A bad hangover that sticks for 3 unbearable long hours
Director: Rajnish Raj Thakur
Cast: Suniel Shetty, Udita Goswami, Rajpal Yadav
Rating: 0.5 / 5
You know you’re in for the worst movie of your life, when you enter the theatre and realize that you’re the only one who cared to buy the ticket for it. The lights go out and after the trailer of Alaap followed by the film’s opening sepia sequences portraying ‘Cinema’ as a personal identity. You delve deeper into your cheese popcorn and as the movie begins, you wonder if this film won’t really be as bad as you thought it would be.
But then you see Suniel Shetty with his half blonde, half brown ugly hair and acting that would give Diana Penty the Oscars, you wonder why you even hoped this film would be worth watching.
The only thing constant about Mere Dost, Picture Abhi Baaki Hain is that it is pathetic. With Suniel Shetty’s bad acting, worse hair and repelling dress code the film takes you through a journey of nothing with Udita Goswami making entries and exits so repulsive that you want to pick up your coke, walk out of the theatre and even agree to sit through ‘Teri Meri Kahaani,’ next door.
“I am so happy BRA you are here,” says an enthusiastic Rajpal Yadav dressed in orange pants that blind you and you want to keep your eyes shut and let them be till the end of the film. But I have to give it to Yadav, with the most slapstick Hinglish lines in the film, he doesn’t fail to make you go palm face, and still laugh.
The story of Mere Dost, Picture Abhi Baaki Hai goes thus:The film, traces the journey of Amar Joshi (Suniel Shetty), who runs a video library in Banaras and aspires to be a film-maker. Despite facing objection from his father (Rajiv Varma), Amar Joshi decides to sell his video library and join a film institute in London. After completing his course, he lands in Mumbai to make his film. Suraj (Rajpal Yadav), a struggling actor doing bit roles in TV serials, is Amar's only connection in Bollywood.
Amar Joshi starts his struggle to make his film by meeting various producers, who have their own take on Amar's story. After many failed attempts, he finally bumps into Monty Chadda (Rakesh Bedi), a PR guy, who decides to produce his film. They seek the help of star secretary to convince Mohini (Udita Goswami) and her starry mother Neena Gupta, who agrees to do the film.
What is sad about the film is the tight frames by cinematographer Surendra Rao, followed by completely unnecessary narration does not do much good to the ‘struggle’ tried to be shown in the life of the protagonist. Agreed, that Suniel Shetty is a film Director looking for a Producer to fund his film, which falls into the hands of the Mumbai Mafia turning the plot into a painful, 3 hour long bore. But the film gets even more annoying with terrible characters like Akhil Mishra, who can’t get his hands off his crotch, a ‘K’ factor woman, people who say, “Yahaan Heroine Ke Saath, Kahaani ka bhi rape hota hain,” and dialogues out of nowhere that go, “isne London School of Film Making se intercourse kiya hain.”
Abusive, filthy, unrealistic and pretentious, there is nothing subtle or gradual about this film.
One hour into the film, you are so bored that even Neena Gupta on screen cannot save your brain. And then you wonder why would anyone kill the ‘producer’ in the film just before the intermission – oh wait! To introduce Om Puri in the 2nd half, romancing Neena Gupta and her yellow phone-of-a-fan - another terrible directorial move. Both supporting actors here are seen delivering the worst performance of their lives possible. Om Puri as “Baig Sahab,” a story-screenplay writer, makes the life of Suniel Shetty hell and the audiences as well.
As the flop film, within the sloppier real film comes to the last hour of the nightmare, it’s like Director Rajnish Raj Thakur didn’t know what to do. So he introduced a gay scarecrow with lot of importance – Shayan Munshi, an actor who can make you venetian blind with his unmatchable looks - Shawar Ali and made Udita Goswami playing Mohini the journalist, fluttering about in hot pants and tank tops uncovering medical scams.
If only it were that easy!
The film leaves with so many unanswered questions as Suniel Shetty becomes one amongst the many spoilt stones in the industry and all those locations the film took you through – Europe and India, just make you wonder, what was the whole damn point?
Producer Narendra Singh should have definitely known better, because this film is nothing but plain torture and “Mere Dost, Picture Abhi Baaki Hai” is so abrupt that it unquestionably makes it to the worst film I’ve ever seen. But then again there are also those really bad, Jaani Dushman and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom ones as well.
Nevermind!