A mish-mash of Hindi hits
For the first time after several months, one found Indira theatre in the southern part of Kolkata spilling over with people queued up to watch Mon Maane Naa. Indira, once a glittering theatre that screened films ranging from Uttam Kumar starrers to Satyajit Ray releases, fell in a sorry state where only C-grade and D-grade Hindi films sometimes drew a thin audience. The owners left it unattended, with plaster peeling off its walls and the upholstery on the seats revealing the sponge padding inside. Its destiny changed a couple of months back with the release of Chirodini Tumi Je Amaar that ran to packed houses for every show, every day, for several weeks. Mon Maane Naa has effectively consolidated the foundation of success laid down by Chirodini.. Immediately after the screen flashed the Censor’s Certificate, the catcalls began and giggling young girls went ‘ooh aah’ in chorus, as they watched the very tall, dark and handsome Dev take somersaults on the streets of Kolkata to escape from the clutches of a police officer.

Dev plays Rahul, who, as we later learn, lives somewhere in the hills with his happy family. He has a grandfather, older brother, his wife, three kids and a kid sister who is to get married. He came to Kolkata to carry a single-handed heist of a diamond necklace worth Rs.20 lakh, the money he needs for a nephew’s heart surgery. He jumps over cars, slides down handcarts and slopes, rolls out from under a moving truck and finally escapes into the confines of a tourist bus to plonk himself beside Ria, who is running away from her millionaire father because she is in love with Bobby who lives in Siliguri. She is not aware that Bobby calls her his ‘credit card’ behind her back, as he two-times her with his existing girlfriend. This is a straight lift from the Ajay Devgan-Kajol starrer Pyar To Hona Hi Thaa.

Along the journey, there are frame-to-frame scenes lifted from Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin From then on, the love-hate relationship between Ria and Rahul takes a roller-coaster ride to a happy finish. The kind-hearted cop played by Om Puri in the Bollywood ‘source of inspiration’ is done here by Tapas Pal who perhaps, needed to glare a little less than he does through this film. The daylight robbery of a Bollywood hit notwithstanding, the film is a worthy watch for Dev alone. He is smart, handsome with a bit of buckteeth that can be taken care of, has a good physique and looks very fresh, charming and innocent. He has terrific screen presence. Koel is very good in the romantic and serious parts but must learn to control her hands to turn out a wholesome performance. Her dress sense is very good, unlike the garish costumes one often sees heroines sporting in the Bengali mainstream. Mark my words, Dev is Bengali cinema’s dream-cum-true hero who can pack action scenes with professional ease, sustain the innocence of a fresher and make us laugh as well. The comic capers between Ria’s father and his secretary are jarring and an eyesore. Bobby’s character could have been a cameo rather than a full-fledged villain.

Sorry but Jeet Ganguly’s tracks suspiciously remind us of several Hindi hits. The film could have been crisper than it is. But it is still rocks, with lots of fun, courtesy Dev. The moving geography has been cinematographed well and the best part is that there is not a dull moment over its span.
Verdict
I grant the film one star for Dev and Koel and one star to director Sujit Guha