There are two Hindi releases this week. One of them, Dharam Sankat Mein, is a bad attempt at recreating the British film The Infidel, while the other, Ek Paheli Leela, is an even worse attempt at recreating every reincarnation film ever made.
Ek Paheli Leela is the title of the latest Sunny Leone film. While the Leela refers to Leone’s character in the film, I couldn’t quite figure out what the paheli was.
Maybe it had to do with why this film got made. I mean, we know WHY this film got made.
But I can’t understand why anyone bothered to write a full-fledged, pathetic script to justify the presence of Sunny Leone’s cleavage in every second scene. Effort seems to have gone into making this film, and that’s the worst thing about it. Because it is still so terrible. No self-respecting actor would want to play second fiddle to Leone’s cleavage, and so the makers got these four men - Jay Bhanushali, Mohit Ahlawat, Rahul Dev and Rajneesh Duggal.
Oh wait, there’s a fifth guy. There’s Jas Arora. Here’s a fun fact about Leela: Jas Arora gets costume credit for dressing up Jas Arora!
My rating is a 1 out of 5.
The other Hindi release this week is Dharam Sankat Mein, a remake of the British film, The Infidel, which was about a Muslim man who finds out he was born a Jew. In Dharam Sankat Mein, Paresh Rawal plays a Hindu who finds out he was born Muslim.
On paper, it’s a great idea. The original was a quirky comedy, and the material is ripe for an Indian remake. Rawal’s always a delightful actor to watch, and he shows once again he’s among the few actors who can shoulder an entire film.
Even though director Fuwad Khan seems to be suffering from a serious Oh My God hangover, the film has some nice moments, especially between Rawal and his neighbour, played by Annu Kapoor. Yet, instead of being able to replicate the original’s effortless humour, the film makes desperate attempts at comedy that often falls flat on its face.
Naseeruddin Shah, who plays a godman on the lines of Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, delivers one of his worst, most cringe-inducing performances. In fact, he seemed more respectable as an actor when he wore a bikini in Tahalka than he does in this film.
The last 20 minutes are sheer torture, from the film turning from farcical to a farce. My rating is a 2 on 5.
