Duplicate

Duplicate is a lame-brained comedy that cheerfully showcases the manic over-acting of Shah Rukh Khan and the ditsy charm of Juhi Chawla. Check your brain at the door and just enjoy.

Khan has a double role this time, in case one of him is not enough for you: as Manu the escaped psychotic criminal and Babloo the lovable (but not too bright) mama's boy whose dream is to become head chef at a five star hotel. Normally the hardest working actor in Bollywood, SRK really outdoes himself this time: he's so over the top in both roles that I was afraid he was going to hurt himself. Throw in the fact that at one point Manu pretends to be Babloo and Babloo pretends to be Manu, and the results are chaotic fun. Juhi Chawla is sweet and endearing as always, and makes the perfect foil for Khan's silliness, even adding a bit of her own. And if you've ever wondered what SRK looks like in drag, here's your chance to see (I'll give you a hint: it's not a pretty sight.)

Also involved is Sonali Bendre as Manu's showgirl mistress, who ends up falling unknowingly for Babloo. She's beautiful and classy. I like most of the musical numbers in Duplicate, except the gratingly stupid Waji Wa song performed by Shah Rukh/Babloo with a chorus of aproned chefs and waitresses. I've developed a pretty high goofy-tolerance level since becoming interested in Hindi films, but this dance exceeded my limit. However, Waji Wa is more than balanced out by the delightful Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam dance number performed by Sonali, Juhi and Shah Rukh.

If you're in the mood for some mindless entertainment and good music, give Duplicate a try.

I have to say, Duplicate is probably the best film I've ever seen!

Duplicate is basically about two men, Babloo and Manu who happen to have the same face. Babloo dreams of becoming a chef at a five-star hotel, while Manu is a criminal who has escaped from jail and is out to get revenge on his three friends. Babloo is in love with Sonia (Juhi Chawla), the hotel's banquet manager and Manu romances with Lily (Sonali Bendre).

Some parts of the film were hilarious and left me laughing like crazy! It really amazed me how much of an idiot Babloo could be at times, like when he told Manu about an ID card given to him by the police to reduce the confusion between the two. I also found many of Duplicate's action scenes to be quite entertaining.

As for the music, each and every song was excellent and somewhat unique in its own way. I especially enjoyed "Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam." Not only is it an amazing song, but Shahrukh, Juhi and Sonali did an awesome job at performing it!

I thought the acting in the movie was fantastic! Shahrukh did an excellent job playing both roles of Babloo and Manu. Juhi's acting was amazing as usual, and even Sonali did a great job at playing Lily's vampish character.

I myself have watched Duplicate hundreds of times and would recommend it to anyone. This film is guaranteed to leave you satisfied!

Duplicate deserves a 10/10!

Babloo (Sharukh Khan) is basically a daydreamer and aspires to a chef on international repute. He is forever daydreaming of cooking at five star establishments. Manu Dada (Sharukh Khan) on the other hand is a ruthless criminal on the run. Babloo is in love with Sonia (Juhi Chawla) who is the Banquet manager of an up market hotel that Sharukh Khan works at. Manu Dada likes Lilly (Sonali Bendre). Babloo and Manu's tracks keep alternating till they converge at the interval part of the film. After which Manu takes advantage of the innocent Babloo and continues his violent escapades using Babloo's identity and Babloo uses Manu. This film was a good movie and very funny. I loved watching the fighting parts.

Duplicate is a sort of spin-off on the 1978 classic Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan, which would later be remade officially by Farhan Akhtar in two hit films. Duplicate, however, is not very good, although it is slightly enjoyable. Shah Rukh Khan plays two roles, Bablu and Manu, the good and the bad, and he really hams it up in both roles. That being said, he is quite fun and through the role of Bablu and his story we get to see some lovable qualities. He is an innocent cook, very endearing, and has a wonderful relationship with his mother (Farida Jalal). The same cannot be said about the forced villain of Manu, and Bablu remains the main element that makes it partly work, which is only enhanced with the entrance of the lovely and kind Sonia Kapoor (Juhi Chawla). Their interaction is quite heartwarming and entertaining. Juhi Chawla is really wonderful in this film, and she is able to balance Khan's immature Bablu, which could otherwise get on the nerves. Everything else in this film, sadly, is a mess, and it only becomes messier as the story goes on. At many points it is really hard to believe this film was directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It would be ineffective even for David Dhawan, and towards the end it becomes really mindless, and not very entertaining. Duplicate could be watched for those fond of Shah Rukh Khan, even those willing to forgive his wild, childish overacting which is more than evident in this film. His screen presence, however, remains undiminished, and so is his ability to make fun of himself and to shed all his inhibitions, and that's why fans could give it a half chance.

If you manage to get past the shockingly corny first 20 minutes, you'll see a pretty original film. SRK's acting is the high point, and he switches between the two roles effortlessly. The ending is stolen from an old Buddha story, but hey....