NAUTANKI SAALA is a romantic-comedy film starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Kunal Roy Kapur, Pooja Salvi and Gaelyn Mendonca. It is directed by Rohan Sippy and produced by Rohit Sippy.
The film revolves around the life of Ram Parmar (Ayushmann Khurrana), preferably called RP. He is an actor who works in a Ramayana play called Raavan, directed by him. One day after his show, he's on his way home where he comes across Mandar Lele (Kunal Roy Kapur) committing suicide in the middle of the road by hanging himself. In a quick heroic act, RP manages to save him, and comes to realize that Mandar is a very depressed person and feels that he's a burden to God and on Earth. He's a very pessimistic person. He also finds out that Mandar is depressed due to a recent break-up with a girl named Nandini (Pooja Salvi) who he loves very much. Feeling sorry for Mandar, RP decides to help him out, thus beginning a huge friendship between the two.
Okay, so when I saw the trailer for this movie, I couldn't make out whether it was a good movie or not. The only thing that caught my attention was Ayushmann Khurrana who had recently become one of my favorite actors after Vicky Donor. It was surprising to see Kunal Roy Kapur in a serious role after Delhi Belly. But anyways, apart from the two of them, I didn't know what the movie had in store for me. Finally, I decided to see it, only to see what it contained and I was pretty sure that Ayushmann would justify his role and the movie would be pretty watchable. At the end of the movie, I can say Nautanki Saala was pretty much what I expected- a rom-com film with a couple of laughs here and there, some mushy romantic stuff and some song and you've got your movie. Now from what I just said you'd probably think this was movie was really bad, although it actually wasn't. I really liked some of the jokes. It did it's best not to be slapstick but to make sense. And the songs weren't much. Whatever was added to the movie from the soundtrack was cut to be made as short as possible. The only problem was the ending, which was SOOO clichéd, but the film put the same point through in an indirect way; a different way from the other rom-coms.
Performance-wise, even though Ayushmann Khurrana is our big star here, I would have to give the trophy to Kunal Roy Kapur. Don't get me wrong over here, Ayushmann is one of my favorite Bollywood actors and his acting was really great, but somehow I felt Kunal Roy Kapur's role was more sophisticated, and while you would think that an actor who played a constipated guy's role in his first break-through film, it would be impossible to see him play a depressed guy coping with his life's destiny. He played his role so well. The way he expressed his comedy, his emotions... it was really great. Pooja Salvi did a pretty decent job. Not the BEST I would say but it's pretty decent. Gaelyn Mendonca's acting was just background. It was unnecessary but just had to be there due to the plot.
The replay value is a few times, but its not extraordinary so you are bound to get sick of it at some time.
I wouldn't give this movie a 6 or a 7 but it's somewhat in between. Nautanki Saala is a 6.5/10 rating for me.
I think that this movie proves that 'The Sensible Comedy Movies' are back. For the past couple of months we have been experiencing a couple of wacky, slapstick movies that are humorous yet mindless. Nautanki Saala proves that a movie doesn't need to have a bad story and a bunch of meaningless jokes for the audience to laugh. Nautanki Saala manages to achieve a good story line, jokes related to the matter and which actually make sense. With films like Jolly LLB and Nautanki Saala, lets just hope with get more like these and maybe an occasional Chashme Baddoor and a Mere Dad Ki Maruti but definitely not a Himmatwala.
