Bollywood film
Review by Rama Gaind
Ready
Cast: Salman Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Paresh Rawal, Arya Babbar, Mahesh Manjrekar
Director: Anees Bazmee
Salman Khan’s latest film Ready may not be a surprise runaway success like Dabangg in 2010, but it has all the trappings of being another trendsetter.
This is a film in which Salman doesn’t require any acting skills. He just plays himself with refined self-confidence. He not only gets the girl and reconciles hostile families, but along the way he single-handedly beats up the villains, bares his muscular chest and, yet again, concocts some amazing hip-swilling dance moves and the trademark Ray Ban manoeuvre.
This is Salman’s film as he gives free rein to his novel banter coupled with comedy, tomfoolery and mangled, preposterous and tacky dialogues with personalised flair.
Fancy-free hero
The romantic comedy, a remake of the 2008 Telugu film, tells the story of Prem (Khan) a happy, fancy-free sole heir to a vast empire owned by his father and uncles, who makes it his business to help young lovers in distress. Enjoying his single status, his bachelor days become numbered when he helps Sanjana (Asin) to escape from a forced marriage. Having just returned to India to live with her feuding uncles, she assists in foiling their plans to take over her large inheritance.
Ready revolves around how Prem unites their families and has a lot of fun singing and dancing in appealing locations in Thailand. He masterminds the entire charade as hilarious events unfold with everyone taking on various identities in order to fool the uncles.
The popular soundtrack numbers – Dhinka Chika and Character Dheela – are bright and catchy.
Larger than life
Director Anees Basmee uses a variety of absurd segments to provide some laughs, but fails to control certain unrelieved impropriety in the comedy.
Why does Anees make illogical films (No Problem, Thank You)? Guess it’s because they are a celebration, a way-out with the stress factor. It is therapeutic.
Ready (running for 142 minutes) does make you laugh intermittently, but only to a certain point.
This is not Bollywood at its most sublime. When stars of the calibre of Salman use self-centred humour, it’s bound to attract an emotional response from the audience.
Ready has a weak plot, a lacklustre script and the only logic in making this film is to maximise the box office attraction of the lead star.
Could there be some truth in what Salman says about his films? It was sheer coincidence that he was a part of three South Indian film remakes, Wanted, Bodyguard and Ready.
So why have the films been such big hits? “… It is because they depict exactly what the audience really wants to see – and that is a larger-than-life hero!”
You certainly won’t get bored watching this light-hearted ode to Salman Khan!
