Nautanki Saala: A Nautanki without drama


Nautanki Saala
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Pooja Salvi, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Evelyn Sharma
At: DT Cinemas & others
Rated: 3.5/10
A nautanki with hardly any drama — what could be worse than that? Despite the pleasant presence of Ayushmann Khurrana (probably the mis-spellings in his name are not working) and an earnest effort by Kunaal Roy Kapur to somehow not let this film emulate his ‘loser’ character, this one from Rohan Sippy falls flat on all its fours.
From the word go, the film starts sagging, much like the spirits of Kapur who makes an entry with a suicidal attempt. There is absolutely nothing that happens throughout the movie even though the French film from which this one has been adapted was quite a sizzler with the same story.
A jilted loser, low on self-esteem, leaking from the nose, the mucous all but jerking out of the screen, is saved by actor/director Khurrana to literally hang like a cross on his head — he takes him home, he feeds him, he pays his hospital bills and he also tries to get him a job in his play.
Well, that’s all that happens in this film which could’ve been titled Babysitting an overgrown loser. At least then it would’ve been more appropriate. Because all that follows does not carry even a whiff of drama — despite all the good intentions, despite some tickly one-liners, despite a three-minute lip-lock, despite all the choreography and the camera work.
The problem is the script’s a loser too, much like Kapur. Everything keeps dragging around a flowershop and a generally dazed damsel with big eyes who Khurrana has to bring back to the loser. In the process, love strikes but so does boredom and ennui all through the two hours.
It is an honest effort by Khurrana, more so by Kapur — but there needs to be some nautanki too naa!Where was that?
Source: Sunday Pioneer, 14 April, 2013

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