Random Expressions

Film Review

Sidharth (Salaam Namaste) Anand moves a step ahead in his craft. Tara Rum Pum, while retaining all the gloss and glamour associated with Yash Raj Films, is essentially a human story, narrated in a gracious and genuine way. An absorbing film, Tara Rum Pum keeps the flame of human spirit burning with the warm oil of compassion, concern and candor.

The story revolves around a car race driver (Saif Ali Khan), who meets a severe accident on the tracks. Alongwith the car, his confidence crashes and amongst the debris are his ruined career and the acrid smoke of ruthless cash crunch. His family rallies around him, but he has several lessons yet to learn, and they form the crux of the second half. Of course, keeping in mind Bollywood sensibilities, the story starts right from the beginning where he meets the disciplined and dedicated piano student (Rani Mukerji looking plump yet ravishing in mini-skirts) in a series of - what else? - accidents.

The script is uncluttered, and progresses neatly, adding details here and there that make up the luxurious whole. It imparts a lesson in saving for the rainy day , without being grossly didactic or preachy. The dialogues are crisp. The second half is less humorous, but not heavy; though personally I feel this takes away the punch; and the piercing pain doesn’t cut pitilessly into the heart. Perhaps, a better idea would have been to go whole out in the melodrama, peeling off the gloss and allowing the scenario to be as barren and grim as the walls of the house the family is force to shift in. But Anand prefers to go by the neo-modern grammar, keeping in check any excesses, yet pointing out pretty clearly that the family is in big trouble. Some portions do manage to moisten the eyes, though - for example, Rani playing at boring birthday parties and then packing off the foodstuff for her kids.

A big triumph are the car racing scenes (and they are plentiful), which hold their own individuality without looking duplicated or boring. The last one stirs your adrelanin. (Actually, the film in the last half-hour is stunning!)

Binod Pradhan scores another home-run this year with his camera work (after the painstakingly beautiful Eklavya). The car race scenes are deftly shot, without confusing the viewer. New York is captured in a bright colorful mosaic. The film is well edited, though judging by the audience reaction in the theater, the interval could have been upped a bit, but that’s being overtly finicky. I am deliberately not venturing into the Reader’s Don’t Digest kind of bloopers - I am sure they will be eventually listed out in a magazine that wears the serious-looking dress over its patchy petticoat.

Vishal-Shekhar’s melodious musical score is the most surprising aspect. Frankly, my expectations were very low. But the music is shimmering and sensational. While Shreya Ghoshal’s stupendous solo Ho agar koii gham toh (Ta ra ra rum tararum pum) envelops you in its inspirational and affectionate hug, Vishal Dadlani’s heart-wrenching part-Sufi-ish, part-Junoon-ish Ek banjaara iktaare pe (Saaiyaan) squeezes a tear from the eyes. Both the songs are winners, and have beautiful interludes. Nachle ve taps your feet to dancing and the title song delights. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are great and Anand uses the music judiciously. Salim-Suleiman’s background score gels with the film’s theme.

Both Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan give honest performances. But Javed Jaafri convincingly steals the show; no extraneous antics; simple clean and cut acting that hits the bull’s eye! The supporting cast supports adequately (and no, there aren’t any surprise appearance, and none by Abhishek Bachchan!). The kids endear. (Master Ali last stole our hearts in Fanaa, and here he effortlessly repeats the feat).

Tara Rum Pum retrieves Yash Raj Films (and producer and mastermind Aditya Chopra’s) lost reputation as sincere filmmakers providing good family entertainment. Of late, their films had been all gloss and no soul, with a one-point mission of raking in the moolah and satisfying the NRI urge of connecting with India without actually showing the country. True, the film is set in NY, and they still eye that sector avidly; true, there is all the glamor (designer house, designer profession, designer dresses, et al); but then the film is basically about human triumph, so all the strappings hardly matter. Plus, the locale or the lustre don’t overshadow the content; it’s an achievement where shine and story co-exist harmoniously! And yes, watch it with your family without being embarrassed one bit: no unnecessary kisses or any faaltu skin-show!

Overall - An Entertaining & Enjoyable Family Outing Film- Watch It!

Technorati : Javed Jaffri, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Sidharth Anand, Tara Rum Pum, Vishal Shekhar, Yash Chopra, Yash Chopra Films
Del.icio.us : Javed Jaffri, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Sidharth Anand, Vishal Shekhar, Yash Chopra, Yash Chopra Films

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2007 at 10:19 pm and is filed under Film Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.