Don’t be fooled

Nonika Singh

once upon a time there was a classic film Kagaz Ke Phool, the story of a movie director slipping into the abyss of oblivion, fragrant with many meanings and many layers. Today there is yet another film by a similar name with a slight twist, Kaagaz Ke Fools. Mark the word fools which points at its humour quotient as also is a telling reminder that any comparison with the cult film is strictly at viewer’s peril and risk.
So lower the bar and you will find that the concept of the modern day Kaagaz Ke Fools is not outright meaningless for sure.  However, expecting it to be even remotely as impactful as the Guru Dutt helmed and starrer film would of course mean you are living in a fool’s paradise.
 As for the fools here, well, the biggest one in question is an aspiring writer Purhsottam (Vinay Pathak), honest to the core who would neither pollute his writing nor his body and mind. Net result….he not only fails to find a publisher but also has a discontented wife Nikki (Mughda Godse) at home whose Punjabi genes want him to catch up with the Joneses.
She tries to inspire, he takes offence.  Bickering at home lead him straight to a gambling den and into the arms of a call girl. Actually not quite. For, this maryada Purshotam (pun intended) resists the temptation which comes in the form of Rubina (Raima Sen). So besotted is he with wife dearest that he doesn’t touch (their words not ours) the hot Rubina even though they spend many days and nights together. Instead, he makes an honest woman out of her and she transforms him into a dishonest writer. Or does she… is the question?
Couched as a comedy with some fine actors at the centre of the drama, the modern day Kaagaz Ke Fools is only partly amusing and only fleetingly insightful. Sure it touches upon some relevant issues like the rut in writing world, even hints at vanity publishing but is wired into so many joints that the fuse goes off far too often. As the treatment leaves a lot to be desired it turns limpid most of the way. Just like the name of the novel Ek Thehri Hui Zindagi that our dear hero pens the film too gets stuck in the quagmire of clichéd conveniences and above all stagnation. Never mind that twists and turns are aplenty. Right from the start when we are led to a dead body the film jumps from here to there, back and forth but all the fuss amounts to much ado about nothing.
Yet amidst all this excessive excitement, actresses look fetching if not convincing. Vinay Pathak and Saurabh Shukla are in good form. Saurabh, as the overprotective brother ready to throw his hat in the marital feuds of his sister, has some of the best punch lines. But the attempt to generate mirth is restricted to him alone. All other efforts to humanise and ‘humourise’ other characters, including the mother and her unnatural perkiness don’t ring a bell let alone strike a chord.  Same goes for the songs, unwanted and unnecessary. The best line of course comes in the end as Pathak quizzes—If wives are incorrigible can they be expected to turn a new leaf at the end of the film.
And here we have a question too—aren’t filmmakers incorrigible too? Why can’t they make up their mind as to what is on their mind…. do they want to serve an outright comedy or a serious film? Balancing the two we all know is an ace director’s job and clearly Anil Chaudhry doesn’t have it in him and thus can’t stop it from becoming a laboured attempt if not an out and out foolish one. Our advice—don’t let these paper fools con you.