Rating 2/5
Directed by Abhishek Sharma
Produced by Pooja Shetty Deora, Aarti Shetty
Written by Abhishek Sharma
Starring Manish Paul, Sikander Kher, Pradhuman Singh, Mia Uyeda, Piyush Mishra
Music by Dhruv Dhalla
Cinematography Chaudhary Amalendu
Edited by Chandan Arora
Production Company Walkwater Media
Distributed by Phantom Films
Release dates 26 February 2016
Satires backfire if not handled seriously. The characters can look goofy on screen to any extent but the writing should always be smart and considerate. TERE BIN LADEN (2010) followed it all as basic principles and the code of conduct. No wonder, it was unanimously loved and tagged as year’s one of the sleeper hits. The sequel too was expected, though never this late. 6 years later, the team is back with TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE. Nothing has changed eventually except the writing has imbibed the goofiness and the characters have become smarter than you think. So much to change the end results in a bad sense! Abhishek Sharma’s TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE is plenty dry, partly funny and largely a disappointment that works less as a sequel and more as a spoof to its previous part.
The film establishes its original franchise as a film itself that has become hugely successful in Bollywood and the beneficiaries include dimwit Punjabi lad Paddi Singh [Pradhuman Singh] as the doppelganger of Osama Bin Laden; Ali Zafar plays himself and so are the rest of the cast. Manish Paul joins the cast as Sharma- the director of TERE BIN LADEN ‘film’ in the film. Riding high on the success, Sharma announces the sequel of the film but to his bad luck, Osama gets eliminated in Abbottabad operation by US Army.
Plot thickens when everyone from US President Obama to a fading Jihadi-leader in Pakistan wants the Osama look-alike for their own good. Mr. President wants him dead in recreation of the operation Abbottabad to have concrete proof for the world to believe. Jihadi-leader [Piyush Mishra] wants him alive to rebuild the terrorist organization. Sharma doesn’t want to lose his road to success in him. And thus, starts the mayhem delivering some genuinely funny satirical takes far and away between silly, tasteless and repetitive jibes one after the other.
TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE is not entirely unwatchable or vice-versa. The colorful characters make up for the most part even where the script starts sounding illogical, stupid and strained. Piyush Mishra in his seasoned avatar is seen organizing Olympics of Terror in Pakistan where relay race is performed with live bombs being passed on. Pradhuman Singh confidently revisits his author-backed role in the previous part but sadly doesn’t add up any more flavors to the part. Manish Paul makes constant efforts to entertain and gets successful in some too but the show-stealer without any doubt is Sikander Kher!
Sikander amazes you with his out-and-out double dose of comedy. While playing a manipulative confidante of Obama, he’s almost unrecognizable. It’s a part where he doesn’t lose his grip on it even for a second, and in due course, often reminds you of Jim Carrey in his style, presentation and efforts. In other act, he transforms himself into a paunchy Punjabi trying to lure Sharma & Paddi Singh in his evil plans. Sikander is definitely the surprise package of the film!
At the end, TERE BIN LADEN: DEAD OR ALIVE falls short of expectations. While the original was an honest, simple and refreshing satire in times of silly slapstick comedies, this one merely rises from the dust to meet the standard set by itself. In one of the few hilarious tracks, Obama is seen taking psychotherapy sessions after Osama’s dismissal and his remark says, “I see dead Osama!” So true for the franchise! The opportunity has been killed.
Written By- Gaurav Rai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ZiulhDI7M
