Four men with different backgrounds and ulterior motives gather together (how and why - don’t ask). Alcoholic Sir (good old Naseeruddin Shah) is the captain of the ship - ex- professor of English at National College turned chauffeur to a fatso family. He’s accidently spotted a den housed with fake currency note machine in far-off Kalyan that apparently guarded by only two Haryanvis. So, he hatches a fool-proof plan (destined to prove foolish) in conjunction with the three - pimp Bobby (Atul Kulkarni), car-thief Pinto (Kay Kay Menon) and drug peddler Shakti Chinappa (Bhojpuri sensation Ravi Kishen). They’ll raid the den dressed as Mumbai police, scare the two guards and share the loot of 20 crore. That’s élan for you, sans a plan.
En route their impossible mission, the four bump into the real police which let them play on, only as guinea pigs to arrest a ‘wanted’ goon. All throughout, the director has fruitlessly attempted to condone infinite insanity with inconsistent comedy. There are scenes that are truly lifting and there are ones that are an absolute mockery. In the consciously distorted screenplay dressed in Handycam flashbacks, Shetty shows some style but no substance.
Naseer, as always, lends meaning and purpose to this venture. If his son gave a 404 performance, he’s given us a 4084 treat. Thankfully, the director makes good use of his awesome diction in the film. Shah bhai is ably supported by Rajesh Sharma (as the corrupt Mumbai cop), Zaakir Hussain (as underworld fugitive) and Ravi Kissen. The former is easily one of the best actors in the industry today and the latter proves acting can get better with time. Atul Kulkarni and Kay Kay Menon get more screen space than they deserve. Elaborate scenes demonstrating Kay kay’s love for Dukkar Fiats and Bobby’s pimp parade prove disgustingly long, so is their banter. There’s no denying the fact that both are fabulous actors but they have clearly gone overboard here. While Kay Kay still shows semblance of a recovery, Kulkarni has obviously not been able to cope with the undivided attention. In certain scenes, his comedy looks rehearsed and repetitive. Mr. Kulkarni seems overtly happy with his impish pimp revelation (and is sure to win accolades for playing to the gallery), but he needs few more lessons in underplay from Rajesh Sharma and Naseer bhai.
One wonders what the Mumbai Police will make of this unusual comedy - most of the fun is at their cost. Not that we are unaware of their dark side, but is it right to show cops shot down and goons spared through a mass medium of pervasive influence - we’re not sure. Maybe such questions are old-fashioned these days.