Review: Nothing striking about 'Shakal Pe Mat Ja'

Cast: Shubh, Pratik Katare, Saurabh Shukla, Raghuveer Yadav, Chitrak Bandhopadyay, Harshal Parekh

Director: Shubh Mukherjee

The dramatic event of 9/11 has been influencing filmmakers since a decade. 'Shakal Pe Mat Ja' is director Shubh Mukherjee's take on the changed perspective of the world after the air attacks on WTC and Pentagon but don't expect any serious film as the story showcases the funny circumstances on Delhi international airport in the wake of a hyped terrorist attack.

A bizarre group of four wannabe filmmakers find themselves in a mess when the police arrest them as terrorism suspects. Ankit Sharma (Shubh Mukherjee), the apparent leader of the group tries to convince the authorities that they were filming the landing planes just for the sake of a documentary which they believe will become an instant success. ATS chief Saurabh Shukla arrives at the centre spot when Omprakash (Raghuveer Yadav) fails to dig up any clue about the possible terror attack.

Some Arabic and Pakistani porn seized from another member of the group Rohan (Chitrak Bandhopadhyay) appeals the interrogators to go for harder methods but then the blunder happens. The police mistakes Dhruv's (Prateek Katare), third member of the group, physics project for a bomb.

Entering of some real terrorists in the scene sparks a comedy of confusion and chaos which eventually inspire the boys to escape from the police custody.

However, the misfortune does not leave them and they get trapped between the police and the terrorist group 'Al Bakayda'.

One man army Shubh Mukherjee has donned the responsibilities of writer and director besides playing the chief lead Ankit. The disadvantage of fulfilling too many slots gets reflected in Shubh's acting where he fails to create a believable chemistry among the four members of the group. Every actor appears to be operating from a different island.

Chitrak Bandopadhyay has appeared in TV commercials but the actor looks nothing else than a farting machine. It's the high time for young filmmakers to invent new comic situations than same age old state of affairs where a fat and dumb looking man keeps farting against the audiences' demand. Chitrak looks at ease but does not achieve anything as an actor. The Hindi film industry will get just another stereotyped actor if Chitrak does not put more thinking into his subsequent roles.

Prateek Katare is the find of 'Shakal Pe Mat Ja'. The child has potential and can do better if handled carefully. He carries the punch lines satisfactorily.

Raghuveer Yadav disappoints in the film. Probably the inexperienced director stopped Raghuveer from churning the best out of him but the actor has done some unexpected errors too. His dialect does not belong to anywhere. It's neither Haryanavi Hindi, nor Bihari Hindi. It would be difficult for the acclaimed actor to explain the reasons behind delivering abuses with a blank face. He does not look convincing as a security in charge.

Saurabh Shukla is the real person to watch out for in the film. Shukla has changed his style of acting in 'Shakal Pe Mat Ja'. He looks relaxed and fantastic as an ATS officer. His one liners are fabulous and provide life to the film.

The screenplay could have done better, had the film been released in 90s. Piyadarshan style of comedy is amalgamated with Indra Kumar brand of humour. The writer has put good efforts in coming up with a fast paced story but starting the film with a dream sequence and voice over is certainly not the brightest of the ideas.

Dialogues are the real face saver for the film. Witty punch lines are capable of making you laugh but the film does not have many.

The writer should be given the credit for using Delhi slang in a fitting way. Terms such as Ghamad, Ghasmandoos, Chechdu and Cheapad would appear familiar to the audiences of northern India.

The climax of the film does not make the adrenaline rush but it's not stale either. The revelation of the undercover agent in the end is the masterstroke of the film.

The cinematography is average and does not compliment the story much. The constrained frames fall short of capturing the essence of Delhi.

Four music directors have collaborated for the music of 'Shakal Pe Mat Ja' and they have come up with some trendy tunes. 'Har Har Gange' has the potential of being popular among the youths.

Overall 'Shakal Pe Mat Ja' is a mixture of crass comic sequences where the audience should not look for any sensible content. Watch it if you are a habitual film viewer and would not mind laughing in bits.