Would you ever recommend a comedy that's so flat and dispirited that coming back to real life felt like a far better option? That’s how you’d describe Poster Boys after you’ve survived the horror (that lasts for over 2 hours). While there’s no harm in watching films that are so bad, they are actually funny, there’s definitely something fatal about comedies that were made to elicit chuckles, but were much bad to care.
Poster Boys is a remake of Shreyas Talpade's Marathi home production Poshter Boyz that was released in 2014. The fact that it releases a week after the critically-acclaimed Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, the viewers' expectations from the film which also deals with 'gents problem' ie vasectomy (a surgical procedure for male sterilization or permanent contraception) were clearly high. So is it as compelling as the last week’s release? No. Is it strong enough to promote better understanding about vasectomy? No. Is it captivating enough to explore the perilous state of mind (regarding vasectomy) and the means by which we can change our thought process? No.
The film derives its name from the fact that its three lead characters - Jagavar Chaudhary (Sunny Deol), Vinay Sharma (Bobby Deol), and Arjun Singh (Shreyas Talpade) are mistakenly featured in a poster that appeals to the masses to opt for vasectomy (nasbandi). But things turn worse when this mistake proves detrimental to their personal lives. Jagavar’s sister’s engagement is called off, Arjun’s engagement is canceled and Vinay’s wife almost abandons him and intimidates him by giving a divorce warning. Unable to cope up with the fast pace in which their lives change dramatically, and how the sorrow render them completely devastated, the trio decides to investigate the matter all by themselves. From thrashing the photographer who shared their photos to taking on the sluggish officers at the government’s health department and legally fighting against the government – the trio’s struggles get worse, but they battle it day after day. They try their way to prove their innocence, but fail. Nonetheless, they decide to never give up! And it is their decision to not turn their life into a succession of loss upon loss, but let it be defined by their big win that turn them victorious.
Honestly speaking, the film’s core idea is unique, and not many could have executed it well. Unfortunately, the same holds true for the makers too. They came up with a compelling idea of vasectomy. But what’s disappointing is that the film could've been great, but turned out crap. In some ways, it is far shoddier than those film that are terrible in every way because those aren't killing potential.
The film also fails because the contrast - between the fun and the reward of eliciting chuckles as opposed to the deadly and unsatisfying process of comedy writing - is interpreted inaccurately. Comedy writing is fun, but it’s also serious business. The writers of Poster Boys forgot the rule while working on the film. They clearly didn’t put in enough efforts to get the rewards.
Sunny Deol pulls off his character without appearing to try extremely hard. His performance is natural and that makes us ask this question: why isn’t he being extra cautious about the scripts he decides to pick? In Poster Boys, you get to relish some of his trademark dialogues such as ‘Tareek pe tareek’, 'Jab yeh dhai kilo ka haath kisi pe padta hai na ... toh aadmi uthta nahi ... utth jata hai’ etc. In addition to his oxidized dialogues, his aggression and frustration of failure help Sunny to deliver an interesting performance.
Bobby Deol as a forgetful teacher is quite undistinguished and dull. But it is Shreyas Talpade who is genuinely funny. The film would have benefitted a lot had his character been explored in detail. He brings depth to his act as the most short-tempered character among the trio.
While the first half establishes the plot almost quickly. It is the second half that makes Shreyas' directorial venture a mess of a film. Just when you think the makers would show some seriousness in handling the issue, its rushed climax dilutes the impact. So much so that even cameos from the Golmaal Again team can't salvage the film.
Honestly, this is a film that is totally oblivious as to how irksome it can get.
Rating: 1.5/5
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