Shakalaka Boom Boom Movie Reviews

"I know he is gifted. I know he is brilliant. I know he is better than me. And that's the reason why I cannot forgive him!"

How many times has one seen an honest confession like this being made? Especially when the person saying so is an antagonist! But in SLBB this happens. And that's the beauty of the script which makes it all so believable and true.

Welcome to the kind of cinema that doesn't get into a good v/s bad saga with everything white and black. Here the characters are true to what an average human being could be.

So Upen Patel, a wannabe star with the gift of 'saraswati' with him, isn't all 'seedha-saadha' and oh-so-humble even as he sees the world turn against him in his quest for name and fame. So much so that he even disrespects his very own father and 'guru' [Anupam Kher] in moments of frustration and overconfidence!

On the other hand there is Bobby Deol, who could justify his 'ahankaar' due to 5 superhit albums behind him, but deep inside down he pretty much realizes that he is nothing but mediocre. And this is where the insecurity creeps in and he goes an extra distance to ensure that a new kid on the block is destroyed even before he becomes a competitor.

Third character in the story which is forced to breach the line of gray and turn really nasty is that of Celina Jaitly, a PR person, who cannot bear the sight of her client [Upen]. Pulling down the very ladder that she had set for him, she cannot face rejection after she helped him meet the big daddies of the music industry.
"He used me", she cries and then allows Bobby to use her further in their common quest of bursting Upen's bubble. They go all out in sabotaging his upcoming career. They help him come up with his debut CD and then ensure that the album is 'killed' even before people get a chance to hear it.

Critic reviews are fixed, posters from the music stores disappear, Upen's name vanishes from Page 3 columns, music industry bigwigs are brainwashed and last but not the least an attempt is made to crush Upen's morale - all of this to make sure that a rising star never happened.

They make him so sick with all the drinks and late night parties that he is on the verge of self destruction. Naive, vulnerable and new to the going-ons of the music world, he believes in them as his friends, little knowing that he was being finished minute by minute.

Decisive phase of their lives comes when Bobby decides to use Upen's original tunes and bring them to the market on his own name. Unfamiliar to the tactics of his senior and made to believe that he was composing the album for himself, Upen falls into Bobby's trap. All this and more even when his much mature girlfriend [Kangana Ranaut], a rising stralet herself, warns him that the world isn't what it seemed.

What happens next?

Ignore historic references or inspiration from any Hollywood flick, the fact remains that SLBB does tackle a very fresh subject with extremely complex characterizations, especially that of Bobby Deol. He is gawky when it comes to comedy and light hearted scenes but gets on his own when it comes to displaying his anger, frustration and helplessness.

His monologues with his mentor [Govind Namdeo] have that vulnerability that make him look so real and his situation understandable. No, you may not sympathize with his actions but you certainly follow the way his character behaves. Handling a complex role with easy, he gets out the split personality part so very well that it sounds more humane than psychotic.

Upen Patel is truly a revelation. Once you watch the film, you would forget that he ever made an average debut with 36 CHINA TOWN. His looks, body language and mannerisms are just right for the overconfident yet talented bloke he is required to play. Yes, he does seem a little uncomfortable and conscious at places in the first half but in last 30-40 minutes; he matches Bobby step by step. Watch him destroy himself unknowingly in Bobby's hands and get killed in the 7 days of meeting composing deadlines!
Celina is there for 4-5 scenes and 2-3 songs but makes her presence justified for the duration she is there. Her appearance could be limited but she is an integral part of the script. She acts decent, especially when she sabotages Upen's career, and truly turns out to be quite an eye candy in Manish Malhotra's costumes.

Her co-actor Kangana has a much larger screen presence but somehow her oscillation from Bobby towards Upen is hard to digest. Getting to play a light part (in the first half of the film) after the heavy duty appearances in GANGSTER and WOH LAMHE, it is a welcome relief to see Kangana smiling. She does play her part with conviction though her character isn't allowed to do much once expectations of something better are set after a power packed intermission point.

Director Suneel Darshan gets into the underbelly of music industry and pretty much succeeds in telling 'what goes beneath'. Though in the first half of the film, his narration fluctuates for the first 30 minutes (love story built up is hardly entertaining while 'love pill' sequence isn't amusing), towards the interval the drama reaches an all time peak.

Typically second half of films are scary since there are always instances of impact being diluted and something similar happens in 15 minutes after the interval too. Though there is a good carry forward from the interval [Kangana is insulted by Bobby], soon 'Thaare Vaaste' comes and seems like a forced inclusion. Thankfully sabotage drama starts and from there on the film's graph only zooms up further. An all time high is reached during the 7 days composition sequence while the ending is just apt. The message is clear: "If you leave music in quest of money and power, music will leave you even if you have all the money and power"!

For a film based on music, it is a must requirement to have some entertaining tunes being played. Himesh Reshammiya doesn't disappoint here as he opens a new catalogue this time around. The highlight of the music is the five-set composition that arrives in the first half of the film when Upen gets into a show of supremacy over Bobby. Later 'Namumkin' is picturised well too while the title song in the end is entertaining is ever. Background score by Viju Shah is decent.

Dialogues by Anurag Kashyap are a mixed bag with the ones mouthed by Bobby being most impressive as he delivers them with conviction. Special effects in the film's climax could have been better laid out. Editor could have easily chopped off some romantic scenes featuring Kangana, Bobby and Upen.

He may have been most known for his socials and family dramas before SLBB but this time around film maker Suneel Darshan has taken a step to tell a new story with just the right does of entertainment in place. In the film, it is clearly shown how media, PR and competition can kill a good product even before it hits the market. One hopes the same doesn't happen to SHAKALAKA BOOM BOOM.