Director: Umesh Shukla
Cast: Abhimanyu Dassani, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Divya Dutta, Sharman Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Abhishek Banerjee, Grusha Kapoor, Darshan Jariwala
Where: Running in cinemas near you
Rating: 1 star
Just a few minutes in the premise of Aankh Micholi are enough for you to ask yourself the question, is this a film from the director of OMG: Oh My God and 102 Not Out? Yes, it’s that baffling to see a comedy of errors made about disabilities that is shockingly tasteless. This Umesh Shukla directorial could’ve been kind enough to have given us a warning, at the very least.
Comedies based on errors are the safest and frankly, the easiest way to rib-tickle your way through the audiences’ minds. Irrespective of their box-office fate, some have acquired a cult-status in Indian pop culture while some are beyond forgettable. Aankh Micholi, unfortunately falls in the latter.
Paro’s (Mrunal Thakur) family comprises of misfits, each member possessing a shortcoming. Her father Navjot Singh (Paresh Rawal) cannot remember, her elder brother Yuvraj (Sharman Joshi) can’t hear, her younger brother Batti (Abhishek Banerjee) stammers, her sister-in-law (Divya Dutta) mixes-up proverbs, while Paro herself cannot see at night. Phew!
The family desire to get Paro wed. Enter Rohit Patel (Abhimanyu Dassani), the dashing groom in prospect. But he too has a secret of his own.
The Singhs and the Patels eventually come together to ensure a happy ending. Just that there is nothing happy about this affair.
Hindi film comedies since the 90s have been largely mindless and often get away with the convenient ‘leave your brains at home’ crutch to absolve themselves from criticism. Which I’d still buy. But, when the writing itself is flat, nothing can redeem the prospects of a comedy film. Which in the case of Aankh Micholi, stands true.
Just a glance at the fine ensemble cast put together for this misfire, makes your heart bleed. If that’s not all, both the lead actors possess zero chemistry between them. Which is a pity considering both Abhimanyu and Mrunal have likeable screen presence. Abhimanyu, who was so good in his debut movie Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, seems miscast for his role. Mrunal too, who has held her own fort even in seemingly smaller characters in Super 30 or Dhamaka, feels completely wasted over here.
The rest of the cast try a lot to elevate the weak material with their gags but you’re only left feeling sorry for each actor concerned. As if that’s not enough, none of the songs or scenes carry a recall value. Even as I pen this review, I cannot recollect a single punchline from the film that made me roll on my seat. By the time, the movie reached the climax which is the weakest link of the film, I just wanted to head towards the nearest exit door.
The film is now running in cinemas near you.
