Andhra Pradesh

Take a nostalgic trip in this Victoria

Versatile: Anupam Kher and Om Puri in the film.

Film: VICTORIA NO. 203

Starcast: Om Puri, Anupam Kher,

Director: Ananth Mahadevan

Kamal Sadanah decides to pay respect to his father with a replay of “Victoria No.203”, a 1970’s hit saga that delighted many. Since then the population of the country may have increased manifold but the number of viewers happy and content with the film is likely to come down substantially. Not much fault of director Ananth Mahadevan though. His, is a pretty revved up saga, it has sheen, it has sparkle. It has some fetching moments and some brilliant perfo rmances by Om Puri and Anupam Kher. Where it suffers is the acute lack of publicity, an almost anonymous entry at the box office. And a lack of face value beyond the two veterans. Of course, the editing could have been tighter too.

An age-old heist where diamonds are said to be forever but are not yours for ever, this script had wonderful potential for cinematic excellence, some of which has been utilised too. The pace is good and the narration consistently smooth. The dialogue between Puri and Kher has wit and wisdom. The two share a crackling chemistry and lift the film a notch or two with their work. Young Soniya Mehra covers herself with credit. The music is not a bad companion either with the old favourite “Do bechare bina sahare…” still quite likeable; and the cinematographer actually jazzes up the film, leaving you with the delightful feeling that the film is as enjoyable today as more than 30 years ago. Pity it suffers from lack of star value: whose idea was it to have the likes of Jimmy Sheirgill and Preeti Jhangiani in important roles here? Adequate actors though, they don’t help sell a dozen tickets at the turnstiles.

Ready to overlook the little anomalies? Go ahead, watch it.

“Victoria No. 203” is quite wonderful in parts, and reasonably tolerable in many others.

Not a bad date of nostalgia here.

ZIYA US SALAM

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