Lafangey Parindey - Classic case of miscasting!

Pradeep Sarkar is a director who had a good first outing in Parineeta, an inexplicable dud in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and then chose to come back with an interestingly titled Lafangey Parindey. Neil Nitin Mukesh, him of the golden hair and golden hue, Deepika Padukone, the girl who will manage to look impeccable with not a strand of hair outta place even in the most adverse circumstances, made for an interesting leading pair in the promos. But how does the movie fare? Well, not half as interesting as the promos are (if you found those interesting in the first place)...

Coming to the film itself, all is well until the leads choose to deliver their first lines, which is almost immediately. Neil Nitin Mukesh speaking lingo like a streetsmart (?) Mumbai tapori... sample this - 'jab naak mein se moot ki tarah khoon bahrahaa ho, tho phat ti hai'... and Deepika Padukone says 'Chal kalti maarle, nandu bolke rakh isko'... you realize that they will not be able to pull this off. Put any amount of grime on Neil's face, he will still be the golden hued city bred boy who's spent a good part of his life under the roof with an A/C on full blast... No matter how many times Deepika wears the same dress in the movie, it is clear that she has a carefully co-ordinated wardrobe that does not belong in a Mumbai wadi. And once you find yourself unable to invest a little belief in the leads, you see the rest of the flick with nary an interest in the proceedings.

The story is a pretty rehash of a few older flicks where the destroyer becomes saviour with bits of a reality show thrown in. Compactly written, a limited set of characters playing out strictly etched roles, the flick pans out well enough for its two hours and few minutes of running time.

It could be a decent one-time watch if you are bored out of your skulls (like I was). Else, just reach for that DVD collection and watch a flick that you think deserves a repeat...