mirza m
Congrats Bollywood, it seems you have finally found their own version of Harry & Loyd (Dumb & Dumber), well almost only if this film had worked! Frankly, the plot had so much potential, but the writers clearly rely on juvenile jokes, from the ones involving farts to the F word, which sparsely evokes giggles. And they are often repeated. Of course it has its moments especially the 'ban' jokes, as well as the fake Muslim names by the protagonists were quite hilarious, but before and after that, each and every one-liner or a gag left me fuming. The film has some quirks which might uplift you in bits and pieces in the first half, but as we proceed towards the second half, it starts to stretch. The dumb and dumber reach their highest point as the film begins to drag. Only if the writing would have been crisper and the makers would have maintained the tone of the puns this could have been the comedy of the year. The story follows Shammi (Arshad Warsi) and Kedar Patel (Jackky Bhagnani), while Kedar is the son of Mitesh Patel (Dalip Tahil) who is an event manager for weddings in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Shammi on the other hand is an ex-navy officer who is kicked out of the force thanks to his stupidity. As Kedar is obsessed with going to the U.S., after being rejected a visa three times. Shammi suggests that he and Kedar leave for America on a father's cruise, even though they laugh it off in that instance, in a freak accident by the sea, Kedar and Shammi who are supposed to manage a wedding baraat on a cruise, leave without the baraatis only to lose their direction and land up in Karachi, Pakistan. What entails is a series of events as they enter forbidden territories of Taliban & other places as they try to find their way back home. Director Ashish R Mohan needed a tighter screenplay in order to avoid the film from falling apart. If only he had done that, the film could have had some more quirks for us to laugh at. From the start credits to the scenes which need a support of good VFX have just been drowned terribly. Few gags and scenes work. Especially the one scene when Shammi and Kedar think they reached Indo-Pak border, and their reactions after that. Also loved the scene where one Pakistani news channel creates an entire fictional family for the Indian duo, when they are lauded as Pakistani heroes for blasting a Taliban camp. Unfortunately, the laughs are few. Actually the best quips were all there in the trailer. Moving on, at many places the dub is out of sync which is distracting enough and we get sadder when the background score is ringing in our ear at its hamming best. When you think of a film with a mixture of a terrorism theme and comedy, the first film that comes to mind is Tere Bin Laden, a smart comedy made a few years back. And that is the benchmark. Even Filmistan. This one is all over the place. And is less concerned with the story and more with making Jackky shine. Giving him best scenes and lines. And there is the stereotype syndrome - Every Pakistani is a gun-toting jerk (Not Baby...this film should be banned in Pakistan for showing them in such a poor light!). Every American is a selfish fool and every Gujarati is a miserly businessman. And sorry boss, we can't find any kind of hilarity in bomb blasts that kill people or third degree torture, even if they are in Pakistan. Plus, there is a totally unrequited item number. Arshad Warsi as Shammi Thakur is decent enough. He does what he is best at, excel at the comic timing but it's just that the content does not support much here. We have seen him do much more rib tickling fun in other films and I wonder what made him choose this. But don't you think he has played the hero's side kick once too often. Jackky Bhagnani is a talented lad, in case you don't believe you should check out last year's Youngistaan. Unfortunately for him he seems to be working only in badly written film from his father's production house, whether he is not being offered films from other productions or he has Marvel styled contract (6 to 9 films) to complete. Here he is hilarious as the dumb Gujarati boy just trying to get along. Jackky Bhagnani can now drop the double Ks. He doesn't need them. He's got talent and confidence and his commitment is endearing. Lauren Gottlieb is also a part of the film more so because there are some dance numbers which might have been the saving grace. This girl who is absolutely beautiful to watch has been wasted in the narrative. Her character is not really important to this film, and doesn't cause anything in the middle of the antics done by the boys. On the whole, 'Welcome 2 Karachi', tries to be dark and comic, but it's mostly a ongoing satire where the joke is on all things - men and nations - macho and flexed, yet most are not funny! If you are planning to watch this film which was touted as a madcap, watch it only for the first half! Only if the makers would have pulled up their socks at the right minute, & utilized their leads to their potential this could have been the comedy of the decade, well its not!
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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