Guddu Rangeela review: A Khap-flavoured bromance

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Amit Sadh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ronit Roy, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Amit Sial, Rajiv Gupta, Brijendra Kala

Direction: Subhash Kapoor

Ratings:

"Crime mein jab personal touch aa jaata hai na, crime passionate ho jaata hai." This dialogue ranks among the takeaway ones from Subhash Kapoor's tragicomedy Guddu Rangeela. Profession meets the personal, and passion overrides all else here.

In a village in Haryana, two small-time crooks Guddu (Amit Sadh) and Rangeela (Arshad Earsi) double up as orchestra frontmen. A visa to Kenya here is celebrated with a 'Visa Celebration Party'. Guddu goes about collecting donations from people, while Rangeela engages crowds with his 'modern-day' Mata-ka song. Guddu makes a fashion statement with his Salman-bracelet and 'Being Hanuman' jacket in this part of Haryana. Rangeela, on his part, is a star in his 'After whisky I am risky'-embellished coat.

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These petty wrongdoers work as information-providers for housebreakers, in return for money. Soon, the story encompasses more people and more subplots. Among the many, there's a Khap Panchayat with a horrible MLA Billu (Ronit Roy) at the centre of it all, and there's the deaf-and-mute Baby (Aditi Rao Hydari). There's a cop duo (Amit Sial and Rajiv Gupta), and Bangali (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), whose visiting card says 'Public Relations (Underworld)'. When Guddu and Rangeela are offered a sumptuous contract by Bangali, they lap it up. And thus begins this roller-coaster of emotions and drama.

Amit Sadh and Arshad Warsi in a still from Guddu Rangeela

Journalist-turned-filmmaker Subhash Kapoor interweaves snatches from reality with fiction in this tale of his. The script has ample instances when one is left to laugh their lungs out. The story borrows from the 2007 Manoj-Babli honour killing case, which had shaken the country back then. While the chamber of a Human Rights Advocate in Rohtak has a poster saying 'There is no honour in killing,' a few miles away, honour is all about killing. Subhash Kapoor almost gets to put his message across, but not quite. Therefore, while the film was touted to be 'based on the Manoj-Babli case', it's not really.

Arshad Warsi is in top form with his acting, and Amit Sadh does a damn good job of complementing him. Guddu and Rangeela's camaraderie is reminiscent of Jai-Veeru and Munna-Circuit. The two drive around town in a similar sidecar-ed motorcycle, too. In their comic scenes, Warsi and Sadh are brilliant, even when they mouth horrible PJs. The other camaraderie that strikes one here is that of the two cops. Amit Sial, with his sidekick Rajiv Gupta, is a delight to watch. As is Gupta, who by now, is a pro in poker-faced humour. Ronit Roy is his menacing self on screen this time too, and does his bit to put his character across. However, Roy's Billu feels tedious after a point, and his forced Haryanvi accent does no good, either. Aditi's deaf-and-mute act draws the right amount of attention from viewers, but she hardly gets to be the cynosure here. Dibyendu and Brijendra Kala slip into their roles seamlessly.

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However, despite a largely gripping narrative and good performances, Guddu Rangeela loses the viewer after a point. The storyline is too convoluted, and it takes its own sweet time to establish the plot. By the time it does, one is left teetering on the edge of losing his/her patience. There are longwinded discourses on women's rights in a Panchayat full of Khap elders, which looks downright forced. The climax is wearisome, thanks to its length.

Among all Amit Trivedi's songs, Mata Ka Email deserves a special mention. The others hardly make a difference to the story. The comic interludes are of much help post intermission. Had Arindam Ghatak been tighter with his editing, the film could have done better.

In all, Guddu Rangeela works in parts. Disjointed fragments of the film stand out instead of the whole story. In trying to pack in too much of suspense and drama (melodrama, at certain points), Subhash Kapoor leaves the viewer dissatisfied. Watch it if you have to, for the chemistry between the two male leads.