Knotty Jatts

Writer: Naresh Kathooria

Actors: Neeru Bajwa,Binnu Dhillon,Roshan Prince,Aarya Babbar

Ratings: **

It was supposed to be a record breaking premier. As many as five multiplexes were booked on Thursday and invites (in the form of credit cards) were sent out to a guest list of 1,100. F&B services from the hotel management institute swung into action and the red carpet rolled out to greet celebrities from Punjabi entertainment industry. Naughty Jatts was being sold as the film of the year. Once we took our seat and braced ourselves for a round of comedy,the film proved to be what we feared,a bummer.

In this,Padosan meets There’s Something About Mary meets Saajan meets utter nonsense,three Jatts vie for the attention of one Jatti,Simi Khaira (Neeru Bajwa). While collegemates Rocky Deol (a beefed up Aarya Babbar) and Lally (Binnu Dhillon) squabble like teenagers over Simi,BD aka Balwinder Deol (Roshan Prince),admires her from the shadows. Simi,on the other hand,aspires to be a singer and marry one too. She finds opposition in her father,retired Col Khaira (BN Sharma),who brandishes his gun at the slightest of tomfoolery. A reasonably sound plot,it loses focus with lazy writing,predictable characters and been there done that situations.

Babbar as Rocky is flat and unimpressive. He really should experiment with other genres. Where Prince’s talent as an actor is wasted,his voice infuses life into the songs. But the star of the film is Binnu Dhillon. He,along with his sidekick Karamjeet Anmol lend a pace to the film,especially post interval. It’s unique to Punjabi cinema that a comedian has the ability to carry a film on his shoulders,and hence it was no surprise when his name rolled first,after Bajwa’s of course,in the credits. The Dhillon-Anmol-Sharma team is the reason for this film to run,if it does.

If only director Batra did not get swayed by the formula and pushed Kathooria to pen a tighter and smarter script and screenplay,the film could have been better. There are so many loopholes in the film that one can shoot balls through them. Take,for instance,Simi. She is out of tune,is never shown learning music,and suddenly reaches the finale of Bulun Awaz Punjab Di contest and sings like a nightingale. Prince,who in the film,is in love with the actor Neeru Bajwa,easily falls for Simi,who is shown to bear striking resemblance to the star. There is no correlation as to why Bajwa appears as a celebrity first and then Simi comes along. For once,we’d like the makers to gag the gags and work on a cohesive and sensible script.