Monday, August 30, 2010

Laden with laughs

Just when I had given up hope of Tere Bin Laden releasing in Singapore, it did! And here are my random thoughts after watching it. I'll try my best not to have too many spoilers in case you have yet to watch it.




























Image courtesy http://vrfranks.com

  • First, brilliant brilliant casting, especially Pradhuman Singh who plays Noora/Osama. Director Abhishek Sharma had real vision to imagine that this guy could pull off such a convincing Osama! I especially loved the way he said, "Aande" and "Kukkad". You could really feel his deep and sincere love for his aande and his kukkad.
  • Ali Zafar, who plays Ali, is absolutely great. He acted so well I did not believe google when it told me that he's a superstar singer in Pakistan! He's got the right blend of Shahid's good looks and Sharman's bechara-ness, which make him perfect for this role.

  • The story is, of course, completely fresh, and not something every director would approach without fearing the ramnifications. But Abhishek Sharma makes it work and how. I wonder if being the writer of the movie you're directing helps to put on celluloid exactly what you envisioned in your mind when you were writing.
  • I loved the fact that there was no unnecessary romantic angle in the movie in spite of the good-looking lead actor. I was a little worried that they would have something between him and Zoya, but they really surprised me very pleasantly when the subtle romantic track turned out to be between Zoya and... oh well, you gotta watch the movie!
  • I am a little surprised that the US let this through but Pakistan banned it.
  • The scene with the truck reminded me of my Pakistan trip. Though they shot most of the movie in India, I was thrilled to see that they had got hold of an authentic Pakistani truck for these scenes.
  • There were only about two songs, and one of them goes something like, "He's a gudd-looking ullu da paththa." Now normally, I hate songs that mix Hindi and English, but this song is so apt and catchy, it really sticks in your head. Viv and I were singing it as we walked back from the theatre to the bus stop! (Viv corrected me when I sang, "He's a good-looking ullu da paththa" and said it's actually "gudd-looking" instead. Point taken.)

  • The flow of the movie is brilliant -- how Ali meets each of the characters who partner him in the scam is done very naturally and help to develop the story. Why they would agree to be part of the fiasco is also very believable, and not to mention funny, especially the RJ's reason.

  • The movie is hilarious -- laugh-out-loud from start to finish. It is a spoof but not the annoying kind. The screenplay makes it really work. It experiments with all levels from humour -- from the very subtle (watch out for the umbrella that wouldn't close -- it comes back!) to slapstick (the scene involving Sikandar and the grenade).

  • In spite of being a comedy, the movie has its hard-hitting message all right. Cue the scene at the coffee machine.

  • The problem with most Bollywood movies that start out being very funny is that after the interval, the fun dies and the melodrama starts, leading to an extremely lame end. It's like two movies from completely different genres were sewn along the interval. Not with Tere Bin Laden though. The movie actually gets funnier as it progresses (yeah I know it's hard to believe!) and it has a great ending.
  • The dialogue is utterly witty. Almost every scene has a classic line. You'll really need to watch it again to fully catch each line. I can safely say that this is in the top 5 list of the funniest movies I have ever watched.

  • I wonder if Osama himself watched it, and how he reacted.

  • I can't wait for the DVD.



26 comments:

mythalez said...

yes .. i really need to watch it ...

until then .. gollddd :P

Nidhi said...

Heyyy...I am so glad you wrote this review!! I watched this movie 3 days back...in a train...on my laptop...and vowed to myself to watch it again at home! It was soooo damn hilarious...and yeah, true, the guy in Osama's role fitted the characted to the T.

btw..along with being a very handsome guy, Zafar Ali is a great singer too...chk out his song "Sun re Sajania" on youtube...used to listen to this song on loop once upon a time :)

Ashwin said...

GOLD!!!

Arun said...

Tx! Will not read beyond the first para of your blogpost so that I can see the movie :)

Ashwin said...

My bad. Gold was already taken; didnt see the comment. And I dont like silver so much...

I really liked TBL too. Brilliant movie. Bollywood has really come of age with some great movies in the last few years. Couple of other movies that I was really impressed by are Peepli Live and Udaan.

nidhi said...

Silver for me in that case.
And yeah I loved the movie too. Its really funny.

pRasad said...

You did not miss even a single point for which I liked the movie:)

Menagerie said...

I loved it as well! Watched the 12 am show at Jade, and it kept me laughing all night. Brilliant witty movie. And Ali Zafar so rocks, I find him similar to Shahid as well, but actually hotter :), love the scenes where he is convincing the RJ to join in!

Arun said...

How does it compare to Kabul Express?

Porkodi (பொற்கொடி) said...

awwwww, whattay coincidence, watching right now! :) par youtube mein! :D

Manasi said...

Bhai.. your review is inspiring me to watch it.. Will catch it soon.. Especially since u r advocating it.. :)

Angelsera said...

omg i heard so many good reviews abt this movie..damn if I had known I would ve gone over the weekend

Obscure Optimist said...

Umm... you have finally helped me come out of "To do or not to do" wala situation... :)
I will watch this movie :)

Obscure Optimist said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Ali Zafar at Coke Studio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvh0Yd_4KXY

Enjoy :)

Anonymous said...

Damn I missed this movie when it came in the theatres. I’m now waiting for it to release soon on Colours channel, as every Hindi film does these days. Or else hope the DVD comes soon!

Sudeep said...

Paper mein ke reviews trashed it saying it was not that good aur ek friend ne kaha ki funny hai but tab tak movie chali gayi thi theatres se.
Zoya starts liking Osama? he he.. sahi

Arun said...

Do you get hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons in S'pore?

Arun said...

Your post titles are invariably funny and clever. You have a long unbroken streak of them. :) Wondering if you're holding up some blog posts while trying not to break that streak :)

We, your fans, don't hold you to that streak :)

Sayesha said...

#mythalez,
Yes yes go watch it quick! Good things don't last! :P

#Nidhi,
Thanks for the reco. I'm not a fan of his voice all that much, but his face? Woohoo! Only when he's clean-shaven though. :P

#Ashwin,
:)

#Arun,
So did you watch it?? :)

#Ashwin,
I couldn't catch Udaan! :'( All shows were too early! :'(

#nidhi,
:D

#pRasad,
Thanks :)

#Menagerie,
Hehehe... yeah I agree, he's hotter than Shahid! :P

#Arun,
Kabul Express?? That was a serious movie with funny scenes. This is a very funny movie with very funny scenes. :D

#Porkodi,
Youtube par aa gaya already?? :O

#Manasi,
Yes do watch it!!! :D

#Angelsera,
It's still in the theatres I think?

#Yamini,
Yeahhhh! :D

#luminousvortex,
Thanks! I think his looks helped his singing career more than his voice though. :P

#gargi,
Yeahhhh I can't wait for the DVD either!! :D

#Sudeep,
Which crappy paper did you read re? The paper must be trash! Hahaha! Mera reco le aur jaakar dejh! :D

#Arun,
Not really. We did have a waterspout though and everyone got damn excited. :)

#Arun,
Thank you. Haha, no I'm not holding back any posts due to the lack of a punny title. :P

Arun said...

Yoohoo, got a rental DVD of Tere Bin Laden. Now to see if the copy is watchable!

Ashwin said...

You can watch Udaan on moviesfromindia.com Pretty decent print.

Very simple story which was a surprise since it is produced by Anurag Kashyap who always makes layered and complex movies. Highly recommended.

Arun said...

Tere Bin Laden is a well-made movie, and funny, though not gut-wrenchingly so, at least for me. Kabul Express evoked more helpless laughter. Well worth the time. :)

Neha said...

Ali Zafar is so talented! Check him out in coke studio...specially the nahi re nahin song...I still have to watch this movie...newspapers in India did not give it good rating, hence I could not watch it...now the entire world is harping about it :(

Afshan Shaik said...

to slapstick (the scene involving Sikandar and the grenade).

THIS IS my fav scene
i laughed my A** off on watching this
SUBTLE humor
and NOORS guy is too grt
loved hiM!!

watched on TV recently

UR BLOG IS TOO GOOD

wat do u DO?

Afshan Shaik said...

to slapstick (the scene involving Sikandar and the grenade).

THIS IS my fav scene
i laughed my A** off on watching this
SUBTLE humor
and NOORA guy is too grt
loved hiM!!

watched on TV recently

UR BLOG IS TOO GOOD

wat do u DO?