Movie: Guddu Rangeela
Director: Subhash Kapoor
Cast: Arshad Warsi, Ronit Roy, Amit Sadh, Aditi Rao Hyadri
Genre: Comedy/Drama
A few days ago there was an article in one of the leading newspapers that on a comparative scale Tamil movies feature more of heroes hailing from backward sections of the society or lower income groups than Bollywood. If I may quote, in 2014 there were only 5-6 such movies released. This Friday’s release Guddu Rangeela is one such movie; a story of two young men, it is set in the backdrop of issues of Khap Panchayat and honour killing.
Guddu (Amit Sadh) and Rangeela (Arshad warsi) own a music troupe which they use as a disguise for their small-time criminal activities. Their plans take an unexpected turn when they kidnap Baby (Aditi Rao Hyadri) who is the sister-in-law of Billu Pehalwan (Ronit Roy), a notorious criminal with the backing of the Khap Panchayat. Will this open the secrets to Guddu and Rangeela’s painful past or will this give them a long awaited chance for sweet revenge?
Subhash Kapoor is better known for his successful ventures Phas Gaya re Obama and Jolly LLB. The USP of these two movies is that it had a very strong storyline which ensured that the movie did not lose out on its novelty. Guddu Rangeela has a promising first half but the second half slopes down into predictability. Even then, there are spurts of novelty here and there in the movie which carried great potential but was not strung together well. However, as far as Arshad Warsi is concerned, compared to his past flops this movie can come close to being called his subtle comeback. He slips into a rustic accent with ease and justifies his character. Amit Sadh on the other hand slips in and out of his rustic character though on the whole manages to stay within the script. Aditi Rao Hyadri’s character on the other hand is confusing because she appears way too polished for a girl hailing from a village. To be honest, Ronit Roy stole the role again. The level perfection he brings to his character effortlessly is enviable for any actor. Despite being cast in a negative role, his screen presence is more powerful than all the actors in the movie put together.
Lyrics penned down by Irshad Kamil are fantastic, and when weaved into compositions by Amit Trivedi, they are peppy and fun to listen. The first song ‘Mata ka email’ is a splendid satirical take on the increasing number of hilarious filmy bhajans doing rounds in our country. The casting for the movie is also very interesting with some of the supporting actors having delivered good performances. Suprisingly, the movie was not half as bad as I was worried it would be. Infact, it’s a good entertainment and you can for sure give it a try.
My verdict: ***
