Film: O Teri
Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Bilal Amrohi, Sarah Jane Dias, Mandira Bedi, Anupam Kher, Vijay Raaz
Director: Umesh Bist
Rating: **1/2
What's it about
A comedy of errors based around the premise of a political scandal, O Teri is a light-hearted film about two individuals who get caught in the treacherous web of lies, deceit and double crossing only to expose one of the biggest scams of the country.
PP (Pulkit) and AIDS (Bilal) are two news reporters desperate to get their hands on a breaking story. Destiny plays a cruel game and puts them right in the vortex of a big cyclone that is hitting the capital in form of a sports event where the unholy nexus of politicians and media houses has joined hands to con the common people.
What's hot
O Teri has a few funny moments, even though they might seem inspired! The track where Pulkit and Bilal have to drag a corpse around and avoid tricky situations is well put together. While the first half takes a while to settle in, the story picks up pace post interval.
The director does a decent job of tying up all the loose ends and put up a climax that puts a spin on the current socio-political situation in the country. The songs are picturised well and the styling of the boys is quite fresh.
Pulkit has an impeccable comic timing and he uses it to his advantage. He is effortless in most of the scenes and showcases his versatility with ease. Bilal is confident given that it is his first film and there's ample scope for his improvement.
The fact that these guys get along works in creating a good banter and camaraderie between them. Also it was a smart move to keep the film under two hours. Salman fans can stay till the end credits to watch not one but multiple avatars of the actor in the end credits.
What's not
The writing of O Teri is majorly flawed. Given the genre it is a difficult act to merge humour with political satire, yet we wish the concept could have been better explored.
Naming your lead character AIDS was a bad idea! I doubt this attempt would tickle anyone's funny bone. Also given the fact that the film is set in Delhi, the language and feel of the characters might seem a bit alien to those coming from another part.
Vijay Raaz's accent and mannerisms are a bit tough to comprehend at times. The first half is full of sub plots and too many characters that we often get distracted by. Also the songs pop out of nowhere, jarring the flow of an otherwise tight film.
What to do
Despite its flaws, O Teri manages to come off as a breezy entertainer that works in the space of its genre largely because of its two lead actors.
