Mere Baap Pehle Aap
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)
A casual friendly relationship between dad and son could have worked if the movie were about 30 minutes shorter. Otherwise, it is the usual Priyadarshan fare.
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Just in case the title of the movie doesn't arouse your skepticism about the quality of humor in the movie, the promos must have. No? Then rest assured the opening sequence will put your eternal optimism to rest. What with a bikini clad woman walking on to the shore of a beach. And Om Puri monkeying around in a black and red magician suit-meets-superhero costume is the final signature. Believe me, you cannot imagine how it hurts to use Om Puri and monkeying together in the same sentence.
I must admit that the basic concept of letting the elderly have a life of their own and caring for them is very sweet. But, somehow the crassness with which it is done, did not gel with me. A son (Akshaye Khanna) yelling at his father (Paresh Rawal), in the name of comedy can work once or twice, but throughout? Not happening.
Also, a father dreaming of his son finding love is only natural. Call me conservative, but him imagining the possible daughter-in-law (Genelia D'Souza) getting wet under a waterfall and getting all suggestive for his son is just not cool. Add to that a shirtless Om Puri being shrieked at by shrill Archana Puran Singh. How can we be expected to laugh at any of this?
So yeah, Paresh Rawal, like always, tries to bring life to the trying-so-hard-to-make-you-laugh lines with his comic timing. This time is no better or no worse than others. Akshaye Khanna is screaming intolerably at the top of his voice half the time, which is like 75 minutes. And is it only me who thinks his dialogue delivery is going from bad to worse with each movie? He actually had extra pauses where none were warranted at a couple of places. Genelia looks pretty and plays her casual character alright. Whether she's acting or just the way she is in real life, we'll know only after she is 3-4 movies old.
The lyrics and music of the songs are as generic as could be. Also the choreographer had the lead pair finish their gym/aerobic workout on set. And use of bikini-clad women for no particular reason has never been so blatant. So, cutting the songs out could only have helped the movie.
Same goes for about another 15-20 minutes of the movie. There are unnecessary pauses and long dialogues which do nothing but elongate the runtime. What was the point of having the entire crew go to Kerala when neither did the script need Kerala, nor did they manage to capture her intrinsic beauty.
I still think that humor is a nice way to portray a father-son relationship. But, I just don't understand why it has to be loud, long and lousy.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Amit R Agarwal, merinews : ...it might offend a few ‘class’ audiences with some ‘crass’ one-liners, but a section of the audiences will enjoy it... full review
So-So, by Subhash K Jha, All Bollywood : ...Breathe easy. There are no risqué or double-meaning jokes and no vulgar shots of women.... full review
So-So, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ...Making a good comedy is no laughing matter, and Priyadarshan...knows the ropes very well. But this time he gets tangled and gives us just an average entertainer... full review
So-So, by Fatema H Kagalwala, Business of Cinema : ...Genelia breezes through the film like a breath of fresh air exuding a charming youthfulness that is by no means too sweet or sour but just right in its tanginess... full review
So-So, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...it had the potential to rise to the level of GARAM MASALA, BHAGAM BHAG and BHOOL BHULAIYA, but it eventually ends up being an average fare!... full review
So-So, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...Om Puri is the X-factor of this film. He leaves his mark with his top rank performance.... full review
So-So, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...The problem with Mere Baap Pehle Aap is its stubborn display of inconsistency.... full review
Thumbs down, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...It's like an artist painting a good picture and not knowing where to stop, thus negating the impact of his great visual.... full review
Thumbs down, by Khalid Mohamed, Hindustan Times : ...No one speaks in Mere Baap Pehle Aap, everyone goes so ballistic that you hope your ears don’t fall off like autumn leaves.... full review
Thumbs down, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...I could sit here and recount the plot of this film, but that would mean having to jog my memory back to the travesty that I had to endure.... full review
Thumbs down, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ...In absence of any story, the first half is only stuffed with superfluous scenes that serve no purpose whatsoever... full review
Thumbs down, Indicine : ...Priyadarshan has made it a habit to make movies with a hilarious first half, but a utterly disappointing emotional and dramatic second... full review
Thumbs down, Movie Talkies : ...Paresh Rawal and Akshaye Khanna are in full form as usual however there is nothing novel in their performances and you get a feel of déjà vu as neither offers anything new.... full review
Thumbs down, musicNmovies.info : ...You grin at places in first half, but would almost fall asleep after that... full review
Thumbs down, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...The film’s premise admittedly has scope for lots of la... full review
Thumbs down, by kavita ogale, Times Now : ...This film could have still made a decent watch if not for the very corny characters led by the shockingly crass Om Puri... full review
Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Plot Summary
Gaurav (Akshaye Khanna) is frustrated with his father (Paresh Rawal) getting into trouble because of his friend (Om Puri). Meanwhile, he is also being harassed by a stranger, Rose (Genelia D'Souza).
What Worked
Nothing really! Except for the broad concept.
What did not
- There was something terribly wrong in the way some of the scenes were recorded. The voices were echoing as they would in a theatrical play.
- Rane-Mathur (Paresh Rawal-Om Puri) trying and failing miserably in pulling a Jai-Veeru (where Veeru asks Jai to ask the girl's hand in marriage on his behalf).
- How come Rose calls Gaurav on his landline numbers when the visiting card she gets actually has only a mobile number on it?
- The side-side actors were really awful! E.g. the prostitute in the park
- How come the "nana-nani" park had no kids and no play area? How come it was populated by young couples?
- Wasn't Bapu (Paresh Rawal) dancing like Dev Anand? Then why does Shikha mention Shammi Kapoor?
- Why are we never shown what "teacher" is actually thinking? It feels like a huge gap!
- As usual, the comic relief Rajpal Yadav suddenly disappears from the story line.
- The scene between Om Puri and Paresh Rawal could have worked so well, only if it were half the duration.
- The sudden transformation of Rupali, Paresh Rawal's older daughter-in-law.
Nitty-Gritty
- Which grocery store has a snack section that is spacious enough for two adults to run around beating up each other?
Parental Guidance:
That is if you decide to see this yourself!
- Violence: Not much, except maybe a couple of slapsticky slaps.
- Sexual content: There are a couple of toilet jokes and a couple songs with bikini-clad women dancing for no good reason.
- Concept: It is a portrayal of a possibly lovable father-son relationship. Nothing wrong with the base idea itself, just the execution is not really enjoyable.
- General Look and Feel: A few songs strewn across a light treatment of the subject.
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Comments (6)
Mere Baap Pehle Aap - Review...
A casual friendly relationship between dad and son could have worked if the movie were about 30 minutes shorter. Otherwise, it is the usual Priyadarshan fare....
I am sure this was an experiment by Priyadarshan to see of he could make a really bad movie. The experiment definitely worked !!
My take on it - http://passionforcinema.com/baap-re-baap/
Thanks for the humorous read, Sudhir! It certainly made me smile more than the movie itself.
Have you not seen any of Genelia's older movies - 'Tujhe Meri Kasam', 'Boys' or 'Masti'?
I've seen just Masti, Raj. Though I don't remember the details, I remember it being a "men" movie more or less. The women didn't have anything substantial to do.
suberb movie..... but flop movie for all dirty minded.. huh! good job priyadarshan!!!
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