Nautanki Saala

I was looking forward to Nautanki Saala. One, the trailers looked good and two, it is `aysuhman Khurana’s second movie after the superb Vicky Donor. Unfortunatley, the movie does not live up to the promise showen in the promos though Aushmann doesn’t diappooint

Ram is a successful actor (going by the money he spends in the movie) in a Ramayan production where he plays Ravan.  He saves a stranger, Mandar Lele from commiting suicinde and then proceeds to rehabilitate him by  mollycoddling him and building his confidence and even getting him the lead role of Ram in the play. It turns out,  Mandar was depressed because his girlfriend Nandini had ditched him. So Ram, the do gooder, tries to get them back together and falls in love with her in the process. The rest of the movie is about detangling the knots.

The story is promising and set against the colourful backdrop of the Ramayan play held a lot of potential. However, poor editing is the culprit in its downfall. There are too many unnecessary scenes and long dialogues and they drag the pace down. Also, because of this, the movie starts meandering and losing pace and you start wondering what the whole point is.

The other problem is the zero chemistry between Ram and Nandini. Ram has a very spunky attractive girlfriend when the movie begins and why he would fall for the passive Nandini over that girlfriend is incomprehensible. In a romantic comedy if the romance does not work, it is not a good thing for the well being of the film.

In its favour, the movie has a couple of totally hilarious scenes and sudden laughs that catch you by surprise and have you in splits. There are also a few characters like the Malyali receptionist in the hospital who crack you up. The sets and costumes of the Ramayan are awesome and make the film visually very interesting. The music is pretty good and lifts your spirits considerably. The best part of the movie is the last scene, which is absolutely a killer.

Ayushmann does a good job of holding the movie together though he tends to be a bit too clever at times and that mars his easy going, natural self. For me, the scene-stealer is Kunaal Roy Kapur as the suicidal Mandar. He is cute, vulnerable and very funny. Pooja Salvi as Nandini is the one person who pulls the acting averages down totally. She is vapid, and expressionless and acts so dumb its unbelievable. She has beautiful big eyes and she uses them to no effect absolutely. She is the reason the romance falls flat. A case of bad casting or bad direction.

The movie is only 2 hours long, but can seem longer in the draggy parts. However it’s not bad for an aimless Saturday evening. The laughs when they come are genuinely funny, but you will need some patience. The nautanki is not nautanki enough to make it a full house. Buy the cheaper tickets and you will be happy.

When a 2 hour film feels like a 3 hour film you know there is a problem somewhere.  Nautanki Saala is one of those films which tries hard to impress but manages to do it only in parts.

Ram Parmar ( Ayushmann Khurrana) is do gooder at heart  and with the kind of money he has he is one of those rare species of a theatre actor/director who is very successful financially.  One night Mandar Lele ( Kunaal Roy Kapur) who is attempting a suicide is saved by Ram after which he takes it upon himself to set his life right.

In an attempt to get his ex girlfriend Nandini ( Pooja Salvi) back Ram falls in love with her leading to some more nautanki.

Since the premise is so unexciting and wafer thin you wonder what got Rohan Sippy so excited about the French film Après Vous to adapt it in Hindi. If you watch the trailer of the original you might wonder the same.

Rohan Sippy changes the restaurant setting from the original to a theatre staging a play called Raavan Leela in which Ayushmann plays Raavan. Alas, the setting is not utilized for the madness nautanki that was expected in a rom com like this. In fact towards the end the film shifts gear into becoming a drama which looks so out of place.

The film has it’s funny moments like Ayushmann’s scene at the hospital with the Malayalee nurse or Kunal Roy Kapur’s audition. There is also an almost real time kiss between Ayushmann and Pooja Salvi. It’s so long that I see its potential of becoming a viral clip on several Indian porn sites. It will be playing at a mobile near you soon.

Ayushmann is in the same mould as his Vicky Donor act but still is watchable on screen. It is Kunaal Roy Kapur who is the high point of the film. He impresses with his understated performance. His was a role that could have been played over the top by an actor working with some other director. Pooja Salvi is the weakest casting in the film and is the reason why the premise doesn’t hold weight. Gaelyn Mendonca who plays Ayushmann’s girl friend comes across much more appealing and confident than the lead.

Word of mouth – not enough nautanki saala

Rating - *** (SO-SO)

Ticket Meter – worth 150 bucks

'Dum Maaro Dum', 'Bluffmaster', 'Taxi No. 9211' – one associates something good with these movies and hence sets a decent expectation level about the upcoming film from the same banner (Rohan/ Ramesh Sippy). But sadly, 'Nautanki Saala' fails to deliver in every aspect that won praises for these flicks earlier. Slow pace, lose track, ordinary cinematography, a missing story line – are few of the loopholes of this flick to say the least. If the music was promising, it wasn’t used wisely (a couple of songs in the first half, and the remaining ones in the last thirty minutes clearly highlights the below–average planning involved with the film). The 2 lead actors (Ayushmaan & Kunal) tried their best to give justice to their roles but the poor script crumbled their efforts. This film can surely be avoided. To say the least, Nautanki Saala = Bhak Sala !!!

Nautanki sala is no extraordinaire like Aayushman's debut 'Vicky donor' but its a good watch anyway. Kunal Roy kapoor plays a "wounded in love" character-Mandar so much so he tries to commit suicide in a roadside but the hero R.P played by aayushman khurana saves his life.Since RP has saved mandar's life ,RP is to take care of him and so he does.In a funny scene when RP goes to meet mandar's nani in Pune ,she says"mere Mandar to kuch kaam nahi aata,isiliye usse to actor hi banna chahiye".RP plays Ravaan in a superhit play show which is a mass hit with the people. RP with his indulgence gives the role of raam in his play to Mandar.This is actually where the real fun of "Nautanki sala" begins.Indeed the 1st half gives us genuine laughs and is highly entertaining. Its the 2nd half where the entire problem for nautanki sala begins.Undoubtedly,there is too much of "emotional attyachar" here. RP falls in love with Mandar's love nandini when his intention aws patching nadini and mandar. Yes,then are heart breaks and what not.Phew.. atleast this stops with when nautanki sala's novelty"as to who gets whom?".The highlights of nautanki sala were indeed the performances of Aayushman and kunal roy kapoor .Aayushman's screen presence is just superb and indeed his kissing scene is surely the most passionate one you've seen lately.Kunal roy kapoor is fabulous with his comic timing and does full justice to his role.Yes,then there are issues too.The start for itself,to see a person trying to commit suicide by hanging himself in a tree near roadside is so vague.Yes and all the confusion in the 2nd half adds to the woe. But I suggest you to watch nautanki sala anyways because its an entertaining film and has a sweet heart.I am going with a 3 out of 5 for Rohan sippy's nautanki sala .Give it a watch!! I'm sure it wont dissapoint.

was looking forward to Nautanki Saala. One, the trailers looked good and two, it is `aysuhman Khurana’s second movie after the superb Vicky Donor. Unfortunatley, the movie does not live up to the promise showen in the promos though Aushmann doesn’t diappooint Ram is a successful actor (going by the money he spends in the movie) in a Ramayan production where he plays Ravan. He saves a stranger, Mandar Lele from commiting suicinde and then proceeds to rehabilitate him by mollycoddling him and building his confidence and even getting him the lead role of Ram in the play. It turns out, Mandar was depressed because his girlfriend Nandini had ditched him. So Ram, the do gooder, tries to get them back together and falls in love with her in the process. The rest of the movie is about detangling the knots.