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A Successful Sequel-Phir Kiya Comedy

APK | June 10, 2006

Rating: ***1/2 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Bipasha Basu, Rimi Sen, Johny Lever, Shakti Kapoor, Manoj Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Sharat Saxena, Suresh Menon, Rakesh Bedi, Vivek Shauq, Dinesh Hingoo, Javed Khan, Anjan Srivastava, Tiku Talsania, Milind Gunaji, Ravi Kissen, Razzak Khan, Sunil Pal and Others.
Action: Abbas Ali Moghul.
Art: R. Verman.
Cinematography: Velraj.
Editing: Diwakar P. Bhonsle.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya & Akbar Sami.
Dialogues, Screenplay & Direction: Neeraj Vora.
Producer: Firoz Nadiadwala.
Banner: Base Industries Group.
Release Date: 9th June, 2006.

Priyadharshan's hilarious laugh roit Hera Pheri comes out with a sequel-Phir Hera Pheri. Cinegoers eagerly awaited the release so as to catch up with three endearing characters-Babu Rao Ganpath Rao Apte, Raju and Shyam. Trouble attracts them and they attract trouble wherever they go, and one can always count on getting a laugh or two. This movie is total time-pass, although the original remains the favorite.

Plot Babu Rao, Shyam and Raju (Paresh Rawal, Suneil Shetty and Akshay Kumar) have money now and are living in a large mansion. Raju as always wants more money and falls for a chit fund scheme headed by Anuradha (Bipasha Basu) which promises to double his money-so he sells the mansion, and keeps all his money along with the other two's at stake. He even gets another man, Pappu (Rajpal Yadav) into this scheme, and they all end up losing their money. Pappu takes this money from his boss, a lisping comical don Tiwari (Sharat Saxena), who kidnaps his sister Anjali (Rimi) who is Raju's love-interest. So the trio steal local thug Munna's already stolen drugs to repay that money. Anuradha's character re-enters and there is a whole lot of confusion which climaxes at a circus where the threesome get to perform a lot of gimmicks along with a host of other characters.

Story, Screenplay and Direction The second half drags a little bit till they all get to the circus, and again picks up from there. They had to add all those gimmicks, because topping Hera Pheri is no mean feat. It will be unfair to compare it with the original's innocent charm, and the characters which stole hearts of all cinegoers.

Phir Hera Pheri has its high points-Paresh Rawal manages to keep you in splits, while Akshay and Sunil are no less. The three actors' comic timing together is simply outstanding. At one point it gets very confusing, with various subplots running parallel, till they all converge in the climax-leaving space for a third sequel.

It is totally illogical, but who cares as long as one gets a few laughs? Like, what kind of an idiot will put all his money in one scheme he is not even sure about? And how come such a huge bungalow in Mumbai sold for only 50 lakhs? It's not good to see three lead characters deal in drugs as if there is nothing wrong.

But if all this is neglected and forgotten, then Phir Hera Pheri is loads of fun and watchable. After Khiladi 420, Neeraj Vora finally delivers.

Performances Akshay Kumar gives an amazing performance. The 'Khiladi' Kumar has improved his acting skills in such a great measure, it is a pleasure to see him perform. Paresh Rawal gives life to his character-this is the kind of acting which makes a character unforgettable. Suneil Shetty does justice to his role while Bipasha Basu should have dubbed her own voice. Rimi is okay, no great shakes here. The girls really have very little to do anyways. Rajpal Yadav has a flair for comedy and should stick to it-all the better for us cinegoers. Sharat Saxena as the stammering don is hilarious. Jhony Lever is good, but not at his best, but his sequence with the gorilla gets a few guffaws. Sunil Pal hardly has anything to do.

Music: 'Ae Meri Zohrajabeen' is just a promo track at the end credits, so don't go in expecting to see it as a part of the story. 'Mujhko Yaad Sataye Teri' pleases the masses and Akshay Kumar rocks in the video. The other songs are shot purely for the sake of showing some skin, and as a relief from the on-going confusion.

And the verdict is.. The movie pales in comparison to its glorious predecessor. But it generates plenty of humor and is worth the money. It's a total time-pass 'Paisa Vasool' flick-watch it to have some fun (if not just for Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar). And don't forget the popcorn.