Action Replayy - Notepad

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

There is nothing particularly notable about this movie except for the fact its slightly 70s look and feel. Other than that, it's a regular boy-meets-girl story, lacking even basic plot logic and characterization.

What Worked

Aditya Raj Kapur's acting was smooth and effortless without ever getting into hammy. This is vital considering that he is in almost every scene of the film. He essays the role of sutradhar perfectly by never intruding into the lead actors screen space but holding his own. Kiron Kher and Om Puri are their superb selves in character roles. The random OTT dialogues add mirth and the scenes designed around these don't lose their charm, despite frequent repetition through the film.

What did not

The superficial depiction of the 70s comes across a little too jarringly. The 70s were a well-covered decade of pop culture with numerous icons, an abundance of music, dance and art and stylish kitsch. Even for a spoof, Action Replayy hams it up horribly and sticks to targetting the hairstyles and the worst of the styles of the era. There's no real effort made in the music or choreography to stick to the period. This feels particularly wrong especially since music is an integral part of Bollywood story-telling and the era's musical influences continue to be popular even today.

Nitty-Gritty

Bunty (Aditya Raj Kapur)'s trademark cotton-candy hairstyle wavers in parts (shorter, straighter etc) and in those scenes, he's virtually unrecognizable. He travels to the past with only a small backpack and no money or references to anyone. But once there, he manages to get around fairly easily, frequently drops references to the future (Kareena and Saif, Obama) that nobody questions. Also, his clothes remain modern-day styles all through the movie. Kishen (Akshay Kumar) in the past is shown to have ugly gummy buckteeth. Then magically (in 7 days to be precise), his teeth are normal again, a trait that continues into his future self.