KUNWARA -- Not quite funny!
WHAT else would one expect from the deadly combination of director David Dhawan and Govinda, but another comic escapade, an entertainer? Sadly, one misses the duo’s trademark comedy in the latest TIPS film, Kunwara.

For one thing, the film lacks a good storyline, and for another, it even suffers for lack of hummable music, both of which may prove detrimental to its fortunes at the b-o. The ever reliable Govinda and the competent Urmila Matondkar are the film’s saving grace. They come to the rescue of the director, and may well help the film become an average earner.

The film narrates the story of an orphan Raju (Govinda) who is in New Zealand for reasons that have not been explained. He falls in love with Urmila (Urmila Matondkar) under mysterious circumstances. Soon, it’s time for Raju to leave New Zealand and return to good old apna land. In India, while on a bus ride he happens to meet Sharmila (Naghma). The weeping damsel in distress has a tear jerking tale to tell and is on her way to end her life. Jilted by her boy friend, she has discovered she is pregnant. Sharmila expresses her difficulty to face her family. Raju comes up with the idea of hiring a husband for the timebeing and he lands up in her household in that role. The gun-totting Balraj Singh (Om Puri) chides Raju for framing an alliance for her daughter. Raju gets the scare of his life when Urmila, the younger sister of Sharmila also lands up in India.

Now, it becomes even more difficult for him to convince Urmila of the circumstances which led to all the drama. Raju takes the help of Urmila’s grand father, Vishwanath Pratap Singh (Kader Khan) to clear the misunderstanding. At last, everything is settled. Raju manages to win Sharmila’s love again.

Performance-wise Govinda, as usual, goes through his role with remarkable elegance and redeems the film to a great extent. His trademark gags and hip shaking go well with his image. Urmila Matondkar comes out with a polished performance in a very glamourised role. Govinda and she compliment each other well, especially in the dances. But sadly the songs don’t live up to expectations. Johnny Lever, who is an able foil to Govinda in the comedy scenes, suddenly vanishes from the film. Ravishing Naghma, the weeping damsel in distress, does a fair job though she has a very limited role. It is surprising to find Om Puri succumbing to the pressures of masala cinema, even shaking a leg in the dances. However, he comes up with a very good performance. Kader Khan, as usual is good.

The film is a disappointment from David Dhawan’s standard. He seems to have lost his magical touch and one misses the touch of comdey in a David Dhawan film. The story lacks originality, and there is neither a tempo nor a convincing narrative to hold your interest. The director is also hampered by some average songs churned out by Aadesh Shrivastava, except the title number, which is quite racy. Screenplay by Yunus Sezawal lacks pace as there’s hardly any new development in the story till the breather. Chotta K Naidu’s camerawork is creditable, and he manages to mix the locales of Switzerland and New Zealand quite imaginatively. Production values are excellent, but sadly it’s likely to fetch average returns.

Padmaraj Nair

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Cover: Govinda -- THE GROUND BENEATH HIS FEET