Another Delhi Belly story

Film: Fukrey

Director: Mrighdeep Singh Lamba

After the oblivious Teen They Bhai, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba returns with his new comedy, which thankfully is a step up from the previous venture. Good while it lasts, Fukrey is a film of the present and for the present.

The film is set in Delhi, where two class 12th students (Hunny and Chucha), a correspondence college student (Lali), and a struggling musician (Zafar) are all in need of some easy money to set things straight in their lives. Fate brings the four together at a college gate where they decide to give Hunny's fool-proof plan of winning the lottery a chance.

Hunny and Chucha are a duo with a lot of luck in winning lotteries. Chucha dreams in his sleep, Hunny interprets the dream to pick a lottery ticket and it always works. But this time, things don't go the way they had planned and the group get tangled with the underbelly of the city, led by Bholi Panjaban (Richa Chadda).

The similarities of the plot structure to Delhi Belly are uncanny - a group of young boys making the wrong judgment calls and landing in trouble. Having said that, Delhi Belly carved the path for more films to be made in its genre. However, what sets Fukrey apart from its obvious predecessor is its innocence. Not only the characters, but the storytelling in the tools also reflects a certain sense of genuine innocence.

It has enough sense of humour for a comedy and most of the work is done by Vipul Vig's dialogues which never stand out of the bigger picture. Always playing to the premise, laughter is generated by the natural reactions of the characters to each other's actions. It is the dialogues that reveal a lot about a character's background and makes you feel for them.

In a scene where Chucha is being chased by two goons, he calls his friend to come get him and also to get a bottle of 'Campa Cola' - that never gets old. But, nearly one hour into the film, you start to feel a little disappointed as the humour begins to limit itself rather than living up to its potential.

As far as the actors are concerned, newcomer Varun Sharma in his role as Chucha is simply adorable. Pulkit Sharma (Hunny) is the dude with a Salman like aura and does his part well. Manjot Singh as Lali too is a character you would love to have as a friend. Ali Fazal does a fair job apart from making young girls keep their eyes glued to the screen. Priya Anand has very little screen time but her expressions in the balcony sequences could take a roadside romeo's heart for a spin. The pick of the lot is Pankaj Tripathi who plays Pandit, the college watchman with a secret, eventful life. Richa Chadda plays to her strengths and her character of Bholi Panjaban, sadly, is nothing more than an urban rendition of Nagma Khatoon.

Fukrey, in totality, is a half-decent comedy. It will make you laugh at regular intervals and give you some great scenes to discuss over coffee after the film, but it is no classic that will never be forgotten. If you want an advice, be a fukra and watch it if your friend is paying for the ticket.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Published in DNA