The overall screenplay and its treatment is highly mediocre, with most of the jokes not landing at all. One of the key expectations of a viewer from a comedy is comedy, and that despite all efforts doesn’t work in Aankh Micholi. In fact, some of the scenes are even cringy, especially the climax sequence which somehow makes no sense at all. I believe the major problem with the film is its half baked screenplay and lackluster dialogues, and should have been fixed on the writing table first before taking the film on the floors. Director Umesh Shukla could have focussed a bit more on this aspect of pre-production. Additionally DOP Sameer Arya has gone overboard with wide shots in the film, while Sachin and Jigar’s music and background score does nothing for Aankh Micholi.
The first half of the film is a let down, where lack of entertainment is felt the most. This combined with unnecessary songs further impacts the viewing experience. It is true that the futuristic genre isn’t much explored in our cinema yet, but doing justice to the genre, especially in execution is one of the biggest tasks which Vikas Bahal hasn’t been able to do justice to. While the story does have potential and has what it takes, the poor VFX along with an uninspiring screenplay is the biggest drawback for Ganapath. Maybe, the filmmaker could have spent a little more time on pre and post of the movie before presenting it to the audience.
A director is only enabled further by a team of good writers, in this case being Aakash Kaushik, who has penned the story and screenplay. While the story does have its minor flaws, especially in the climax which seemed a bit dragged, but overall Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 manages to hold your attention. Dialogues written by Farhad Samji and Aakash Kaushik land well, while DOP Manu Anand’s lens captures the right emotions. Another most important element in a horror-comedy is the background music, and Sandeep Shirodkar does a great job at that. Ofcourse, background music from the original comes handy at many junctures, which gives the film a nostalgic value. Editor Bunty Nagi has given a smooth flow to the film, while art director Ajay Verekar and production designer Rajat Poddar help elevate the genre requirements of the film. Mukesh Chhabra’s casting is bang on.
The film starts at a great pace, and maintains the stride in the first half, however the narrative takes a dip in the second half impacting the length of the period-drama. Writers Neelesh Misra and Khila Bisht, and screenplay writers Ekta Pathak Malhotra and Karan Malhotra could have huddled a little more to work on this aspect of Shamshera. However, overall the film manages to keep you hooked. Some of the action scenes choreographed by Franz Spilhaus and Parvez Shaikh stand out, but the ones in the first half could have been imagined more creatively. DOP Anay Goswamy’s wide shots are especially a vision for the sore eyes showcasing the stunning landscape, and the world of Shamshera. Background music by Mithoon helps to elevate the scenes, but the composer’s songs in the film are easily forgettable.
