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By Taran
Adarsh, December 21, 2007 - 15:06 IST
 Welcome
to the crazy, mad, funny, outlandish, outrageous, zany
world of WELCOME, directed by Anees Bazmee, who gave
us the rib-tickling NO ENTRY. Bazmee is a veteran when
it comes to leave-your-brains-at-home comic capers,
having penned and helmed non-stop laughathons in the
past.
The question is, does WELCOME make you break into
guffaws? The question is, does WELCOME measure up to
the mammoth expectations surrounding it? The question
is, will WELCOME be as big a hit as NO ENTRY?
WELCOME follows the same path as David Dhawan and
Priyadarshan movies. The mantra is simple: Lock your
brains at home, throw your worries out of the window
for the next 2 hours and get ready to embrace a world
where logic and sense have no place… In short, WELCOME
remains faithful to the genre from start to end.
Bazmee borrows a bit from the likable Hugh Grant
starrer MICKEY BLUE EYES [also bears an uncanny
resemblance to SHAADI SE PEHLE] and adds loads of
Indian masala to make the proceedings spicy and tangy.
Lo and behold! WELCOME succeeds in tickling your funny
bone at most places. The humour is basic and even
absurd, but it works well in a film like this.
To cut a long story short, WELCOME is one of those
entertainers that deliver what it promises: Funny
sequences, super performances and loads and loads of
laughter. Without doubt, WELCOME will be welcomed with
open arms by the aam junta!
Uday Shetty [Nana Patekar], Majnu [Anil Kapoor] and
their boss, Sikander [Feroz Khan], are basically three
Hong Kong-based serio-comic mobsters, who are keen to
get Uday’s sister Sanjana [Katrina Kaif] married into
a respectable family.
Uday, who accidentally meets the handsome bachelor
Rajiv [Akshay Kumar], gets convinced that the latter
would be an appropriate match for Sanjana. Meanwhile,
Sanjana, who is totally unaware of her brother’s
plans, also meets Rajiv separately and they fall in
love. She has the acceptance of Dr. Ghunghroo [Paresh
Rawal], Rajiv’s uncle, who is unaware of the fact that
she is Uday’s sister.
When Dr. Ghunghroo realizes his faux pas, he decides
against the marriage. The entire plot takes a U-turn
when a stunning bombshell [Mallika Sherawat] arrives
on the scene and claims to be Rajiv’s wedded wife,
which only adds to the hullabaloo and chaos.
 You
realize you won’t need your thinking caps at the very
outset. Note the introductory sequences of Nana
Patekar, Paresh Rawal and Anil Kapoor. They set the
mood of the film. Also, the first hour has several
humorous moments and you enjoy the one-liners that the
characters keep delivering every now and then.
The director makes sure to open three more surprises
in the post-interval hour -- Feroz Khan, Mallika
Sherawat and Vijay Raaz, who is introduced in the
first half, but gets scope only in the second half.
The sequences between Nana and Mallika and also
between Anil and Mallika are truly funny. Also, the
marathon portion at the funeral is sure to bring the
house down.
Of course, there’re loose ends. The pace dips in the
second hour, a few jokes seem repetitive and
therefore, don’t evoke the required mirth. Also, the
music could’ve been better. Only two songs come easy
on your lip [the ones that are promoted], but the
chartbusting quality is missing.
Bazmee’s direction does justice to the material. The
director and his team of writers [Rajiv Kaul, Praful
Parekh] don’t deviate from the core issue and pack the
script with inane stuff, but the impact is so funny
that you break into a hysterical laughter at places.
The Kaul and Parekh jodi, known for writing a number
of David Dhawan and Indra Kumar films in the past, are
back in true form after a long time.
As mentioned earlier, the music is a mixed bag. ‘Uncha
Lamba Kadh’ and ‘Tera Sarafa’ [Anand Raaj Anand] are
the best tracks of the enterprise and the choreography
of these numbers take them further, but the remaining
songs are below average. Dialogues are laced with wit
and enjoyable, especially those delivered by Nana,
Paresh and Anil. Sanjay F. Gupta’s cinematography is
striking. The locales of Dubai and South Africa give
the film a grandiose look. The effects [especially in
the climax -- the house collapse sequence] are tacky.
Although WELCOME boasts of a formidable star cast and
every actor handles his/her part with effortless ease,
the one who registers the maximum impact is Nana
Patekar. Nana is in terrific form, the real
scene-stealer. It’s a treat to watch this accomplished
actor essay a role that’s in stark contrast to the
ones he’s known for [intense, hard-hitting
characters]. His comic timing is fantastic!
 Akshay
is equally competent. He looks every inch the
seedha-saadha guy, who is torn between his lady love
on one hand and the two factions [Paresh versus Nana,
Anil & Co.] on the other. This film should find a
prominent place in his repertoire.
Anil Kapoor comes up with yet another dhamaka. The
actor compliments Nana beautifully and handles his
role with precision. Paresh Rawal is superb yet again.
He continues to make people laugh, even though he has
consistently starred in umpteen funny movies.
Although the meatier scenes are reserved for the men,
there’s no denying that Katrina gives her role the
freshness that it demands. Also, she looks bewitching.
Mallika Sherawat is electrifying. Although she makes
an appearance in the second half, the confidence with
which she carries her part is what works in her favour.
Feroz Khan is in form. Vijay Raaz is first-rate yet
again. Supriya Karnik, Snehal Dhabi, Adi Irani,
Mushtaq Khan and Sherveer Vakil are adequate. Suniel
Shetty is there for a scene only; he’s okay.
On the whole, WELCOME is a fun ride all the way. The
tremendous hype for the film has resulted in a
tremendous start at the ticket window and the 5-day
weekend as also the lack of biggies in the subsequent
weeks will help WELCOME reach the ‘Smash Hit’ status
in days to come.
Rating:- *
* * *
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