Tara Rum Pum

Race car ace Rajvir Singh aka RV Saif collects millions of dollars winning circuits all over America. Pretty wife Radhika Rani cheers him from the stands. So do his two cute kiddos. Till one day his flame red steed turns turtle, and throws his picture-perfect life into a tizzy.

There8217;s enough in this for Yashraj Films to have come up with a sweet summer confection. And to that end, all endeavour is joined. Pre-marriage and kids, Rani wears tiny bustiers, tinier skirts and a ringletty wig the last is hideous, but who cares, it8217;s Rani. Saif8217;s let-tomorrow-take-care-of-itself-I-only-live-for-today hero is a novelty for Bollywood8217;s straight-laced men. The kids are not, thank the lord, too precious. There8217;s even a lovable shaggy dog. And Javed Jaaferi, as bonus.

But Tara Rum Pum8217;s fatal flaw, of looking and feeling exactly like a Yashraj film, works against it. It8217;s a luck of the draw: if you put your stamp on all films coming out of your studios, some of them will drown in sameness. As well as blatant lifting. A scene from Hollywood8217;s Cinderella Man is stolen almost exactly, when RV is made to beg for alms from bad bald Billy Bhatia, race car team owner. As well as the central 8220;it8217;s only a game8221; conceit from Roberto Benigni8217;s Life Is Beautiful, when RV and Radhika get to tell the kids that hey, the bad times are not for real, its only a reality show. Duh.

Siddharth Anand made the enjoyable Salaam Namaste, which advocated don8217;t-get-married-be happy, and a liberal display of red CK briefs. For cowardly Bollywood, which still does pre-marital sex gingerly, it had delicious shock value. Here the director, aided by producer Aditya Chopra who gives him a cartoon song full of cheery bears, goes for don8217;t-worry-be-happy. Even the family8217;s brief flirtation with being 8216;poor8217; has silver linings showing through the designer-grunge of their Bronx apartment: one morning the taps run dry, so what do they do? Put their swimming costumes on, and take a dunk in the neighbourhood fountain, singing a song, that8217;s what.

Everybody needs a plot, even Yashraj. Give us a break from New York, it8217;s so K Jo. Leave cogging to those who can8217;t do without it. And make new.

Take the kids, though. They can watch, while you attack the popcorn.