De Taali

Two boys, two girls, one father, one dog, and Bangkok. In his latest, E Niwas rips off his own ‘Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’, which had roughly the same plot, minus the tedium.

Aftab is Rich Boy. Ayesha is Average Girl. Riteish is Pal. They hang out, get this, in a tree-house, adorned by their eighth grade pictures, and lines like : where is the loo? Yes, they look of age, but act severely under : the first (in suits and hangdog expression) doesn’t want to work in daddy’s company, the second (in jump suits and jeans) doesn’t know she is in love with the first, and all the third (in tees and bhangra moves) does is to aim the first and the second at each other. The fourth (Rimi) is the fly in the ointment. And, oh yes, Daddy (Anupam) spends all his time talking to a shaggy dog.

There’s a kidnapping, which involves lots of screaming and shouting by the kidnapee, especially when she is threatened with, ha ha, a DVD of Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Aag’ (E Niwas was one of RGV’s blue-eyed boys before they fell out). Pawan Malhotra and Saurabh Shukhla, in tiny parts, are sorely wasted. The end comes not a moment too soon.

shubhra.gupta@gmail.com