Friday 26 February 2016

Tere Bin Laden Dead or Alive :: Movie Review



Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive helmed by Abhishek Sharma which is the sequel to 2010's sleeper hit "Tere Bin Laden" tries too hard to be funny and in the process looses its steam failing to tickle your funny bones. It's become a sort of trend to make sequels of hit movies but very few have been able to match up with the expectations and prove to be worthy sequels. Unfortunately, TBL 2 also falls in the same category. Undoubtedly, the movie has its share of LOL moments but they are too few and too far. When TBL released in 2010, it was widely appreciated for its refreshing story, well etched out characters and quirky satirical screenplay. TBL 2 seems like an extended version of its prequel minus the fun quotient and satirical screenplay. Where as TBL had a layered screenplay in form of satire with ample moments of situational comedy making you laugh your heart out, the prequel relies more on gags which also seem repetitive. 

The sequel also revolves around the lookalike of Osama played by Pradhuman Singh and has been titled TBL Dead Or Alive because this time he is caught in the middle of two opposite factions. While the U.S. President wants him dead to show the proof to the world that Osama has been eliminated, a terrorist Khalili (Piyush Mishra) wants him alive to get mileage and raise funds by airing his videos. The story had lot of potential but a weak and non cohesive screenplay spoils the fun. The story of the movie has been penned down by Abhishek Sharma where as the credit for writing the screenplay goes to Neha Sharma & Pradhuman Singh. Had the writers invested more in etching out characters and sticking to their guns rather than jumping guns, TBL 2 could have turned out to be a much better and entertaining motion picture. The movie begins with Sharma (Manish Paul) who wants to become a film director instead of helping his father in his business who is Halwai and makes Jalebis. While trying his luck in tinsel-town, he sights Paddi (Pradhuman Singh) who is a lookalike of Osama. He persuades Paddi to act in his movie and makes Tere Bin Laden with Paddi and Ali Zafar in lead which proves to be a success at box office. A sequel to the movie is planned but Osama is killed by U.S. forces and the sequel is shelved. In U.S.A. media wants to see the proof of dead Osama in form of video footage which is giving sleepless nights to American President. A CIA Agent David (Sikandar Kher) gets into the guise of a Hollywood producer and approaches Paddi to shoot a Hollywood film with him. He plans to kill Paddi in reality while shooting for the film so that he can show the recording to the media. Meanwhile, a terrorist by the name of Khalili (Piyush Mishra) also comes to know about the presence of Osama's lookalike Paddi and decides to kidnap him. A complete chaos ensues hereafter and what happens to Paddi forms the rest of the story. 

Manish Paul delivers a first rate performance as the director, Sharma. Manish is one of those few actors who have been able to make a smooth transition from Television to Films. Manish has a natural flair for comedy and he truly excels in comic scenes as his comic timing is seamless. 

Pradhuman Singh as Paddi Singh is as natural and effortless as any good actor could be. As the wannabe folk singer turned actor, Pradhuman Singh is spot on in his character. He makes you smile with his funny face expressions and dialect. 

Sikandar Kher has turned out to be the surprise package of the movie with his impeccable act. We get to see Sikandar play two different avatars in the movie ; as a CIA agent with broad accent and as a pot bellied NRI Hollywood loud mouthed producer. And, to his credit Sikandar has fared exceptionally well in both these avatars. 

Ali Zafar, Piyush Mishra, Sugandha Garg and Rahul Singh have played their respective characters convincingly. 

The musical soundtrack composed by Dhruv Dhalla is nothing to write home about. The cinematographer of the movie is Chaudhary Amalendu who has done a descent job. The movie has been edited by Chandan Arora who has kept the run-time of movie to 110 minutes. As a writer-director, Abishek Sharma has failed to live upto the expectations with this sequel of Tere Bin Laden. While the prequel was a well made satire with continuous flow of laughter, the sequel works in patches and fails to live up as a whole film. 

Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive is nowhere close to its prequel which was original, refreshing well made satire and is more like a half baked product which satiates your hunger but fails to pamper your taste buds. You can skip watching it in theaters and wait for for it to be aired on satellite channels.     

ROHIT SHARMA. 
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