Smaller films often have this tendency to do a little more. But its screenplay hasn’t been too well thought out. Jai Ho Demcracy is reasonably shot, well-edited and generally put together nicely. Watching them perform is well worth the price of an admission ticket. Using a cliché, they well and truly rise above the script. These four gentlemen, though portraying stereotypical characters, display fine control with their dialogue and comic timing. That’s for the acting efforts of Om Puri, Satish Kaushik, Annu Kapoor and Adil Hussain. Yet, there’s just one reason you would want to watch this comedy. In a film industry that thrives on wasted chances, this is one more case in point. But they chose to go with silly sentimentality and soldiers singing songs which just rob the movie of its punch. Then, the parliament room critique alone could’ve served as the perfect comedic end. If only, the writers of Jai Ho Democracy (which includes writer/director Ranjit Kapoor who’s worked on the cult Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro) had stuck to using border tensions as the buildup. There’s also a track of the great Indian media circus which is depressingly juvenile at best. But then, the movie shuffles between this genuinely funny setup and a grossly blah setting on the border. You can have a hearty laugh at their antics. Seven political leaders behaving like abject toddlers is quite the satire of Indian politics. Some of the exchange between these characters is beyond hilarious. When they assemble in a Parliament room to discuss the situation, you realize how the entire process of governing can be affected by personality quirks and prejudices. You have Annu Kapoor, Om Puri, Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas, Adil Hussain, Aamir Bashir and Rajni Gujral playing the politicians tasked with passing an ordinance. And that’s when parody gets a chance to impress. An enquiry panel is appointed and tasked to take that authoritative decision. The democratic system kicks in when the Indian army requests permission to launch an attack on the Pak army in order to rescue their fowl. The Indian’s send their bumbling cook to fetch the poultry and he gets caught in the zone under Pakistani fire. Both sides want to lay claim to the bird.
On the Indo Pak border, we have a chicken in no man’s land. It has some great moments of Parliamentary parody but it’s shabbily put together and such a rookie attempt at satire.
That’s where its ambitions get the better of it. In a bid to be dramatic and relevant, it strives an extra mile. Unfortunately, this rookie endeavour doesn’t stick to the basics. That’s the one big take away from Jai Ho Democracy. Pack a room with half a dozen acting talents and you can guarantee yourself a decent film. Cast: Om Puri, Annu Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas, Adil Hussain, Aamir Bashir and Rajni Gujral
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