Movie Review: ‘Happy New Year’ is a cross between an ‘Oceans 11/12′ and ‘Flashdance’

 

 

Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Abhishek Bachchan , Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah, Anupam Kher

Director : Farah Khan

When a film opens with the leading man mouthing a series of his world-famous dialogues, you can have two reactions.

One, grin a knowing grin, and chuckle “kyonki badi badi picture mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain”. Two, groan and think aloud — couldn’t they think of one new dialogue because, you know, it is a new film, innit? Or is it just Farah Khan, reuniting with her old friend turned foe (via a very public feud fought in the tabloids) turned friend again, reprising her number — paying tribute to the ’70s Bollywood masala movie, only bigger and more blindingly brighter than ever?

Happy New Year turns out to be a cross between an Oceans 11/12 and Flashdance and a whole bunch of movies that topline Mera Bharat Mahan sentiments. And a film which threatens to sink because it begins with such an eye glaze, but manages to rescue itself because of Farah’s relentless take-no-prisoners attitude: where it can get big, make it gigantic; where it can get colourful, stuff in every single primary colour, and turn the spotlight on. She pulls it off, but only just.

And only after giving us long patches when you are left clutching your head. All that self-referential humour can get heavy. To call your bar dancing leading lady Mohini? Of course, you will flash back to Madhuri in Tezaab, as you are meant to. To call a safe-filled-with-diamonds Shalimar? Right, we get it. There are a bunch of others, but we’ll let you do a spot-the-ref by yourself, when you can see the film from the noise. And I’m warning you, the decibels are in the range of high-higher-highest.

At nearly three hours, Happy New Year is a long showreel of what Khan the director and Khan the superstar can do, which is this: put on display rippling eight (or is it 12?) packs whenever you get the chance (which is often), bung in a song-and-dance whenever possible (also often), and when there is a gap, shove in some dialogue-and-action. And when all else fails, rev up the patriotic fervor, because we all love our India, right?