Dibakar Banerjee's Oye Lucky Lucky Oye is pitch perfect
Originally published on NOWRUNNING.COM
Yes, Dibakar Banerjee has done it again. It was always going to be tough to beat that terrific debut called Khosla Ka Ghosla- an unforgettable gem of a film that admittedly occupies a place in my favorite movies list. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye may not be as memorable as that charming dramedy, but it is as brilliant, and perhaps a far more complex and layered film.
Make no mistake- while the laughs do keep rolling steadily thanks to the engaging and superbly witty dialogue, what strikes more potently than anything is the dormant sadness within this film. Like its title character, at the surface OLLO may seem all smooth, sharp and happy-go-lucky, but at the heart of it all lies a quiet but unmistakable aching melancholy. Maybe its also all the darkness and sadness that surrounds us today in real life that made me connect more to OLLO’s serious, even tragic crux than it’s hilarious crust.
OLLO is the bittersweet story of a boy who grew up to fast and yet remained a child somewhere inside (Manjot Singh, by the way is fantastic as the younger Lucky). It also works as a richly textured parable about a lower middle class boy and his unswerving ambition to make it to or break into the nouveau riche, and Dibakar Banerjee’s thoroughly real characters and inspiring attention to detail gives an amazingly slice-of-life feel to the film.
Karthik Vijay’s cinematography along with the excellent costume design and art direction makes each frame and surrounding come alive. The subtly depicted emotional turmoil and the expertly portrayed social portrait of an emerging class war makes Lucky’s journey thoroughly compelling, and while the story of the film may seem one-note to some, it is frankly anything but that. Banerjee also ups the style and slickness quotient with OLLO, and I thoroughly enjoyed his use of music and wonderfully stylized sequences in the film.
Abhay Deol couldn’t be better cast in this role of a superchor with the face of a saint, and he turns in a splendidly understated and nuanced performance, one that holds our attention throughout without ever calling for it. This is a star turn, and Deol infuses Lucky with rare vulnerability and charm, making us root for the lovable thief all the way. The supporting cast is sparkling too, and while Paresh Rawal is an obvious joy to watch as he creates three wonderfully quirky characters, Neetu Chandra stuns with her attractive, graceful presence- she is definitely a talent to look out for.
OLLO is definitely one of the best films I’ve seen this year and in a long time, and it’s a real pity that it arrives amongst us amidst some of the darkest and saddest times for India and the world. Here’s ending this review with a prayer for peace, and with the hope that life comes back to 'normal', soon despite knowing that our lives may never be the same again. After all, in life, as in films, the show must go on…
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3 comments:
This was the most satisying film of the year for this viewer.That,however,is not the same as saying this was a great film:I have a few problems with the screenplay and the casting-the screenplay was one-note inasmuch as it relied far too heavily on a sense of 'irony':almost every sequence in the second half is somehow contrived to setup an ironical situation and go on from there.Also,the film could have done with greater attention to the mechanics of the cop's tracking down Lucky.It would also not have been a bad thing to use the cop as a foil to Lucky.Also,there was absolutely no resonant intimacy in the scenes between Abhay and Neetu,for this viewer anyways.
Abhay did a fair job.He does seem to have a somewhat rigid face:he isn't the most expressive actor out there,infact there seem to be almost no currents letalone crosscurrents in that face ,but he did play the calm effusive manner of Lucky very well in the heist scenes.I also liked how he managed to suggest a sense of melancholy as Lucky's misguided narcissism is confronted with a mirror later in the film.
Dibakar's direction is excellent though(save for a couple of scenes that seem to be played just for some cheap laughter) and so is Shweta Khanwalkar's score.
What I was most anxious about though was how would this film be received by people outside of Delhi:it is rooted so firmly in Delhi that I fear many people would not get some of the jokes.I'd also say this is the most vivid exploration(though not as interesting as the Delhi in Mani Ratnam's flawed but deeply resonant Dil Se)of Delhi.Dibakar seems to know the physical world he creates extremely well and explores it beautifully.
PS:I am aware of your enthusiasm for Vishal Bhardwaj who is undoubtedly the best explorer of physical spaces that have been absent in our commercial cinema for long which seems to suggest you have a fondness for films that open up new worlds for you.Am I right in guessing so?
Hmm. Interesting points there- agree with most. I still think Mithya has been the most satisfying film this year for me, though OLLO deserves a second viewing from me to really make a final judgement, as the Mumbai attacks didn't leave me in a state of mind to enjoy it.
Abhay worked wonderfully for me, though- and while he does have his limitations, he fit this role perfectly and I have no complaints.
It is credit to Dibakar that the film DOES reach out- I was watching it here in Kolkata and there were a few (stupid) guys sitting right behind me, who didn't understand the language or culture and had never heard of the film or actor, but I found them responding pretty well to the film's humour, quite to my surprise.
"I am aware of your enthusiasm for Vishal Bhardwaj who is undoubtedly the best explorer of physical spaces that have been absent in our commercial cinema for long which seems to suggest you have a fondness for films that open up new worlds for you.Am I right in guessing so?"
Not really- but yes, I do admire his keen visual sense. But what really does it for me is his delicious writing- aise dialogues to sun kar to dil 'kill bill- kill bill' karne lagta hai!
Sounds good and well summarized Jahan, and hope to see this....last 5 days have been diffeent in Mumbai as people feel all places as equally unsafe... Hope to break the mundane last 5 day schedule of coming home, gluing to the news channel and follow Mumbai terror update !
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