You just can't hate it.

Rating: Null/10 (24 October 2014)

Happy New Year is the latest magnum opus from Bollywood and as you can expect, it's a huge huge film. It has an incredible cast, a lofty budget and stunning locations to play with. With Farah Khan directing this, you can only expect a mas-ala bonanza. And this is what Happy New Year is. Farah has blended all the spices she could get hold of to dish out this film. It works well overall. Except, sometimes, too many spices end up spoiling the party.
How do I review this? My thoughts are all over the place. A huge film comes with big responsibilities as well. Especially when it's a 3-hour long mas-ala entertainer. You ought to have enough substance throughout. This is where Happy New Year falters. The two halves are poles apart in terms of entertainment quotient. I was well annoyed for most of the first half - which was too silly. Why would you spend a full 30 minutes introducing characters? Characters who you won't even develop properly? Characters who always end up looking like caricatures? And mind you, it's not like their introductions are worth it. Barring Charlie and Mohini, none of the ''sketches'' used to present the rest of the gang were funny or cheer-worthy. In fact, the humor of the first half was a huge letdown for me. I found the jokes forced and only chuckled at the guys learning how to dance or 1-2 one-liners.
However, it's the second half which catches you unaware. It's pretty brilliant. Everything comes together like magic. Shot entirely in Dubai, the second half in itself should have been the full-fledged film. The competition, camaraderie, chemistry, patriotism and heist scenes will win you over. There were a few futile scenes like the Jackie Chan v/s Bruce Lee scene (seriously OTT and not-needed, albeit well shot) or the random panic attacks of Tammy and Nandu - but overall, this was near-perfect, with an electrifying climax. The mash-up Indiawaale song and the whole choreographed act looked magnificent on the big screen. This works in favor of the film as you end up leaving the theater with a huge grin, wanting to enjoy the show again, blissfully forgetting the disastrous first hour.
Farah Khan, thus, is inconsistent in her direction. She doesn't come with her Main Hoon Na originality or her Om Shanti Om spunk and wittiness. She plays it VERY safe here, by ticking all the boxes, except one misses her trademark style. Along with Geeta, she does a damn good job with the choreography of Lovely, Indiawaale, Maanwa Lage and the finale version of Indiawaale. Yet, the other songs miserably fail. Nonsense Ki Night kept making me sing ''nonsense Ki film'', Satakli was OK and Dance like a Chammiyya was unintentionally intentionally absurd. :looney: I get it. They were meant to look like losers. But the makers probably wanted it to look hilarious. Well, it didn't. It was a pain watching Charlie and his angels ridiculing themselves.
On the acting front, Shah Rukh Khan, expectedly tops the list. He has the ONLY well-penned and layered character, and SRK sinks his teeth into it. He nails the intense and action portions. The romance is toned down, but his chemistry with Deepika is endearing. Surprisingly, he doesn't get to play much with comedy, as this is the only thing Farah chose to bestow on the so-called Angels. Deepika Padukone shines. Like a star. She looks flawless and there's no way she won't steal your heart. I found her irritating in the promos, but she's actually really cute in the film. It's not a role demanding histrionics, neither is it one which will add much to her resume, but nevertheless she gets to display her impeccable comic timing, has some of the best lines of the film and well... the usual - she mesmerizes the screen every time she comes on. Watch out for her in the two Indiawaale acts, especially the finale act. She'll bowl you away with her dancing.
Boman Irani and Abhishek Bachan exceed in their respective roles, mainly in the second hour. Vivaan Shah is passable but looks lost for most part. Jackie Shroff looks suave and pitches in a cool performance, although he's probably the weakest Farah Khan villain. Sunil Shetty and Arjun Rampal were more menacing.
My advice would be to stay away only if you can't stand mas-ala entertainers or SRK. Otherwise, Happy New Year is the film to watch this Diwali. It's stupid, flawed, over-stretched, tacky, over- the-top, but you know what? You just can't hate it. The film is cute and has a big heart. It's great harmless fun and has only one aim - to entertain you. And it does a damn good job at that!!