Cocktail is the latest romantic comedy offering from writer Imitaz Ali, who wrote and directed the instant classic Jab We Met. His movies have always tended to be a little more Hollywood in scope - his characters loathe cliches, like to speak their minds, and don't believe in bowing down to societal pressure. As a result, his movies are increasingly set in foreign lands, as it stretches one's imagination to believe that such free spirits would be allowed to exist in India.
Cocktail is set in London and tells the story of Veronica (Deepika Padukone), Meera (Diana Penty), and Gautam (Saif Ali Khan). Veronica is your typical NRI wild-child, boozing it up with impunity in sparkly mini-dresses, and subsisting on generous monthly cheques from her conveniently rich but absent parents. Meera is the naive fresh-faced Indian girl who arrives in London to join her husband, only to discover that it was a hoax marriage for the dowry and he wants nothing more to do with her. Veronica finds Meera crying in a bathroom, offers her room and board in her house, and an unlikely friendship is struck between the two girls.
Enter Gautam, the perennial flirt who falls for Veronica and promptly moves in. Meera doesn't quite understand their relationship (it's a challenge for the conservative Indian mind) and doesn't really like Gautam, but she would put up with anything for Veronica. This Three's Company situation is obviously going to lead to romantic complications. Veronica and Gautam have a "perfectly clear" arrangement that they are just having a bit of fun. Unfortunately, Gautam's mother unexpectedly shows up from Delhi looking for her son's future bride, and he presents her with Meera, the far-more palatable alternative to Veronica who never seems to be wearing any pants. They only have to carry on the charade for a few days, but that's enough to give rise to new ideas and relationships that threaten to tear apart the happy trio.
The movie features some great performances. Deepika Padukone is uninhibited and wonderful as the free-spirited Veronica, and her emotional arc feels subtle and unforced as the movie progresses. Likewise, Diana Penty grows wonderfully from duped village girl to independent Londoner. Saif Ali Khan is decidedly too old to be playing this character - his farcical antics and playboy demeanour are a little jarring, especially when his co-stars are so obviously younger than he is, but on the other hand, I can't imagine any young actor who would bring enough fun and depth to this role. So suspend your disbelief (it is Bollywood after all).
The script does the typical Bollywood thing of being light and hysterical in the first half and then veering into melodrama in the second half. Yet the melodrama is still tempered by some comedy and is not too heavy-handed. The dialogue is mature and forthright for Bollywood, slightly too Dawson's Creek for international audiences, but still engaging. The supporting cast with Boman Irani as Gautam's uncle and Dimple Kapadia as his mother are particularly entertaining and offer a lot of laughs. And by the end, everything is neatly tied up in satisfying romcom fashion.
No discussion of a Bollywood movie is complete without a note about the soundtrack. Cocktail's music is frankly the highlight of the film. There are foot-tapping joyous romps, slow guitar-laced ballads, and thumping trance beats, all of which seamlessly work with the narrative and keep you engaged. Even if you don't like the movie, you won't be able to deny that this is one of the best albums of the year.
Cocktail is not going to be a lasting classic, but it is certainly worth one viewing. It will amuse and entertain you for two and half hours, and even if the conclusion feels inevitable, you'll be satisfied that you went along for the ride.
Cocktail is set in London and tells the story of Veronica (Deepika Padukone), Meera (Diana Penty), and Gautam (Saif Ali Khan). Veronica is your typical NRI wild-child, boozing it up with impunity in sparkly mini-dresses, and subsisting on generous monthly cheques from her conveniently rich but absent parents. Meera is the naive fresh-faced Indian girl who arrives in London to join her husband, only to discover that it was a hoax marriage for the dowry and he wants nothing more to do with her. Veronica finds Meera crying in a bathroom, offers her room and board in her house, and an unlikely friendship is struck between the two girls.Enter Gautam, the perennial flirt who falls for Veronica and promptly moves in. Meera doesn't quite understand their relationship (it's a challenge for the conservative Indian mind) and doesn't really like Gautam, but she would put up with anything for Veronica. This Three's Company situation is obviously going to lead to romantic complications. Veronica and Gautam have a "perfectly clear" arrangement that they are just having a bit of fun. Unfortunately, Gautam's mother unexpectedly shows up from Delhi looking for her son's future bride, and he presents her with Meera, the far-more palatable alternative to Veronica who never seems to be wearing any pants. They only have to carry on the charade for a few days, but that's enough to give rise to new ideas and relationships that threaten to tear apart the happy trio.
The movie features some great performances. Deepika Padukone is uninhibited and wonderful as the free-spirited Veronica, and her emotional arc feels subtle and unforced as the movie progresses. Likewise, Diana Penty grows wonderfully from duped village girl to independent Londoner. Saif Ali Khan is decidedly too old to be playing this character - his farcical antics and playboy demeanour are a little jarring, especially when his co-stars are so obviously younger than he is, but on the other hand, I can't imagine any young actor who would bring enough fun and depth to this role. So suspend your disbelief (it is Bollywood after all).
The script does the typical Bollywood thing of being light and hysterical in the first half and then veering into melodrama in the second half. Yet the melodrama is still tempered by some comedy and is not too heavy-handed. The dialogue is mature and forthright for Bollywood, slightly too Dawson's Creek for international audiences, but still engaging. The supporting cast with Boman Irani as Gautam's uncle and Dimple Kapadia as his mother are particularly entertaining and offer a lot of laughs. And by the end, everything is neatly tied up in satisfying romcom fashion.
No discussion of a Bollywood movie is complete without a note about the soundtrack. Cocktail's music is frankly the highlight of the film. There are foot-tapping joyous romps, slow guitar-laced ballads, and thumping trance beats, all of which seamlessly work with the narrative and keep you engaged. Even if you don't like the movie, you won't be able to deny that this is one of the best albums of the year.
Cocktail is not going to be a lasting classic, but it is certainly worth one viewing. It will amuse and entertain you for two and half hours, and even if the conclusion feels inevitable, you'll be satisfied that you went along for the ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment