Phas Gaye Re Obama Review, Movie Review of Phas Gaye Re Obama

The Indian Film Industry is the epitome of vast contrasts. At one side we have these huge magnum opuses made by larger than life filmmakers, where money is not a concern and sky is the limit. Big stars shake their booties for exorbitant sums of money, and the sets look so beautiful that they would put any emperor of the past to shame. Foot-tapping music, song and dance routines, breath taking stunts, the film is replete with all these spicy elements and make up the typical ' Bollywood masala thriller' . But there is something missing: ' story' , film after film, director after director, take the same old drivel and rehash it to serve helpless audience. Now on the other side we have small budget films, with good actors, not big stars, and no money for extravagant promotions, but what they do have is a good original story. Phas Gaye Re Obama is one such film. Let' s have look at this unique and original plot.

Om Shastri (Rajat Kapoor) is a successful NRI businessman based in the US. His business is hit badly by the recession, and he is forced to come to India to sell a piece of ancestral land, or else the banks would repossess his property. Back home in India, people are still under the impression that Om is still very rich. He is then kidnapped by a gang who themselves are victims of the recession. The gang is a motley crew of weird characters, who only bring in more fun to table. What happens next is the whole movie.

The issue tackled here is recession. A decade ago I doubt anyone would have known what the word means, but today every child on the road knows what recession is. Though, I am sure this is not the last film on this subject, but this certainly is one of the better made ones. Phas Gaye Re Obama has its heart in the right place, with a proper story in place. Humor is the best point of view to look at something as serious as recession, and the director offers a good perspective on the issue.

Subhash Kapoor may only be two films old, but he has proved that he is better than most out there in the industry. All the factors in the film combine to make one good product. Like mentioned before, acting is an important factor for these kinds of films to work. All the actors in the movie have done a good job. Rajat Kapoor gives a convincing performance as an NRI businessman, as does Sanjay Mishra as the local gangster ' Bhaisaab' . Amol Gupte will be seen after his memorable act as ' Bhopya Bhau' in Kaminey, and does not disappoint. The biggest surprise of the film is Neha Dhupia; she had displayed her funny bone in Kya Kool Hai Hum, but had gone back to displaying her skin in her latter films. However, she is back with funny stuff and has given a great performance.

The Screenplay is good and fast. With a story like this, it had to be or else the film gets into a rut. The editing could have been slightly better is fine on the whole. Cinematography is good too and adds to the films value. The film is made on a very tight budget and considering the fact that it is up against two big films like Rakht Charitra II and Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se, Pas Gaye will recover its cost and more as the good films do get their share of audience. Thanks to the multiplex culture, a whole genre of multiplex films has evolved. These films are made on tight budgets with interesting storylines and are quite popular with the college-bunking crowd.

Rating: **1/2

Verdict: has nothing to do much with Obama, but his visit being a hot topic, the title will raise some curiosity.

Reviewed by: Harshal Anand

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