Bombay to Bangkok

Well, Nagesh Kukunoor has once again delivered what he is famous for. A gripping story presented in light manner. Only, this time he has chosen to go for other things like love across countries, comedy and foreign actress. The movie is presented in a very narrative manner, and with excellent performance from the lead casts as well as the supporting casts. Shreyas Talpade has once again delivered excellent acting after his only disappointing role in Om Shanti Om. He is the main lead of the movie, he knows dancing well, acting well, and also delivers his dialogues well. Lina Christianson is very cute but strong in her role. she is certainly far better than any of young actresses of Bollywood, though it was her first lead performance film. Watching her remembered the korean movie "My Sassy Girl". Then, there is Dr Rati and her little romance with a Gangster delivered by Vijay Maurya. Both have acted very well to their roles. Watch the movie for a pleasant treat after so many disappointing movies from Bollywood. Go for it..

I have not watched too many Bollywood films before, because to me, once you see one film, it is as if you watched it all. Really, the storyline is almost the same, the premise, the tearjerkers and whatnot. The differences that Bollywood films may have are its actors and actresses, the location, and the film title. That was how I perceived Bollywood films.

So, with much persuasion from my friends to give this film a try, I watched it with a heavy heart, thinking that I am definitely gonna waste my time watching it.

Boy, was I wrong. This film is not the typical Bollywood-style film. In fact, this film is so different that I believe maybe this is a new genre of India-made film, and I believe it will revive the rather slump in the movie-goers interest in Bollywood film.

Whilst this film maybe a bit slow in the beginning, it does pick up momentum in the later parts of the film. Which is quite good actually, as there is more time to understand as to why the lead actor were in Bangkok, far from his hometown in Bombay.

A special mention to the mafia's son character, which outperformed even the leading actor and actresses, being the tough guy outside but a soft soul at heart. He is very funny in a clumsy kind of way, without being spastic and an annoyance.

A score of 8 for this film, for its commendable effort in making a film that moves away from the typical and predictability Bollywood films is usually associated with.

Bombay to Bangkok is the story of a small time cook in a dingy restaurant named Shankar (Shreyas Talpade). Faith leads him to Bangkok... well actually local Mafia goons makes him escape because he had stolen the money that they had received. There Shankar meets Jasmine (Lina Christianson). She is a masseur at a local club. Shankar falls in love with her. Because Shankar pretends he is a doctor and the Mafia keeps on chasing him Shankar hides the bag of money into one of the medical supplies going with the team of doctors that he is a part of now. Now after reaching Bangkok Shankar must take the help of his lady love to get the money hidden into one of the numerous medical supply boxes... Thats Bombay to Bangkok for you. The rest is all running around (read riding around)and some poor attempts at making this a comedy. The only highlights of the film are the songs that plays in the background whenever Shankar meets Jasmine and his dialogue "Ab bas mooh mat kholna!" (Now just don't open your mouth!) whenever Jasmin walks towards him because Jasmin cannot speak English properly and the only words that come out of her mouth are in Thai. Overall just a time pass film, that too if you have nothing else to do. Its hard to believe this as a venture of Nagesh Kukunoor. The same guy who gave us films like Hyderabad blues and Dor. Nagesh should stick to making 'his kind' of cinema and not try to be commercial. He has just proved he is not good at it at all. Good acting by Shreyas (as usual) and the man who played his friend 'Rashminder singh' or Rashes. The guy who plays KMK, the mafia Don's son definitely deserves special mention too. Other than that the whole cast of the film is a waste. Lina has a long way to go as far as acting is concerned. Lets face it - she is too wooden to act. Go watch it... if you have absolutely nothing else to do. NOTHING.

A fun, entertaining movie about a guy who was a chef in a restaurant who makes a theft of a bag full of money as it was lying around in his restaurant, and when he knew that the bag he took was from Bombay's biggest mafia, he took the identity of a doctor who was going to Bangkok on a chartered flight and went to the local beauty parlour in Bangkok, where his life took a bizarre turn as he bumped into Jasmine.

This romantic comedy movie was fun to watch and is definitely worth your time, I may say. The main soundtrack, which you will hear at the start of the movie too, was amazing. I love this type of small movie with a story, as it's all chaos, emotion, and love. Just amazing!

Even though I would have to confess that I can be categorized as a cult follower of Nagesh Kukunoor, I haven't let that bias this review of the movie. The movie is narrative at its best. The director has a grip on the screen play and knows exactly the plot and the purpose of the characters played. The casting is apt. Even the Thai actors deliver their best. The naissance of any movie is in its details. The scene in particular where the "sardar" guide uses war as a metaphor to choose what food to "attack" first. Last but not the least, the social taboo of prostitution is aptly dealt with. What ever amount of modernization that you bring into a society, selling sex for money is still looked down upon. Kukunoor brings about this social issue may not be deliberately but the subject does brush off. Then there is the epitomizing of "Love" beyond boundaries and language. The kind of chemistry the film showcases between "Shankar" and "Jasmine" is commendable. Anyone would agree that to make viewers believe that two people from different parts of the world with nothing in common to be in love on screen is as difficult as making a "Zonkey" or "Zeebrass". Do excuse the metaphor.

Do see the movie to enjoy the humor and story telling.