Cast: Ajay Devgn,Konkona Sen Sharma,Paresh Rawal,Satish Kaushik
Director: Ashwani Dhir
Rating: **
Weve all suffered guests who outstay their welcome. But when Ashwani Dhir tries to make a two-hour comedy out of a one-line situation,he runs into a problem that a three- member family has no answers to : there are not enough characters to spread the laughs over,not even when the aforementioned ‘atithi is the redoubtable Paresh Rawal.
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Puneet ( Devgn) is a script-writer hard-pressed for imagination and time. His brains get further fried when an old ‘chachaji ( Rawal) arrives from the village,claiming close ties with Puneets family. He settles down like hes never going to leave,ousting Puneet and wife Munmun ( Sen Sharma) from their bedroom,using up all Munmuns fragrant soaps,and breaking into noisy wind whenever the script demands it,which it does every few minutes,requiring poor Munmuns room fresheners to be in constant use.
But theres nothing fresh about Dhirs film,which employs tired characters ( Satish Kaushik playing a bejeweled film producer who keeps saying ‘jai mata di,for instance),and even more tiresome clichés. Theres not much you can do with a plot which uses a string of noisy farts as a leit-motif,not even a couple who tries to be lived-in : both Devgn and Sen Sharma pull off being married,with an offspring,by bickering well. But neither is given enough to do,the whole focus being Rawal,who is kept very busy not being as funny as he can be. Misplaced emotion is stuffed in here and there,derailing the comic momentum.
The best part about ‘Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge is that it doesnt have any lewd jokes,so children can blamelessly be taken along,if you want to settle on a ‘clean comedy this weekend. Dont forget to hold your nose,though.
shubhra.gupta@expressindia.com
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