A strait-laced man has his work cut out for him when he falls in love with a girl whose two brothers are gangsters. Akshay Kumar is the man caught in the middle in this Indian comedy directed by Anees Bazmee.
Gangsters have been tackled in several ways in Hindi cinema, ranging from rank incompetents to dreaded killers. In the 1990s they were often the pivot, epitomising 'bad' to emphasise the 'good' of the hero who vanquished them. In the 2000s though, films like Satya and Company have attempted to show them as gritty and realistic if still glamorous.
Having exhausted those avenues, gangsters have lately become objects of mirth, bumbling idiots who do more harm to themselves than to others. In Welcome, Anees Bazmee, who last made 2005's biggest grosser No Entry, picks up on the inept thug theme, making the thugs fun guys the audience can laugh with, not at.
That Bazmee's gangsters have a sister, the beauteous Sanjana (Kaif) whom no 'decent' guy wants to marry because of her family, makes them human and earns them sympathy. When auctioneer Rajiv (Kumar), unaware of her antecedents, falls in love with her, he has no idea what he is getting into - and when he finds out, he doesn't really care. But his uncle balks at Rajiv's choice of partner and refuses to give his consent until the brothers adopt a cleaner way of life.
All this is, of course easier said than done and Rajiv has to convince the brothers without actually letting them know what is going on. The double and triple cross that follows ensures there are numerous harebrained plots for Bazmee to keep the ball rolling. Though this provides its share of laughs, it is often infantile and so slapstick that the joys of some of the more subtle gags are lost under an avalanche of juvenility. Toilet humour abounds but a fair sprinkling of running jokes keeps the film moving.
One of the plot devices used is to convince one brother (Patekar) that he has been discovered as an actor and signed to act in a film. This gives the usually boisterous Nana a chance to indulge in some OTT histrionics and the director an opportunity to make digs at Bollywood stars, another much-used ploy in comedy films.
The other brother (Kapoor) meanwhile, discovers his sensitive side and is busy painting canvases and wooing Ishika (Malika Sherawat), who's also playing Nana's heroine in his fake film. Nana is in love with her too. To complicate the already convoluted plot, Ishika throws a spoke in the Rajiv-Sanjana engagement by turning up as Rajiv's jilted fiancé. This makes for some brainless comedy, not always a bad thing but overdone in this case.
The cast of Welcome seem to be having a blast but unfortunately that doesn't always translate into audience enjoyment. There are several points at which the narrative flags and no amount of twists and turns help it rise above the level of mediocrity.
Verdict: The only way to enjoy Welcome is to go with the flow and not think too much about what is happening while it is happening. Akshay Kumar, who has matured into a fine comic actor, ensures your attention stays on the screen as long as he is around.
Release Date: November 23rd 2007
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