Movie Review: Nautanki Saala

It is not often that a Bollywood release from which you expect next to nothing springs a pleasant surprise or two. Rohan Sippy’s Nautanki Saala!, an official adaptation of a 2003 French romantic comedy (Pierre Salvadori’s Apres Vous), is one such rare film.

Does this well-meaning indigenized version work because of the potential that is inherent in the source of inspiration, or is the enjoyment that it delivers have something to do with the low expectations?

Well, it is most definitely a combination of the two, but there is perhaps more to Nautanki Saala! than reasons that are external to the film. It has just enough vigour to be endearing, if only in a shallow sort of way.

For one, the film’s ambitions are limited: it is an out-and-out frothy love triangle. What lifts it above the level of the genre, if only slightly, is the quirky setting – a glitzy Mumbai theatre that is staging a play spearheaded by a young actor and director who is named Ram but plays the role of Raavan.

The Ram-Raavan-Sita mythic construct is evoked to tell a present-day story of a nice guy who prevents a lost soul from committing suicide. That latter has let go of his will to live because he has been ditched by the girl he loves.

The real-life Ram takes it upon himself to woo the girl back for the stranger he has just saved. He puts up such a fine performance that the lissome lady (Pooja Salvi) falls head over heels in love with him.

Ram is now assailed by a worsening sense of guilt. To prevent the suicidal guy from sinking into a deeper trough he must resort to lies and half-truths. In the bargain, needless to say, matters only go from bad to worse.

His girlfriend (Gaelyn Mendonca) walks out on him and he is in danger of losing his new pal, no matter how unwanted he may be.

There are several moments in Nautanki Saala! when things do not quite add up and the pace slackens perceptibly. But even when the proceedings appear to be somewhat bland the film is kept on the boil by the two principal actors – Ayushmann Khurana as the sprightly do-gooder who digs a hole for himself and Kunaal Roy Kapoor as the mishap-prone man responsible for the former’s sorry state.

Nautanki Saala! has three female characters but none acquires a life and logic of her own. The worst deal is reserved for the actress (Evelyn Sharma) who plays Sita in the play within the film. She is no more than a moveable stage prop.

The lopsided gender balance prevents the film from becoming a truly great rom-com. It is, in the ultimate analysis, only a middling effort, but one that does not do too badly for itself.