Roadside romeo review

October 24th, 2008

Movie Review: Roadside Romeo 

Movie Starring: Voices of Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Jaaved Jaffrey 

Director: Jugal Hansraj; Rating: ***1/2

It is time to blow up the trumpets and set out the red carpet to welcome a thoroughly entertaining film from the house of Yash Raj after a real long time!

The film tells the story of Romeo (Saif), a dog who was used to living a luxurious life in a big palace. He had the works - a mansion to live in, chicks to party with and the cars to be driven around in, until one day, the family he was the favorite pet of, decided to move to london and leave him back in India with one of their servants.

Helpless Romeo now faces situations he has never been in before. He ends up encountering a gang of four ruffians that comprises of three dogs – Guru (Vrajesh Hirjee), Interval (Suresh Menon), Hero English (Kiku Sharda) and cat Mini (Tanaaz Currim). They first scare the living daylights out of him with their ‘bhaigiri’ but the smart dude Romeo convinces them about how he can be an asset to their team by showcasing his hair cutting skills. They all become friends an open a salon called Romeo’s salon. Their business starts running briskly in a short span of time. But hey also end up facing the wrath of the local dreaded don of that area – the fat bull dog, Charlie Anna (Jaaved Jaffrey). But Romeo outsmarts him as well. Then one full moon night Romeo encounters Laila (Kareena) practicing her dance steps atop a roof. He falls for her instantly and tries unsuccessfully to woo her. She lays him a condition that to win her love he should and dance and propose to her at the Moonlight Club where she performs every night. Romeo goes on to that only to realize that Charlie Anna has a soft spot for her and has been trying to woo her for long. Charlie captures Romeo and is about to kill him for attempting to get closer to Laila when Romeo manages to convince him that he would manage to win Laila’s heart for Charlie. Charlie spares his life. Now Romeo is in a fix. He has to hide this deal of his with Charlie Anna from Laila and at the same time save his life from Charlie Anna. How Romeo manages to come out of this tangle forms rest of the film.

Full marks to actor turned director Jugal Hansraj for his fun filled screenplay and amazing direction that never lets you experience a single dull moment throughout the film. Jugal’s dialogues are also the mainstay of the film which have you in splits throughout. Some sequences that manage to stand out are Charlie Anna’s introduction scene, the rooftop dance between Romeo and Laila, the Moonlight Bar dance number, Mini’s fooling Charlie Anna posing as Laila and the climax. Animation is top class matching world standards. A special mention also needs to be made of the choreography given to animated characters.

Saif Ali Khan manages to bring in the cool dude attitude with his voice for the Romeo’s character. Kareena too brings in the perfect elegance required for Laila. But one who towers above them both is Jaaved Jaffrey whose Tamilian don makes the film memorable with his dialogue delivery style. A lot of young children will definitely watch this movie twice over just for Jaaved Jaffrey’s Charlie Anna.

During the present times of glum all around thanks to the market slow down, Roadside Romeo is the perfect antidote to keep you entertained and bring out that big wide smile from you.