Film Review: Love Ke Liye Kuchch Bhi Karega

THIS WEEK get down from the high moral pedestal. Forget those niggling scruples. Turn a Nelson's eye to some obvious shortcomings. Just let your hair down, put your feet up. Relax! And enjoy E. Niwas's ``Love Ke Liye Kuchch Bhi Karega'' which opened at cinema halls across the country this past week. A minor surprise, this film is a laugh-every-other-minute comedy which develops into a reasonable thriller.

Remember the cardboard characters you played with in childhood? Or the cartoon strips which kept you company in primary school? They make a comeback here now with this film. Not as trivial as in the years gone by - life has become a more serious business since then - but still retaining the ability which makes a smile an easier option when compared to a scowl. There is no Superman. No Archie. No Betty. Instead, there is Prakash. There is Rahul. And their love interests. And then there is Harry. Not to forget Aslam Bhai - Johnny Lever in one of the better author-backed roles in recent times.

Separately, each of them is capable of illuminating a dark evening, dispelling gloom. Together they are a blast. What they talk has little meaning but then nobody is concerned with profundity in expression all the time. What they do is also insignificant - actually, they do nothing. What is central and abiding is a racy script which holds together a thin story line.

``Love Ke Liye...'' is a tale of camaraderie involving Fardeen Khan and Aftab Shivdasani with Saif Ali Khan, who plays Sonali Bendre's husband and Dalip Tahil's son-in-law, joining them. The two youngsters are high on spirits and low on money. Jobs being scarce and none without the mandatory bribe, they spend their time pandering to the frailties of youth. That is when one of them is not cosying up to Aslam Bhai to eke out a thousand rupees or so necessary for survival. Or the other settling a verbal duel with the landlord with a cold stare.

Like cornered batsmen in a one-day international, they decide to hit their way out of the trouble - kidnap the wife of Prakash and become rich overnight. No burning of the midnight oil. Just one stone and all the vultures of deprivation would be banished for good. Of course, they intend to kidnap Prakash's wife with his consent. And then share the goodies. That is where the plot takes off. As the cliche goes, ``There is a twist in the tale.'' But it comes well before the tail end.

``Love Ke Liye...'' does not have any memorable acting performances to speak of even though the whole cast acquits itself well enough. However, Johnny Lever's hilarious ``Aslam Bhai... Dubai ka chashma'' is already a hit with the generation which will need spectacles only a score years from now. Ignore an occasional incident of street humour. Just tap your toes to some peppy songs, peek into the world of the young and the whimsical. And as they say, in TV commercials for a soft drink, enjoy. With a capital `E'. No great expectations, no disappointment here.

ZIYA US SALAM

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Section  : Entertainment
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