Total Siyapaa Movie Review: Quirky With Occasional Fun

Five years back there was a film called Daddy Cool that had released. An ensemble starrer that had Suniel Shetty leading the bunch, the comedy was the remake of a Hollywood success Death at a Funeral. As it had turned out though, unlike the original, the remake just had a few sporadic fun moments.

The same happens for Total Siyapaa too which is a remake of Only Human, a Spanish film. In fact, to set the records, even the original wasn't a super-successful film and was just a decent affair. However, the remake here by director E. Niwas doesn't quite cover the distance. One problem area which is distinct it that what works in international markets, especially a comic set up like this, doesn't necessarily work in Hindi film market. It is a clear case of a story being lost in translation and though producer Neeraj Pandey (who works on the screenplay and dialogues of the film) does try, the results are at best average.

The promos of the film were better than average though. With Ali Zafar in there, there is certain credibility that comes in the whole affair. The man hasn't been associated with anything so far that is undignified and same is the case with Total Siyapaa too where Ali is as sincere as it gets. His core personality is such that you develop a liking for him and with Yaami Gautam in there, you know that it is going to be a decent offering on screen.

This is well complimented too by the presence of Kirron Kher who gets it right yet again. As a loud mother, she plays her part well and though one wishes that it would all have stayed consistent right through the film's narrative, lack of ample situations that would tightly coupled this 100 odd minutes affair is what plays truant.

This means that while there are certain moments in the film where you not just smile but also end up with a huge laughter, unfortunately there are gap areas as well where you just tend to lose interest in what really plays. Honestly, the premise of an Indian girl falling in love with a Pakistani boy could have led to numerous hilarious situations, considering the comic setting of the film. However, somehow after the initial reels, that zing goes missing as number of supporting cast members keep bringing their own idiosyncrasies into play.

Again, on paper and perhaps in the Spanish film the whole concept of a bunch of quirky family members as well as outsiders would have looked enticing. It would have seemed that even with a good scene each with all of them the film would have enough ammunition to keep the fire on. Sadly, that doesn't turn out to be the case due to which the grip on the narrative goes missing and after a while you just go through the motions as an audience.

Now that's a pity because this is a good experiment that doesn't quite result in a desired result. As a genre, a film like Total Siyapaa is a distinct offering for Bollywood which otherwise is reeling under multiple South remakes not quite engaging the audience. However, with an international setting not quite impressing much either, one wonders what would Bollywood be offering in weeks to come with some original and some not-so-original ideas all set to be unveiled on screen.

Joginder Tuteja tweets@tutejajoginder