Film Review:
Happy Bhaag Jayegi
Director:
Muddassar Aziz
Cast: Diana Penty,
Abhay Deol, Jimmy Shergill, Ali Fazal, Momal Sheikh
Rating: 2 stars **
Color
Yellow& Krishika Lulla’s Happy Bhaag
Jayegi is a prime example of the saying that never judge a book by its
cover and a film by its trailer.
Here
is a film that had all the ingredients of an entertainer- adventure, humor,
romance, ambition and envy but somehow the chef fails to cook up an exotic dish.
On
the night of her sangit Happy Singh/
Diana Penty escapes from her bathroom window to jump into a waiting truck sent
by her boyfriend/ Ali Fazal except she jumps into the wrong truck and is
transported with a pile of fruits to Lahore’s politician Bilal Ahmed/ Abhay
Deol’s home.
Bilal
has to protect his father from a scandal and struggles to find a solution. In
the meantime Happy’s bauji/
Kanwaljeet Singh and boyfriend Guddu/ Ali Fazal are confused where Happy has
disappeared.
Muddassar
Aziz’s screenplay is yet another story on the cross border relationship (Veer Zaara, Filmistaan, Bajrangi Bhaijaan)
and how an Indian in Lahore and Pakistani in Amritsar feel same to same in
their neighboring countries.
The
problem with the film is that end of two hours the writer acquaints you with
every character except the protagonist.
Granted
that Happy is attractive, spontaneous and loves a loser but there’s nothing
extra-ordinary about her to intimidate abductors, Pakistan police and overwhelm
a powerful politician. The director takes it for granted that his protagonist
is special and forgets to share the reasons with his audience.
Of
the cast Jimmy Shergill as Daman Singh Bagga and Momal Sheikh as Zoya are
engaging and Abhay Deol as Bilal Ahmed is praise worthy. Diana Penty looks the
part and delivers her lines but her internal machinery does not work.
Watch
Happy Bhaag Jayegi only if you are an
Abhay Deol fan.
Bhawana Somaaya