B-8 | Friday, January 17, 2020 BOLLYWOOD www.WeeklyVoice.com ‘Sab Kushal...’ Could Have Been Funnier

‘Sab Kushal Mangal; Cast: Ak- falls in love with Mandira (Riva shaye Khanna, Priyaank Sharma, Kishan), the girl he had planned Riva Kishan; Direction: Karan to wed Pappu to. Vishwanath Kashyap; Rating: * * You don’t need to watch too (two stars) many ilms to know where such a story would lead to, and By Vinayak Chakravorty that is the biggest bane of the ilm. “Sab Kushal Mangal” strug- If it wasn’t for Padmini Kol- gles at a storytelling level. Debu- hapure’s son or Ravi Kishan’s tant director Karan Vishwanath daughter, who debut as hero and Kashyap and his co-writer Bijen- heroine in this ilm, you would dra Karla fail to create enough actually think “Sab Kushal Man- funny moments that may uphold gal” is a ilm straight out of the the ilm’s entertainment quotient. mid 2000s. Those were the days The story begins to seem predict- when the undeniably talented Ak- able after a point. shaye Khanna managed to ind The ilm rests entirely on ak- his comic groove in the abso- shaye’s shoulders. Without doubt, lutely cheesy fare. A decade and a Bollywood’s most underrated ac- half later, not much has changed, tor of his generation, Akshaye you realise, watching this mish- showcases trademark restraint as mash of forced humour and jaded he plays out Baba Bhandari with melodrama drawn from many a ine balance of comic menace ilms of that era. “Hum Kisise Kum Nahin”?). make some quick bucks on a lim- the show is to expose wrongdo- and ample drama, never mind the Consider the ilm’s core idea:For the sake of originality, the ited budget these days. ings across various strata of soci- awkward toupee. It is about a don coming in be- characters and context of the plot The ilm introduces Padmini ety. The hotshot TV journalist, an Priyaank and Riva, the two tween the blossoming romance has been tweaked. For a more Kolhapure’s son Priyaank Shar- eligible bachelor, is kidnapped by debutants can’t be faulted for not of a young pair. The story would contemporary effect, too, “Sab ma as Pappu Mishra, who hosts a the don Baba Bhandari (Akshaye trying hard. But the next time, not exactly seem very original Kushal Mangal” is set in heart- television show named “Musibat Khanna), who thrives on the busi- perhaps, it would do well for both (remember the Sanjay Dutt-Aish- land -- the chosen pit stop odh li Maine” in a small town of ness of forced marriages. Twist in budding actors to be more judi- warya Rai- comedy for any ilmmaker who is out to the Hindi heartland. The aim of the tale follows when Bhandari cious about their script. Chahatt Exhorts Kids To B’Wood Wishes I choose my ilms with Peace, Prosperity Take Up Martial Arts On Lohri Day care: Pankaj Tripathi : Actor Pankaj Tripa- MUMBAI: Bollywood celeb- thi feels with great work comes rities , Madhur the responsibility of living up to Bhandarkar, Poonam Dhillon, peoples expectations, and says and others, have wished every- he tries hard to ensure he doesn’t one a year full of “peace”, “hap- compromise on qualityk. piness” and “prosperity” on the “I am elated that people are occasion of lohri, the harvest showering me with such love” festival celebrated on January 13 Pankaj said.“I still choose my in north India. ilms with care, go for characters Here’s what some tweeted: that I feel attuned with. I am hap- Akshay Kumar: Wishing you py about the kind of movies I am all a very #happylohri. May thisin this year. each of the ilms has joyous occasion bring happiness given me gratiication and joy. i and prosperity to all. hope to continue to look for solid : To all my dear work. The good thing about suc- friends happy lohri! cess is that it inspires you to work Poonam Dhillon: happy lohri! harder,” he added. MUMBAI: Actress Chahatt portant. I want them to enjoy the have a blessed day! The actor is looking forward to Khanna is learning mixed martial sport and the beneits will come esha Deol: happy lohri. 2020 with many projects lined up arts and is also inspiring kids in as and when they are supposed to Madhur Bhandarkar: On this for release. her society to take up the combat happen. I feel amazing doing this auspicious day of lohri, wishing He will be seen in “Kaagaz”, sport. as well. The kids in my society everyone peace prosperity, and Gunjan Saxena’s upcoming bi- “It is important for the kids to have taken to this looking at me happiness. opic “The Kargil Girl”, “Mimi”, learn. They listen less and ob- and I feel it’s important to inspire Tamannaah Bhatia: A very serve more. So I took it on myself the next generation. It’s all the “ludo” and “83”. he also returns #happylohri to one and all. withMay the second season of his to learn and eventually the kids way better as the kids train with this auspicious occasion bring in hugely famous show “Mirzapur” followed. It’s lovely to see them me,” she added. lots of prosperity and happiness. in which he reprises the role of so focused,” Chahatt said. The actress has featured in hit Mallika Sherawat: Wishing Kaleen Bhaiyya. He also be seen At the moment, he is currently “It’s an art form and in today’s TV shows such as “Bade Achhe you all a very #happylohri.in his irst international project shooting for a big project, which world sadly, it has become im- lagte hain” and “Qubool hai”. : happy lohri! “Dhaka”, in which he will feature will soon be announced and has alongside Chris Hemsworth. another show in the pipeline. Meghna Wants To Make A Film Like ‘Simmba’ MUMBAIl Filmmaker Megh- na , known for her remark- able ilms on real-life incidents such as “” and “Talvar” , is gearing up for her upcoming “Chhapaak”, an account of acid attack survivor laxmi agarwal. Although Meghna is widely applauded for her hardhitting, realistic dramas, she says she wouldn’t mind making an over- the-top popcorn entertainer as “Golmaal” or “Simmba”. “I do wish to make a comedy, I really would love to, because that takes talent. I do not think I have it right now in my mind! also, i do not think I have the craft for it. But i would love to!” Meghna told IANS, when we asked her if she would be interested in mak- ing a popcorn entertainer. “I mean, look at the kind of vi- sual it has when Ranveer Singh “Chhapaak”, starring Deepika enters,” she laughed, recalling Padukone and , “Simmba”. Meghna’s new ilmreleases on January 10. ‘Helmet’ Shoot In Varanasi MUMBAI: Aparshakti Khura- siastic about the next schedule.” na has wrapped up the irst The irst schedule of the ilm schedule of “Helmet”, where he has been shot in rustic locales. features as the lead actor, in Va- The makers also included some ranasi. The quirky comedy has local artistes. The next schedule Nutan’s grand-daughter Pranutan will commence soon in Mumbai. Bahl as the female lead. “Helmet” is also features Ab- The ilm is directed by Satram hishek Banerjee and Ashish Ver- Ramani, who said: “it has been a ma in pivotal roles. The ilm, pro- wonderful experience directing duced by Sony Pictures Networks the ilm in a holy land as- VaraProductions and Dino Morea’s nasi. This being my irst ilm, productionand house DM Movies, is i am much conident and enthu- slated to hit theatres this year.