pop-16 This film brought two great actors together for the first time - Govinda and Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar was fast becoming the new comedy king while Govinda was making a comeback after some time out of Bollywood to concentrate on his political career.This movie was about a couple of theatre actors Bunty and Babla (presuming these character names were inspired from a film Bunty Aur Babli released in the previous year) who visit the UK to perform but end up embroiling in a murder incident.The film was mainly Akshay Kumar's with Govinda unfortunately playing his sidekick. Paresh Rawal had great scenes and Lara Dutta had been OK.It was a shame that Govinda was restricted in this film. I still cannot understand why he chose to act in such a movie. His role would've suited Sunil Shetty or someone who would suit better to play second fiddle to Akshay. Govinda was truly wasted in this film. When this film released I was really hoping Govinda would play a top role with Akshay Kumar but perhaps Priyadarshan was more in favour to give a better role to Akshay than Govinda. It was a shame that this film treated Govinda like a below average actor.Akshay Kumar did brilliantly in this film and had some comic scenes. He had more screen presence than Govinda.It is unlikely that these two will be in another movie after this (although they were in Holiday but Govinda in a small role) as Akshay Kumar is now in a different league while Govinda is trying to resurrect his fading stardom and career.

Sherazade Or ridiculously hilarious, whichever you prefer, you'll still get side splitting pains from laughing so hard. Bhagam Bhag is Indian slapstick comedy in probably it's purest form. The writer Neeraj Vora (the writing brain behind the Golmaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Hera Pheri, Hulchul, Rangeela, and Hungama) clearly is no stranger to the genre but obviously was either smoking something serious or had a screw or two lose while drafting this sometimes hard to digest mega mêlée.Govinda (in his welcome back from hiatus role) and Akshaye Kumar play competitive entertainers working together in a traveling stage company. They compete over everything including the unsolicited attention of whomever or whoever is playing the female lead in their shows (we meet Ms. Tanushree Dutta in the current role as the film begins but later come to understand that many women have filled this role in the past). Blink and you'll miss her (Ms. Tanushree that is, em...I'm going to refrain from referring to her as Ms. Dutta as there are two of them within the same film as you will see later on). Ms. Tanushree's character gets caught up in a fake-love-triangle-confusion between Babla and Bunty (Govinda & Kumar respectively) which forces her to quit the show in the wake of an overseas travel gig. This sends their boss (Played by Paresh Rawal) into a tizzy. Since Babla and Bunty were responsible for the leading lady's resignation, the boss makes it their sole responsibility upon arriving in the UK to scout around for a new leading lady. And to make sure that they don't take the assignment lightly he tells them that whomever finds the most suitable leading lady by the deadline will play the leading man opposite her. This sends to the two into a competitive overdrive that lands them more than they actually bargained for. Personally, the plot twist that is introduced after this, is where the film started to go wrong for me. I was fine without the introduction of Lara Dutta's character, her multiple identities and all the drama she brought with her.Bunty and Babla get mixed up in a international drug ring operation the eventually reveals that every character that you've seen in the film so far has some kind of past history that connects them to the next person. When Lara Dutta's character is introduced as a suicidal witch-like figure in the middle of the night, it's no doubt who is going to fall in love with her (Bunty for those of you who don't already see the cliché), she over-acts most of her scenes and lacks genuine emotion in the ones where she doesn't over-act! This film did her no justice at all, except for in the one song number she appeared in 'Tere Bin' which also happens to be arguable the best song in the movie.Jackie Schroff plays a police commissioner with a secret of his own, Sharat Saxena "Yes Bosses" his way through his goon role, Rajpal Yadav is honest and quite himself as Gullu the Cabbie, Shakti Kapoor plays a drunken street thug who inadvertently helps Bunty land Munni(Ms. Lara), Manoj Joshi and Arbaaz Khan round out the cast with co-starring roles. Yes it was funny and yes it's worth a watch but it wasn't worth all the hype at all. C+

kooleshwar The very reason I had for seeing this movie is now questionable, I've said it many times before but Neeraj Vora is the bane of Indian Comedy and if I had known that he has written this movie I would have never seen it.Anyway I'm sure his expiry date is near and sooner or later the Indian audiences will reject his brand of inspired humour, and hopefully unlike Indian Cricket, Priyadarshan to will be rested till he comes back with something original. Both of them have contributed nothing new to movies in the last 5 years and have instead relied on the narrow exposure of the Indian Audience to rehash every successful movie from anywhere in the world.In this case the movie in question are ITS A MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963) and would you believe it AJNABEE (which I'm told was inspired to) Haha much like his earlier movies that are a blend of English movies and a Hindi one (mainly Govinda's).Still I had my doubts and had the good sense to see it in a single screen theater at cheaper rates.This movie starts of promisingly enough with the original story and the identifiable concept of the Indian Troupe, which is always on the lookout for funds and the Big Foreign Break, the competition between the protagonists is hilarious.Towards the second half of the movie the copy mode starts and then no movie is left sacred once again he rehash's the stories and even copies the last 10 minutes exactly from Its a mad mad...Till the last 45 Min's or so of the movie you are laughing and smiling but its all down hill from there and your not really able to leave the movie with a good feeling.Even the stalls (which really makes or breaks movies, who cares about me who's watched 100s of movies on DVD and in multiplexes), was bored and the laughter index was on a constant downfall.Direction and technical aspects were not important although the film had a couple of good sets.The acting was very good and predictably so, but Akshay, Paresh and Govinda (who seemed like a supporting actor after a while) have delivered similar performances in at least a dozen movies in fact of the lot Govinda gave the most different performance so you know how boring their performances are becoming.Lara Dutta still cannot act she always looks like she is about to smile, RAJPAL YADAV HAS CROSSED THE LINE he has crossed Johny Lever in the annoyance department in less movies then Johny took to be annoying.The songs were bad and you hardly felt like singing along with any of them (another low for priyadarshans films).The Indian setting is once again sacrificed to extensive benefits doled out foreign countries so that they can promote tourism, and the fact that filmmakers feel that foreign locales are much better, and preferred by Indian Audiences.Still the comic performance of this movie is unquestionable, there are scores of hilarious scenes and dialogues.Some brilliant ones are Ladki Ki izzat, the bag exchange in the park, the stuffed car etc.You are laughing quite often especially for the first 2 hours of the movie, but the downhill journey from there and the feeling that you've been had, and watched a sub-par movie purely based on the past credentials.Overall despite the stellar performances and some good scenes this movie falls way short of expectations (this is govindas comeback film even).A trip to the theater at multiplex rates will guarantee disappointment and so will buying the DVD, this movie is better watched at low matinée rates or better still in parts when it comes on TV.-s pathetic script, bad supporting cast, bad songs, steep downhill journey at the end.+/-s Govinda, Akshay and Paresh doing what they do best (seen to many times?....i think so),London setting (not London actually though).+s bunch of hilarious scenes.total (5/10 after factoring in expectations and on absolute scale, the fact that Neeraj Vohra wrote it has not been considered).

Amrit Singh Move on Priyadarshan. No doubt you gave us one of the best comedies ever made in Hera Pheri, but its enough now. Accept the fact that you cannot create another Hera Pheri. Its time to try something new.The biggest issue with Bhagam Bhag is everyone is trying too much, just too much, while comedy should as effortless as possible. The storyline is haphazard. In race of making a comic thriller, the end product was neither a complete comedy and remained far from being a thriller. Pitching comic line in most tense of situation dilute the grip of thriller and could not manage to grab the comic timing totally either.Another problem lies in the fact that Akshay Kumar is over utilised while Govinda is almost wasted. Its high time for Akshay to change his comic style. Of course he possesses probably the best comic timing in the current generation of lead actors, but excess of every thing is bad. He should give it a break, may return to action flicks for a while. Govinda proves he still has it in him, in the limited screen presence and unimaginative script.Its a typical Priyadarshan type film. Some good laughs in the start, some twist in the tale and chaos in the end. Not that its bad, just nothing new. But still some really funny sequences in the start makes the first half entertaining.But again, its time Mr. Priyadarshan. Move on. We hear that David Dhavan is giving finishing touches to some of his ventures. Move on before David recaptures his throne of Comedy King.