Kuchh Bhi Al-Bakwaas
1.5 stars
Mini Review:
This film is about a grown-up woman who goes on blind Tinder
dates, her friend-zoned pajama wearing bestie who works with
her at a meme generating social media company, and a
supposedly-popular late night RJ who spouts really smarmy
poetry. The film is about connecting with a wrong number,
Whatsapp forwards, and really bad life advice. In other words,
‘Hashtag One Tight Slap’ for wasting the audience’s time.
Main Review:
If this film were to be believed, then there are grownups
everywhere who do nothing at offices but discuss Whatsapp
forwards. If this film were to be believed, then it is all right to
live off your mother and give up a paying job to write those
ridiculous Whatsapp forwards because ‘the goal is to make
the world a happy place’. If this film were to be believed,
you can actually dial a wrong number on your smartphone
and they are so jobless, they don’t mind the intrusion, because
you’re so-oh flirty. And if this film were to be believed, you can
be a rabid fan of a poetry-spouting radio jockey and not
recognise his same smarmy voice on the phone…
There are so many reasons to ‘facepalm’ at this ridiculous film,
let us first attempt to look at the bright side.
The heroine of the film is Archie (played rather well by
Geetanjali Thapa) who is shown to be suffering from a skin
condition called Leucoderma. Not something we see in a
Hindi film, so kudos!
But that's it! Archie goes on blind Tinder dates just to shock
them when they first see her. Now, it is a good thing that the
heroine is not picture perfect as in all Hindi movies. But you
just want to slap her for the things she does. Her skin condition
doesn’t come into it! The unsuspecting Tinder dates turn out to
be disastrous, but is it fair to put some stranger through what
she does? And if she’s so comfortable in her skin, then why not
put a photograph on the dating site?
But that’s not where the problem lies.
Archie’s bestie and friend-zoned lad is Apu (Will the Bengali folk
ever get over this name?!) played by a pajama clad Shray Rai
Tiwari who works at a meme generating company with Archie.
Why can he not have someone in his room? Inspired from teen
films, Archie should be leaving his room not by the door but by
by shimming down a tree outside the window like in the teen
movies from the 70s! Plus why is there an obvious stereotypical
mother who shouts from the background like Howard’s mother
from the television show Big Bang Theory? He’s made to look
dumb, but he’s the one writing funny lines to the pictures Archie
has taken on the phone. And looks like these characters do not
know that they can forward photos instead of showing up in
someone’s bedroom to get help for a clever line. Who wrote
this anachronistic stuff?
Then there’s this perennially sad poet RJ who is named
Alfaaz. He wants to be invisible to his audience, but his photo
is stuck right there at the reception in the office! He is supposed
to rule late night radio, as shown by the many sweet shots of
people listening to radio. You buy the popularity, but then Archie
says, 'Who listens to radio, right?! Everyone is on Whatsapp
though.'
Woah! That is rather confidence sapping! This she says to
a wrong number (in this age of smartphones!) who is happy
to chat with her exchanging pointless messages about how
you need to let go of your past like sand from your hand…
Just like the RJ and it is the RJ! (Insert one of the many
Facepalm emojis here!) Who are these people who think
this is sublime?
The film is shot in Kolkata and they do speak Bengali in the film,
but when FM channels have all gone local it is difficult to believe
they will have a love poetry RJ for a late night show who speaks
Hindi. But who cares for logic? They show 25 years plus people
uncaring about jobs, but date, go to pubs and perennially chat
on the phone adding emojis. It is annoying, to say the least.
As far as the poetry is concerned, Archie’s room has a line in
chalk scrawled on the wall: So futile...Your words and mine...
written on the wall…
The movie experience is perfectly summed up by this line.
And stay away from walls after watching the film. You might
want to smash your head against it...
(this review appears on www.nowrunning.com )
(this review appears on www.nowrunning.com )
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