Chicken run

Tere Bin Laden

Cast Ali Zafar, Pradhuman Singh, Sugandha Garg, Rahul Singh

Director Abhishek Sharma

Rating G

Few films are free from melodrama, violence or near-the-knuckle scenes. In this respect, director Abhishek Sharma's Tere Bin Laden is a refreshing out-of-the-box satire that keeps you in splits from the start. The movie is about a young TV journalist (played by Pakistani singer Ali Zafar) who is desperate to get out of his routine of covering run-of-the-mill stories in Pakistan and make it big in the US of A. But he has already been deported once from the US and his US visa application gets rejected several times. He even goes to a dubious travel agent who asks him to cough up Rs2 lakhs for the visa. Zafar doesn't have the money, but hits the jackpot in chicken farmer Noora (Pradhuman Singh) who he discovers bears an uncanny resemblance to Osama Bin Laden. Zafar decides to make a video of the Osama lookalike, and a neat profit in the bargain. However, the con trick has an unexpected effect. But will this have an impact on his American dream?

The Pakistani singer cuts the mustard on his acting debut, while Pradhuman Singh puts in an earnest effort. His Arabic delivery, in particular, is hilarious.

The movie was shot in India but the sets give it an authentic Pakistani look.

The role of Zafar's team in pulling off the ruse is commendable. Though lightweights in the Bollywood film industry, his make-up artist Sugandha Garg, cameraman friend Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, radio DJ and good mimic Rahul Singh and Arabic editor Chirag Vohra provide impressive support.

The soundtrack has a quick tempo; particularly striking areI Love Amreeka and Ullu da Pattha