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| Director :
| Homi Adajania
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| Music :
| Pritam
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| Lyrics :
| Irshad Kamil and Amitabh Bhattacharya
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| Starring :
| Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Diana Penty, Dimple Kapadia and Boman Irani
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July 13, 2012 03:42:05 PM IST
By Martin D'Souza, Glamsham Editorial
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It's a cocktail alright, but one which lacks punch. A flat drink with no fizz and lots of salt at the rim of the glass which knocks you back with its sting.
Illuminati films churns out its third release in as many years and director Homi Adajania puts in far too many ingredients without first taking care of the base liquid that will make for a potent COCKTAIL.
The base liquid in this case is the story which is very weak. Saif Ali Khan's character is well defined, explaining him to be a flirt of the first order, chasing anything in a skirt. No issues with that. He plays that character of Gautam with aplomb.
CHECK OUT: Deepika on COCKTAIL - Imtiaz writes strong parts for ladies
Deepika Padukone is this fiery character (Veronica) that downs lots of tequilas, Vodkas and anything that gives her a high. She's pub-hopping every night and one does not know why she is given special privilege at a particular pub. The DJ even goes on to say, "Veronica is in the house." Excuse me, WHO IS VERONICA? Is she a rockstar, author, actor??? Nothing. She happens to be this kid who has been dumped by her rich parents and is drowning her sorrows in alcohol and men.
But the weakest link in the whole plot is the friendship between Diana Penty and Deepika. Making her debut, Diana playing Meera, an Indian girl, comes to meet her husband in the United Kingdom. Deepika and Diana meeting in the loo of a store and their being best friends in a minute is something hard to digest. Adajania was in a hurry to cement their friendship to quickly throw in the love angle with Saif Ali Khan swinging like a pendulum between the two. You then know where the film is headed, where each scene thereafter is something you know even before it unfolds.
The other actors (read ingredients) that go into making this COCKTAIL are Dimple Kapadia, Boman Irani, Randeep Hooda and Manoj Pahwa. Pahwa is annoyingly loud, Boman tries to do his best while Dimple, I guess, is still trying to make sense of the situation she is in. As for Hooda, his last line, "Mujhe bhi kuch bolne deenga," spells out his frustration.
What's novel about the film is the scope Saif and Deepika (to an extent) get to showcase their talent. Saif is top notch as the Casanova, while Deepika shows glimpses of brilliance. This is by far her best performance. The scene where she goes out to party with Saif and Diana and then looks on with loathing at them dancing, and the camera talking (showing her in a crowd, yet all alone) takes the film to another level. Even through a scene earlier, she says, "Someone has to lose," her portrayal shows how extremely fragile she is from within despite putting on a tough exterior.
CHECK OUT: DEEPIKA PADUKONE Interview
Another scene which ups the ante is when Saif is struggling to find words to explain the peculiar situation they three are in to Deepika. He finally blurts out a simple line, "You love me, I love her," to Deepika which changes the equation of the relationship in a second.
As for Diana Penty, for a newcomer, she gets plenty of scope but has a limited range of expressions. However, overall, she does have an appeal but it will take a director of immense patience to get her to emote.
Like I said, no fizz, no punch, but a good presentation (read served well in a tall, crystal glass).
Rating - 2/5
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