Apart from the Onam releases, the Bollywood movies that had hit the screens this weekend were "Baar Baar Dekho" & "Freaky Ali". I wouldn't have even bothered watching the latter one as it was a Sohail Khan production which invariably lacks any kind of sensibility or logic. However, since Nawazuddin Siddiqui was playing the lead & it belonged to the sports genre (which is incidentally one of my fav); I decided to check it out. So was it a wise decision???

Ali (Nawazuddin) was from the ghetto who struggled to make a livelihood as none of his modest jobs failed to strike gold. After his latest venture also bit the dust, he decided to team up with his buddy Maqsood (Arbaaz Khan) as an extortion debt collector for the local thug. During one such collection drive, they ended up at a golf course where the industrialist was struggling to make putts even after repeated efforts. This makes Ali to mock at him which infuriates the guy & asks him to put his words into action. Incidentally, Ali manages to putt the balls with ease which catches the eye of the caddy, Kishan (Asif Basra) who also happened to be Ali's family friend. Seeing his talent, Kishan coaxes Ali to allow him to be his trainer with their first target being to get selected into the Golf Tour. So how Ali rises through the ranks forms the crux of the story.

Inspired from Adam Sandler's "Happy Gilmore" which was a hilarious comedy, this one barely managed to draw a couple of chuckles. Scripted by Sohail Khan & Raaj Shaandilya, there isnt anything which could be said to be original or atleast treated in a refreshing manner. The argument of class disparity that the Champion places when Ali takes up the sport, jokes on obesity, misogyny, etc all reeks of influence from movies of a bygone decade. None of the technical aspects impresses & we are left flabbergasted as to how talented artists like Nawazuddin & Seema Biswas agreed to be part of this project.

There isnt much that Nawazuddin could do especially when the screenplay is downright mediocre. To be frank, he didnt quite seem the talented golfer that he is made to appear while brother's love might have made Arbaaz take up his role. Asif Basra has done a fine job, Jas Arora seems more like a veteran rather than a Champion, Seema Biswas hams it up royally & Amy Jackson (oh..she was there???) well nothing apart from flash smiles which is the most she has ability for.

Verdict: Unless people think in the same manner as I did, there is very less chance that this will make any tremor at the box office. With a screenplay as pathetic as this, there is not going to be any word of mouth going in its favour. In short, don't even bother watching!!!

Rating: 1.75/5

Regards...Ben

You can't expect much from Sohail Khan, or the whole Khan brigade, at least when it comes to directing or writing films. His latest feature is more like a skit played by a bunch of primary school students for their school's poorly-organized annual gathering.



Ali (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is an orphan who used to work as an undergarment seller and a contract hooligan before realizing that he can play golf like Tiger Woods. Along with his friend and associate Maqsood (Arbaaz Khan), he signs up for a National golf tournament and aims to dethrone Peter (Jas Arora), a vanity-filled top golfer, and make some good money out of it. The story is basically a riches-to- rags one where Ali has to fight odds to come out as an achiever.



One is honestly tired of this setup, which has been sampled millions of times in mostly all kinds of art in the world. But, then, you would think that the makers must have added some good old humor into this concoction so as to make it appealing. Sorry to break it out to you, but neither is there any quality comedy in the narrative nor is the existing any edible. One-line jokes that can be best described as PJs (in Mumbai parlance) are all there is in the story, which is otherwise as banal as its box office competitor's (Baar Baar Dekho).



Siddiqui tries to single-handedly salvage the film, but a ceiling with only one pillar supporting it cannot save itself from a storm. It is upsetting to watch Khan in a role that he himself won't be proud of. Seems Biswas is the only person playing a sensible character in the film, and let me not even start about Nikitin Dheer and foul-mouthed Jackie Shroff. I went to the restroom for few minutes and missed somehow Amy Jackson.



All in all, the show is about a lucky person who just happens to manage some flukes in few games of golf, which is as baffling and enigmatic as the possibility and nature of the romance between Ali and his girlfriend, Megha.



BOTTOM LINE: Sohail Khan's "Freaky Ali" is a film made of zero imagination and creativity. Wait for TV premiere, but do see what's on in Star Gold or &Pictures.



Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES