War Chhod Na Yaar
Director : Faraz Ahmed
Cast : Jaaved Jaaferi, Sharman Joshi, Soha Ali Khan, Mukul Dev, Dalip Tahil
***
A Pakistani soldier in the film rues the fact that his maternal family is on the other side of the border in India while his paternal side of the family resides in Pakistan and he himself is stuck in no man's land. You are reminded of Bosnian director Danis Tanovic's war comedy No Man's Land which had won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film, the same year when Aamir Khan's Lagaan was also competing for the honour. No Man's Land, packed with dry humour was a vivid account of the dreadful impact of war on both sides and was an effortlessly funny satire. Debut director Faraz Ahmed's effort being touted as India's first war comedy is as well intentioned like No Man's Land. Only it is not as funny but the film tries and the effort shows.
Living in a time when India-Pak border tensions never seem to cease, War Chhod Na Yaar could have just been the movie everyone should watch. The film which could have been a powerful, satirical, spoofy indictment of the disputing equation that the two the two nations share. Sadly the film never rises to the potential at hand. Instead it gets lost in cracking stand-alone jokes, a feeble attempt at a border romance between Captain Rana (Sharman Joshi) and a TV reporter (Rut Dutta) and trying to be clever and witty many of the times.
After playing a convincing TV reporter who moved you with her performance in Mumbai Meri Jaan, Soha Ali Khan is reduced to being a wannabe, clumsy scribe, who lands up on the border even without her channel bosses knowing about it. The film which proclaims to be a humorous take on War at so many junctures gets trapped into sentimental, didactic lesson on the insanity of war and its repercussions. The last 15-minutes where aam junta is mouthing platitudes about peace and harmony is a test of your patience. However there are moments which are endearing like when Captain Qureshi (Javed Jaafferi) and Captain Rana indulge in camaraderie from across the border via megaphone or when they play chess sitting across the fence. You doubt if such things actually happen but what the heck it works here.
Then again, the director smartly and innovatively uses the popular antakshari format for good entertainment of both the soldiers and the viewers. Through the songs that both the sides sing he establishes a lively banter between the Pakistani and the Indian side. Somehow the bombing and the firing shown on the border didn't seem authentic. The low quality of the production was at once visible in the combat scenes.
Dalip Tahil playing some two-three-or-is-it four roles is a fine example of over-the top acting. Manoj Pahwa as the Pakistani general manages to raise a few chuckles without trying too much. Sharman Joshi a very fine, competent actor though sincere, looks a bit lost throughout. Jaaved Jaaferi gets a better role than what he got in Besharam but still not good enough to do justice to his talent. Mukul Dev who plays an Afghani infiltrator infuses vigour in his role that allows him to make an impression with his unique accent. He even tickles a few bones. None of his side-kick roles in his last few films have accorded him that opportunity.
The film has a vast cast of comic performers. But I must make special mention of Mukul Dev as an Afghani infiltrator, who gets it wrong each time. Mukul`s accent and comic timing are fodder for the funny bones.
Very rarely do we get a chance to smile about the grim reality of war. This film gives a nimble twinkle-eyed satirical slant to the scourge of war. Warm and well-packaged with intelligent performances, ‘War Chhod Na Yaar’ flounders when it abandons the human aspect to get into the nuclear zone.
Political satires are easily the most difficult genre of comedy in cinema. They have to serve up a telling lesson to self-serving politicians while providing audiences with a good laugh. We had Kunal Roy Kapur attempting one of `dose` in ‘The President Is Coming’.Political satires are easily the most difficult genre of comedy in cinema. They have to serve up a telling lesson to self-serving politicians while providing audiences with a good laugh. We had Kunal Roy Kapur attempting one of `dose` in ‘The President Is Coming’. But that`s it. Full credit to writer-director Faraz Haider for going into the war zone and emerging from the battle-scarred scenario with his sense of humour intact.
Director : Faraz Ahmed
Cast : Jaaved Jaaferi, Sharman Joshi, Soha Ali Khan, Mukul Dev, Dalip Tahil
***
A Pakistani soldier in the film rues the fact that his maternal family is on the other side of the border in India while his paternal side of the family resides in Pakistan and he himself is stuck in no man's land. You are reminded of Bosnian director Danis Tanovic's war comedy No Man's Land which had won the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film, the same year when Aamir Khan's Lagaan was also competing for the honour. No Man's Land, packed with dry humour was a vivid account of the dreadful impact of war on both sides and was an effortlessly funny satire. Debut director Faraz Ahmed's effort being touted as India's first war comedy is as well intentioned like No Man's Land. Only it is not as funny but the film tries and the effort shows.
Living in a time when India-Pak border tensions never seem to cease, War Chhod Na Yaar could have just been the movie everyone should watch. The film which could have been a powerful, satirical, spoofy indictment of the disputing equation that the two the two nations share. Sadly the film never rises to the potential at hand. Instead it gets lost in cracking stand-alone jokes, a feeble attempt at a border romance between Captain Rana (Sharman Joshi) and a TV reporter (Rut Dutta) and trying to be clever and witty many of the times.
After playing a convincing TV reporter who moved you with her performance in Mumbai Meri Jaan, Soha Ali Khan is reduced to being a wannabe, clumsy scribe, who lands up on the border even without her channel bosses knowing about it. The film which proclaims to be a humorous take on War at so many junctures gets trapped into sentimental, didactic lesson on the insanity of war and its repercussions. The last 15-minutes where aam junta is mouthing platitudes about peace and harmony is a test of your patience. However there are moments which are endearing like when Captain Qureshi (Javed Jaafferi) and Captain Rana indulge in camaraderie from across the border via megaphone or when they play chess sitting across the fence. You doubt if such things actually happen but what the heck it works here.
Then again, the director smartly and innovatively uses the popular antakshari format for good entertainment of both the soldiers and the viewers. Through the songs that both the sides sing he establishes a lively banter between the Pakistani and the Indian side. Somehow the bombing and the firing shown on the border didn't seem authentic. The low quality of the production was at once visible in the combat scenes.
Dalip Tahil playing some two-three-or-is-it four roles is a fine example of over-the top acting. Manoj Pahwa as the Pakistani general manages to raise a few chuckles without trying too much. Sharman Joshi a very fine, competent actor though sincere, looks a bit lost throughout. Jaaved Jaaferi gets a better role than what he got in Besharam but still not good enough to do justice to his talent. Mukul Dev who plays an Afghani infiltrator infuses vigour in his role that allows him to make an impression with his unique accent. He even tickles a few bones. None of his side-kick roles in his last few films have accorded him that opportunity.
The film has a vast cast of comic performers. But I must make special mention of Mukul Dev as an Afghani infiltrator, who gets it wrong each time. Mukul`s accent and comic timing are fodder for the funny bones.
Very rarely do we get a chance to smile about the grim reality of war. This film gives a nimble twinkle-eyed satirical slant to the scourge of war. Warm and well-packaged with intelligent performances, ‘War Chhod Na Yaar’ flounders when it abandons the human aspect to get into the nuclear zone.
Political satires are easily the most difficult genre of comedy in cinema. They have to serve up a telling lesson to self-serving politicians while providing audiences with a good laugh. We had Kunal Roy Kapur attempting one of `dose` in ‘The President Is Coming’.Political satires are easily the most difficult genre of comedy in cinema. They have to serve up a telling lesson to self-serving politicians while providing audiences with a good laugh. We had Kunal Roy Kapur attempting one of `dose` in ‘The President Is Coming’. But that`s it. Full credit to writer-director Faraz Haider for going into the war zone and emerging from the battle-scarred scenario with his sense of humour intact.
.JPG)
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