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 Pradeep Sarkar after delivering a
critical and box office success with his debut feature Parineeta had
faltered in his next one, Laga Chunari Mein Daag but with Lafangey
Parindey he has managed to get back in form and has succeeded in giving
masala entertainer. The only thing that goes against it are the
predictable plot points and the slow pace. But despite its few flaws LP
is still worth a watch for its unusual lead pair Neil and Deepika and
good direction aided by nice music.
Nandan Kamthekar aka One Shot Nandu (Neil) works for Usmaan bhai
(Piyush Mishra) as a fighter for his betting games. In the Tilakwadi
basti that he lives in Mumbai, also stays Pinky Palkar (Deepika) an ace
skating dancer who aspires to win a TV reality show contest and break
out of the lower middle class life. A botched up job for Usmaan bhai
along with his mentor Anna (Kay Kay Menon) leads to a big mess for
Nandu. Pinky’s life changes over night too as all her dreams get crashed
with her accident that leaves her blind. Circumstances lead to Nandu
helping out Pinky and teaming with her to participate in the talent hunt
show which she always dreamt of winning. How it changes all equations
for Nandu and the people connected to him forms the rest of the plot!
Pradeep Sarkar should be commended for opting for a completely
different genre to the female oriented subjects he has been adept at.
However, Sarkar has ensured his female lead’s character is pretty strong
enough. The Mumbai chawl setting appears authentic and so do the
characters inhabiting it. The action and skate dance sequences have been
imaginatively shot. The songs too don't act as speed breakers. The only
major flaw of the enterprise is the sense of déjà vu one gets of films
like Jeetendra – Hema Malini starrer Kinara and Aamir Khan’s Ghulam. But
then that is a minor flaw, as the screenplay is infused with plenty of
good moments that need to be experienced on screen.
Neil Nitin Mukesh convincingly adapts himself as a Mumbai tapori
despite his suave persona befitting a rich dude. Deepika Padukone is
only getting better with each film and with this one she treads
successfully on a difficult character graph. She is effortless in her
blind girl act and very good in emotional scenes. Piyush Mishra as the
bad ass don is super cool in his act and is fun to watch mouth some
really acidic lines laced with humour. Kay Kay Menon in a short but
significant part is effective. All the actors playing Neil’s friends are
very good. Manish Choudhary (last seen in Rocket Singh) playing a
Police investigating officer delivers a fine act too. The two kids of
Tilakwadi are hilarious to watch, especially Ameya Pandya in his tapori
kid act.
R.Anandh’s music is fresh with Man Lafanga and Dhatad Dhatad being
the pick of the lot. N. Natarajan Subramaniam’s cinematography is good
and captures the dark night Mumbai sequences well. Editing by Sanjib
Dutta however could have been better as the film drops pace in regular
intervals. Bosco Caesar’s choreography is innovative.
Do give Lafangey Parindey a chance. It is definitely not a waste of
time. Its characters succeed in endearing themselves to you. It may not
be an ace but its still a quality product from Yash Raj Fims and marks
the return to form of Pradeep Sarkar.
Rating: 3 out of 5*
Starring: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Deepika Padukone, Manish Chaudhary and Piyush Mishra
Director: Pradeep Sarkar
Sampurn Wire
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