Krazzy 4

# Film: *Krazzy 4* **Director:** Jaideep Sen **Release date:** 11 April 2008 (UK) **Producers:** Sunaina Roshan, Rakesh Roshan The film stars Juhi Chawla, Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Rajpal Yadav, and Suresh Menon in lead roles, while Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan appear in item numbers. **Review by Dr Usman Latif Khawaja** ## Krazzy 4 – SRK and the Rest Could crazier have been better? Was the query I was left asking myself at the end of this comic caper, and the answer is – a plain yes. If only the script and casting had been better, not that it is bad – as it easily eclipses the rest of the Bollywood brigade as a comic political satire and as a vainglorious love story – but the problem lies with the rather shoddy initial \[premise\] and the casting of Arshad Warsi as the lead, a man who is in a lunatic asylum for anger management. Well, I have never heard of such desperate measures for temper fits, and unfortunately, Mr Warsi neither has the presence of a leading man nor the talent to play this brilliant character. The plot is narrative-driven and involves the encapsulated adventures of four runaways from an institution for the mentally ill in Mumbai, set around the eve celebrating India's 60 years of independence. The story is given a twist as we encounter a gang of mafia mobsters who abduct the psychiatrist in charge of the four lunatics, brilliantly played by Juhi Chawla in a cameo, in a subplot to free a psychopathic criminal by blackmailing the doctor, who is an expert witness in this case, and can prove the bad guy innocent on grounds of insanity. This is rather coy, but it is made interesting by the script, which gets into the perception of insanity by society and makes some brilliant remarks about our socio-political milieu, which works as comic satire and entertains simultaneously. The four protagonists are well scripted. The best, easily, is the brilliant Rajpal Yadav. He was great in *Chup Chup Ke*, and here he steals the show as a freedom fighter stuck in a time capsule 60 years ago. He has great lines and immense talent and makes this a must-see. Yet Irrfan Khan is good after a long time, precisely since *Metro*. He is a calm but crazed psychiatrist who is so cool that even his worst critics will be charmed. Dia Mirza is good too as the TV anchor playing Mr Warsi's love interest, which brings me to the ultimate criminal, who is the sole weak spot in this flawlessly acted movie. Mr Warsi has one reason to fame – Circuit from *Munnabhai*. He got the role for the reason of being Sanjay Dutt's buddy and is an average sidekick. Here, he is cast as a team leader and totally messes up as he hams and overacts. Just watch his dialogue delivery in the finale and you will be nauseated. It's overacted and concocted out of proportion. The part could easily have been redeemed by Manoj Bajpai in a much better interpretation, but I suppose the producers – the Roshans – were not in favour of casting a brilliant actor for political reasons. The dialogues involving political confrontation and India's slump into moral and intellectual degeneration are brilliant and provocative as well as incisive – enough to make this modest movie into a political debate to justify the corruption of media and establishment as a relevant subject. Now, the scintillating controversy surrounding the interpretation of the brilliant theme song penned by Asid Ali Begh and composed masterfully by Rajesh Roshan, who gives a good score after eons and eons. SRK wins hands down in his rebellious yet reverently stylish portrayal of the Crazy 4. He looks better than ever in his simple black-and-white attire and steps extremely stylishly to the rhythm of the rap lyrics. He can easily confront the Yankee rappers, and he surprises me again as he is scintillating as the renegade rapper. The timing of the song is brilliant too and came as a pleasant shock. I saw even kids applauding the song in the cinema after a long time. The Hrithik interpretation of the same track is good too, but it looks like an MTV video, an average dance by a good-looking dude who is dressed in his usual torn jeans and flashy jacket, repeating his action moves left over from *Dhoom 2*. It comes over the end credits and doesn't stop people walking out of the theatre. It is rather surprising why the Roshans added this, as it is rather insulting and humiliating to Hrithik's image. I think it will not harm anyone, but it definitely adds to the hype surrounding SRK after *Chak De! India* and *Om Shanti Om*, albeit it is really good to see them both promoting purposeful cinema by this ultimate publicity stunt. This easily explains the huge opening the movie has had, as it was packed while *U Me Aur Hum* was half-empty on the first day itself. Also, the item number ‘Yeh To Bata Dekhta Hai To Kya’ is done in a chirpy manner and doesn't offend your taste buds. Both Irrfan and the dancer do well in the song. As for the other songs, ‘Ek Rupaiya’ is very subjective and satirical as well and is well written and well performed. In short, this is a well-made comic political satire in the vein of old Hollywood classics like *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*, and it extends the boundaries of Bollywood comedy further – both as a socio-political comment and a serious guffaw on the political gutter of our society and our petulant attitudes about the prevalence of insanity as a mental illness. Despite some flaws, this is definitely worth a watch and qualifies as good cinema. Well done, Mr Rakesh Roshan – you definitely are not KRAZZY – and this is a cerebral effort, even if not a completely satisfying one in totality.