Movie Review-Deewana Mastana
Movie Review - DEEWANA MASTANA (Hindi, 1997)
Genre - Comedy
Director - David Dhawan
Cast - Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Jhonny Lever,
Anupam Kher, Saeed Jaffrey, Shakti Kapoor
There have been very few laugh riots that can match up to the David Dhawan comic venture Deewana Mastana starring his favourite Govinda and the extremely capable Anil Kapoor matching step for step.
Giving them good company is the comic genius of Jhonny Lever without whom the various one-up-on-you confrontations would have been without colour and spice.
The story begins with a pestering hypochondriac Bunnu (Govinda), afflicted with and carrying all sorts of phobias within himself, and who is more than a handful for his parents. Getting into a lift is a herculean task which remains unfulfilled despite some encouraging prodding and pushing, while both water and fire are all-consuming demons to be stayed away from. Running is a mammoth task. Bunnus’ father (Anupam Kher) is desperate for a remedy and starts off for renowned psychiatrist Dr. Neha Sharma (Juhi Chawla).
Its love at first glimpse for Bunnu as Juhi chawla gets on with her treatment in her usually involved and spirited ways. An invigorated Bunnu shows signs of immediate improvement even as his parents look on with shining optimism.
On the other side is a smalltime tout Raja (Anil Kapoor) with his loyal sidekick Gafur (Jhonny Lever) for company, in perennial quest for easy money. The duo decides to make hay with a heist of Rs.25 lakhs belonging to the railways. While on the run and in hiding in Mumbai, a chance meeting with Dr. Neha sets off another devious ploy in Rajas’ scheming brain. Knowing her to be the only daughter to a very rich tycoon, he decides to impress her into falling in love with him.
Dr. Neha is off to the hills on a vacation and Bunnu and Raja follow in pursuit. What follows is an uproarious run of I-did-you-first and I-did-you-now where Raja and Gafur desperately try to keep the determined and persistent Bunnu from getting too close to the lively Neha, who is blissfully unaware of what the two pests are up to.
Right from the two posing as police officials of a different kind and the discotheque fight scene to the funnily conspiratorial country-flavoured blast plotted for a rivals’ departure, the rib tickling antics combined with some perfectly timed repartees performed with effortless ease is a must-watch. Twists upon little twists take the middle to a much anticipated climax which again springs another little gem.
While Juhi Chawla plays the bone of contention in her usual chirpy way, the crackling rivalry played between the obsessive Bunnu and the twosome of Anil Kapoor and Jhonny Lever is a scream and throw up some unforgettable moments of divine comedy which stand out to be the life of the movie.
Anupam Kher and Reema Gill play the hassled but lovable parents of Bunnu while Satish Kaushik proves to be a watchful in a little cameo. The breezy and melodious songs add to the fun quotient while the movie chugs along in entertaining mode. Director David Dhawan is proficient in coming up with yet another tickler that doesn’t go overboard with hamming comedy elements but firmly and successfully sticks to working around some great funny situations to create a gleaming fun-dish that leaves you asking for more.
The End
