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Thursday 16 August 2012

Cock and tail!

A small note before I begin the actual review. For this post and subsequent ones, I shall be reviewing movies as and when I watch them, and not immediately after their release. That being said, let's get right down to it!


Cocktail. Seldom has a movie been so aptly named. Because beneath all the layers of glitter and gloss, the movie is essentially a tale of cock chasing tail. Saif Ali Khan, for the umpteenth time in his career, plays the ladies' man(Gautam) who manages to charm, talk and guffaw his way into several pants. As always, it's fun watching him in this type of role(though the lines are starting to sound cheesier with every passing year). Deepika Padukone plays Veronica, the 'rich bitch' with the heart of gold, who gets everything she ever could have wanted from her parents but their time. (Am I the only one sensing a pattern here?)
However, as far as I see it, the (only) reason Cocktail will be remembered for will be the debut of the drop dead gorgeous, Diana Penty!


There are plenty of beautiful newcomers in Bollywood today. But there's something about Diana that clings on to a part of you. A model without an accent?! We like!
She enraptures you not just with her looks but also her 'oh-so-sweet' expressions, voice and simple portrayal of the eternally pure Meera. Meera's innocent exchanges with Gautam are sure to bring a smile to your face. Her constant displays of affection toward Veronica and the ensuing 'sacrifices', not quite.
Getting down to the story, Meera who is without a friend in London after getting dumped by her 'husband', is offered a home and comfort by Veronica. Veronica then, embarrasses Gautam in front of a few colleagues to get back at him for earlier having tried to woo Meera at the airport. The same night, she goes on to meet Gautam again at a club and ensues to seduce and 'share a bed' with him.


All three leads go on to then start living together, with Gautam and Veronica sharing a 'no strings attached' equation and Meera merely content to look after her 'bandhus' with fondness. Their world is perfect till the arrival of Gautam's mom(played by Dimple Kapadia), when Gautam introduces to her 'abla naari' Meera as his girlfriend. What follows is a holiday in Cape Town(where the background music unusually bears an uncanny resemblance to the ending score of Vicky Cristina Barcelona), the sexual awakening(well, not exactly...but you'll see what I mean) of Meera and the most predictable elements of every Hindi love triangle ever made.

Though the film does have some genuinely cute and funny scenes, it stretches on for far too long. You can't help but think that you'd have found the film quite enjoyable if it had ended about half an hour earlier, after a scene where the 3 leads sit across a table and supposedly talk things over.

Apart from 'Tumhi Ho Bandhu' and 'Daaru Desi', the music is nauseating with tracks like 'Jugni' being played in the background for I don't know how long.

Watch this if you must, but only for Diana Penty(who I've generously showed you quite a bit of in this review).

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