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By Taran
Adarsh, June 13, 2008 - 11:29 IST
 The
name Priyadarshan is synonymous with comic fares. It
instantaneously conjures up images of several
entertaining films he has attempted over the years.
Naturally, you expect his new outing MERE BAAP PEHLE
AAP to be a joyride as well. Even the promos of the
film, beamed round the clock on TV, give an
impression that it's a laugh-riot.
Sure, MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP has its share of light
moments that make you chuckle, even break into
laughter, but it's not a laughathon from start to
end. From the interval point onwards, right till the
finale, the focus shifts to drama, making the
goings-on serious at times.
One factor that goes against the film is its length.
The concept is truly novel -- for the Hindi screen
at least -- but how one wishes Priyan would've
controlled its length. Movies of 2 to 2.15 hours
duration are fine, but 2.40 hours [add to it the
promos of new films, plus interval makes it a 3-hour
outing] is strictly no-no in today's times. Priyan
should've brought down the length for sure!
Despite hiccups, MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP has endearing
moments that work to its advantage. In a nutshell,
it had the potential to rise to the level of GARAM
MASALA, BHAGAM BHAG and BHOOL BHULAIYA, but it
eventually ends up being an average fare!
Janaradhan [Paresh Rawal] has spent his life
bringing up his two kids, Chirag [Manoj Joshi] and
Gaurav [Akshaye Khanna]. Now when the duo has grown
up, Gaurav takes up the responsibility of his
father. They both manage the household chores and
their business to the best of their abilities.
Though he is the younger son, he treats his father
like his son. Gaurav shouts, threatens, fights, even
locks up his father occasionally so that his
prankster-friend Madhav [Om Puri], who is desperate
to get married, does not spoil him.
Madhav and Janaradhan, who are always in search of a
bride for Madhav, forever land up in trouble and
every time Gaurav has to bail them out and face the
embarrassment.
Gaurav starts getting prank calls from a girl who
turns out to be his old college friend Shikha [Genelia
D'Souza]. Shikha is staying with her guardian
Anuradha [Shobhana], who happens to be Janardhan's
first love.
Gaurav and Shikha notice changes in Janaradhan and
Anuradha's behaviors when they come face to face
after many years. They come to know about their
past. Now Gaurav wants his father to get married to
his lost love. Of course, the path is not so smooth,
there are obstacles.
MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP begins really well. Om Puri's
roving eye, Paresh Rawal's timid nature, Om and
Paresh's encounter with lady cop Archana Puransingh
-- the sequences are truly very enjoyable. But
Genelia's constant calls to Akshaye, though meant to
be equally interesting, fall flat; they hardly evoke
any mirth.
The twist in the tale -- when Paresh spots Shobhana
-- increases your anxiety and you look forward to a
gripping tale in the second hour. But it's a mixed
bag again. Agreed, people may scoff at the idea of a
60 + man wanting to get married, even though his son
[of marriageable age] is a bachelor, but it could've
been presented more convincingly. Here, the writer
is at fault. The Naseeruddin Shah track in the
finale is fine, but his bowing down to Akshaye in a
fraction of a minute is difficult to digest.
 Directorially,
Priyan knows the craft well, no two opinions on
that, but he needs to judiciously trim the film by
at least 30 minutes for a stronger impact.
Vidyasagar's music is a major disappointment.
Barring the title track, which runs on the end
credits, the other tracks are strictly okay. Piyush
Shah's cinematography is excellent and the stunning
locales of Kerala act as icing on the cake.
Dialogues deserve special mention. Some of the lines
are truly well penned. Editing is the weakest link
of the enterprise.
Both Akshaye and Paresh live their roles, though
there's a possibility that a section of the audience
may not really like the son bossing over his father.
Acting-wise, Akshaye is, as always, very much with
the character, essaying his part with incredible
ease. Paresh gets a solid role yet again and he
sinks his teeth into it. Again, a job well done!
Genelia looks fresh and pairs off well with Akshaye.
She leaves a mark. Om Puri is lovable and a major
asset for this movie. Archana Puransingh is
excellent. Rajpal Yadav is wasted. Ditto for the
powerhouse of talent, Shobhana. She deserved a
better deal. Manoj Joshi is fair. Naseeruddin Shah
is effective, as always.
On the whole, MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP is enjoyable in
parts -- an entertaining first hour, a
not-too-entertaining second hour. At the box-office,
it's at best an average fare. However, the prospects
should improve if the makers trim the film from 2.40
hours to 2.10 hours.
Rating * * 1/2
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