With a tailor-made script like HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI (with a character that is in total contrast with her character in COCKTAIL), she just couldn’t have had asked for more.
While she showed immense promise in COCKTAIL, for reasons best known to her, Penty did not sign any films after that. The USP of the film is that, despite being set in both India and Pakistan, the film doesn’t get involved in making any kind of political statement in its narrative.Īs far as the performances go, as the film’s title rightly suggests, HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI totally placed on the shoulders of the extremely talented Diana Penty, who returns to the silver screen after a long gap. Amidst everything, one cannot but deny the fact that HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI bears the inimitable stamp of ‘Anand L Rai’ all over it. Even though HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI bears heavy shades (read ‘hangover’) of the Madhavan-Kangna Ranaut starrer TANU WEDS MANU, still, Mudassar Aziz successfully manages to give this film its own unique flavour. Mudassar Aziz needs to be applauded for not just making the film’s characters interesting and very relatable, but also for having penned the film’s funny dialogues. The good thing is that, despite losing its track amidst the second half, Mudassar Aziz manages to get the film back on track towards the climax. The film, which takes off with an impressive start in the first half, gradually tends to slow down and lag amidst the second half because of multiple tracks. The way he has presented the film’s characters is extremely real and that’s what works in the favour of the film. The second half however slows down due to multiple subplots and romantic angles, some of which seem quite forced.Īs a director, Mudassar Aziz, who had earlier made the forgettable DULHA MIL GAYA (2010), springs a pleasant surprise in the form of HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI. The humour in the film is excellent and works magic in the first half. Despite the fact that the film’s screenplay is predictable, it’s the treatment that makes the film entertaining. The film is written and directed by Mudassar Aziz. Does Happy survive in Pakistan amidst such pressures, and who will she ultimately marry and under what circumstances, is what forms the rest of the film.
What happens after that are a series of chases, hidings, kidnapping and confusion across India and Pakistan. Amidst all this, Bilal Ahmed also lands up falling in love with Happy, despite the fact that he is already to Zoya (Momal Sheikh). At the same time, she also confesses that, even though she was to run away from her marriage, her landing up in Pakistan was purely accidental and totally unplanned. When interrogated, Happy reveals that she had run away from her wedding with the local corporator Daman Singh Bagga (Jimmy Sheirgill) in Amritsar, because she is actually in love with Guddu (Ali Fazal), but her parents have opposed to their relationship.
As the conference gets over and Bilal reaches his home in Lahore (Pakistan), he is shocked to see a mysterious fruit ‘moving basket’, which then, turns out to the hideout of effervescent and free spirited Happy (Diana Penty).
Even though Bilal’s heart lies in becoming a cricketer, he sacrifices his professional desires for the sake of his father. Presiding over this crucial conference is Javed Ahmed (Jawed Sheikh), the ex-governor of Pakistan, who wants his dearest son Bilal Ahmed (Abhay Deol) to enter politics just like him and ‘change the history of Pakistan’. HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI starts off in Amritsar, where happens an Indo-Pak agro conference. Will HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI manage to entertain the audiences… let’s analyze. This film marks the ‘return’ of the petite Diana Penty, who had been missing from the silver screen ever since her debut in COCKTAIL. This week sees the release of a ‘happy’ go lucky film in the form of HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI.
Last week saw the release of two films MOHENJO DARO and RUSTOM, both of varied genre.