On track

Talpade and Menon make Aage Se Right a fun ride, writes Sneha May Francis.

Aage se right
Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Mahie Gill, Kay Kay Menon
Director: Indrajit Nattoji
Rating: G

Cheesy romances lure new filmmakers as they are almost always guaranteed a safe run at the box office, but Indrajit Nattoji skipped the tried-and-tested route and has decided to tickle his audiences instead. This, his first venture, takes the right 'fun' path, but lacks the finesse to be branded exceptional.

Dinkar Waghmare (Talpade) is a reluctant cop who is forced to go down the policing path by his boisterous mom (Bharti Achrekar) who wants him to take on his dead dad's career. Despite moving away from home, his mother's strict talk continues to haunt him, prompting him to take the right direction in life. Though Dinkar attempts to work honestly, it's his absent-mindedness that leads a rowdy gang to steal his gun. What follows is a crazy hunt for the missing gun.

Apart from Dinkar, we are also introduced to the grim Balma Rashidul Khan (Menon), who is sent to Mumbai on a terror mission. His aide Raghav (Vijay Maurya), an underworld smuggler, is ordered to help him complete his task. However, Khan loses focus after being smitten by the gorgeous Pearl (Shehnaz Treasurywala), a singer at the local bar. And what follows is the transformation of the gloomy, Urdu-speaking Khan into a poetic alter ego that's hard to recognise.

Talpade excels as the lost Dinkar boy. He's a comic genius and instantly makes us warm to his character. Menon is another talented actor who treats Janu Bhai with the right amount of craziness. His tapoori (Mumbai lingo) lessons with the gifted Maurya are comic gold. The duo complement each other and tickle us silly with their eccentric jaunts.

Gill gives Dinkar's dream girl a neat twist, effortlessly taking on the role of a loud, aggressive TV reporter.

Treasurywala has very little to work with, she just looks dreamily into Janu Bhai's eyes, but effectively nonetheless.

I wouldn't call this the best comedy ever, but there's a certain amount of simplicity in the narration that makes it enjoyable. So go on, give this one a go!