow other filmmakers to explore zanier sub-genres that are already popular in other international film circuits. Not only one of the best Indian horror ever, but one of the best horror comedies ever made, even when compared to its western counterparts. Am absolute delight and complete entertainment for a cognizant adult audience. If you want real entertainment, and want a much-needed break from those myriad nonsensical masala films masquerading in the guise of entertainment, then dash to your nearest movie theater and catch the next show of this delectably wicked gore- fest.

I wasn't in the best of the moods because when entering the theatre I planned to watch Shootout at Wadala, a movie of my second all time favorite actor. But, I had to settle for this one. This is the movie I started to Like Saif Ali Khan. I used to hate him. Coming back to movie, Bollywood hadn't witnessed zombies much. The way Koi Mil Gaya was a cult, rare SciFi Alien movie, which was very new to Bollywood and the 90s kids, similarly, this one, makes it's entry in a hilarious way not only in the horror comedy genre but a Bollywood Cult Zombie Movie which will be remembered over years. There are a few adult scenes in the movie, starts with one too, which nowadays aren't that big a deal. This is not only Horror Comedy, but mixed with lots and lots of adventure. People are always looking for adventure/jungle + comedy + good acting + good story + plot + great cinematography + something creative. This one has all. The direction, and cinematography isn't the greatest, but pretty much above average. I've watched this movie for about 3-4 times now, and can consider watching more. Not a keep watching anytime movie, but 2-4 times watchable. Also, I've heard second is going to get released too. Back to the movie, you'd love the experience of watching this movie for the first time. It's hilariously amazing. Yes, there is a margin it could have been better, but with the starcast, we don't expect more. Saif and Kunal both were exceptional. Vir Das overacted a little at times. This movie is really fun. I still remember that day watching the movie in the theatres with my friends and laughing out loud at many occasions.