Written by: Ikram Akhtar, Nisar Akhtar & Rajeev Kaul, based on a story by Anees Bazmee
Directed by: Anees Bazmee
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Sushmita Sen, Kangana Ranaut
The trend of movies trying to tickle the funny bone were flocking in throughout 2010: the latest addition to the list was No Problem. Co-written and directed by Aneez Bazmee who has given Mega Hits previously in his career with comedy being his forte. The movie boasts of a huge star cast: Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Sushmita Sen and Kangana Ranaut plus the chartbuster song “Mast Punjabi.” With all these ingredients one would expect a good entertainer, but No Problem definitely has problems.
The movie has several parallel tracks, all of which get interlinked as the movie progresses. One is about two thieves, Raj (Khanna) and Yash (Dutt) who rob a village and escape to Cape Town, South Africa. Zandulal (Rawal) is from the village which has been robbed; he comes to Cape town in search of the two thieves. The other track is about a dumb-wit cop (Kapoor), whose wife Sanjana (Sen) suffers from a split personality. He holds a good rank at the police, thanks to his father-in-law, played by Shakti Kapoor, who is the head of the police force.
[ad#longpost]The third track is about a gangster Marcos (Shetty) and his weird gang, who rob diamonds worth millions at the beset of the Chief Minister. They end up killing him, as the Chief Minister tries to double-cross the gang; in the melee the diamonds are lost and a series of events result in Raj, Yash and Zandulal being framed for the murder and theft. Who has the diamonds and how the third manage to get their names cleared with the help of the dumb-wit cop forms the story.
Often of late, in movies of this genre, the story or logic is not given much importance…at least as long as the laughs keep coming. No Problem follows the same pattern: the story does not have much logic to it, but the main drawback is that the laughs are far and few in-between. The plot might look good on paper but somehow it does not transform well on-screen. Unlike his previous movie with Anil Kapoor–No Entry, which was hilarious right through–this movie comes as a big let down. There are a few really hilarious scenes in the movie, but only a few of them cannot be used to buoy the film as a whole. The movie tends to drag a lot post-interval and is neither exciting nor funny.
The actors do a good job regardless. Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt and Paresh Rawal are in fine form. Anil Kapoor is at ease in his role of the cop and has some of the best moments in the movie. Sushmita Sen walks away with all the accolades for her performance as his wife and her split personality–the scenes involving her are hilarious. Shakti Kapoor does not have much to offer, though. Kangana Ranaut as the beauty-conscious girl playing Akshaye’s love interest has an insignificant role; one wonders what a powerhouse of talent like her is doing in miniscule roles in movies like this and Kites, where her acting abilities are not even tested. Aneez Bazmee, the writer/director, fails as a writer (along with Nisar Akhtar) and this one is a sure let-down from him. Music by Pritam/Anand Raj Anand/Sajid-wajid is good with “Shakira” being quite catchy and the aforementioned “Mast Punjabi,” which is in the climax, as a clear chartbuster.
Overall, No Problem disappoints. What could have been a laughathon ends up being merely funny in parts and a drag overall. Wait for the DVD for the few excellent laughs it provides in-between all the crap it serves up.