Darwaaza Bandh Rakho (2006)

DARWAZA BANDH RAKHO is Chakravarthi's 2nd directional film after the flop DURGA and a small story in DBRThe film is a comedy fitted in 1 house which is novel but sadly the film falters as it progressesThe film starts off well but several comedy scenes are dragged and too chaosticYet there are several interesting scenes but the romance could be done without The film gets engrossing in the second half where lot of game plans are revealed but the climax is a bad jokeDirection by Chakravarthi is decent Camera-work is goodAftab Shivdasani is in good form and acts his part very well though he doesn't get much scope to display histrionics Isha Sherwani annoys at places otherwise she is good Chunky Pandey is relegated to the backseat, Manisha Koirala is okay Snehal Dabbi is adequate Zakir is superb in his role Ishrat Ali is the scene stealer, he excels in his comic act He mostly is seen as a loud politician in action films but here he is superb Smita Jaikar and others are good

Another one of those movies with far too many characters for everyone to have names, lots of intersecting story lines, a crazy situation and heaps of noise and fun.The story's simple, a group of wannabe dons kidnap a rich, dumb girl and seek refuge in a Gujarati businessman's home. What ensues is a crazy ride with many ups and downs and some serious laughs.I'm not the type of person who laughs aloud in movies, but this one had me in splits. Some of the characters are simply hilarious, while others seem to be in the movie just to increase the chaos.Don't expect logic in this movie. It's a loose script, but enjoyable. The movie could have done with some serious editing, especially towards the end, but no one would mind that.Definitely worth a watch, especially if you enjoy the Hungama and Chup Chup Ke type of movies.

If you find yourself laughing hysterically during this very dark comedy, I think it's safe to say it's okay, it was meant to be that way. Ram Gopal Varma delivers production-wise, J.D. Chakravarthi directs and it's a great tag-team filled with great laughs and serious surprises.The movie begins with the life of struggling businessman who can't seem to catch a break from his demanding children(an extravagant daughter and a needy son) and clingy wife-sometimes overbearing wife. One night, while relaxing at home with his family the doorbell rings(and by the way let me just say that the weird-sounding-doorbell is also a character in the movie) and he goes to answer it. He peaks through the peephole and sees a group of men standing outside his front door with their backs turned towards the door. Curious, after inquiring to no avail who they are, he unwisely opens the door to investigate and they all rush in inadvertently taking the man and his family hostage.The goons, headed by Ajay (played by Aftab Shivdasani) after tying up and gagging each and every member of the family including the maid(Chameli - played by Divya Dutta), then reveal another victim which they have brought along with them. She is a young woman named Isha(played by Kisna's Isha Sharvani) they kidnapped, gagged and tied up in a potato sack before choosing the house as their hideout. She is the daughter of an affluent business tycoon whom their hope to use to extort money from her dad.But pandemonium ensues as they faulty plan goes awry, marred by the effect of the house's every increasing characters...uh victims and the love stories that form between two of the kidnappers and two of the victims. If you haven't guessed already, Shivdasani(goon) is paired with Sharvani(victim) and Pandey(goon) is paired with Koirala(victim). DUH! Anywho, Blink and you'll miss Gulshan Grover as Isha's brooding father. Chunkey Pandey and Manisha Koirala co-star. Well acted and very funny. B+

Ram Gopal Varma does that again. A movie from his stable that appears to be promising ends up being disappointing. Darwaza Bandh Rakho is a perfect example of a good story gone awry.The basic movie premise is interesting. Four small time guys turn towards kidnapping for some quick money. They kidnap a millionaire's daughter and are forced to barge in a vegetarian Gujarati family's house with their hostage. Their stay in the house gets extended when they learn than the hostage's father has gone out of India and they will have to wait for the ransom till he returns. The kidnappers, in the waiting process, are forced to take more people as hostages to keep their identity and plan under wraps and save the kidnap from going kaput.While the genre might appear to be a crime thriller, the treatment of the film is rather comic. The film starts on a gripping note and it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to get to the actual plot with the kidnappers barging in the house. The screenplay doesn't waste unnecessary reels on the background stories of the kidnappers. Their characterizations are established with a single scene background narration. The movie is more character driven. With the constant inflow of characters, the build up of the story in the first half is entertaining to an extent.However, the dream sequence at the interval point is extremely predictable and completely avoidable. The story loses its graph in the second half when the movie starts dragging. With the same indoor house setting, repeated phone calls to the hostage's father and more inflow of characters the proceedings tend to get repetitive and monotonous.The sound designer has perhaps intentionally used an irritating doorbell sound that rings every 10 minutes in the movie. After a point of point of time, the sound gets annoying. Amar Mohile goes overboard with the background score adding excessive music to every frame in the movie. The sound is so screechy and undesired at times that it makes you realize the importance of silence. Apne kaan ke darwaze bandh rakho! The editing could have been much crisper. At times the scenes go on and on. Many of the jokes are long-drawn-out and fall flat. Also one wonders why a frame suddenly turns into black-and-white in between the film. Technical flaw or adding to the effect? If it was an effect, it wasn't impressive in any way.And despite spoofing various clichés the movie resorts to many of them. For instance, why does the rich hostage chick always get happy on being kidnapped? The father of the rich chick always has to be a businessman who hardly has any time for his daughter. The hostage has to fall in love with the kidnapper because he is supposedly the hero of the film. And this hero kidnapper always has to be good-at-heart person who is indulging in crime for the first time. The romantic inclinations in the film could have been avoided. Also the abrupt emotional shades in the film were uncalled for. The climax is too loud and extended. The director opts for a convenient end thereby diluting the impact more. Darwaza Bandh Rakho continues the legacy of RGV films that start off well but end up poorly.The performances vary from hilarious to hamming. Aftab Shivdasani does fine with such comic roles rather than the intense and unintentionally funny roles of Ankahee or Kasoor. While you expect Chunky Pandey to tickle the funny bone, he is quite overshadowed in the gang. Zakir Hussain bears a standard expression on his face throughout. Snehal Dhabi is more heard than seen. He is the narrator and also the dialogue writer of the film and does well in those departments. Isha Sharvani looks immaculately beautiful and that serves the purpose of her role. After a long time, it is pleasing to see Manisha Koirala in a non-sleazy film. Though she doesn't have much to do, she looks young and refreshing in the role as compared to her jaded works in the recent past. Lyricist Nitin Raikwar makes a funny acting debut. Tashu might be the next RGV muse. Kota Srinivasa Rao is hilarious as the vet doctor. But the real star of the film is Ishrat Ali as the head of the Gujarati house. The usually serious actor gets the funniest one-liners in the film. Though he hams outrageously in the final sequence with his stupid karate antics, he otherwise comes up with a decent act.The director seems to be bad in mathematics. Despite proclaiming that there are 35 uninvited guests in the house, you don't encounter more than 25 characters. Apart from mathematics he also goes wrong in logic. Bus apne dimag ka darwaza bandh rakho.