Phas Gaye Re Obama

The setting is 2008, when the entire world is reeling under the financial tsunami of the Wall street collapse. And the tremors of those events are being felt as far as rural India, where a group of bumbling "khandaani" kidnappers are ruing the "recession" that has made their plight pitiful – victims are offering ridiculously low ransom payments, no one is paying protection money and things are so bad that they cant afford even outgoing calls on mobiles.

Amidst this gloominess, the semi-literate member of the group Anee announces the arrival of NRI Mr Shastri to their town and the kidnappers immediately see a pot of gold with him. Unfortunately for them, other "senior" kidnappers in the area are also seeing stacks of dollars in front of them. In the midst of all this, imagine if Mr NRI is himself bankrupt and is in India only to sell off his ancestral property.

Phas Gaye Re Obama's story flows well, and a few sequences are especially memorable. Especially the organised kidnapping business, with its bank-like ransom handling facilities and a "kidnapping receipt" - which is to be shown in case of any other kidnapping attempt and is valid for 12 months :) !! There is no sag anywhere in its runtime and the laughs are generated by its quirky characters and their rustic nature (it carries the tradition from the previous gangster capers Sankat City and 99 - both of which I adore).

The "khandaani" kidnapper, Bhaisaab, played by Sanjay Mishra, is a delight to watch. And giving him company is Oye Lucky Lucky Oye's Manu Rishi – the America-worshipping, small-towner Anee – who gets his dreamer yet gullible act pitch perfect. Rajat Kapoor plays the hassled NRI effortlessly – he seems made for these kind of roles only. Neha Dhupia was the only misfit – her character too unrealistic and her performance nothing to write home about. Amol Gupte carries from where he left off in Kaminey, a natural gang leader.

The movie holds your attention well for its entire runtime and the ending is not quite what you expected – so full marks to the director for that as well. There are no songs etc to distract. A solid effort by debutante director Subhash Kapoor, but left an aftertaste very similar to Sankat City etc. If it was not preceded by the above mentioned movies, I would have rated it a little higher. And others, who haven't watched those movies will definitely have a lot of fun watching Phas Gaye Re Obama

Outstanding! The fact that the critics haven't given this an even higher rating just proves to me that the critics have mush for brains. Watching a string of substandard Hindi movies does that, I guess. For too long, we have had formula movies parroting the same old junk. The current wave of realism in Hindi cinema brings to mind the "middle path" in Malayalam cinema, 1980s cinema which struck a happy balance between realism and entertainment.

All performances are outstanding. The thing is, it could all really happen......the BIMARU belt comes to mind.....and that is the sad part of it all, and yet the fact that a filmmaker could find a way to mock those who live like this in modern day India is heartening!

After all, someone must proclaim that the emperor has no clothes!

Another gem of 2010.

A comedy movie with a script (which is very rare now-a-days).

Plot Summary: NRI OM Shastri is broke after recession hits USA, going to loose his home very soon if he doesn't come up with enough money to save it. He visits India to sell of his old "haveli" but finds all his relatives now stay there. He is now in a dilemma how he could make the deal, in between local goons com to know that an NRI has returned to India and kidnaps him. The movie starts here.

Directing: The movie is directed in a very smart way, no unnecessary scenes, no songs (oh, that's a breather) and a nice crisp and fresh presentation.

Editing: The editor did a superb job here. I can not point out a single scene which is stretched unnecessarily or slows down the pace of the movie. For a movie like this pace is very important which keeps the audience engaged and keeps them guessing whats gonna be next.

Acting: I liked acting of Mannu Rishi in "Oye Lucky..." and he shines again here. Rajat Kapoor, I would say, had not had much acting scope. He did what the script wanted him to do...i.e.go with the flow. But, I would admit Neha Dhupia's effort, she is becoming an unavoidable choice for such small budget movies. And her acting skills are mentionable now. AND, SANJAY MISHRA as BHAISAAB is nothing but superb...each scene he is on screen is a LOL moment. Kudos to him. Amol Gupte also did a good job too. So, it seems I've praised all who acted in the movie...hmmm...

Cinematography: Not much scope to show u scenic beauty of the place but the camera shows u what u need to see. No unnecessary closeup, no try to invent a new camera angle...the camera work goes with movie tone...telling a simple story in a simple way and keeping the focus on story.

Verdict: A very good black comedy. Expect an intelligent story with a predictable ending (only if u r movie buff and I mean it when I say "movie buff"). Don't expect a laugh-out-loud movie like Khichdi (none can surpass it, ever) but, ya if u want to include brain and still want to make people laugh, u can only go this far as did "Phas gaye re obama". A must watch for sure.

PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA(2010) comedy Cast-Rajat Kapoor,sanjay mishra,Manu Rishi chadha,Neha Dhupia. A NRI man gets bankrupt on the period of recession and comes to India to sell his house to pay his loans back.The film starts when he is kidnapped assuming him to be a millionaire. Jolly LLB series director Subhash kapoor has written a classic script involving the recession period.It is very difficult to make a comedy film in India which manages to keep both script and humour simultaneously convincing and only a few films are able to do and this film is among those few flicks. Rajat Kapoor is excellent as the intelligent NRI businessman.Sanjay Mishra is brilliant in his role.Manu Rishi Chadha steals the show with his effortless role of a man living with the dream of living in USA.The rest of cast has also done a good job.The English coaching class scene is iconic and one of the best comic scenes in Bollywood, the film not just make us laugh but it also depicts the reality of our society. The power of the film is the story, an equally competent screenplay. There is difference between pure comedy films like Dhamaal,De Dana dan,Golmaal franchise and Witty ones like PK,Peepli Live.The movie proudly sits on the latter category. The film is unpredictable and will keep u guessing till the end.

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Satires in their relatively rare existence have proved to be difficult to work upon in our film industry. For every 'Jaane bhi do yaaron', we also have a 'Peepli'. Director Subhash Kapoor sets his talented cast in the aftermath of the global recession with an outrageous mockery of the President's Yes We Can slogan. From its harshness about recession in America to the hilarious slump time for the local underworld, Phas Gaye Re Obama works in all aspects.

The once millionaire, now in-debt Om Shastri (Rajat Kapoor) is on the verge of bankruptcy with his home on the brink of foreclosure in a month's time. Unless he finds means to pay off the bank, the recession threatens to bring his family on the street. In a desperate attempt to salvage a family fortune, Om travels to his homeland only to find that the recession has hit the hinterland as well and it will be impossible to sell the ancestral Haveli. However, the news of a millionaire NRI reaches the ears of Bhai Saab (Sanjay Mishra), a dejected yet ambitious small time gangster who kidnaps Shastri in broad daylight. Now, not only does Shastri have to salvage his home, but he also has to escape from the clutches of the tiered underworld of rural India involving Bhai Saab, Ali Bhai, Munni and an aspiring minister who secretly runs a very well organized kidnapping business.

While the film gradually gathers pace in the first half after introducing its characters, the audience is entertained through hilarious scenes and dialogues that suggest nothing loud and ridiculous but are wacky and genuinely funny. The second half of the film is where the director shows his adroitness in dealing with suspense, drama and comedy in a satire while making it all sensible. As the screenplay draws your attention through a narrower tunnel, the focal point becomes Shastri's ingenious suggestion of his 'idea' to the goons, leading you to rejoice, applaud or grab another handful of popcorn till the next part unravels. Phas gaye re Obama is witty and without being nonsensical, it tries well to elaborate the plight of an opportunist in adverse circumstances that often tend to be seriously funny. The film's strengths lie in the director's ability to engage the actors into their characters leading to their laudable performances, the crisp screenplay that leaves no room for fillers, the witty dialogues however silly and a smooth blend of comedy stirred into serious circumstances. Often times, the film looks very serious but the characters have been introduced so well, that one cannot control the smirk even in a serious scene. While its comedy may not be a constant throughout, the lack of excessive has led to this film being worthy of a watch.

Rajat Kapoor is a versatile actor and here, he leads his co-actors while showcasing a fine understanding of Om Shastri's circumstances. Sanjay Mishra was always capable of being more than a sidekick to someone and here, he proves that he is dependable in all comic avatars. Manu Rishi plays the pro-American Anni who works for the gangsters but deep within, is a friend-in-deed of Om Shastri. Neha Dhupia, in a shorter role, does better than her attempts at anything else in her glamorous career and Amole Gupte as the sly politician is convincingly brilliant. The sequence with 'Tyagi English Coaching classs' is sure the bring the house down while many dialogues and scenes involving Sanjay Mishra, Amole Gupte and Manu Rishi hold the comic bits together.

Phas Gaye Re Obama is new age non-formulaic cinema that is funny unlike the attempted comedy of errors that we are subjected to so often. This is an effective satire with the recession's repercussions experienced by likable characters who are enriched by the director's adept writing and screenplay. If you enjoyed 'Tere Bin Laden', then you have no reason not to embrace this tribute to Obama.

8.110 on a scale of 1-10.