Lafangey Parindey

Pradeep Sarkar,surprised and impressed many veterans of the industry with his subtle sensibilities in "Parineeta". And after his debacle of "Laaga Chunri Mein Daag", he had to do something out of the routine to prove his mastery over the medium once again.

But after watching his latest movie, I was quite shocked and confused since it turned out to be a completely unexpectedly below average show from the talented director.

In simple words, LP proves to be the weakest film of its entire star- cast and the director, except KK and Piyush Mishra. The way a good concept has been executed on the screen is not able to convince. The script is highly predictable wherein everything keeps on happening so easily without any hassle or difficulty. And the most surprising factor is that LP lacks the real emotional depth which was in fact the forte of its director Pradeep Sarkar.

In support of my big disappointment from the movie, here are some points I would like to mention:

1. The whole film moves at the same lazy pace with no acceleration of any kind, despite of the fact that its climax is written around a famous Reality Show Finale.

2. Deepika loses her eyesight due to an accident and this serious issue of getting blind doesn't even get a single emotional scene where the truth is revealed to her. Deepika shows no repulsion from her side to her blindness and just starts practicing her skating again. It was indeed very shocking to see a serious issue of losing the eyes taken so lightly by the script writer and the director.

3. The moment Deepika accepts her disability and decides to fight back, the viewer can easily predict the complete movie till the end.

4. All the sequences wherein Deepika is being taught to learn the art of looking without her eyes are too easy to believe and digest. Besides this she also learns the tricks so fast, in just few days without any severe training given by some specialized master.

5. The reference to an ongoing reality show "India's Got Talent" remains the most ineffective part of the movie, in absence of any excitement or interesting nail biting moments. Further, the finale of the show featuring 3 guest judges,Shamaik, Juhi and Javed Jaffery is shot in such a childish way where the judges don't even get a single line to say and the couple is just assumed to be the winners. Moreover their trophy is also delivered to them by their friends in a different scene later on.

6. The computer graphics used in the accident and sound training sequence around the bells surely could have been much better in this big budget movie.

7. The movie finishes off on a very low note and leaves no impact of any kind on the viewer. Neither the audience feel emotionally connected to the characters nor they feel extremely happy for the couple on their grand win.

8. Lastly the film was highly publicized in the media as a thriller with some dare devil stunts performed by Neil and other bikers. But the stunts are hardly there and it cannot be called a thriller from any angle. Also along with its strange title, several other elements in the script like the boxing fight sequences, the underworld angle in the storyline and the characterization of Neil-Deepika's close friends remain tasteless as some half baked pieces of the cake.

Apart from these, the other two departments in which LAGANGE PARINDEY fails to impress are its performances and music. Choosing Neil as a Tapori was the biggest mistake of the casting team. Though he tries hard to look and speak like his character, but his overall personality doesn't permit you to believe that he is a tapori. Many of the readers, familiar with the Golden Years of Hindi Films would readily agree that using Neil as a tapori boy was just like using Pradeep Kumar in a role of a beggar. (The famous actor had the killer looks of a rich, millionaire person and nobody could ever imagine him in the role of a poor man.)

Deepika also tries her best to put up a good show but her over confidence clearly shows on the face which turns her otherwise OK performance into an average one. A blind girl portrayed by Deepika never gives you any signs of grief, discontentment and pain which seem to be quite superficial. Besides this, even after losing the eyesight, her fashion sense, her make-up and her body hugging outfits questionably remain intact, which the director tries to justify by giving her a close female friend.

The investigating officer & all the actors in the friend circle are good but they sadly don't get any meatier scenes to make their presence felt. So, it all comes to only KK and Piyush Mishra. But unfortunately KK is there for only 3-4 minutes and Piyush Mishra keeps coming after long painful gaps.

Musically the soundtrack is not as per the standards of a Pradeep Sarkar movie. I wonder why he didn't repeat his earlier music director Shantanu Moitra who did a nice job in both his precious movies.

Talking about the main story plot of the film, many viewers may find it similar to Rajesh hanna's "Dushmun",Gulzar's "Kinara" and more recently Anubahv Sinha's "Tum Bin".

In nutshell, the movie was indeed an unexpected letdown for me as I couldn't find Pradeep Sarkar anywhere in the film till the end. So, you can watch it if you are a fan of Neil or Deepika, but don't go for it expecting a high paced thriller from the director of "Parineeta".

The album 'Lafangey Pariendey' has seven songs written by Swanand Kirkire and composed by R.Anandh, the famous ad jingle composer.

The album opens with the song 'Lafangey Parindey' by Ronit Sarkar. The songs starts with an Arabian music and then the fast beat starts. It plays its role right as the title song. Then comes 'Man Lafanga' by Mohit Chouhan which has a soft track and is easy on ears. Mohit does his job very well. Next comes 'Dhatad Tatad' by Shail Hada and Anushka Manchanda. It is a dance music and the audience can not but stop tapping their foot with this cheerful song. After that there is a soft song 'Nain Parindey' by Shilpa Rao. Audience will feel calm hearing this song and probably it is the best song in the album. Shilpa's voice seems to have turned magical in this song. Then 'Rang Daalein' comes next by Suuraj Jagan. It is another song with hard music and the song is very youthful. Suraj does his job quite well. After that comes 'Born to fly' which is an instrumental and it is ideal for ballad dance. It has two parts. The first part has a slow, dreamy beat and the second part is a mixture of the beats of the other hard music of this album. The last song of the album is the club mix of 'Man lafanga' by Joshiley . It's first beat pleases the audience. The album will surely pass with the letter marks from the audience.

"Lafangey Parindey" is a delight to watch. No because of its two bold and beautiful lead, but because it tells a very good story of faith,survival,struggle and love in a very simple and elegant manner.

Cast wise,I can't expect more.Special mention for Deepika Padukone.This gorgeous gal is just perfect for the role of Pinky Palkar,a blind girl with big dreams,but demoralized by the unfortunate turn of events in her life. Neil Nitin Mukesh plays One Shot Nandu and does it good. Maybe his stylish clothes, neat and clean accent and fairer than fair complexion makes us question his selection for a Street Fighter role,but One Shot Nandu's inner conflict with his biggest regrets and fight to achieve redemption is beautifully portrayed by Neil. And Piyush Mishra is exceptional as always.

What separates "Lafangey Parindey" from rest is the narrative raw material has been primed to yield loads of drama, some dirty dancing and a bit of daredevilry.Pradeep Sarkar pans his camera on these gritty streets and gullies of Mumbai and tells a simple tale of two free-spirited youngsters who believe nothing is impossible.He does not get preachy or patronizing in his storytelling in spite of his story being predictable.High on emotions, the film is more of a drama but comedy and romance too have their prominence in the script.

Overall,"Lafangey Parindey" is a human tale of risk and loss, and emotional victories. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of Mumbai. Watch it for its earnest performances, real characters and sheer simplicity.

My Verdict: 8/10

Lafangey Parindey,directed by Pradeep Sarkar is boring.

The storyline is predictable.

Even otherwise the movie has nothing new to offer.

The climax is good.

Pradeep Sarkar is a letdown.

The music is good.

Performance wise-Neil Nitin Mukesh is good.Deepika Padukone is very good.Piyush Mishra is first rate.Manish Chaudhary is good.Kay Kay Menon appears in a special appearance.

Overall Lafangey Parindey,is a letdown.

You can surely tell 'Lafangey Parindey' has been passed through Sanjib Datta's editing bay one too many times. Style over substance is the norm as the whole film looks like what someone might vomit up after partially digesting Natarajan Subramanian's digitized footage. Eldridge Rodrigues' insistently fussy and grandiose production design mistakes extra-crisp textures, brilliant colors and high contrast backdrops for story atmosphere and style. Yes it's flashy as hell, but amphetamine-fueled methods do not compensate for distinct lack of substance. Sham Kaushal's action all but forces its bulky, twitching mass down your throat until you realize you haven't been entertained but assaulted.

'Lafangey Parindey' is certainly a front runner for one of the worst mainstream Bollywood releases of the year. It will try your patience and give you a throbbing headache - about all it does with any success.