02 Jul 09

4

Review - Barah Anna: a decent watch

What does a person wish in his life - love, money, respect or all of this? Every common man wishes for all of this and these wishes are what Barah Aana basically talks about. Needs, desires and dreams bring people together but they also test trust and sanity.

These aspirations bring the three lead players of this story together. Each one has his own dreams and needs, and is working hard to meet them. But, with one incident, their approach to life not only changes but also exposes the darker side of their quests. This is a dark comedy about the lives of common people and director, Raja Menon, handles it deftly. Though his debut film, Bas Yun Hi sunk without trace, with this film Menon proves that he is an accomplished storyteller. The problem, though, is with the story he has decided to tell. It doesn’t have the bite to grip you. The screenplay is decent enough to keep you guessing, but the movie gives you a feeling of incompleteness. The dialogues are crisp and witty, and sometimes even howlarious. It is that kind of a movie, where after watching it, you take back few incidents and performances and not the movie as a whole.

Menon has superbly cast his three protagonists. Vijay Raaz is the utter face of the common man. His body language, his expressions and his dialogue delivery are as perfect as always. He will remind you of every third person you see walking on the street. One knew that Arjun Mathur has talent after watching him in Farhan Akhtar’s short film Positive and in the recent Luck By Chance. Barah Aana only supplements this fact.
Naseeruddin Shah is his usual self - Brilliant! Raja Menon, makes the veteran's character speak his first word only in the second half of the film, but still makes the audience whistle out loud at every body movement of the super-actor.

The title signifies the three-quarters and not the full worth awarded to the efforts of a common man. It's the same with the movie. It does not rise up to its full worth and is disappointing as the film could have delivered a lot. But it’s a decent watch nonetheless.

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