SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2014 (PAGE-4) MOVIE REVIEW HERITAGE Watch it for wonderful moments DOONA-PATTAL Taran Adarsh son who can see him. Together, they agree to help each other and their friendship sees them get involved in a To counter the dearth of hits year after year, film- On the verge of extinction cause that is bigger than they had ever imagined. To makers and leading Studios -- also actors -- have for- move ahead, they lock horns with the powerful and cor- Dr Narinder Paul and Dr P.S. Slathia mulated a strategy to woo spectators in hordes: rupt politician, Bhau [Boman Irani]. The Lok Sabha elec- Sequels. The general feeling is, a follow-up to a suc- tions are nearing and Bhau's victory is a mere formal- Doona and Pattal also called the cessful film, by and large, rakes in enormous moolah ity, or is it? at the ticket window. Luckily, the success ratio of Nitesh Tiwari takes the BHOOTHNATH template poor-man's vessels are being used by sequels has been optimal, hence bigger and better and spins an altogether fresh tale in BHOOTHNATH the people of Jammu region as feast- installments are being designed by the creative brains RETURNS. The corrupt netas and the corroded politi- this side of the Atlantic. Noticeably, it's raining sequels cal system have been an integral part of Bollywood for ing bowls and plates. These are the in Bollywood these days. decades now. One is used to mortals trading charges traditionally made from the leaves of For any product to leave an impression, it's imper- against each other or manipulating the junta to suit ative that the spectator's eyes do not stray from the themselves... Nitesh reinvents the genre by pitting a Butea monosperma locally known as screen. Neither should his/her attention vacillate from ghost against a political heavyweight and therein lies Palah in Dogri language and with the the goings-on. The sequel ought to deliver more than the difference. Everything else is fine-tuned to fit into the earlier part. The content ought to be imaginative the rhythm. The setting is a basti in Mumbai, but, frankly, piths of khar (Saccharam munjo). In and inventive... or else, the franchise fatigue sets in the connect and identification is pan-India. the sub-tropical belt of Jammu region, instantly. Nitesh also does away with the conventional roman- tic track, which is an essential part of Bollywood. How- there is a particular community known ever, the director compensates it with the camaraderie as dasaalis and Kumhars who are the kid shares with the friendly ghost, which amuses you no end. As a matter of fact, Nitesh has the knack engaged in making doona and pattal of dealing with kids [recall CHILLAR PARTY, which he and take it as a profession. This prac- directed with Vikas Bahl], which is evident in BHOOTH- NATH RETURNS as well. tice is a source of livelihood for this While the first half is breezy, with several pleasura- ble moments and witty one-liners laced into the pro- community. ceedings, the film does a U-turn in the post-interval por- Palah is a wild grown tree in the forests and degraded tions. The goings-on, all of a sudden, turn serious, while lands of kandi region. The leaves of this tree have reli- the humor goes missing. As a matter of fact, the film gious value in local customs/traditions also. As per mythol- veers into the Prakash Jha territory in the second hour, ogy prevalent, the leaves of Palah (Butea monosperma) becoming a political drama, while the entertainment are also used in havan yagya and its bowls and plates quotient is sidelined completely. The election process, locally known as doona & pattal are specially required dur- the manipulative games played by the politicians, the ing pittar-shraad (feeding the heavenly souls). On the fight for votes and power... the film changes tracks and occasion of local festival namely dharma dhihara; water gets preachy too. Sure, the message it conveys is well- filled in the pitcher and covered with the bowls of palah, intentioned and noble, but the serious and grim turn of filled with grains is donated with the faith that the same events look out of place in view of the fact that the film will be delivered to the donator after his journey to the has been promoted as a light entertainer eyeing the heaven. The leaves of palah are used for making doona and kids' segment amongst moviegoers. Additionally, the pattal. The leaves are brought from the forest and degrad- pacing is uneven at times and the run time [2.30 hours] The leaves of palah are only dilutes the impact created by some terrific ed lands nearby. The respondents reported that after moments. bringing the leaves, they are separated one by one. For The soundtrack of BHOOTHNATH RETURNS is used for making doona making pattal, 6-8 leaves are stitched together using the pleasant, not memorable. 'Party To Banti Hai' is the best pith (Kana) of Saccharaum munja (locally known as khar). track of the enterprise, while 'Party With The Bhooth- For making bowls, 3 - 4 leaves are stitched in the nath' [featuring Big B and Yo Yo Honey Singh] comes and pattal. The leaves shape of the bowl. As reported by the artisans, it takes *after* the end credits. It's too late by then! Dialogue are 60-70 minutes to make 100 pattals and 30-35 minutes witty at places and bring a smile on your face on varied to prepare 100 doonas (time efficiency). 100 pattals BHOOTHNATH RETURNS does not take off from are brought from the fetches Rs. 55-60 and 100 doona Rs. 35-40 in the local where the first part ended. Barring the friendly ghost -- occasions. Although Bachchan Sr. has delivered unfor- gettable performances in his illustrious career, he nev- market. On an average, one household can make 400 the Indian Casper, Bhoothnath -- everything that you wit- pattal and 600 doona during a day. The inputs i.e. palah ness in the second installment is fresh, be it the plot or er fails to surprise you with stellar acts again and again. forest and degraded leaves saccaharum pith for doona and pattal formation; the characters or the setting. Wait, there's a new story- He is the soul of BHOOTHNATH RETURNS, shining in are obtained from forest areas which involves no cost. teller [Nitesh Tiwari] too. Additionally, this one is coincid- several crucial sequences of the film. Boman Irani is Whereas, manpower involved in its preparation comes ing with the elections. The identification with the materi- fabulous as the power-hungry, shrewd politician, while lands nearby. al is immense, since the film also depicts a corrupt/slimy Parth Bhalerao is the scene stealer, delivering a win- from the family. politician, besides communicating a vital message: The ning performance, despite sharing screen space with The constraints faced by the respondents in prepara- significance of exercising our right to vote. ace actors. The ensemble cast comprising Sanjay Besides, on marriage functions and other ceremonies, tion and marketing of doona and pattal were low selling Does BHOOTHNATH RETURNS ups the ante with Mishra, Brijendra Kala, Usha Jadhav and Usha Nad- use of palah bowls and plates for serving lunch and din- price of doona and pattal, deforestation leading to non- a fascinating and captivating plot? Does it pack ample karni also deliver natural performances. Shah Rukh ner in rural and sub-urban areas has been a common availability of leaves of Butea monosperma, seasonal ammunition through those 2.30 hours' run time? Let's Khan and Ranbir Kapoor make cameo appearances, practice since time immemorial. These are also called nature of work, decline in the demand of doona pattals analyze... but they hardly leave any impact. Ditto for Anurag poor man's utensils . But with passage of time the impor- because of emergence of disposals made of thermocols BHOOTHNATH RETURNS takes Bhoothnath's Kashyap. tant practice of making the doona pattals by the local com- and plastics and establishment of industrial areas near- [Amitabh Bachchan] story forward. As he returns to On the whole, BHOOTHNATH RETURNS is made munity is being given up and the important technology or by which gives better perks than the income earned 'Bhoot World', Bhoothnath is greeted with taunts and with noble intentions and the message it conveys res- making the doona pattals is at the verge of extinction. It through donna pattal formation. condemnation from other ghosts for bringing disrepute onates in the second hour, although those looking for is necessary to document the technology of making the Major suggestion for saving the tradition of doona and to the ghost-community for getting bullied by a kid on entertainment may find it lacking in the second half. doona and pattals as most of the local artisans involve pattal from extinction are strengthening of the market link- earth. Post the humiliation, Bhoothnath decides to Watch it for some wonderful moments and superior per- in making these have come under the influence of the age of the doona pattal artisians, formation of SHGs of redeem himself and come back to scare a bunch of kids. formances by Bachchan Sr., Boman Irani and the child modernization and industrialization and have left their the artisans, provision of micro credit facility for artisans Bhoothnath's search for kids brings him to Akhrot artist Parth Bhalerao. inherited profession. and enforcement of proper forest protection measures. [Parth Bhalerao], a slum kid, who is also the only per- http://www.bollywoodhungama.com.