Review: Hello
Adapting books for mainstream cinema is a rarity in Bollywood and more uncommon is the original author being a part of the scripting team of such films. Hello, as we all know by now, is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's best seller, One Night at the Call Centre. Surprisingly, it turns out to be a fairly decent watch and stays true to the book most of the time.
What is it all about?
The film begins with a rock star played by Salman who after a rocking performance is waiting in the airport lounge for his chopper to get repaired. He encounters a stranger (Katrina) who offers to narrate an unusual story to him on the condition that he makes it into a film. He agrees and she narrates this story of six call centre employees (Sharman, Sohail, Gul, Eesha, Amrita and Sharat Saxena) who are struggling with their individual problems and the events that unfold one night at their call centre. And how one call from GOD changes their lives forever!
While the book had the author encountering a stranger woman in the train, here it happens at an airport lounge befitting Salman's rock star stature.
Performances
Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are in special appearances so all those expecting to see the real life jodi ignite the screen with their chemistry will be in for a disappointment. While Salman has a screen time of 10 minutes (including a dance number) Katrina has a much lesser screen time of around six-seven minutes in all. Salman disappoints in terms of his looks (looks haggard with bags under his eyes) and dialogue delivery (extremely half-hearted). Katrina looks 'angelic' though.
The real star of Hello however is Sharman joshi who plays Shyam. For long we have seen this talented actor being sidelined in ensemble cast films. But in Hello he shines in his first-ever author backed role displaying various emotions with amazing ease. Sohail (playing Vroom) though entertains, is getting repetitive with his smart-ass act. It's the same Sohail you seen in Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, God Tussi Great Ho and Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na. The only scene where he gets serious and vents out his anger has turned out unintentionally funny what with those exaggerated blood-shot eyes you see in heroes of B-grade potboilers. Gul Panag does well in a bad wardrobe. Eesha is good too and so is, surprise surprise, Amrita Arora
What we liked
The lingo used in Hello is something the youth can really identify with. Some smart one-liners really make you laugh out loud. Atul Agnihotri, who made a disastrous directorial debut with Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha, shows remarkable improvement as a filmmaker. The humour in handling the scenes involving the Americans is pretty tongue-in-cheek. Atul has got his casting right and has successfully extracted good performances from them all. Some of the well turned out scenes include – Sharman and Gul's unsuccessful attempts at having sex in the backseat of their car, Sohail's phone call to Amrita's husband (Arbaaz Khan in a three-minute cameo), the energetic picturisation of the zingy dance number Karle Baby Dance Wance, Sharman's conversations with his devilish alter ego and Sharman-Sohail's desperate attempts to hear the ladies washroom conversations.
Considering the fact that the author of the book, Chetan Bhagat was involved with the scripting of the film, the narrative could have been much better. The pacing of the film is very uneven especially in the first half. Also a lot of points from the book seem to have been dropped for the sake of cinematic liberty, especially the twist in the pre-climax. The characterisation of the call centre boss, Bakshi (Dalip Tahil) has turned out to be unintentionally hilarious unlike in the book. You get Tahil in his typical anglicized avatar with that little comic touch that he has been portraying in film after film now. Also why does 'GOD' have to sound so much like the voice of 'samay' in BR Chopra's Mahabharat? The unwanted song that comes in the second half with Russian ballet dancers coming out of nowhere and flying mid-air, literally tests ones patience.
Verdict: Those who haven't read the book may find it really interesting while those who have may not really find it that bad. At least it makes a better watch than some films that are still floating around.
Source: BUzz18
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