Phas Gaye Re Obama

Nothing about this movie should attract you if you are a selector when it comes to watching a Bollywood movie, but Subhash Kapoor has made a mighty big impression with this incredible story if you have or happen to be watching the ending credits. If there is something called as sensible humor, then this movie draws upon a real world theme and blends it with a tactfully written plot which only gets increasingly entertaining and curious before the perfect finish.

The movie draws the audience with true to happen, yet hard to believe state of affairs in village gangs and Anni is a character that sticks like glue right away. While the pristine performances of all not so popular actors are brilliant, the true hero here is the script. Backed by authentic, crackling, and situational dialog's, the movie paces comfortably and makes every scene enjoyable. And if that is not impressive, a few scenes like the YES WE CAN chant and the English class turn this into truly memorable movie watching. Rajat Kapoor is very himself in the role while Neha Dhupia and Amol Gupte are very good. The page turner and the star of the show is Manu Rishi (Anni) and his brilliant performance. His portrayal of aspiration, honesty and comic timing will make you watch this movie again. Sanjay Mishra is over the top again with the character of Bhaisaab.

Not plaguing this story with item numbers, unneeded songs or illogical twists makes this a "Diamond" in the golden Bollywood ring!

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

One line review of the movie – Simply add the name Subhash Kapoor to the group of new extremely talented directors who are capable of teaching new lessons of cinema to all the big names relying entirely on Big Stars and their glossy film- making styles to save their reputed names in the Industry. PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA is a loud and tight slap to all those starry directors and it clearly reminds them the first lesson of cinema which says that Film-making solely depends on writing, writing and writing alone.

A worth watching experience, not to be missed, PGRO is a big relief after the dull period of watching all those mediocre films coming from the big production houses. In short, this is one of those few movies released this year whose script should be used in all the film making institutes operating in the country to teach the art of script writing and even editing. Not dependent upon any saleable star or hit item song, PGRO is a delightful film to watch which is very intelligently neither made as a complete comedy (like Golmaal series), nor it has been especially designed as a deliberate satire (like Peepli Live).

Brilliantly and thoughtfully written around the subject of WORLD RECESSION, it's a film which smartly touches many important issues prevalent in our country dealing with crime and politicians. Revolving around the plot of a visiting NRI in a remote area, it mainly deals with his kidnapping being planned by all the DONS operating in the region. How he manages to make fool of each one of them and successfully flies back to America with more money on his side then expected, is what the story is all about. Amusingly written around this thought of an NRI dealing with all the criminals, the writer showcases several major drawbacks of our society in a comical manner.

Starting with the scene of groom-kidnapping, it talks about the still existing charm of going to America for earning dollars, the kind of English being taught in the remote areas by self proclaimed teachers, the influence of OBAMA and his slogan "Yes We Can" on the whole world, the kidnapping racket run with the aid of gangsters and politicians and the power of media to change the course of things in just a few hours.

In the next few days you are sure going to hear praises for the movie from all your friends and critiques. But regarding that I would like to state that don't take PGRO as an out and out comedy in any case. The movie is not anything like GOLMAAL series but is more like a OYE LUCKY LUCKY OYE kind of project where you will enjoy each & every development on the screen with a big smile on your face along with few laughs at regular intervals. Here the director neither uses any silly comic sequence to make you laugh nor does he uses extensive abusive language in his dialogues to make some deliberate ripples in the theater (as done in Peepli Live). But still he manages to impress you hugely with his skillful writing and perfect characterization of his few characters in the script and literally excels in that.

Based on a purely novel thought incorporating the subject of RECESSION in the world of GANGSTERS and UNDERWORLD, it is indeed a first in the world of cinema. The lead hero of PGRO is its well written script which both starts and ends on equally shining notes and leaves a long lasting impact on the viewer. In fact this is a kind of movie which will largely satisfy the cinematic urge of ever true movie lover and student of cinema world-wide. For instance, just carefully look at the costumes, dialogues, gestures and expressions on the face of every actor on the screen, which clearly explains the contribution made by its director in adapting the taut script for the celluloid in such a splendid way.

Performance wise there are several small gems scattered throughout the film, delivered by some familiar names. With no one interfering or overlapping each other in the acting department it is a rare balanced show put up by all the actors. Rajat Kapoor as the NRI is as usual fine in his calm and cool approach. Sanjay Mishra as the disheartened gangster is excellent. Manu Rishi as the "Security" in each deal is simply wonderful. And Amol Gupte in the second half as the corrupt criminal minister is outstanding. He should really do more such films for the sake of good cinema and its hungry viewers. In the female lead, I really loved the look and feel of Lady Gabbar Singh played by Neha Dhupia magnificently. In fact I found her looking more sexy and beautiful in the get up of a lady gangster (with eyes filled with surma) than her usual glamorous looks we normally get to see. With class acts delivered by the entire star cast, PGRO, a songless film, unarguably is one of the surprise packages of the year which once again proves that Hindi Films does not only mean love, song, dance and big stars without any so called script.

In nutshell, it's a highly recommended flick which at last provides us the much needed break from all the silly romantic projects seen in the last few months. So, do yourself a favour by watching PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA at the earliest and encourage directors like Subhash Kapoor to keep on giving us more such projects in the near future. And thanks to Warner Brothers for supporting such a non-starry product, which solely depends on its merit of exceptional writing.

A gangster relieving himself...camera moves up...zipper closed in time...Phew! Points a gun at a blindfolded groom but fires his own hand...Bad Luck. Kidnapping business not going good for "Bhai"Sahab(Sanjay Mishra, convincing) and gang(Manu Rishi, Amit Sial and 2 others). Reason...People cant pay up ransom due to Recession!

Entry of NRI Om Shastri(Rajat Kapoor, controlled & in top-form) who has received a Bank notice to clear his $100,000 debt within a month. He returns to India from New Jersey to sell his ancestral property & gets kidnapped. This is where the Movie begins...

Unfortunately, this is the only place where PGRO falls short...the initial pace, clearly a fault of the screenplay rather than direction. The initial scenes were certainly needed to provide for character development but a crisper editing before the interval could have elevated the movie to an altogether different level. It takes around the interval to climb the slope but certainly gives the promised thrill, thereafter. My only fear during the movie was that such an original story should not have a sudden or an over the top or an ending leaving you in bad taste. Thankfully, it did not!

On the acting front, Rajat Kapoor was spot on. The supporting casting was very well done too; Manu Rishi as the small-time gangster(Ani) inspiring his gang with Obama-speeches & Sanjay Mishra as a broke gangster with a dream to become a politician. Neha Dhupia as a man-hating Sculptor-Gangster (Munni with no Zandu balm!) tried to look her part but was overshadowed in her comparatively smaller role. Sadly, Amol "Bhope-Bhau" Gupte (Kaminey) got a smaller screen space, too but did his best. The slightly lower budget cinematography as well lack of songs (except one in the credits) enhanced the narration process. The humour in the writing bounced about from crude(interpretation of "Yes, we can") to good(Receipts for kidnapping ransom, English coaching scene) but didn't distract the storyline.

PGRO is a good example of what a good original script can do in the hands of a capable director(both by Subhash Kapoor) without an A-list star cast and Music/Dance sequences and high budget props.

Me and my friend were planning for Rakta Charitra 2 but landed for this as there were no shows for the former. I was greatly apprehensive of taking the risk of watching a movie I knew nothing about, on first-day-first-show (especially after the outrageously disastrous Raavan...shudder!).

I know this one wont be bothered by the Luv-SOrryyy & Ud-Ud-Bangg crowd. It's not a deep thought provoking or ROFL-hilarious drama either. But for once, I'm glad I took the chance.

Sense & Simplicity

7/10

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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