Hera Pheri (2000)

I never expected much from this movie, because of the cast: Fading Sunil Shetty, sabseboringKhiladi/monkeyboy Akki and serious Tabu. The only hope i had was in Paresh Rawal. After seeing him in the hilarious Andaz Apna Apna (Highly recommended), he was to be taken notice of.

So when I did watch it I was shocked to say the least. I found Hera Pheri to be one the best comedies of the decade. Just forget about the cheap attempts of David Dhawan called comedy. This is the real deal.

The story is simple (as is with many good movies). The 3 protagonists Shyam (Sunil Shetty), Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Babu Rao (Paresh Rawal) are all in dire need of money. Shyam needs it to pay back an old friend (Om Puri) so he can get his(as in Puri's) sister married. Raju needs it for his mother and Babu Rao to pay back loans his father took. When a local rich man's grand daughter gets kidnapped by 'dangerous' gangster Kabira (Gulshan Grover) calls Babu Rao's number by mistake, Raju sees an end to all their problems. He suggests they play a game, do some hera pheri. And the movie is off to take you for an awesome ride.

Performances by far surprised me. Sunil Shetty I never liked, but his performance as the somewhat naive do-gooder was wonderful. Akki ape also surprised me in his sense of comedic timing. But Paresh was the biggest surprise. Even though he was my only hope for this movie, he came out ten times better than I expected. He deserved the best comedian Filmfare Award, that he did receive for 2000. Tabu (Anu) as another person in need of money who fights with Shyam for a job is also competent. It is a small role but as always she leaves her mark. Asrani in a tiny role also gives some laughs. Om Puri was also excellent in his small role.

So Bravo Priyadarshan saheb! Once again you've shown that you are a unique and intelligent filmmaker with a lot of tricks up your sleeve. One tip though, don't think too much about the logic of the story or the probability. Just turn off your brain for a few hours and enjoy. You'll find yourself cracking up every time you think of "Kabira speaking". Watch the movie and you'll know what I mean.