Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Bor Bou KhelaManas (Rahul),a young man gets into fisticuffs at an interview,is bashed up and thrown out. Another interview candidate,Niharika,(Priyanka) saves him and the two get friendly. Both are desperately in need of jobs. Manas tells her that there is a job in a village school where they can both get in provided they pretend to be husband and wife. After much persuasion,Niharika agrees as it is the only way for her to repay the loan her self-designated fiancé lent her for her late fathers illness. The couple lands at the home of Damodar (Tapas Pal) the village landlord and his wife (Kamalika) who welcomes them with open arms taking them to be husband and wife. But Niharika,a Christian,is compelled to follow the rituals of a Hindu wife forced on her by the landlords sweet-and-syrupy wife. Eventually Niharika and Manas fall in love and everything ends happily ever after when Damodar gets them actually married.
Technical Expertise
The trouble with Bor Bou Khela is traced back to three people putting their heads together to write a wobbly script that transforms what could have been a hilarious comedy to a disaster. A frothy comedy allows space for throwing logic out of the window,true. But to have teachers join a school that does not exist except in a song sequence is asking the audience to stretch its imagination too much. The focus is on Manas and Niharika trying to hide the fact that they are not a married couple. This had abundant potential for fun but it simply fails to happen. The sketchy characterisation,the extremely weak script,an unimaginative musical score and badly choreographed song sequences mar the film. Niharikas rubbing in of her Christian identity jars with the comic theme. What makes her wander around the gardens in skimpy dresses while she is very sedately dressed otherwise no one knows. Why she draws a salary more than Manas is also a mystery. Tapas Pal should have picked his wig with care and Kamalika could have cut down on her soppy sentimentality. Some dialogues and scenes are clearly censorable for a film with a U certificate. The Hindi remake of the very popular Bengali film Manmoyee Girls School was called Miss Mary (1957) starring Meena Kumari in the title role opposite Kishore Kumar in one of her rare appearances in a comedy. It was a big box-office hit. The film was directed by L.V. Prasad and had music by Hemant Kumar who gave us some memorable song numbers. Sadly,with twenty people in the balcony and none in the stalls,Bor Bou Khela is a big flop.
RATING:
A single star for the good performances by the cast.
