Review: Loins of Punjab Presents / Dhol
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IDOL MINDS
A wonderfully quirky dramedy about a bunch of NRIs competing in a talent show. Plus one of Priyadarshan’s worst ever “comedies.�
SEPT 23, 2007 – I HAD A SINKING FEELING when Loins of Punjab Presents got going, when someone explained the significance of the title. Loins of Punjab is the name of the company that’s the largest supplier of pork loins in the East Coast of America, and what they’re presenting is Desi Idol, an Indian Idol-style talent contest for NRIs. This exposition is followed by a scene that introduces the event manager (Jameel Khan) with this trying-too-hard-to-be-funny caption: Hardened supporter of the Swedish bikini team. And when Darshan Jariwala came on as a Mr. Patel who insists that his silver-voiced daughter (Ishitta Sharma) is going to be a doctor or a lawyer, and that singing is just her hoe-bee, I just slumped in my seat, awaiting some ninety-odd minutes of the kind of ABCD filmmaking we’ve all come to dread.
But soon after, something marvellous happened. The film became really funny – not just ha-ha funny (though it is that too, thanks largely to a riotous Ajay Naidu as the gay Sikh bhangra-rapper Turbanotorious B.D.G., the “galactic Jedi life-force of bhangra�), but also funny in a Neil Simon-meets-Wes Anderson way. In its setup of a varied group of eccentrics converged in a hotel, Loins of Punjab Presents reminded me specifically of Simon’s California Suite, but filtered through a deadpan (and decidedly off-kilter) Rushmore sensibility and presented with the crowd-pleasing flourish of Little Miss Sunshine. (Just wait for the climax; it’s a rouser that will have you on your feet for more reasons than one.) By the time I walked out of the theatre, I was on a helium high.
I don’t want to oversell this modest little movie, but Loins of Punjab Presents is that rarest of films – well written, well made and extremely well acted by an ensemble cast, each one of whom has a different (and compelling) reason to compete for the $25,000 cash prize. Manish Acharya (the director, who also plays one of the contestants) needs the money because he’s just lost his job. (It’s been outsourced to India.) Shabana Azmi – the biggest name in the movie, yet the actor whose performance registers the least, possibly because this is a role she could have played in her sleep (which she probably did); but it is fun to see her launch into Chura liya hai tumne – wants to make headlines by donating the winnings to charity. And so on.
With this kind of motley mix, some level of stereotyping is probably inevitable – as in the case of the Patels, who, at one point, ask for vegetarian “snakes� – but even this is done with great affection, and you come away remembering everyone as characters, not cartoons. For all the broad strokes, these are flesh-and-blood people who are springboards as much for comedy as commentary. I doubt we’ll see a funnier film this year that also manages riffs on the overachieving NRI (there’s a girl here who’s gotten herself into the Guinness book for playing the recorder for 27 straight hours) and the reverse racism faced by the gora who, despite loving India and knowing Hindi songs, is booed by desis when he goes on stage.
The only minor complaint I had was that the musical performances end up truncated, and I felt this especially when the Patel girl began to sing Man kyon behka (from Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s magnificent soundtrack for Utsav) and when the American got going on Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan (because he met his girlfriend in Mumbai). One of the most heartening features of these talent shows – I’m talking about outside of this film; on TV, say – is that, though the contestants are mostly kids, they aren’t simply going Just chill, chill or You are my Soniya. In an age where prime-time television showcases nothing but the new – if you’re looking for black-and-white songs, you’ll have to catch a programme at an unearthly hour – these shows are proof that you don’t need a head full of silver to understand that old is still gold.
And these shows reinforce how the songs from our films aren’t just popular music, they’re part of our psyche. They reflect the way we think and feel and act. When the terrific Seema Rahmani comes on stage after encouragement from this man she may be into, the number she launches into is Bole choodiyan. And when she gets to the line, Tere bin jiya naiyyo lagda, you realise with a smile that she’s not just singing, she’s serenading him – and this prompts him to begin belting the song back to her. It’s a joyous Bollywood moment, all the more joyous for being in a movie this un-Bollywood. Later, a bit shaken at his outburst, this man confesses, “I can’t believe I just did that. I don’t know what came over me.� But we know what it is. It’s simply the magic of our song-and-dance cinema.
I’M NOT REALLY SUPPOSED TO give away the jokes in a comedy, but let me tell you how Priyadarshan’s Dhol opens. It’s yet another one of those bunch-of-losers stories, and this particular bunch of losers (Sharman Joshi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu, Rajpal Yadav) is seated by a roadside coffee shop when a van whizzes past. They hear the yells of a woman from inside, and their minds scream in unison: “Abduction!� So they give chase on their mobikes. They catch up, they pull the men out and start beating them up – until a dramatic reveal tells us why the woman was making all that noise. She’s in – drumroll! –labour.
If that’s your thing, you’ll probably enjoy Dhol – or at least be able to tolerate it; I doubt there’s anyone capable of actually enjoying this film – which is about the events that follow Tanushree Dutta’s move into the house-next-door. She’s looking for clues about her dead brother, and Priyadarshan clearly feels this material is oh-so-right for comedy. And so we have badly-shot, badly-staged (and very, very dumb) high-school hijinks coexisting with some vague sort of who- and whydunit. It’s all excruciatingly painful to sit through, not least because of the villain named – wait for this – Zikomo. Oh yeah! I’m rolling in the aisles.
Copyright ©2007 The New Sunday Express
Hmm..Loins sounds good
surprisingly I must say .However, dissapointed that you chose to “review”Dhol instead of “Manorama-6 feet under” which certainly seemed way more interesting .Btw congrats on the award 
Bala: Even I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Loins. BTW, Manorama didn’t make it to Chennai this week. And thanks.
But you know , the trailers look so shoddy , I doubt people even know about this movie.Too bad I guess.
Waiting for your review of Manorama Six Feet Under
I dont remember the last Priyadarshan flick that really made your belly button tickle. He needs to take a break, do some serious thinking before he makes the next movie. But we have more to follow –Bhool Bhulaiya in the immediate future. Phew~
‘Don’t need a head full of silver to understand old is gold’…where do u come up with such stuff from?
Did u ignore Darling on purpose or were u very badly shaken up by Aag and were still recovering? U did not even cover any of last week’s ‘mainstream releases’???
Forgot to write about Loins… — sounds really good. Looks like a must-see types. But tell me something, how wil you compare this with Bheja Fry?
Even I was looking for your review of Manorama Six Feet Under. The rediff review has compared the movie to Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown”. Just had my doubts, so wanted your opinion before watching it.
Priyadarshan is remaking all the hit comedy movies from Malayalam one-by-one. Now that his own movies are done with, he is taking those made by others – Dhol is a remake of In-Harihar-Nagar directed by Siddique-Lal. But by giving the original movie CD to someone and letting them “direct” the movie, he is spoiling these stories and someone else’s chance to make a sincere attempt to remake them.
Thanks to Bollywood, Priyadarshan’s own brand of remakes have dried up in the tamil screen, if thy count off the Kireedam. Who knows, someoone might try another Kireedam for the Bollywood audience, a tribute to Priyadarsan’s first hindi remake from God’s own Country.
Superlative reviews as always Baradwaj! Priyan is just churning out too many movies too fast, nonetheless i’m looking forward to BHOOL BHULAIYA! Pity about MANORAMA…
A.Shah
Isn’t Bhool Bhulaiya the remake of Manichitrathazhu with Akshay Kumar donning Mohanlal’s role? Well, I wouldn’t keep my hopes too high on that one. Even Chandramukhi for all it’s success was a shoddily made film technically and played more on the superstar’s image (to even warrant a change in the basic story). Priyadarshan’s films in Malayalam were much more real without too many compromises to commercial cinema (read: “item” number, foreign locations etc) and involved genuinely superior acting (not hamming as in the Hindi remakes).
waiting for your take on manorama..
bluespriite, ankash, Pradeep: I too hope Manorama comes this way. I’m generally a big fan of Abhay Deol’s career choices
Lakshmi: I’m one of the five people in India who’s not a fan of Bheja Fry. For some reason, that film did nothing for me (other than showcasing the phenomenal Vinay Pathak).
Anonymous: “where do u come up with such stuff from?” If only I knew… BTW are you saying that it works, or that it doesn’t? Last week, I was in Delhi, so missed the new releases.
Ray: Oh, so Dhol is a remake too. Didn’t know about In-Harihar-Nagar. Thanks.
Navin: That was Gardish, wasn’t it?
Akshay Shah: Thanks bhai.
Shankar: What’s the change in the basic story that Rajini caused? Do tell.
Damn, Manorama didn’t release in Chennai?!! I follow your reviews regularly and was looking forward to what you had to say…
Must call the producers.
BTW,Loved Loins of Punjab, glad you liked it too.
Oh, I directed ‘Manorama’,just in case you were wondering…
Baddy, the basic premise in the story is that the female lead suffers from schizophrenia and assumes dual personalities.
Here’s how the malayalam original plays out (more cohesively, I must add). Suresh Gopi and Shobana are the couple who buy the house. Throughout the movie, Shobana, in her split personality assumes Suresh Gopi to be the villainous king and tries to harm him. Mohanlal is just a psychiatrist friend who ultimately solves the whole puzzle. At no time does Shobana think that Mohanlal is her enemy king. This makes more sense since Shobana is married to Suresh Gopi in the film and once she reaches the palatial house, it’s natural for the story to proceed this way. Mohanlal also makes an entry only just before the interval.
Baddy, you have to see the original. Though it was released in 1993, it still is far more focussed on the story and the events and less on the actors.
god! this review of Loins has really surprised me! the trailers look horrible – i really thought “desi idol” was corny, n i was wondering wat shabana azmi was doing there! now i might just change my mind n watch it. oh, n answer to ur question: u were mentioned in the final year electronic media classroom, MOP Vaishnav
>is that, though the contestants are mostly kids, they aren’t simply going Just chill, chill or You are my Soniya.
Funny u saying that. Now the TRP gods have decreed that even Sa re ga ma pa is all about Just, Chill, chill. :0
Hi
I have been following your site for sometime. Great reviews from you.
You have not reviewed any tamil movies for sometime. I was expecting your review on Satham podathey, Ammuvagiya Naan (everybody seems to rave about it).
Have you stopped reviews of tamil movies?
Navdeep Singh: Yup, it’d be great if you look into a release.
Shankar: That’s quite a different story. Thanks. I’m no fan of Chandramukhi, and when it came out, I couldn’t see what the fuss was about with the Mal. version. Now I know.
Priti: final year electronic media classroom, MOP Vaishnav? Thanks
G: Not really. Quite a few of them get into oldies too.
Magesh: Thanks. And about Tamil revoiews. it’s just the time (now that I’m doing English reviews for the paper too). And also being inspired enough by something to take the time to write about it. I saw Ammu and thought it very overrated. It’s one of those films that has a good subject – and if that automatically makes it a good movie, then good for you. But it’s badly handled, and I thought Guna — all those years ago — did a far better job of showcasing the lives of prostitutes (when this angle was just a sidelight in the film) than this one did in its entire running time.
‘You don’t need a head full of silver to understand old is gold.’ I don’t know what Anonymous’ take on this was but to me, this one line alone is packed with enough potential to clinch the Loin piece. And your deft use of alliterations…not only does it shine thru this entire piece, but is a leitmotif that makes all of your pieces scream “brangan”, even to a Martian! I don’t suppose you “use” alliterations (or intend to) in the conscious manner in which, say, a carpenter uses his tools to shape and to chisel; rather, they seem to flow out of you in some kind of a spontaneous surge — words on a mission to evoke the same vivid ideas-as-images in our minds that originally popped in yours, as you tried to simultaneously analyze the movie and enjoy it (MI, imo).
And they do a darned good job, too! I mean, when telepathy is automatically ruled out as the primary vehicle to transmit images from your head to ours, alliterations are the most reliable alternative. They’re obviously not every writer’s best friend, but looks like they’d lay down their life for you, because, truth-be-told, you genuinely care about them, without being Mr. Control Freak. Either that or you’ve been bitten by a radioactive spider! There’s no other plausible explanation for the delightful, almost quilt-like, web of words you weave (seemingly at a moment’s notice) into which we unsuspecting (or should I say “unabashed”) fans fall headlong (can’t complain though…we actually quite enjoy the entrapment).
So, Mr.Picaso-of-prose (or should I say Dali-of-decidedly-surreal-wordplay), in the aftermath of “the award and all that” (much-deserved, obviously, and many congratulations, btw), we hope you continue to defy distraction and keep us enormously entertained. And oh yes, when we ever-so-often come away from a “bad” movie (e.g. “Guna” that I saw at 17) thinking it absolutely sucks, we can really use your disillusionment-dispelling words coming alive in our heads, screaming, “C’mon folks, see it this way: it’s not all some twisted skein of cut-and-dried crap but a cry to cut creative movie-making some slack.” I for one could’ve used that at 17, but better late than never. I believe even the “worst” of our movies (OK, except “Dhol”) deserves to be given a chance and your reviews have the uncanny ability to open our eyes to at least one redeeming quality where we originally saw none.
PS: If the latter theory (para 2, above) is true, then you have one less excuse to presume you had a snowflake’s chance in hell for navigating that straight line to Big B. C’mon, when Black could make Big B “The Man”, you’re no less a sensation from a glowing Black Widow making you…ahem, Spiderman!;)
(Ref: http://www.desipundit.com/baradwajrangan/2007/09/20/almost-meeting-amitabh/)
Sagarika: I just have two things to say after that – thanks, and phew!
SHABANA AZMI ROCKS WHEREVER SHE APPEARS… SHE IS GOLD!
MARI: Wow, now I’m officially deaf
grt revu of Loins.. I enjoyed the movie a lot and clapped heartily at the end