WAR CHHOD NA YAAR 3 stars
War comedies are no big affairs in the west, whereas in India, this genre has been completely unexplored yet. Gobsmacked! A satirical take on one of the most hostile regions of the world i.e. the Indo-Pak border, or to infuse humor in a movie that takes on the sentient issue of enmity between India and Pakistan, evidently requires courage. Moreover, there is always an element of risk associated with the genre that has not been introduced to the viewers of Hindi films. Amid masala films, writer & director Faraz Haidar comes up with the most innovative idea on the theme of war in the recent times that puts across a more acrimonious message of vacuity of wars through his commendable effort.
The story commences with the Defense Minister of India (Dalip Tahil) convening a noted journalist Rut Dutta (Soha Ali Khan) beseeching her to make a rattling report on the Indian army as the Indo-Pak war is to be declared in two days time and to live telecast the footage after two days when the war commences. As soon as Rut reaches the base camp of the Indian army, she witnesses warmth and friendly care between the armies of both sides more than animosity. They even play Antakshari to keep themselves entertained and busy as well. Rut keeps on asking Captain Rajveer Singh Rana (Sharman Joshi) whether he wants the war to happen, on which he replies in negative that he would rather treat them to chicken! However, the superfluous war sets off on the same night and as the war progresses further, the regnant sense of disenchantment about war grows in the armies. While Government orders and ghastly forces both try to foment the war, an exclusive coverage of the war by Rut reaches out to people as the truth of the battle.
The film’s script and its execution is absorbingly done. It is a simply told story that focuses on making the viewers laugh and how! A humorously knitted satire where soldiers from both ends of the border discuss about lunch and they sit across the Line of Control & play cards. The story holds immense significance on the futility of war continually. The film has genuine scenes which will have the spectators in split through the tongue-in-cheek dialogues. It will leave the viewers by a lingering impact as the film concludes. Faraz Haidar has a long way to go as a director. His direction is almost flawless. Cinematography, the landscape of Rajasthan, is showy.
On the flip side, the reason why the war begins isn’t clearly etched out. These sort of movies should have been a songless affair. Had the runtime been trimmed down to atleast 15-20 minutes, the impact would have been longlasting. Towards the penultimate moments, the film begins to get exhortative as the screenplay writer has no idea what to do with the film anymore but the ultimate moments only make up for it. Cinematography -- the landscape of Rajasthan -- is eye-catching, although the night shots get too pitch-dark on screen. The night shots get too stygian on screen.
No two words could describe the acting skills & comic timings of Sharman Joshi and Jaaved Jaafrey. They are indeed a delight to watch. Soha Ali Khan portrays her part credibly. Dalip Tahil gets to portray four different characters with utmost ease as if the role has been tailor-made for him. Sanjay Mishra as Commander Khan is fanatastic. He has got some of the genuinely funny lines to deliver and he's faultless. Time and again, he proves that he truly is a versatile actor. Manoj Pahwa as Pakistani General and Mukul Dev as Pathani intruder is competent.
On the whole, War Chhod Na Yaar is a welcome change that manages to evoke ecstatic delight with a friendly yet powerful message imbibed in it. Iss film ko *mat* chodna yaar.
War comedies are no big affairs in the west, whereas in India, this genre has been completely unexplored yet. Gobsmacked! A satirical take on one of the most hostile regions of the world i.e. the Indo-Pak border, or to infuse humor in a movie that takes on the sentient issue of enmity between India and Pakistan, evidently requires courage. Moreover, there is always an element of risk associated with the genre that has not been introduced to the viewers of Hindi films. Amid masala films, writer & director Faraz Haidar comes up with the most innovative idea on the theme of war in the recent times that puts across a more acrimonious message of vacuity of wars through his commendable effort.
The story commences with the Defense Minister of India (Dalip Tahil) convening a noted journalist Rut Dutta (Soha Ali Khan) beseeching her to make a rattling report on the Indian army as the Indo-Pak war is to be declared in two days time and to live telecast the footage after two days when the war commences. As soon as Rut reaches the base camp of the Indian army, she witnesses warmth and friendly care between the armies of both sides more than animosity. They even play Antakshari to keep themselves entertained and busy as well. Rut keeps on asking Captain Rajveer Singh Rana (Sharman Joshi) whether he wants the war to happen, on which he replies in negative that he would rather treat them to chicken! However, the superfluous war sets off on the same night and as the war progresses further, the regnant sense of disenchantment about war grows in the armies. While Government orders and ghastly forces both try to foment the war, an exclusive coverage of the war by Rut reaches out to people as the truth of the battle.
The film’s script and its execution is absorbingly done. It is a simply told story that focuses on making the viewers laugh and how! A humorously knitted satire where soldiers from both ends of the border discuss about lunch and they sit across the Line of Control & play cards. The story holds immense significance on the futility of war continually. The film has genuine scenes which will have the spectators in split through the tongue-in-cheek dialogues. It will leave the viewers by a lingering impact as the film concludes. Faraz Haidar has a long way to go as a director. His direction is almost flawless. Cinematography, the landscape of Rajasthan, is showy.
On the flip side, the reason why the war begins isn’t clearly etched out. These sort of movies should have been a songless affair. Had the runtime been trimmed down to atleast 15-20 minutes, the impact would have been longlasting. Towards the penultimate moments, the film begins to get exhortative as the screenplay writer has no idea what to do with the film anymore but the ultimate moments only make up for it. Cinematography -- the landscape of Rajasthan -- is eye-catching, although the night shots get too pitch-dark on screen. The night shots get too stygian on screen.
No two words could describe the acting skills & comic timings of Sharman Joshi and Jaaved Jaafrey. They are indeed a delight to watch. Soha Ali Khan portrays her part credibly. Dalip Tahil gets to portray four different characters with utmost ease as if the role has been tailor-made for him. Sanjay Mishra as Commander Khan is fanatastic. He has got some of the genuinely funny lines to deliver and he's faultless. Time and again, he proves that he truly is a versatile actor. Manoj Pahwa as Pakistani General and Mukul Dev as Pathani intruder is competent.
On the whole, War Chhod Na Yaar is a welcome change that manages to evoke ecstatic delight with a friendly yet powerful message imbibed in it. Iss film ko *mat* chodna yaar.
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