Bombay to Bangkok

“Do you know Shah Rukh Khan? Amitabh Bachchan?” asks an excited elderly Thai gentleman of our Indian protagonist, who nervously shakes his head replying in the negative. The man then asks, almost desperately, “Ayesha Takia?” You can’t help but smile at this sweet, likable slice-of-life dialogue. (Of course, that Takia is currently the director’s favourite and will be seen in his future projects is not lost on us. But never mind.) Usually the first few scenes set the tone of the humour in a film. But Bombay to Bangkok blends in a range: from the intelligent and witty to the corny and downright clichéd. So there’s a rapper don, a Sardarji who loves to eat and has a large gregarious family (sigh), and situations that lend themselves to many unexpected turns. Shankar (Shreyas Talpade) is a small-time cook, who on seeing a bagful of cash left in his restaurant, decides to steal it. And regrets it when he realises it belongs to Jamal Khan, son of dreaded underworld kingpin Khan Seth (Naseeruddin Shah). Jamal is the mush-hearted wannabe rapper, covered in bling, with gigantic finger rings announcing his alias ‘Jam K’. He’s been warned by his father to bring Shankar back, or else. But nimble-footed Shankar escapes to Thailand as part of a doctors’ troupe. What happens next are lots of twists and turns; some funny, some dubious. But in the midst of all this he meets Jasmine, a local prostitute, and falls for her. After Iqbal and the hard-hitting Dor, Nagesh Kukunoor is all set to have fun here and it shows. He doesn’t intend to make the film an all-out comedy or a syrupy romance. Neither is it a ‘Visit Bangkok’ promo; there are no sweeping shots of breathless beaches etc. Instead what you see are the streets, the people, the roadside shops and everyday interactions—more interesting and definitely refreshing. Anything goes here: all within the basic premise of an ever-present language confusion between two people who are drawn to each other but can’t converse without an interpreter. Does it work? Yes, in most parts. Owing largely to the screenplay that reins in the many parallel tracks. However, had Kukunoor not digressed into so many different sub-plots, the film would have been a simpler, shorter, more focused story. The director also goes overboard sometimes—like the scene where Shankar runs atop a hay stack to the sound of Aashayein much like his character in Iqbal. The technique of Shankar dreaming and then bumping back to reality is cute a few times, but naturally gets tiresome when overdone. Technically the film, like all of Nagesh’s work, is superb. Cinematography (Sudeep Chatterjee) is imaginative and so is the background score. Editing could have chopped off about 15 minutes of the film towards the stretched second half. It pulls the pace of the film down, a real bummer in a light-hearted film. The music (Salim-Sulaiman) is disappointing. Bombay to Bangkok belongs to Shreyas. Since his debut with Iqbal in 2005, his confidence has grown to be effortless and his expressions flow spontaneously. His is one of the most likeable performances in recent times and Talpade carries the film on his able (and well worked-out) shoulders. Debutante Thai model-actress Lena Christenchen is perfect for the role and does well as the Thai girl in love with a man whose language she doesn’t understand. Her character, too, is not a simple one and Lena tackles all the ranges ably. The superlative supporting cast must be mentioned: Manmeet Singh as the rapper gangster, Vijay Maurya as the guide Rashwinder Singh, Jeneva Talwar as Dr Rati, Yatin Karyekar and Vikram Inamdar. Bombay to Bangkok is recommended for a one-time watch for its breezy tone, a few funny moments and a stupendous performance by Talpade. Verdict: Two-and-a-half stars