Go Goa Gone

Go Goa Gone is a pretty good movie for the first of its kind in Bollywood. Apart from your typical Bollywood annoyances this movie was quite entertaining. Granted my opinion on this is fairly biased given my love for Zombie flicks, however I believe it stands on its own. The movie borrowed ideas from Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead that were easily recognizable and familiar; although nowhere as blatantly as many other Bollywood movie. Also, the setting of the movie felt eerily like the video game: Dead Island. Few scenes felt like they were exactly the same as some missions in the game.

The overall acting was good and the jokes were smart and stuck for most parts, some more than others. The chemistry between the three protagonists, and overall cast was spot on. Saif Ali Khan's pseudo Russian Mafioso was an entertaining gag when originally introduced but it got a little old and drabby after a while. The female lead in the movie was underused and felt like a background character, other than being your prototypical Bollywood 'Damsel in distress'.

The plot is very simple (like any other zombie movie) and can be easily figured out. The movie follows a very typical zombie flick formula: Intro to the main character, putting them in a setting of zombies, explaining the origin of zombies (little lacklustre in this move), figuring out how to fight and kill zombies, the lack of ability to shoot the zombies and mastering the headshot by the end of the movie, and so on. This movie is as original as any zombie movie can get. Every scene of the movie was fairly predictable. Not to say that this is a bad thing, all zombie movies are alike. It's the chemistry between the characters that really separate the greats from the rest. As liner as this movie was, the surprising anecdote about zombies which was cheesier than the cheesiest cheese cake, felt original. I laughed out loud several times during the movie; admittedly the humor was along the lines of 3 Idiots and Delhi Belly i.e. buddy movies with a lot of raunch.

The movie was 1 hour and 48 minutes in length, which is a little long for a movie of this sort. 1 hour and 30 to 40 minutes max would be ideal for a zombie flick. It's hard to keep the audience immersed. The jokes get lazy and pushy and the situations where protagonist has to escape the zombie hoards get nuttier and nuttier to the point of complete disbelief

My biggest complaint against this movie is its anti-smoking campaign.

It's almost ridiculous to see an anti-smoking campaign in a movie about pot-smoking booze hounds itching for parties that feature Mary Jane. There was an abundance of smoking scenes that featured small messages warning against smoking. It's almost like the NRA running ads that featured gun-related killings and having messages popping up simultaneously that say "Don't shoot people in the face. Shooting people in the face is bad." I understand that the movie means well and doesn't want to glamorize smoking, but omitting smoking altogether from the movie would be more effective anti-smoking rhetoric than a miniscule, meaningless and insincere insulting sign at the bottom of the screen.

Overall though, I would recommend this movie to any zombie fans out there. If you're not a fan of Bollywood but enjoy zombies it's still worth the watch. The nod to Bollywood cheesiness near the end of the movie was worth the price all on its own.There were obvious "Are you serious? He would totally get bitten in that situation." type of scenes and the anti-smoking messages were very annoying. However, they are forgivable because it's Bollywood's first attempt at the genre and from the looks of it they have done a good job.

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 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.

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.

Long back (actually 2 years back) there was a rumor that Bollywood was on its way to make movies on Zombies. Two unnamed films were heard to be in making. Two years after one movie is already released "Rise of the Zombie" (released and flopped) another released today "GoGoa Gone". The name is wacky and trailers are not that interesting but the songs...the songs were its USP. Remember "Delhi Belly", how its wacky songs created the curiosity around it and turned it into a smash hit?....I hope the same thing clicks for it. Now the main business, the review.

Theme: Three friends goes Goa for different reason. Two guys to just chill out and one for office presentation. They join a rave party and things turn bad there. People suddenly start turning into zombies. What now? (Well Zombie movies were always about two things either its a horror or its a comedy. Its a comedy and that's the maximum you need to know about it)

Character Development: There is hardly any chance of any character development. And this being a "piece-of-life" movie its unjust to ask any from it too. So, leaving this topic.

Direction: Was going through the filmography of both the directors. A very impressive catalog : "Shor in the city", "99" to be mentionable. In case of "Go Goa Gone" I would say they have nailed it. The big hit that everyone waits for is here, they can enjoy the success. Its not easy to make offbeat movies in India specially if you want to make profits too from ticket sales. But I guess this is gonna be hit among young viewers. The direction is very much to the point, gives very less focus to individual characters so less time to commit mistakes. You would get almost 100% dialogs rather any monologue. This ensures a creative input of comic timing and surprise element to audience. Just imagine you won't be seeing Saif doing overacting! That's an achievement on its own! On second thought, actually Saif actually did over the top acting. And that blends to the tone of the movie. Crazy characters! Every single one was created with utmost care and then was given some intelligent lines. The chemistry between Vir Das and Kunal Khemu to be mentioned here for this. Then the intelligent film-making by including inspired scenes from "Zombieland" and "Shaun of the dead". Well, you know what is intelligent here? They not only copied scenes but took a dig on it! Bollywood making fun of Hollywood movies is a remarkable scene for sure. Another intelligent aspect is how they handled Clichés. They touched every Cliché that is related to such zombie flicks and made fun of those. Then they made fun of themselves too. Too many things in a movie?! Yeah and you would enjoy it for these things. Hats off to the director duo. Hope they bring a sequel too.

Cinematography: Though the movie takes place in Goa they have cautiously escaped showing the scenery of Goa. That was unnecessary for his movie and it was avoided. Rather collage of a rented room of bachelors, office room and a zombie infested island is well crafted. No special mention here. You get to see just what is there, no artsy-fartsy bullsh1t.

Songs and background score: The songs are already popular. Specially "Slowly slowly" and "Khoon choos le". Whacky lyrics along with party themed music. Apt to the mood with movie. Two of the songs are used as title credit scene and end credit scene and others are as background score. The dedicated background score is average though.

Editing: The editing is superb till intermission but the movie slows down its pace in the second half and this happens mostly due to lack of ideas in screenplay. Still a very good job.

Entertainment value: After a long time laughed out loud in theatre. Full entertainment (provided profanity does not bother you!). Kunal Khemu and Vir Das runs havoc and Saif's crazy Russian accent is fun...trust me!

Verdict: Since "Delhi Belly" this is the only movie which can shake the former's stature of intelligent. tongue-in-cheek comedy movie. Beware of profanity though. IF you have problem with profanity, this movie is not for you. Rest all assured you would enjoy for sure.