By Sushant Mishra Kids have truly become a force to reckon with in the battles of Bollywood sales. If a kid wants to watch a film then his/her respective parent has no choice but to come along. Films like Ghatotkatch, Krishna, Bhootnath, Hanuman show the economic viability of kiddie films. However I personally feel that a lot of these movies are just cheap cash-ins with mediocre production values. So the question arises is “TPTM� a mere cash in or is it a genuine attempt by the numero uno banner of India to produce a good film? After watching “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag�, I was truly disgusted with the much talked about Yash-Raj-Gloss. Only clichéd nonsense seems to move the box office, however in the past year things seem to have changed. Though the box office might not agree with me, its movies like Tashan and Chakh De which have been different.
To cut a long story short, “TPTM� is a good film and definitely deserves your attention.The story is simple: Saif Ali Khan (a successful businessman) is appointed by the court to take care of four kids. To complicate matters he also has an irritating girl friend, namely Amisha Patel. The kids predictably resist Saif Khan’s attempt to bond with them. This is followed by a series of pranks which makes Saif’s life miserable and in turn makes him extremely sour. Essentially everyone cries and after witnessing such intense rona dhona, God sends his favourite angel down to mrityulok so that she can again make them all happy. � The movie starts off badly. The kids are irritating and are really difficult to sympathise with. Moreover their pranks just fall flat. But then, my beloved Rani makes a grand entry and like an angel, she weaves her magic around the viewer.
The second half is the cream of the film; it is in the second half where all the characters are properly fleshed out, and from its clichéd first half it transforms into a simple, sweet film.The film never complicates the viewers with unnecessary plot points or bombastic dialogues. This simplicity is all too evident in the scenes where the film has tried to be didactic. It’s good to see some anti-war sentiments and concerns about inequality in a kiddie film like this. Another thing I really need to talk about the visual effects of the film. They are fabulous; it’s pretty rare to see a Bollywood film with good CG effects. The whole “Bul-bula� song where Rani makes her grand entry is really captivating. Rani flies in air, drives her bicycle through the rainbow. Rishi Kapoor (God) has his hi-tech, Minority Report inspired lab where he sees all the events. The ending is predictable but not melodramatic and ultimately makes the viewer go “Aww�, which is so essential for a film of this genre. Saif has carried his ‘sakth bahar, narm andar’ business man role with ease. Somehow, seeing a hard-cold man’s heart melting and being carried away in the tide of his emotions still makes me go aww. The kids are fine with Iqbaal being the stand out. Amisha is decent, but one wonders as to why she is doing a silly role like this. Now comes my favourite part, Rani Mukherjee is just brilliant. Period! I don’t need to say anything more. It’s really a pleausure to see this charismatic actress act in a film like this. People will say that it’s a copy of this, or it’s a copy of that, or this concept has been done to death, but ignore these cynics for once. Go out with your family and exit the hall with a smile on your face. Kids will love it, but I am sure with the right attitude and perspective – adults will love it too.
3.7/5]]>
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