Joginder Tuteja

MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Lina Christianson, Yatin Karyekar, Manmeet Singh, Vijay Maurya and Naseeruddin Shah (special appearance)
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor
Producer: Elahe Hiptoola and Rahul Puri
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Lyrics: Mir Ali Husain

THE FILM

Surprisingly, one doesn't expect much from this film in spite of the fact that it brings together Nagesh Kukunoor and Shreyas Talpade in a major way post Iqbal. Though the two had collaborated in Dor as well, the film belonged to its leading ladies Ayesha Takia and Gul Panag. So why was there no expectation from this film? Blame it on its poor pre-release publicity and promotion that resulted in zilch hype.

Even en route to its release, the promotion was a patchy effort in making the audience aware about a film called Bombay to Bangkok. The film had the backing of Subhash Ghai who would have hoped for the kind of success that would be an ideal follow up to Iqbal. However, one hears that the master film maker too wasn't very keen on the project as it got ready for its release and the result was that, there were no takers for Bombay to Bangkok. Also, the production values are on the lower side, though Kukunoor and his cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee ensure that the film maintains a neat look throughout, in spite of limited resources.

What works most is the love story between Shreyas Talpade and Thai actress Lina Christianson which brings with it numerous cute moments. Their interaction brings on a smile as they try conversing with each other, even though don't understand Hindi and Thai respectively. The film's story line is simple. Shreyas, a cook who comes across a bundle of cash, tries to run away from the underworld and lands in Bangkok where he meets Lina. A medical volunteer by the day and a massage girl in the night, she helps Shreyas in reaching his destination.

Shreyas continues to give good performances film after film and comes as a cross between Amol Palekar and Ritiesh Deshmukh. Lina deserves to be seen more often on the Indian screen. Looking cute and glamorous as per the requirement of the scene, she is a picture of confidence and one can imagine that she would have faced the camera for multiple projects in the country of her origin. She also understands the nuances of Hindi film making well and delivers a good performance. Vijay Maurya as a don whose heart beats for rap music is fun to watch and should be seen in more interesting roles in the years to come.

The film flopped at theaters but when one goes through the 120 minutes narrative, it turns out to be a lazy, yet decent home video watch. The film raises a few chuckles, brings on some cute and interesting moments, boasts of a couple of original characters and comes to a fairy tale end. Nothing is overdone though, which is good, but the film doesn't go the whole hog either. Yes, one tends to find something amiss with mainly the comedy not being pushed to an extent as one would have thought. Though the script had the scope of some more interesting moments, Kukunoor still holds the strings together to make Bombay to Bangkok a decent watch.

PACKAGING

The DVD comes in an ordinary paper case with a decent design and layout thereby giving it an eye catchy look. Though there are no props or frills, it is a surprise to read the caption - 'Another Big Hit by Nagesh Kukunoor after the success of Iqbal.' Well, the fact is that this is untrue!

DURATION

The film comes in a single DVD pack with the film's duration being approximately 120 minutes.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The DVD doesn't come with any special features.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen format
- Subtitles In English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Channel Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 299

CONCLUSION

There are certain films which make for an easy watch on home entertainment. They may not be the best idea for a weekend multiplex retreat but in the comfort of one's home with a familiar couch, they turn out to be decent time pass affair. Bombay To Bangkok is one such film.

Rating: **1/2