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By Taran
Adarsh, March 28, 2008 - 12:48 IST
 Of
late, the trend is to make entertainers that don't tax
the viewers' brains. The mantra is simple: Plonk
yourself on the cushy seat, munch popcorn, sip cola
and enjoy the on-screen antics. Just don't ask
questions. Just don't look for logic. No-brainer
comedies are what the doctor ordered to keep the
industry's heart live and ticking.
ONE TWO THREE, helmed by debutante Ashwani Dhir,
follows the rules faithfully. But…
Like most films of its ilk, ONE TWO THREE rests on a
waferthin plot. No issues with that, but after a point
you don't react to the on-screen jhamela. Substituting
a cohesive script with witty one-liners and funny
situations has never been the shortcut to success and
never will be.
Besides, the masti-mazaak works at times, but falls
flat on several occasions. The on-screen characters
try their level best to tickle your funny bone, to
evoke mirth, but the viewer sits motionless and
expressionless like a mannequin.
Comedy is serious business and Ashwani Dhir has proved
his skills in the past [he had penned the immensely
likeable OFFICE OFFICE], but cinema is a different
medium altogether. Sure, Dhir has worked hard on
wit-laden dialogues and individualistic sequences, but
how one wishes he would've worked on presenting a
tighter script.
It's like promising a sumptuous meal, but being
offered just starters. The main course is conveniently
forgotten!
Diamonds belonging to a Don [Manoj Pahwa] get stolen.
The diamonds accidentally fall in the hands of Chandu
[Upen Patel] and Chandni [Tanishaa], who hide them in
a car. Papa [Mukesh Tiwari] and his henchmen [Vrajesh
Hirjee and Sanjay Mishra] are desperately hunting for
the diamonds, while hot headed police office Mayavati
Chautala [Neetu Chandra] is on the prowl looking for
offenders of any kind.
Enter the first Laxmi Narayan [Tusshar Kapoor]. He's
from a khandani mafia family and his mother prays that
with a few murders under his belt, he will be settled
for life. He's got a final chance to redeem himself as
a Bhai. He comes to Hotel Blue Diamond because he's
taken a supari to bump off Papa.
 Enter
the second Laxmi Narayan [Suniel Shetty]. He is sent
to Hotel Blue Diamond to collect a new car for his
boss from Laila [Sameera Reddy]. The third Laxmi
Narayan [Paresh Rawal] is a hawker who has made so
much money selling under-garments on the footpath that
he has set up a lingerie factory now. His son sends
him to Hotel Blue Diamond to collect lingerie samples
from upcoming designer Jiya [Esha Deol].
The three Laxmi Narayans are at the same place, at the
same time. They get letters and photographs meant for
the other. The first Laxmi Narayan gets lingerie
designer Jiya's photo and goes to kill her, only to
end up falling in love with her. The second Laxmi
Narayan gets Papa's photo and goes to collect the car
from him, only to be mistaken for a killer and gets
beaten black and blue. The third Laxmi Narayan gets
Laila's photo and asks her to show him the
under-garments, only to be branded an old pervert.
Meanwhile, Chandu and Chandni are determined to stop
anybody from buying the car where they have hidden the
diamonds.
Lock your brains at home when you watch this movie,
for ONE TWO THREE, like its predecessors, is more of a
stress buster than anything else. Unfortunately, the
absence of a strong screenplay evokes mixed reactions.
You do laugh when you're supposed to laugh, but even
those jokes are forgotten as you breeze out of the
cineplex. You don't carry the story, the film, the
gags and punches, the witty one-liners with you at the
end of the show.
Ashwani Dhir is a far more accomplished dialogue
writer than a screenplay writer. Directorially, the
choice of actors is right and a few scenes are well
canned. Raghav Sachar's music disappoints. Barring the
title track, the remaining numbers are forgettable.
Cinematography is inconsistent. It looks like a
hurried job at times.
 The
film has a number of characters, but the one who
actually makes you laugh the maximum is Sanjay Mishra,
who impersonates the yesteryear villain Jeevan to
perfection. Suniel Shetty too has his moments, but his
'Left-Right' dialogues, in scene after scene, tend to
get monotonous. Tusshar does a decent job. Paresh
Rawal is okay, but not the scene stealer -- something
you've started expecting from him.
The girls enact their parts mechanically. The
performances are in this order -- Sameera Reddy
[okay], Esha [dull], Tanishaa [no scope] and Neetu
Chandra [loud]. Manoj Pahwa excels. Mukesh Tiwari is
alright. Ditto for Vrajesh Hirjee. And what is Upen
Patel doing in this film? Murli Sharma doesn't deliver
this time.
On the whole, ONE TWO THREE falls below the ordinary
mark. At the box-office, don't expect much!
Rating:- * 1/2
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